Swell Time For A Swing Dance by Cindy Vincent: Blog Tour: Guest Post

A Forties Fascination

Cindy Vincent

Hello, Julie, and thanks so much for hosting me here today! 

Having released my second mystery novel set in the 1940s, Swell Time for a Swing Dance, people often ask me about the amount of research I do before diving into a story like this.  And while, yes, I do tons of research right before I write a book, the truth is, I’ve had a fascination with the forties for decades.  You might say I’ve been researching this book series for a long, long time.  Let me show you what I mean . . .

For starters, I collect vintage clothing from the 1880s to the 1950s.  But the clothes from the forties are my favorite.  Here’s a dress similar to the one Tracy might have worn during the “hot chocolate incident” in my book.  

And here’s one of my favorite hat and necklace combos, also from the forties.  I bought this from a lady about twenty-five years ago.  She was from St. Louis, and she told me how she wore this set every weekend when she and her sister would go to dances.  Before she sold these pieces to me, she asked me to take very good care of them, since they meant so much to her.  So I have done just that!  

Next I have a photo of the armoire that sits in my office.  Can you see the image in the wood?  This is the inspiration for the “armoire incident” in Swell Time for a Swing Dance.  And yes, that part of the story is based on a personal experience.  But in my case, it was an exterminator who spotted the image in mine.  He made the sign of the cross and then pointed out the image to me.  I’ve decided that I’ll never sell this armoire now.  Though thankfully, I didn’t end up with lines of people waiting to see it.  J  Please note the Bakelite handle and a replica of the Maltese Falcon on top.  

Here’s a picture of the globe that I also keep in my office.  It was made in the year 1940, and I’ve got it turned so that you can see Casablanca in Morocco.  The base looks like black glass, but it’s what is called “Black Amethyst.”  If you hold it up to the light, you’ll actually see purple through it.  I have an entire collection of Black Amethyst glass. 

But I also collect other glassware from that era.  Here’s one of the wineglasses in my collection, though in those days it would have been sold as a water goblet.  It’s a Fostoria pattern called “Bordeaux,” and they’re pretty rare these days.  This was actually made in 1937, but would have been used during the forties. 

Next, here’s the Victory Swing Orchestra at BB’s Stage Door Canteen, at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.  They have a dinner and dancing night on various Saturday nights, and it’s a chance to dress in vintage style and go swing dancing.  So much fun!  Last time my husband and I went, we danced the night away. 

And finally, here are a couple of photos from a local museum display of the “Fifth Column Conspiracy in America map,” one that was actually printed in 1941.  The movie, Confession of a Nazi Spy, had come out in 1939, based on the real-life case of the Rumrich Nazi spy ring in the U.S.  And the term “Fifth Column” essentially refers to enemies/spies already within a country, ready to help take over when their army invades.  Roosevelt and the FBI were very much concerned about the possibility of more spies in America and a Fifth Column takeover.  After all, other European countries had been affected by Fifth Column activity.  

And that’s my tour to give you a flavor of the forties.  But to put you even more in the mood of the era, I’d like to end with this video from Sun Valley Serenade (1941). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKb-qfwbZ2M

Thanks again, Julie!

Thanks so much Cindy for sharing these photo's with us and for your enthusiasm for the era and your thoroughness in researching your writing!