part 1: The Book

Introduction:    p.9
Robinson’s Tap Dancing Styles
About Bill Robinson’s Dancing Style: quotes and comments    p.9
Bill Robinson and Improvisation    p.11
Bill Robinson’s favourite music: quotes and comments    p.12
The Buck-And-Wing Style    p.12
A personal version of the Buck-And-Wing    p.14
Bill Robinson and the Time-Step    p.14
Bo’s Time-Step Breaks    p.15
Rolls and Cramprolls    p.17

Bill Robinson’s Repertory of Buck-Steps: where & when    p.19
Presentation of Robinson’s repertory:
The Classical Buck-And-Wing Steps
Time-Step Crossover    p.23    
Military Time-Step (using his triple-roll)    p.26
Irish Military Time-Step    p.28
Sand Time-Step    p.29
Double-Buck (as a Triple-Roll Combination)    p.31
Falling-Off-A-Log (with dig in front)    p.32
Falling-Off-A-Log (with pull)
Brush-Hop Combination    p.34
Double-And-Triple Rhythm:    p.34
a) Shuffle-Hop Rolls
b) Shuffle-Step Rolls
Double-Wings    p.35
Brush-Wing-Change    p.36
Lancashire-Walk    p.37
Hop-Lancashire    p.39

Style:
The Strut    p.39
Charleston-Steps    p.40
The Dusty-Dusty    p.41
Robinson’s personal repertory of Buck-And-Wing Steps:
The Triple-Roll    p.42
(Military Time-Step) + Syncopated Flaps    p.43
The Triple-Roll Combinations    p.44
 Robinson's Triple-Roll-And-Brush-Around    p.47
Triple-Roll-Change (various)    p.50
The Scoot-Step    p.51
Goin’ To Church 2    p.52
Back-And-Front Twist    p.53
Pick-Heel-Toe Combination    p.4
Syncopated Shuffles    p.54
Double-Shuffle (Shuffle-Rolls)    p.55
Lancashire-Cross Combination    p.57
Back-UP-And-Hit 3-count Combination    p.60
Cramproll + Heel & Toe-Click Combination    p.61
Double-Wing-Toe Combination    p.58
Double-Wing - Syncopated 3-count phrasing    p.64
Break-A-Leg    p.65
Finishing-Break    p.67

Robinson’s personal repertory of stylish Steps:
Old-Man-Walk    p.69
Bill Robinson Walk    p.70
The Jump & Brush-Jump    p.71    
Syncopated 3-3-2 Break & Style    p.72

part 2: The Doc

1 / Bill Robinson’s Buck-And-Wing Routines in chronological order

"Madison Square"                            p.73
where ?
a) I Can't Give You Anything But Love b) Cane Routine
“Mr. & Mrs Sippi”                    p.83
from "Dixiana" (RKO, Aug. 16, 1930)
“Medley”                        p.88
from "King for A Day" (Vitaphone, 2 reels, June 28, 1934)
edited version included in "That's Dancing" (DVD) full version in WB short film collection
"In Old Kentucky" ”Dialogue-Scene”                p.107
Setting The Table a cappella (whistling & trumpet imitation)
20th Century Fox, Sept. 6, 1935 (DVD)
“Miss Brown To You”                        p.112
from "The Big Broadcast Of 1936" (Paramount, Sept. 26, 1935)
"Turkey In The Straw"                p.115
from "The Littlest Rebel" (2Oth Century-Fox, Nov 22, 1935)
"One Mile From Heaven"                        p.121
20th Century Fox, Aug 13, 1937 (TV DVD)
In The Street / impromptu stairdance
policemen's benefit /  happy end
Bill Robinson & Male Chorus “Brass Buttons”            p.136
from "Just Around The Corner"  (20th Century -Fox, Nov. 11, 1938)
"Let's Scuffle"                                p.146
(soundie, 1942)
"Yeah Man" Sand Dance                        p.158
from “Stormy Weather” (20th Century Fox, July 21, 1943)
"Jive Talk with Cab"                        p.163
from "Stormy Weather" (20th Century Fox, July 21,1943)
"Oh My! Ain't That Something"                    p.168
from "Stormy Weather" (20th Century Fox, July 21,1943)
"Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye"                    p.169
US TV, 1949
not yet identified pieces:
“Stair Dance Iron”                            p.172
not yet identified footage

"Stair Dance"                            p.173
unidentified footage from the documentary "It Just Happened"

2 / Buck-And-Wing-Step in his other styles

Stair Dance "Harlem Is Heaven"    p.176
(Herald Pictures, May 27, 1932)
Bill Robinson & Girl Chorus “a new comedy opening”    p.180
from “Harlem Is Heaven” RKO, May 27, 1932)
Bill Robinson & The Black Orchids "The Bill Robinson Stomp"    p.182
very probably from "Harlem Is Heaven"  (Herald Pictures, May 27, 1932)
Bill Robinson & The Black Orchids "The Bill Robinson Stomp"    p.194
from “King For A Day” (Vitaphone, June 28, 1934) DVD Warner Archive Collection
Bill Robinson & Shirley Temple "Oh Susannah"    p.197
Question – Answer Routine
from “The Little Colonel” (20th Century Fox, Feb. 22, 1935) DVD
Stair Dance from "The Little Colonel"    p.200
(20th Century Fox, Feb. 22, 1935) DVD
Bill Robinson & Jeni LeGon "Living In A Great Big Way"    p.202
from “Hooray For Love” (RKO, June 14, 1935)
“Got A Snap In My Fingers” (Living In A Great Big Way)    p.205
from “Hooray For Love” (RKO, June 14, 1935)
Bill Robinson & Shirley Temple “Organ Grinder’s Swing”    p.208
from “The Littlest Rebel” (20th Century Fox, Nov 22, 1935) DVD
Shirley Temple & 2 Black Boys “He Was A Dandy”    p.211
from “Dimples” (20th Century Fox, Oct. 20, 1936)
Café Metropole: Softshoe Rhythm-Dance    p.213
(20th Century Fox, Sept 17, 1937) deleted scene
Robinson & Temple "The Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers"    p.214
from “Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm” (20th Century Fox, May 11, 1938)
“By An Old Southern River”    p.218
(Soundie,1942)
"Drum-Routine" Softshoe Rhythm-Dance    p.219
from "Stormy Weather" (20th Century Fox, July 21,1943)
"I Can't Give You Anything But Love"    p.221
from "Stormy Weather" (20th Century Fox, July 21,1943)

3 / Robinson’s Style performed by other dancers

a / complete routines on film

"Brookinson & Van"                            p.222
from "Brookinson & Van" (British Pathe, June 21, 1937)
unidentified black dancers "Gang War"                p.227
(Million Dollar Productions, March 29,1940)
Lorraine Krueger “Buck Routine”                    p.229
from "Career Girl" (RPC Pictures, Jan. 11, 1944)
DVD "Classic Musicals 50 Movie Pack"
Bill Bailey “Bill Robinson Tap”                p.233
from a Studio Film (1955)

b / bits & pieces on film

Girl Chorus "Rio Rita"                        p.242
(RKO, September 15, 1929) DVD
Sammy Davis Jr. “Rufus Jones for President”            p.243
(Vitaphone, September 9, 1933)
unidentified black Boy “Sweet Georgia Brown”            p.245
from “Carnival Day” (Vitaphone, January 11, 1936)
The Nicholas Brothers "Calling All Stars"            p.247
(Pathescope, British Lion,1937)
The Stevens Sisters “Broken Strings”                p.251
(Goldport Productions,1940) Harlem Double Feature (DVD)
Alston & Young                            p.255
from "Murder With Music" (Century Productions, 1941) DVD        
Bill Bailey “Takin’ A Chance On Love”                p.256
from "Cabin In The Sky " (MGM, April 9,1943)
Harold Nicholas from a Live-Performance            p.257
from the documentary "The Cotton Club Comes To The Ritz (BBC, 1985)
Maceo Anderson  “Buck Time-Step”                p.259
from "Tap Dancing"

4 / The Oral Tradition
how black & white dancers remembered his style
This section includes all the routines I learned personally from different sources.
The Chair-Dance Routines as well as the Routine done by Honi Coles & the Copasetics have been researched and published separately.

a / complete routines
“Doin'The New Low Down”            p.260
not yet identified black source: Maceo Anderson (?)
Stanley Kahn "Doin' The New Low Down"            p.266
(set to Bill Robinson's recording) as remembered by Sam Weber
Henry LeTang “Doin’ The New Low Down”            p.275
as learned by the author
Leon Collins: 2 Robinson-Routines                p.287
as learned by the author
Carnell Lyons “Plain Dance”                    p.293
as learned by the author
Sammy Davis Jr. “Doin’ The New Low Down”            p.302
from a documentary with Margot Fonteyn
Foster Johnson: Robinson-Routine                p.304
as learned by the author with Linda Sohl-Donnell
b / bits & pieces
Chuck Green "Celebrity  Tap"                    p.306
as learned by the author in workshops in Europe1994/95
Chuck Green "Bill Robinson Dance"                p.306
(New York, 13-19 jan, 1995) (chair dance)

5
Bill Robinson’s Buck Dancing in Tap Books
Nick Castle "How To Tap Dance"                    p.308
1948
Al Gilbert “I Want To Be Happy”                p.309
Training Aid N° 49

6
the tap-rhythm from Bill Robinson’s recordings        p.311