Here is a fascinating movie short from 1937 that was made to promote Irving Mills' short-lived Master and Variety labels. The film not only gives us a glimpse of Ellington and his band in the actual Master/Variety studios (leased from the American Recording Corporation in NYC, which owned the Brunswick, Vocalion, and Columbia labels), but also illustrates the actual factory process involved in producing a shellac record.
The film is based around Ellington's arrangement of "Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday", although stock music replaces the Ellington orchestra during the middle of the film. Duke recorded a slightly different version than the one heard in the film for Brunswick Records on Feb. 28, 1936. It's great to actually see the Ellington band, including his great singer Ivey Anderson, perform this number.
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