The Big Apple
About Archives Categories Index Search
About Archives Categories Index Search

April 21, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

“Apple” defined in Cab Calloway’s “Hepster’s Dictionary” (1938, 1944)

Cab Calloway (1907-1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He published a "Hepster's Dictionary" in 1938, with another edition in 1944. The dictionary contained much Harlem…

July 1, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

“Big Apple—the major tracks of the country” (1933)

A horse racing glossary was printed in the column "The Sport Tide" by Flem R. Hall in the Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram on October 15, 1933: "BIG APPLE -- The major tracks of the…

March 25, 2005
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

“Big Apple” (song by Bob Emmerich and Buddy Bernier, 1937)

"The Big Apple" is a 1937 song that was associated with the dance craze of that year. Music is from Robert Emmerich, lyrics from Buddy Bernier, and it was performed by Tommy Dorsey's…

August 2, 2004
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

“Big Apple” in the 1930s (Two clubs, plus song and dance)

The activities of the mid-late 1930s did not coin "the Big Apple" as New York's nickname, but they helped to popularize the term "Big Apple." In 1934, the Big Apple night…

July 13, 2019
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

“I feel like doin’ a Big Apple” (Mae West on a 1937 radio show)

Brooklyn-born actress, singer, playwright, screenwriter, comedian, and sex symbol Mae West (1893-1980) appeared on ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's radio show The Chase and Sanborn Hour on…

April 21, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple (drinks using applejack, 1938)

After 1937's "Big Apple" dance craze, several "Big Apple" drinks were made -- usually with applejack. Most of these drinks were never popular or have faded into obscurity.…

August 5, 2022
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple (football play at Davidson College, 1937)

During the national "Big Apple" dance craze of 1937, a "Big Apple" football play was developed at Davidson College (Davidson, NC) under head football coach Gene McEver…

April 19, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple (Harlem bar/restaurant, 1934)

In November 2006, I received the following email. The famous upside-down apple plaque from the 1934 Harlem "Big Apple" club at Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard and 135th Street was…

August 3, 2022
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple Cafe (Calgary, Alberta, 1938-1940)

A Big Apple Cafe existed at 1112 First Street West in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, from 1938 until 1940. The Big Apple Cafe was almost surely named after the "Big Apple" dance craze of 1937,…

August 2, 2022
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple Cafe (Cincinnati, OH, 1938-1963)

A Big Apple Cafe existed at 3711 Colerain Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1938 until 1963. The Big Apple Cafe was almost surely named after the "Big Apple" dance craze of 1937, just a…

August 3, 2022
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple Cafe (Shamokin, PA, 1938-1947)

A Big Apple Cafe existed at 254 South Shamokin Street in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, from 1938 until 1947. The Big Apple Cafe was almost surely named after the "Big Apple" dance craze of…

June 28, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple cap or Big Apple hat (named after the dance, 1937-present)

There are "Big Apple caps" (also called "newsboy caps") or "Big Apple hats" or "flat caps." The name "Big Apple" comes from the 1937 Big Apple…

April 20, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple dance craze (1937)

The Big Apple dance craze of 1937 popularized the "Big Apple" term, but didn't originate it. New York (NY) Morning Telegraph track writer John J. Fitz Gerald (1893-1963) had been…

April 23, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple Inn (Jackson, MS restaurant, 1939-present)

The Big Apple Inn on Farish Street in Jackson, Mississippi, was started by Juan “Big John” Mora in 1939. The name was taken from the “Big Apple” dance, a national craze in 1937. Farish…

February 21, 2026
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big AppleRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

Big Apple Inn (Somerdale, NJ, 1937-1999)

The Big Apple Inn, at Somerdale Road and White Horse Pike in Somerdale, New Jersey, opened in 1937. It was surely named after then then-popular "Big Apple" dance craze. In 1964, it became…

June 9, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple kiosk (Mumbles, Swansea Bay, Wales, 1930s-present)

Cidatone (sometimes incorrectly stated as "Cidertone") was a UK company in the 1930s that wanted to promote its apple cider drink. It developed "Big Apple" refreshment kiosks in…

August 3, 2022
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple Restaurant (Covington, KY, 1938)

A Big Apple Restaurant existed at 524 Madison Avenue in Covington, Kentucky, from March 1938 to October 1938. The Big Apple Restaurant was almost surely named after the "Big Apple" dance…

April 23, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Big Apple Supermarket (Georgia supermarket chain, 1939-1980)

There have been both "Big Apple" and "Red Apple" supermarkets. Sam Alterman opened the "Big Apple" supermarket in 1939 at 794 Marietta Street, N.W., in Atlanta,…

August 3, 2022
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

Canned Apple (Big Apple dance + Can-Can dance, 1937)

Brooklyn-born jazz singer and entertainer Adelaide Hall (1901-1993), with the help of Anita Lou Mason of Los Angeles, developed the "Canned Apple" dance, a hybrid of the American…

April 20, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

La Grosse Pomme (Paris nightclub, 1937-1938)

American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) and her husband, Bertram Hicks, opened a nightclub called La Grosse Pomme (French for "The Big Apple") in…

1 2
Next

About the Website and Editor

BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

Read more About the Website and Editor
About
Privacy Policy
RSS

© 2026 Barry Popik. All rights reserved.