One of the goals of the Frankie Manning Foundation is to educate people about the life and work of Frankie Manning. For those who know a little about Frankie and want to know more, we heartily recommend Frankie’s autobiography, Frankie Manning, Ambassador of Lindy Hop, written with Cynthia Millman. Historic films and Frankie’s own instructional DVD series show his work across his life span as a performer, choreographer and teacher.
For the scholar or researcher who wishes to explore another excellent resource, we also recommend the extensive oral history interview with Frankie that is housed at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Conducted by Bob Crease in 1992, a written transcript is available for review. You can also browse the Bob Crease Shares Profiles of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.
Memorabilia
The Frankie Manning Foundation has been in the process of fulfilling Frankie’s wish of having his memorabilia housed in a library where it is easily accessible. Progress is being made in that direction and we hope to make a public announcement within the year. Thank you to our board representative, Cynthia Millman, for her ongoing, dedicated work on this project since 2014.
Video Archives
Another goal of the Foundation is to facilitate the archiving of all the video material there is in connection with Frankie Manning. Click here to view the updates!
Biography & Film Archives
Judy Pritchett has some excellent biography and film archives that were originally posted on SavoyStyle.com. We are in the process of transferring some of that information to this website. You can see the first of the biographies here.
Oral History
The oral history of Frankie Manning’s life and his great personal gifts is best told by those who knew him and were strongly influenced by him. These are the people who will be passing on Frankie’s legacy to those who never met him.
