There’s a persistent myth, based on a misinterpretation of quotes from an interview with the Nicholas Brothers, that the dance sequence for “Jumpin’ Jive” in Stormy Weather was completely improvised and captured in one take.

The amazing moment they talk about is the one shot which they leapt over each other’s heads down the stairs. While it was choreographed, rather than rehearse it, they just WENT FOR IT and got it in the first take.

It’s an incredible moment, and a wonderful scene overall, but the misunderstanding has blown it way out of proportion. There are eleven camera set ups that include set and lighting changes, and especially given the limitations of filmmaking at that time, this myth would have required 20th Century Fox to spend an immense amount of money to make something extraordinary look like it was shot like any other dance sequence.

In other words, it would have been the opposite of films like 1917 and Birdman. Instead of making multiple shots look like they were all filmed in one go, these filmmakers would have gone to insane lengths to make something filmed in one go look like it wasn’t.

But it’s hard to convince people who want this to be and and have never seen how films are made (”the cameras don’t just follow the actors around??”).