New York Clipper (Apr 1923)

28 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER April 25, 1923 SPECHT COMPLAINS TO N. V. A. Paul Specfat last week connlained to the N. y. A. that material alleged to have been originated by him was being plagiarized by Dr. Hngo'Riesenfeld in the tatter's act at the Palace Theatre. Specht. in a letter to Heniy. Chesterfield, stated his case and asked that Riesenfeld be stopped from using it Specht's letter follows: My.Dear Mr. Chesterfield: l&der date of December 7, No. 26S6, I registered the material plan and outline of my jact, which has been followed by me in detail since our opening at the Coliseum Theatre on December 11, 1922. Sipce then there have been several in- fringements without any protest from me. Last week Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld appeared at the Palace with his Rivoli and Rialto orchestra and practically duplicated every original idea of my act. He not only used my idea of interpreting a ]^pnlar American nninber as played in foreign countries but imitated other protected material Please give this matter your Jnunediate attention and pot a stop to this leader's plagiarism, as legitimate N. V. A. vaude- ' ville acts should not suffer from the inva- sion of the movie orchestra leaders who mitate the vandeville orchestras who gave iniudeville patrons "classical jazz" a long time ago. Thanldng yon, I am. Cordially yours, (Signed) PAin. Sfecht. Specht, who appeared in Baltimore last week, having beoi held over for a second week, met with considerable success there, plajring at the Sbriners' dinner tendered to the Mayor of Baltimore, and being the guests of the Baltimore Orioles at the opening game. ORCHESTRA NEWS "JOSir' DALY WITH YERKES "Josh" Daly, formerly booking manager for Hany Ycrkes, after leaving the or- chestra directorate for a time to go out in advance of Harry Lauder, is now back with Yerkes again and will go oat in advance of the Happy Six. This Yerkes combination was supposed to <^ien in vandeville bnt cancelled their time and instead will make an all-summer tour that will keep them busy np until October IS. lite combination, although keeping the name "Happy Six," will be increased to nine men. After October 15 Yerkes is planning to send the men on a concert tour m conjunction' with one or two concert siimTS of pronnnacc The S. S. Flotilla Orchestra is now play- ing its fifth week at Grauman's Theatre, Los ^geles, but will return to New York shortly and be seen in or around the city in a summer hotel iiosition. CONWAY FOR WILLOW GROVE Patrick Conway and His Band opens the Willow Grove Park season on May IS, with a four-wedc engagement. John Phil- lip Sousa's engagement will terminate the season at the park and will be for the final five weeks of the season with the exception of the last day, which falls on a Sunday and on the heels of another date: For the final day of the season Sousa has arranged to have Francis W. Sutherland and his Seventh Regiment Band of New York play there in his place. SATTERFIELD IN NEW YORK Tom Satterfield, who closed last week at the Hotel Lorraine, Philadelphia, was in New York last week laying his plans for the summer. Satterfield, who played at Martin's Cafe, Atlantic City, all last sum- mer, will return there on May 1 with a omdnnation of six pieces. He will keep the orchestra at that size until about the middle of Jtme, when, if business warraiits, he will increase the size of the combinatioii to nine or ten men. ENSMCETEN his Orchestra PcTmAXtantiy mi th* -ERICAN THEATBE CHICAGO PAY RAISE ASKED The Chicago Musicians' Union last week served notice on the Chicago Sym- phony Orchestra that the musicians will demand an increase of 25 per cent in their salaries next season. The Orchestral As- sociation, which manages the affairs of the Chicago Symphony, replied that inasmuch as it suffered a deficit of $70,000 during the past season it is not in a position to increase the burden and will be unable to meet the demands of the musicians. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was founded thirty-two years ago, in 1891, and this is the first time since its inception that any open differences have occurred between the association and the players. Salary disputes have hitherto been settled amicably by arbitration and in a manner considered fair to both sides. No contiaas for the coming season have been sent out and subscribers have been informed that their subscriptions are ac- cepted contingent upon there being an- other season. After the final concert of the season last Sunday the orchestra was technically disbanded and the state of af- fairs is regarded as serious by all those connected with the enterprise. LANNIN BACK AT ROSELAND Joseph Lannin and his orchestra, direct from the Rosemont Dance Hall in Brook- lyn, opened at Roseland, New York, on Saturday night, following Mai Hallett and his orchestra, which combination left for Hartford that afternoon. Joseph Lannin with his eight-piece combination had been appearing at Rosemont for the past two seasons and will remain at Roseland as long as the business holds up. During the Summer both Joseph Lannin's and Sam Lannin's orchestras will be partially re- duced but both will again be augmented when the Winter season starts again. CARR FOR ATLANTIC CITY Jimmy Carr and his Golden Gate Or- chestra, which has been appearing in vaudeville both in New York and through the Middle West for the past six months, last week signed a contract for the El Cadia Cafe, Atlantic City, for the coming Summer. The El C^dia is the former Hotel Blackstoiie Grill, and Carr opened there with his present combination early last Summer for five weeks and was held over for the entire Summer. PARKER IN NEW ACT Don Parker and his Vernon Coun- try Club Orchestra opened in vaude- ville Monday, breaking in their new act at one of the smaller Keith houses. This combination has been together for a num- ber of years and formerly appeared under the direction of Paul Whiteman, Inc. They will appear in vaudeville for several weel^ and will then open at one of the local cafes for the Summer. RAPP ANNOUNCES PLANS Barney Rapp, leader of the orchestra at the Hotel Chase, St Louis, was in New York last week and announced his plans for the next six months. Rapp, who was booked at the Hotel Chase by the White- man offices seven months ago for three months and whose contract was twice re- newed, has been again held over at this hotel and will remain there for six months more. The billing of the orchestra has been changed from "Paul Whiteman's Hotel Chase Orchestra" to "Barney Rapp's Hotel Chase Orchestra, Direction of United Orchestras, Inc." Starting with May 1 the orchestra will play on the roof of the hotel, which is situated on the tenth floor of the building and is capable of holding approximately 800 couples. All the members of the or- chestra live at the hotel, which is opQOStte Forest Park, and, in their spare time, play golf, tennis, go horseback riding or play baseball in the park. A baseball team has been formed among the members of the orchestra that will play teams from other hotels and orchestras. Rapp's orchestra has been under-White- man management practically since the Whiteman offices opened. They formerly appeared at the Pavilion Royal and from there went to the Boardwalk, where they appeared with great succisF until'they left for the Hotel Chase. The orchestra is composed of ten men, 'most of them from New York. ORCHESTRAS OFF LOEW TIME Band acts are through on the Loew time for the rest of the season and until late next Fall, according to booking managers in the Loew offices. The executives state that the Lp'ew houses have been playing several wonderful bands during the past season,, including Alex Hyde, Charles Strickland, Paul Specht and others of prominence and that unless they can get an orchestra of unusual merit, a name orchestra of national reputation, it would be foolish for them to put out any or- chestra at all. - The claim is made that the bills have been over supplied with orchestras in any event and that the audiences in Loew houses have not showed the same appre- ciation of late for acts of this kind that they did formerly. Even if an act that is a sensation because of its staging or name should be engaged for the Loew time now it would not prove feasible to book it as the business will shortly fall off as it usually does during the Summer months and the houses will not be able to pay the act the salary it should command. Next Fall, if the audioices still show the same appreciation of orchestra acts, five or six acts of this kind will be booked, but they will be highly individual, well- paid, and devoted entirely to vaudeville, with no side work to interfere with the theatrical engagement. These acts will be sent out, with suitable intervals, over the Loew time, the booking managers figur- ing in that way the public demand will be kept up and the audience made to appre- ciate a good orchestra when it appears. HAVANA BAND AT COLONIAL Lieutenant Felix Fcrdinando and his Havana Orchestra opened at the Colonial Theatre on Monday night, showing the act to downtoun vaudeville patrons for the first time. Since the act opened it has been considerably changed and now is one of the finest orchestra acts, both from the point of view of staging as_ well as mu- sically, that has been heard in New York in some time. The majority of the men in the Havana Orchestra have come direct from a long run at the Hotel Almandares, Havana, Cuba, where they were the sensa- tion of the season. The orchestra will continue in vaude- ville for several wedcs before opening at one of the seashore resorts for the Sum- mer. Lt. Ferdinando, during the war, had the honor of leading the 100-picce band at the opening of the Pershing Stadium, and directed both. dance orchestras and military bands at many of the diplomatic and militafy functions in Paris at the time. LOPEZ FOR BUFFALO Vincent Lopez and his Pennsylvania Hotel Orchestra will leave the Pennsyl- vania Hotel immediately after the show on the evening of May 13, take a special train and open at Shea's Buffalo the following afternoon. They will be headlined for the week at Shea's and will then play for the official opening of the new Buffalo Statler Hotel on the evening of May 19. NICHOLS TO DIRECT FOR COHAN George Nichols, for many years director of the orchestra on the Ziegfeld Roof and more lately connected with several musical comedies, has been appointed musical direc- tor for George M. Oanan's new production,' "The Rise of Rosy O'Reilly." and will open with that show in Boston early in June. RIESENFELD GOING TO EUROPE Hugo Riesenfeld, musical director of the Rialto and Rivoli motion picture theatres, is booked to sail for Europe Wednesday, May 25, on the S. S. Paris. He will re- main abroad for several weeks taking a long deferred vacation. FROST BACK FROM BERMUDA Chester E. Frost and his orchestra have just returned to New York after a suc- cessful season of four months at the Hamilton Hotel, Hamilton, Bermuda. Frost and his six men have been together for the past five years under the name of Chester jProst's Bostonians and have estab- lished an excellent reputation for versa- tility. While in Bermuda the orchestra was the hit of the season and made a good many influential friends. They have been asked to return next season and probably will do so. Qarc Briggs, cartoonist with, the New York Tribune, met Frost in Ber- muda and made his orchestra the subject of several cartoons which were extensively syndicated through the States. Frost and his men are spending a week at home before coming to New York to° begin work on a summer engagement in this locality. COLEMAN WITH VALENTINO Gregory Coleman and his orchestra continue to play the one-night tour that has been arranged in conjunction with Rodolf Valentino and his wife, Winifred Hudnut. Last week they played to a great crowd in the Armory in Newark, and this week are appearing at Fall River and through New England. The tour has already lasted about four months and is booked ahead indefinitely. The orchestra . plays for the dancing of the screen favorite and also for a special contest that is held later and at which Valentino acts as judge and presents a silver loving cup to the winning couple. DAVIS ORCHESTRA IN ACT Meyer Davis' Monte Carlo Orchestra openctl in vaudeville on Monday at Keith's Palace Theatre. Statcn Island. This band has been in vaudeville before with the Monte Carlo Revue, but now goes out as an individual act for the first time. It is probable that they will be seen in a hotel engagement in or near New York during the Summer. MARVIN IN NEW POSITICm Frank Marvin, formerly manager of the orchestra department of Stark . & Cowan, has beoi engaged-in a like capacity by the new firm of Clarke & Leslie at 1591 Broadway. OTCHESTRA.MEN IN SUIT Paul Specht, orchestra man, filed suit last week in the Third District Municipal Court against Ernest Golden, orchestra leader, for $1,000 damages and breach of contract In his complaint, Specht alleges that Golden contracted in November, 1922, to make 25 special arrangements of songs for him at the rate of $50 each. On Jan- uary 3, according to Specht, Golden re- fused to make any more arrangements and has since failed to make any as per terms of the agreement. At the time that the contract was made. Golden was connected with the Paul Specht offices as one of his leaders, but a controversy has arisen since as to whether or not the Golden orchestra is a Specht unit HYDE ON KEITH TIME Alex Hyde and his orchestra, following their long route over the Loew time, will open for Keith^ in Brockton, Mass., on- May 14, and will then continue over the Keith Circuit until they arc ready to start their Summer work. This orchestra has been together since early last Spring, and, followiog several weeks on the Loew time, went to the Hotel Shelbume, Atlantic City, where they played during the Sum- mer. It is possible that they will again appear at the Shelbume this Summer. The Siiry the Peials ToM « StOTHEU LSVE lALUD. nta li VR-eDjiKotlj * no( for jomt tmlt. Wbn rHwiiWiliM in ttls tamti tai 1U< paitiun oema. Wtm to itwTiiiilg<l Anua. FObUsbtd tir BJZAbeib fDIB- HADD nsoa * Ban. BOi Wot lairt stmt. Nn toa.