"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."

David Shuff owns a therapy dog, which is how he met Alice Barker, age 102. Barker had been a well-known and successful dancer in the her day, and performed with some of the biggest names of stage and screen. I guess, however, she was just one of those people who didn't like to see herself on screen. I can sympathize (because unlike Barker, I'm painful to watch). In the intervening decades, the physical recordings and other memorabilia of her time on stage was lost, including the films.

In addition to owning a therapy dog, David Shuff works with Mark Cantor for Jazz on Film, and together they tracked down footage of Barker. This is the first time she's ever seen it.

Shuff also noted that although he wishes so much of the video wasn't him talking, it took a while to get Barker warmed up and talking about her memories, particularly when she wanted to just watch.