Well, actually MOST of those dancers weren't doing WCS. At least two of them told Tamara Stevens that they were doing "Lindy," and the quotes and names are in her new book. (I've been doing step by step frames, too.) There were exactly three dancers I counted (most of whom don't even get mentioned most the the time) who were doing WCS (actually Western Swing, but it was a different time.)
Yo gotta see "Hot Rod Gang," too, if you want to see "Western Swing" aka West Coast in a scene set up by a guy that NEVER gets mentioned.
Yeah, and they call them exploitation movies, but when you look at the editing and camera work, especially in RATC, it is pretty darn good. Now, some of the other ones... Daddy-O has probably the most "realistic" dancing, ie not done by pros who'd been doing it since the 40s.
And don't miss "Rock Baby Rock It " to see the Bop as it was danced in Texas, and probably by actual teenagers (not 30+ professional dancers!) in LA.
Actually I don't think the term West Coast Swing and Western Swing weren't really used until Skippy Blair came up with it.
So yeah, it definitely was lindy hop, but the style of lindy that would directly influence WCS.
I got "Hot Rod Gang", not so much for the dance routine (to Gene Vincent's "Dance To The Bop"), but mostly just to see Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps perform "Dance In The Street."
Oh, I don't knock exploitation films...actually, I collect 'em! (Rock and JD flicks, Beach flicks, giant monster flicks, kung fu, it's kind of my thing), so no I would never knock grindhouse/drive-in movies. But even the filmmakers themselves referred to their product as "exploitation"...which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing, as long as their movies deliver on the thrills!)
As for "Rock Baby Rock It"...I actually uploaded it to my first You Tube channel for my rockabilly friends. I might have to take it down, though, due to copyright.
To be honest, I got "Rock Baby Rock It" (both on Rhino Home Video and later through the Johnny Legend dvd) for the musical acts, particularly Johnny Carroll and Roscoe Gordon.
But the dancing is definitely "real" (non-pro, what real teens were doing.)
That said, when it comes to real teens dancing (as opposed to the 30-somethings doing '40's lindy in '50's rock n' roll movies, ie: Gil and Nikky Brady, Freida Wycoff, Lou Southern, etc.), "Rock! Rock! Rock!" and "Because They're Young" are also examples of that (discounting "American Bandstand", "Art Laboe", and any other after-school tv dance show that many cities had on local tv back then.)
Of course, the modern rockabilly scene is big on rockabilly jiving (and in case anyone else here is following this thread and is unfamiliar what we're talking about, it's NOT the International Standard Ballroom Jive!)
Steve, I know, that you know, that you can see that style of dancing in '50's and early '60's pre-Beatle British beat movies such as 1959's "Serious Charge" with Cliff Richard or even (very briefly, so briefly that if you blink,you'll miss it!) in 1962's "Play It Cool!" with the late, great Billy Fury.
Having gone to Viva Las Vegas as well as other modern rockabilly venues, it seems as if the Smooth Style Lindy Hoppers (that I know) have gone rockabilly. (Well, it does fit rock n' roll, as evidenced by it's use in those movies you and I love watching!)
