Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

.-,() EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD December 15, 1928 (Continued from last week) "Spent a couple of dizzy weeks looking around the studios. I even became a talking pitcher actor — yep. I starred in my own Vitaphone for Warner Brothers entitled 'How to Write a Popular Song' in one reel. So all you people who aspire to be Irving Berlins, just watch for it. My leading lady was June Clyde, one of the Fanchon and Marco stars. » • • "Spent the rest of my time on the Coast writing a bunch of theme songs for forthcoming sound pictures. It is needless to dwell on how the entire motion picture production industry has changed over night. You all know by now that every important picture company is erecting their own sound studios where all the movies of the future will be screened. Saw a good many of them being made and could write a book on the subject. • * * "Found the Pacific Coast bands to be a revelation, and equal to those in the East. Among the best I heard in Los Angeles were Gus Arnheim's at the Ambassador, Jesse Stafford's at the Cinderella, Earl Burtnett's at the Biltmore, Roy Fox's at the Montmartre, and Lynn Cowan's at the Boulevard. • • • "One of the big surprises in the film colony was Benny Rubin. Benny appeared in one talking picture and ran away with it, stealing all the honors from the star. On the strength of it he was signed to a long term contract by Carl Laemmle to write, direct and star in comedy talkies. I wonder how many more great finds this new field will bring out? » • » "So many well-known Broadwayites in California, you'd think Hollywood was tin-pan alley. Josef Cherniavsky, who used to wield the stick at the Colony, is now in charge of the synchronization for Universal and writing some of the greatest theme songs of the year, especially for the super-productio is "Show Boat' and "Broadway" ; Con Conrad, Sid Mitchell and Archie Gottler writing the 'Fox Follies." a real full-length Broadway revue in movies: Walter Weems, former vaudeville star, writing stories on the Fox lot ; Billy Rose and Fred Fisher trying to pound out another 'Dardenella' or 'Barney Google' for MetroGoldwyn-Mayer ; Bryan Foy of the famous family and his side-kick Murray Roth directing soundies for Warners : Walter Meyers and Bill Perlberg booking the best talent obtainable for talkers : Gus Edwards and Jules Buffano turning out miniature revues for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer : Lou Silvers trying to snatch a minute's rest after synchronizing 'The Singing Fool' and 'Noah's Ark' — ye gods I Is there anyone left on Broadway? Or was Horace Greeley right? • • • "Hated like the devil to leave a place where you ran play golf 365 days a year, but finally I felt the call of duty and boarded the Golden State Limited bound for Tin Pan Alley via Dixie. Yes, sir I I thought it was high time I stopped off and saw some of the country I had been writing about for years. Have described and raved about the Sunny South in a hundred different songs, but never got a glimpse of it until this ride home. Shame to say it. but I the composer of 'Hello. Swanee, Hello' couldn't tell a cotton plant from a levee. • • • "Some of the high spots on my Southern visits were: Seeing Jack Stanley wow 'em at the Saenger. New Orleans, where he is what Ash was to the Oriental : having Earl Abel show me the sights of San Antonio at two in the morning and trying to land an organ plug with him while he pointxl out the interesting features of the Alamo : watching Con Maffle doing one of my slide stunt* at the Met in Houston and • hoovering that even Southern audiences like to community sing, or what is this power Con has over them? Listening to Harry Pomar's orchestra broadcast at W S B, Atlanta, and wondering how long it takes for such remarkable musical talent to be 'discovered' watching George Hnmrlck tear the house down at Loew'a Atlanta In an organ solo without the aid at slides, billing or an elevator (some feat). These were some of the incidents that linger In my mind, but I looked In vain for plantations, mammies. Dixie shacks and darkles strumming. Maybe we ■ong writers are all wet. after all. • • • "A» I clow this little resume of my trip, a thousand IncldcnU and people come to my mind that I left out. I should have kept a diary." —SAM COSLOW. ORGAN SOLOS Henry B. Murtagh (Brooklyn Paramount) first said "Let's Warble" and the way they did. would make Keates jealous (if he is capable of being that way). "Old Man Sunshine," "Memories of France." "Doin' the Raccoon," "Jeannine" and "Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" were his numbers, "with his audience singing all except "Jeannine," which Paul Small sang pleasingly. Murtagh has created a fine following here and they sure sing for him. Preston Sellers (Chicago Oriental) had a rather interesting solo this week. Sellers called his solo "The Talking Pictures" and used several clever slides between each song. His selection of songs, as always, were played in a pleasing style. He clicked O. K. Hy C. Geis (Jersey City Stanley) offered an original community stunt, in which with the use of comedy slides, he played many old favorite songs, to which the audience sang, willingly. He called his stunt "Memory Lane." As an added punch he played "Five Foot Two" with special lyrics about himself. "Hy" is six feet eight inches tall and to prove it, he stood on the organ bench and nearly reached the roof. Geis is a favorite at this house, as was proved by the singing and applause. Julia Dawn (Omaha Riviera) played and sang for her solo "Roses of Yesterday." an Irving Berlin tune. This pretty organist can sure play the console and her singing is a treat. We look forward to her 6olos each week. Dean Fossler (Chicago, Chicago). The afternoon patrons or the early Christmas shoppers were offered a very fine organ 60I0 last Thursday with a selection of old and new songs. No slides were used whatsoever. The names of songs had to be general for the tunes. Although he did not receive a big hand it nevertheless was well handled by Dean'. Eddie Dunstedter (Minneapolis Minnesota), the popular organist, was 6ide-tracked from his usual position at the organ this week to entertain with his own special arrangement of "Flapperette" at the grand. He was accompanied by the stagehand show. Dunstedter showed that he can tickle the ivories as well as make the organ talk. Arthur Gutow (Detroit Michigan) has decided that most of the popular 6ongs have very silly words. So his organ solo for the week was entitled "You Write the Words." Gutow took a number of popular songs and had new words for them. Most of the verses were nonsensical, but the idea was a clever one and Gutow's audiences thought so, too. They gave him a big hand. Walter Wild (Hippodrome. New York), organist, and Julius Lendbcrg, orchestra leader, gave the patrons their version of "Dreams" (pa6t. present and future). John Romano, harpist, first offered two dream songs. Lendberg then soloed on his violin with Liebestraum for a fine hand. Walter Wild at the organ next played "A Dream." Orchestra then played "Dream Kisses." Then "My Window of Dreams" with a slide version with Wild playing the organ was syncopated with the orchestra and both went over well. Billy Barnes (New York Loew's State) offered an original organ novelty that met with very fine success. Barnes called the solo "Happy Ending." This featured the new song "There Is a Happy Ending" and was introduced as a musical score of life. He first played the song over while slides on the screen gave the audience the words to sing if they wanted to. Leone Miner, a sweet young lady with a beautiful voice, sat on the organ and sang this number. She received a very fine hand for her effort. A comic slide version of "It's All Over Now" was next played by Barnes, next a comedy chorus of "Happy Ending," and "Apple Blossom Time," then a final chorus of "There Is a Happy Ending" which Miss Miner sang. Both Bnrnes nnd girl received a very fine reception for their offering. Alexander Schrciner (Salt Lake City Capitol) offered for his organ solo last week a very pleasing arrangement of tunes as well as the theme song "Neopolitan Nights" for the film "Fazil." The house was packed and the stunt received the usual welcome. Ilrrbie Kock (Des Moines Capitol) presented a novel solo culled "The Kirkoff." This chap nlso took over the M. C. stick last week while the bnnd leader was away, proving that he is clever and versatile. Tonight) — (Harry Harris) — A comedy song that is really funny. A new publisher with a song that looks like it will start him off right. By Larry ShayTommie Mallie-Harry Harris. * • * LEND ME YOUR EYES, PRETTY BABY— (Forster Mus. Pub.) — A cute idea. It's not about a Shylock trying to dig one's eyes out but a sweetie talking to his loved one. Words by Alfred Bryan. Music by Al Sherman. * • • A NIGHT OF MEMORIES— (Ager, Yellcn & Bornstein, Inc.) — A pretty fox trot ballad by the writers of Dream Kisses should enjoy popularity. Words by Jack Yellen. Music by M. K. Jerome. • • • DREAM TRAIN— (Milton Weil Music Co.) — A pretty idea about the Sandman by two local writers. Has plenty of merit and looks commercial. Words by Charles Newman. Music by Billy Baskette. * » * WHEN THE RIGHT ONE COMES ALONG— (Uo Feist)— The theme song of the Tiffany picture entitled Marriage by Contract. The composers are among the best known of the theme writers having to their credit 6uch masterpieces as Ramona. ChiquiU, Jeannine and Spanish Town. Not a bad collection. Words by L. Wolfe Gilbert. Music by Mabel Wayne. • • • DEAR, WHEN I MET YOU— (Broadway Music Corp.) — An old combination of hit writers are back together again as with a beautiful waltz ballad. Pretty and commercial. Words by A. Seymour Brown. Music by Albert Von Tilzer. • • • AFTER YOU THERE'LL BE SOMEBODY ELSE AFTER ME — (M. Witmark & Sons) — A waltz ballad having ns the melody writer one of the writers of tht famous Dardanella. Has merit and should sell. Lyric by Monty Siegel and John Siras, music by Felix Bernard. BEST SELLERS "Sonny Boy" — (DeSylva, Brown & Henderson). "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" — (Irving Berlin). "Sweethearts on Parade" — (Milton Weil). "Jeannie, I Dream of Lilac Time" — (Leo Feist). "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" — (Mills Music). "Where the Shy Little Violets Grow" — (Remick Music Corp.). "I'm Sorry, Sally" — (Leo Feist). "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" — (Ager, Yellen & Bornstein). "Me and the Man in the Moon" — (Donaldson, Douglas & Gumble). "Doing the Raccoon" — (Remick Music Corp.). "Tliat's How I Feel About You"— (DeSylva, Broivn & Henderson). "I Loved You Then as I Love You Now" — (Irving Berlin). "High Up on a Hill Top"— (Leo Feist). "It Goes Like This" — (Leo Feist). "My Suppressed Desire" — (Leo Feist). "Don't Be Like That" — (SluxpiroBernstein). "Dream House" — (Sherman Clay). "Memories of France" — (Waterson). "Sally of My Dreams" — (DeSylva, Brown & Henderson). * • • RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY (I Wanna See My Sweetie