A Click Random Dramatisation — That Certain Feeling (1925)

Take her wrap, fellas.

Let me set the scene for you. It’s 1926, and you’re in a speakeasy. You’re dying for a cold one, but a bit jittery that the cops could arrive any second. 

Smoke from petite cigarettes and burly cigars clouds the room. You can hardly see to appreciate the stylish raccoon coats and sequined dresses. The most visible is the sheen of a polished grand piano and a set of four beaming lights projecting onto a worn, but looked after, mustard coloured velvet curtains — yes mustard, not red, what’s it to you?.

You’re waiting for your drink when a croaky New York accent projects “ladies and gentlemen, George Gershwin, with That Certain Feeling”.



You think, “surely not, George Gershwin is a hitmaker for Broadway. I mean, this song is from Tip-Toes the musical, the bigwigs were annoyed, but I really wanted to see it!” 

You’re certain it’s not Gershwin, but you go along with it anyway because you’re a massive fangirl for jazz.

The song has almost a slightly manic tone to it, it’s no surprise that you see men and women race near the stage to do the Charleston. You see a few dancers faint from apparent exhaustion.

“Buddy, drink!”

You turn around to see Josephine Baker and Ella Fitzgerald both singing varied versions of That Certain Feeling right in your face. Ella’s going for a slower tempo, gently swaying her shoulders. While Josephine’s going for it, she’s doing the Charleston, she’s grabbing and swinging your hands.

You’re a bit conflicted, you feel like you have a rather modern opinion of gender roles for 1926, but both are singing to you as if you own them. Then you remember the words of George Gershwin.
“Why should I limit myself to only one woman when I can have as many women as I want?”
Now you’re really confused and conflicted. You start to wonder, “I knew Ella was good, but I never knew she could sing like this at nine years old”. Still singing in your face, you start to feel a little woozy from that bathtub booze.

You close your eyes tightly for a moment. Your legs are trembling, as you hear a deeper voice.
“You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension — a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into… The Twilight Zone.”


Random Facts

· The song title That Certain Feeling also became used as the title of a Bob Hope film in 1956.

· Tip-Toes the musical appeared on Broadway in 1925, and in London in 1926 before being produced as a silent British film in 1927. The film was accused of being libellous to Americans.

· The lyrics to That Certain Feeling were written by Geroge Gershwin’s younger brother Ira Gershwin.

· You can find a slightly less manic version of That Certain Feeling here.

Did you play “Clicks to Hitler/Jesus”? Comment your scores.

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