Variety (June 1919)

' »■ e «* - ;:■:.-. 5 ;./. : -i. ■ ;.- ., . | .■,■.,...■ •' • ■'. .. ■'■ :;■>.. .':.■ ■ :■■ , . vv •''*'. •'•: ■> ■;''..- ";■■ V. v : inrffl-" ra Tin nnifilHS VARIETY WITH THE MUSIC MEN W-F- ■« ' ■» ■>■ Jack McShayne has joined the local pro- fessional staff of McCarthy A Fisher. Ed Lewis, Harry Von Tllzer's Western sales manager, la In town enjoying a short vacation. Al. Plantadosl has put ont a number named after, and written In conjunction with. Para- mount's "The Woman Thou Caveat Me." McKlnley Muslo Co. Is publishing a song, "The White Heather," for Famous Players picture of the same name. Fred Freddie, formerly with Qua Hill's Minstrels, has Joined the professional staff of Jos. W. 8tern & Co. , Jack Mills will open offices as a new recruit to the local muslo publishers elan, on July 1, having secured a location on West 47th Ben Bernstein, business executive of the Harry Von Tiber firm, has returned from an extended cross-country trip in the Interests of Us firm. "Room 202," written by Dave Harris (Har- ris and Morey) has been catalogued by Water- son, Berlin A Snyder. It claims the record number of verses 82. Alex Oerber and Abner Silver have written a new comedy song for M. Wltmark and Sons called "There Ought to be Muslo In Every Home Except Next Door to pie." Harry Bart, late with a vaudeville vocal trio known as the "California 8," has Joined the professional staff of Harry Von Ttlser. An- other recent addition to the Von Tilser forces is Carl Lamont He will be connected with the Bales end. 'After spending a week's sojourn in that play- wright's and song-writer's haven, AtlanUo City. Harry Pease and Ed. O. Nelson have returned to town with three completed manuscripts which the Bhuberts will interpolate In one of their forthcoming musical productions. The National Music Dealers' Association held Its convention In New York from Monday to Wednesday, Inclusive. Yesterday (Thurs- day) they were the guests of the Greater New York Muslo Association on an outing and clam- Arrangements were completed last week whereby Maurice Bitter, now on the staff of Remlek's, will be the Western representative and manager for the new concern of Berlin A winslow. He will assume his managerial position by July 1, in the Grand Opera House Building. Charles F. Call, of San Francisco, has re- cently placed four new musical compositions with several of the local publishing houses including Stern'a, Remlck and Schlrmer. Remlck will put out his "My Klllarney" and "Olga Hesitation." Schlrmer has a one-step "Buster," and Stern hie "Olga Rag." Mr. Oall Is a former New Yorker well known along Broadway. Following on the heels of the resignations of Francis. Day ft Hunter, the Star Music Co. and the Wright Corp., of London, from the Performing Rights Society, the British equiv- alent of the local Society of American Com- posers, Authors and Publishers, both of which are for the purpose of collecting royalties from theatres, restaurants and concert halls where copyrighted music Is performed for a profit, B. Feldman ft Co. (English) also tendered their resignation to the society. Coincident with the Feldman withdrawal, the Broadway Muslo Corporation filed Its resigna- tion to the American Society of Authors, Com- posers and Publishers, formed for the same purpose of collecting royalty on copyrighted musical compositions performed for profit In restaurants and muslo halls. This is the second large publishing company to withdraw from the society, this month, Watterson, Berlin ft Snyder having started It, following Remlck ft Co. prior to the picture's release. The title lent itself well for song-writing purposes. Who or what the picture was about did not matter. Nobody cared. A first obstacle, however,* presented Itself In the form of the Select P. A., who referred the aspiring song-writer to Joseph M. Sohenck, Norma Talmadge's husband and personal rep- resentative. He refused! Refused to grant the necessary official. permission—although no one can stop the writer from employing the picture's title as that of a vocal number—on the ground that this procedure was being over- done in the music trade and would do Miss Talmadge more barm than good—"cheapen" was the term Mr. Schenek employed. No less than five songs have been "dedi- cated to" or "Inspired" by Miss Talmadge in the past few months. Mr. Schenck'e stand- point in passing up this seemingly fine oppor- tunity for further popularising his star may be Justified, not forgetting also that a well- established publishing house was backing the ambitious song-writer aforementioned. The latest "dedicated" effusion Is from no less a worthy than Irving Berlin, who framed his "The New Moon" around Miss Talmadge's latest release of the same name. Sidney D. Mitchell and Archie Cottier were responsible for the "Heart of Wetona," also named after a Norma Talmadge release, and not content with that, they concocted a special song en- titled "Norma," dedicating It to the screen star namesake. All of which attests to the fact that publishers are not averse to invest- ing considerable money for plates, et al., for the purpose of exploiting a song about a little boy's admiration for the star In question, after having viewed her on the screen. Jos. W. Stern's publication, "Tears," boosted Its bat- ting average commercially by the embellish- ment of a likeness of Miss Talmadge with a dedication inscription thereon. And Danny Nlrella's "San San"—which sounds like an Oriental—is title-paged as "Inspired" by her "The Forbidden City." Miss Talmadge Is taken as a criterion as she seems to be the most "Inspirational" and "ded- lcatlonai" star as far as tin pan alley serines are concerned. But the overdoing of the prac- tise is a quite obvious evil to American popular songdom. If, as several large publishers are known to do—have their staff writers concoct song numbers around practically every feature film release, being informed of the titles in advance or being "In" with the p. a.'a of the various releasing companies—there will be no one left to write really worth while, Muse- lnsplred—not "movie" Inspired—songs. It has remained for the film star to curb the "dedication" rage In muslo publishing circles. When, as Bet forth in Variety last week, this mutual publicity stunt of "dedica- ting a song number to a picture star and nam- ing the song after the star's film vehlole, cap- tioning the tltle-fage as "Inspired" by Miss So-and-So, would lead up to a problematical Issue, the local publishers could not see where- in the problem lay. As far as they were con- cerned, it never existed—or - maybe It was solved before It presented Itself! To them it meant merely an easy method of coining some real money, at very little expense, by the simple expedient of decorating the title-page of their publications with the star's photo and autograph, conspicuously colored. The ptoture folk who bear a reputation of being the enemies of such free publlolty did not objeot and readily sanctioned the use of the necessary props. Like as not, the star's releasing corporation's press agent was the official In whose power was vested the granting of this "offlolal" permission. Last week a miracle came to pass. An ambitious local songwriter, having sleuthed through the various picture channels, was ap- prised one day that Norma Talmadge's forth- coming release, "The Way of a Woman," was scheduled for several weeks in the future, thus allowing him to dash off a string of notes and a "lyric' 1 in time to get them off the press ENGAGEMENTS. Margaret Maloney, "Gaieties of 1919." Six Brown Brothers, "Midnight Frolic." BURLESQUE CLOSINGS. The "Ben Welch Show," now at Hur- tig and Seamon's for a summer run, will close Saturday night (June 21). Business fell off, attributed to the weather, and the uptown location making the management unwilling to gamble on the future. SHOWS OPENING. v "Listen Lester," now at the Knicker- bocker, is scheduled to leap to Chicago to open next season. The date set at present is Labor Day at the Colonial. "Glorianna" will open the season of 1919-20 at the Princess, Toronto, Sept. 15. MARION HARRIS "SYNCOPATION'S SCINTILLATING STAR" Blending her personality with her magne- tism, Miss Harris's rendition of a popular song Is a unique masterpiece of the utmost In vocal appeal. Singing for Victor records, exclusively. Royal, New York, this week (June 16). IMPROVING "THE VILLAGE." The beginning of Wall Street's ef- fort to make of Greenwich Village an- other Broadway is seen in the news that Polly's celebrated Village Inn has been taken over by Bernard Gallant, manager of the Greenwich Village Theatre. Gallant will spend $20,000 in improvements, rename the place Bar- ney's Village Inn, and make of it a restaurant and jazz palace catering en- tirely to theatrical people and to those who are interested in them. Music will be supplied by a band organized by George A. Nicholls, mu- sical director for the Ziegfeld Follies. Gallant says privately that prices will be fifty per cent, lower than those in vogue on Broadway and at the Lafay- ette and Brevoort, and an imposing list of theatrical celebrities have reserved tables for the opening June 24. ■■ i • i i i . i M i H i Hfty-T i "HONEYMOON TOWN" OPENS. South Bend, June 18. "Honeymoon Town," Boyle Wool- ■■'-■-'■ folk's new show, opened here "on the., dog" preparatory to its Chicago show-' ing. After the opening performance ! Woolfolk and Edwin Royce got very busy with revisions and rehearsals., The book is by Will M. Hough, music by Byron Gay and Chester Rice, and Bernard Granville is featured, sup- ported by Dorothy Brenner, Roy At- well and an apparently excellent cast. 'The musical numbers are beautifully - staged, but there is much in the show ' to be still whipped into shape for a metropolitan revealment. "Honeymoon Town" was to have: opened in Chicago at the La Salle Sun~ day night, but the premiere was post, poned until Tuesday. .:''. '* li WINNIE SETTLES DOWN. Chicago, June 18. Winnie MacAdams, burlesque trouper for years, celebrated wrestling added attraction, who came to America from the English music halls, has settled down to an uneventful existence as doorlady at the Randolph Theatre. Miss MacAdams wears a beautiful uniform and attracts considerable pa- tronage to the house by virtue of her personality. The girl Ushers at the Palace blos- somed forth in new frocks this week, the dresses being light gray in color and of neat design. Jack Freed has been engaged by A. H. Woods to play opposite Jules Gor- don in "Business Before Pleasure" next season. "SOME NIGHT" TO TOUR. : "Some Night," a musical show pre- sented at the Harris Theatre several months ago by Joseph Klaw is to go on tour next season, but under the' direction of the newly incorporated concern called the Palace Producing Co. ■;■■■"; Interested in the latter are Sey- mour Felix, Grover C. Roth and Jack Goldberg.- The new firm is capitalized at $5,000 and will engaged in produc- ing later on. ."Some Night" was young Klaw's first producing effort. It was not a Broadway success. Jake Sternad is in New York. Joe Shoe, vaudeville agent, is vaca-i tioning for two weeks at Lake Sara- nac, N. Y. "\. • • • . ■• . ■■;■::... If You Don't Advertise in VARIETY Don't Advertise At All ~m S^SBBsl -'■■'■- ;t / [ lmt-% ;. .. : •' - J