All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music — Season 1, Episode 3: I Can Hypnotise 'Dis Nation (Ragtime)

Episode synopsis

Thanks to the hit movie, “The Sting”, everyone reckons they know about Ragtime. But do they? This Episode includes the oldest known piece of film (1898) showing what the cakewalk was really like. Also extracts from The Royal Ballet production based on Scott Joplin’s music, “Elite Syncopations”. Also extracts staged by the Houston Grand Opera of Joplin’s only surviving opera, “Treemonisha”. There is also rare early film of Irving Berlin (Alexander’s Ragtime Band) as well as film of Joplin’s birthplace and of the madhouse where he died. Although reference is made to other early ragtime composers, this episode is essentially the story of Scott Joplin – an extraordinary tragedy of failure, frustration, pride, of the black man’s struggle to achieve for himself a proper place in American society. featuring Christies Ethiopian Serenaders Eubie Blake Houston Grand Opera and the music of Scott Joplin Irving Berlin Monica Mason Rudi Blesh Terry Waldo

About All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music

A 17-part television documentary series on the history of modern pop music covering some of the many different genres that have fallen under the label of "popular music" between the mid-19th century and 1976, including folk, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, vaudeville and music hall, musical theatre, country, swing, jazz, blues, R&B, rock 'n' roll and others.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Introductory Programme
• E2God's Children
• E4Jungle Music (Jazz)
• E5Who's That Comin'? (The Blues)
• E6Rude Songs (Vaudeville and Music Hall)
• E7Always Chasin' Rainbows (Tin Pan Alley)
• E8Diamonds As Big As the Ritz (The Musical)
• E9Swing That Music! (Swing)
• E10Good Times (Rhythm and Blues)
• E11Making Moonshine (Country Music)
• E12Go Down, Moses! (Folk 'War Songs')
• E13Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll (Rock n Roll)