Show World (November 1910)

14 THE SHOW WORLD November, 26, mo. SMUT CRUSADE GAINS STRENGTH Hearty Response to Show World’s Appeal for Betterment of the Music Pub¬ lishing Business. By C. P. McDonald. The papers of Chicago, in publishing the news of THE SHOW WORLD’S crusade against immoral songs, erroneously have permitted to creep intoi their columns songs which should not have been mentioned in the same breath with the “smut” numbers. In justice and fairness to the publishers of the meritorious songs that have been included in the lists printed in the daily newspapers, THE SHOW WORLD appends a list of the only songs it has condemned, which rightly come under the ban of censorship. “THAT LOVING MELODY RUBENSTEIN WROTE.” “WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO TAKE A LITTLE GIRL TO RAISE?" “THE ANGLEWORM WIGGLE.” “HER NAME WAS MARY WOOD, BUT MARY WOULDN’T.” “STOP! STOP! STOP! COME OVER AND LOVE ME SOME MORE.” “THERE’S COMPANY IN THE PARLOR.” “GRIZZLY BEAR.” “I LOVE IT.” “LOVEY JOE.” O. W. Vaughan, in The Music Trades, is in fine this week’s issue with a strong editorial on the eradication of the Smut Song, which reflects much credit upon The Show World as the one paper in the amusement field that dared openly attack a pernicious fault which, now that the battle is on, every person seems to have long ago recognized. The editorial follows: CHICAGO’S POLICE HEAD TAKES CORRECT STAND IN PUTTING BAN ON SUGGESTIVE SONGS. Best Class of Publishers and Writers Has No Sympathy with Songs That Are Off-Color—Successful Men in the Business Do Not Need to Descend to Vulgarity—Average Popular Song Is Welcome in American Home. Chief of Police Steward, of Chicago, has issued an official order that the singing of coarse and suggestive songs in restaurants and cafes of that city be prohibited. “Improper songs have been foisted on the Chicago public long enough,” he said, “and I propose to stop it at once. The next singer caught using one of these songs goes to jail.” As he spoke he had before him copies of “The Grizzly Bear,” “Stop, Stop, Stop,” and several other songs of this type. “It is preposterous to think of allowing songs of this nature to be sung in any respectable place,” he said. American Songs Pree Prom Taint. American public songs have long been free from the slightest suggestiveness, and it is only during the past season c~ — ” ' type of writers have been issuing them. Unfortunately, met with a little success, encouraging others *- ■ writing. Chicago’s chief of police is to be heartily commended for his action and the better class of music publishers sincerely hope that his action will be followed all over the country. Music publishers, as well as the best writers, have for years condemned songs of this sort and few have ever been published. Now, however, that a number have been published it is but fair to say that they in no way reflect the real sentiment of the real element of popular publishers. Best Known Publishers and Writers Elevate the Trade. The best known popular writers and publishers have for years devoted both their energy and money toward elevating this branch of the business as the high quality of f—’- v - that a certain _some of them have take up this low style of r publications bear witness. The most successful of our popular writers, the men who have written songs that have sold into the millions, never had to resort to "smut” to make their writings sell, and the few that have made an attempt to attract atten¬ tion by resorting to suggestive wriings should be speedily warned to turn to some other field of work or improve their style at once. No Need for These Writers to Cater to Low Tastes. Men of the type of Charles K. Harris, Ernest Ball, Arthur Lamb, Will D.' Cobb, Edgar Selden and others whose songs world have never found it necessary to cater to element for popularity, but, on the contrary, e strictly of the “popular” brand, their songs c the n ;t refined. known all c __ _ _ tastes of the lower though, their writings are be found in the homes of JUST BEGUN TO PIGHT. ever increasing army—but with re-enforcements ever flocking to its stand¬ ard, it will not be long before the tide of conquest wil l flow in its favor. A good fight and an earnest one is to be expected. THE SHOW WORLD has just begun to fight. It will not lay down its arms until the opposition capitu¬ lates. It is well fortified to carry on a conflict which means everything to the morals of the younger generation of music purchasers.”—(Excerpt from editorial in THE SHOW WORLD of Oct. 22, 1910.) H. M. Silverstein, composer of “HER NAME WAS MARY WOOD, BUT MARY WOULDN’T," is a member of the pub¬ lishing firm of Dimick-Silverstein Music Company of Shreveport, La. His song now is in the hands of the police of Chicago as one of the most pernicious publications on the market. Proceedings have been begun in the municipal court of Chicago to suppress the sale of this number. PURELY PERSONAL. READER, Duluth: Come again. As you may have noticed, your tip on North- rup’s song made a bully good story. JOHN B. GRAY: We are trying, with the able assistance of Chief Steward and his purity squad, to follow your line of reasoning. B. J. M.: Jack Drislane may be ad¬ dressed care P. B. Haviland Publishing Company, 126 W. Thirty-seventh street. New York. E. C. K.: Yes, the music editor of The Show World is the same person who wrote the words to “On a Moonlight Winter’s Night.” But he has tried to live it down. Be tolerant. M. s. M.: So far we’ve been unable to locate the companion piece to the thematic you submitted. If the name of the particular song in question occurs to you, won’t you come across with it? It’s a shame to permit a good exclusive story like that to go by the board. EDDIE C.: Unable to procure a copy of Sol Bloom’s publication, “There’s No Coon Half So Warm.” Can’t you dig up one somewhere? CLASSIFICATION OF SONGS AND INSTRUMENTAL NUMBERS For the Guidance of Performers and Music Dealers CLASS E—EXCELLENT CLASS G—GOOD CLASS M—MEDIOCRE CLASS P—POOR CLASS A—AWFUL CLASS Z—Should be Ignored Numbers Review in this Issue, and their Classification “TAKE ME BACK TO BABYLAND.”—Class E. “IP MY WIPE COULD ONLY SEE ME NOW.”-Class Z. “DAT ALABAMA SUPPALO.”— Class P. “HONEYMOONING, HONEY, IN BOMBAY.”—Class E. “WHEN YOU’RE IN WRONG WITH THE RIGHT GIRL.”—Class M. “DREARY MOON.”—G. “YOU CAN’T MAKE ME STOP LOVING YOU.”—Class M. “THAT PECULIAR RAG.”—(Vocal), Class G. “LOVE KEEPS THE WHOLE WORLD YOUNG.”—Words, Class E; Music Class M. “AIN’T YOU GOT A LITTLE LOVIN’ FOR ME?”—Class M. “THOSE ITALIAN EYES.”—Class G. “DON’T YOU CARE, LITTLE GIRL.”—Class M. “DON’T SAY GOODBYE FOREVER.”—Class M. “LOVE SICK.”—Class G. “THAT’S WHEN LIFE’S ONE GRAND SWEET SONG”—Class M. “O, YOU CHICKEN.”—Class Z. “DEAR MAYME, I LOVE YOU.”—Words, Class G; Music, Class M. “THINK IT OVER, MARY.”—Class G. “KENTUCKY SUE.”—Class G. “I’M BUGS ABOUT YOU.”—Class P. I’M LONESOME FOR YOU ALL THE TIME.”—Class M. “TAKE ME BACK TO BABYLAND” than we have been able to find in half a dozen ballads. Here indeed, is a song of value and purity, a song of refinement and delicacy, of which we should have many more. The words are by Prank J. Tannehill, Jr., and the music by Pat. Rooney. Were we asked to point out a more finished and sweeter set of words we could not do it. Rooney (like all composers can when they have good ma¬ terial on which to work), has written a highly pleasing and melodious musical setting for the words, and the authors together have evolved a song that has no peer on the market today. M. Wit- mark & Sons, publishers. Frederick J. Pearsall and Roger A.:: Graham’s “DREARY MOON” is an ex-. cellent little song, in so far as these moon things now go. We’ve been sur¬ feited with them for a long time and :: therefore do not look forward to a ? whole lot of originality in any new ones ; that may come to our attention. But, speaking of "Dreary Moon” purely and . simply as one of the so-called “moon” ' songs, it is a most pleasing number, having a melody and dance which are far above the average. M. Witmark &.: “IP MY WIPE COULD ONLY SEE ME NOW,” words and music by Harry L. Newman, is a silly conglomeration of painful words and lusterless music. The song tells of the deceits of a mar¬ ried man who tells his wife one thing and does another. He goes out, as the author says, “on a spree,” and in the second verse he and his friend Jim Jones meet two trim broilers. It’s a song that has no place in the Sunlight Music Company’s catalogue, and should be sup- A good set of words and a fair mel¬ ody go to make up "YOU CAN’T MAKE ■ ME STOP LOVING YOU,” by Edgar Leslie and Kerry Mills. Mr. Leslie’s: story is simple and doesn’t embody any too much originality, while Mr. Mills’ - music is far below the standard of his usual work. P. A. Mills, publisher. “DAT ALABAMA SHUFFALO,” words by Bert Lewis, music by Roy Barton, is —- - n poor. It has neither good mediocre, _ _ _ lyrics nor fair music. It is another_ of those, "Oh, babe!” dance affairs, of which we are heartily tired. An old subject, poorly revamped, and lacking an iota of interest. Sunlight Music Company. Ernie Erdman has written lyrics to what we before have designated as a Class E instrumental number, “THAT PECULIAR RAG.” Mr. Erdman has done his work well, barring one or two pecul¬ iar rhymes, which, we believe, are per-. missible in such songs. Incidentally, It might be added he has studied the mu¬ sic to which he had to fit words, with,, the result that he has caught the spirit .: of the tune and has fitted words ac¬ cordingly. Aubrey Stauffer & Co., pub-, lishers. "LOVE: “HONEYMOONING, HONEY, IN BOM¬ BAY,” words and music by Dave Reed, is our notion of a capital song. Reed has ventured out of the beaten path and has written an original story, of which most of our overworked lyric writers stand in great need. Mr. Reed has told his story in clever style, considering the narrow confines of his two verses, and is to be congratulated on having -- ten for his own words a melody is of Class E variety. As we before re¬ marked, we're exceptionally fond of these songs savoring of the orient, and even if we were not, we would be after having twice hoard “Honeymooning, Honey, in Bombay.” M. Witmark & „ ___ truthful in its argu-: ment. Will L. Becker’s music is not., what it should be. The word setting. ■- F fit wnai it sxiuuiu uc. - -—y calls for a much better melody, and it is a pity that Mr. Becker could not, grasp this opportunity to finish a song, which otherwise would have been letter, terfect. Mr. Becker evidently took the irst melody that came t~ *•'” ay tnac came mm L are at a loss to understand why Mb Aronson accepted it, for words like those under discussion are not written every day. M. Witmark & Sons. Gus Kahn and Grace LeBoy, who in¬ flicted on us that purported $10,000 song, “I Wish I Had a Girl.” opened the Kedzie Music Company some time ago and one of their numbers was “WHEN YOU’RE IN WRONG WITH THE RIGHT GIRL.” Victor Kremer fhimself) now has control of the song and is predicting much vogue for it. We sincerely hope Mr. Kremer’s prognostic ability is to be relied upon, for if it could be we would be subjected to an agreeable surprise. All this harangue for the purpose of saying this new ad¬ dition to his catalogue strikes us merely Geo. W. Fairman wrote both words, and music to "AIN’T YOU GOT A LIT-, TLE LOVIN’ FOR ME,”- ^HHjOVUN' r on IV, I',, a Rossiter offering. He has written neither a good set of words nor a good meloay. The lines are commonplace and the mu¬ sic is valueless. I. Maynard Schwartz and Harry S. j their new suns muoia ■‘■"“.'IT,,,,. EYES,” as the writers of that pernioious , and stench provoking 1 censored song* “The Angle Worm Wiggle ” are to do congratulated for their evident aesire to get away from the stigma of their first collaboration. Their latest song »