Inside facts of stage and screen (April 5, 1930)

PAGE TWELVE INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, APRIL 5 , 1930 Facts* Echoes From Melody Land By JACK B. TENNEY The average dance - musician strikes me as a very improvident sort of a fellow. I suppose there are beaucoup excuses, but none of them are too good. This type of musician is always in one of two places—working and on top of the world, or looking for a job and broke. Even while they are work- ing things are not always as they should be. They are usuallly broke the day after pay-day. I’ve talked to some of them about it and haven’t received many reasonable answers as yet. One told me that he had not been for tunate enough to find the right break—that is, landed a job that lasted long enough for the next famine. There may be a lot of truth in this, at that, and a check- up might be startling. It certain ly is pathetic to always be paying up for the time when you were not working and had to borrow, but it is more than pathetic to have the job go “boom-boom” just as you begin to see daylight. There is no doubt that some of our indigent brothers have this al most logical excuse. On the othy hand it will be discovered that most of these same brothers are driving a very late model auto- mobile with only seventeen pay- ments to go. It also will be found that they possess most of the mod- ern nicknacks that may be deliv- ered for a dollar or so down. One musician of my acquaintance lost two automobiles and a radio in the same year. A certain finance company is quite eager to locate another. I am not one of those brainy individuals who oppose luxuries for the improvident poor. That ar- gument about “the more some people get, the less they have” never carried any weight with me. It is too much like refusing to give a starving tramp chicken and pie when you might give him hash, on the theory that the big bum will eat it all up anyway. It is a rather healthy human charac- teristic to want one of everything and there is no valid reason why anyone should not have all they can get—even if the finance com- panies get the most in the long run. But the wise bird will stop and ponder a little and try to dope the matter out to his own advan- tage. The average musician usually makes a fair wage, if the job isn’t one of those arrangements where he gives the leader a present every week and turns back a twenty to ,the management, so the Steward sheet will appear O. K. If he is young (of course, he will be thoughtless) he might well con- sider the probable number of years of earning ability ahead of him. A fair idea of the possible num- ber might be ascertained from the ages of those who have involun- tarily retired in the old home town. During the probable number of years of remunerative exertion (it it best to prepare for the worst, you know) our young musician should figure that many months will bring goose-eggs on the bank- book. It is surprising how the bills roll in whether one has the wherewithal or not. And, of course, even Hercules is liable to come 'down with the mumps or something. In short, a musician should save at least a third of what he makes if he is desirous at all of avoiding a relief-list some- where in the future. To tell the truth, I never had a great deal of respect for the ant in that starving grasshopper story His smug respectability and self- satisfaction always seemed a little too much at the expense of the grasshopper. He didn’t even re fer the poor insect to the Com munity Chest of which, no doubt, he was a subscribing member. He was too busy extolling his own virtues by comparison. My sym- pathies always went out to that cold and hungry grasshopper. How was he supposed to know that winter would come? He reminded me of a lot of musicians—of my- self, and I felt a keen antipathy for that fat ant gloating over the grasshopper and his wasted oppor tunities, lack of foresight and the attendant miseries. It became new kind of fable for me and the moral I read into it was different than the one Aesop intended. It carried a sting that was consider- ably worse than the ignominy of starving to death. But no matter how you look at it, the fable is well worth thinking about. + * ♦ Musically, things over in Phoe nix are not so bad as they were and not so good as they might be From all reports the former non- union houses have gone union. No doubt the matter was a compro mise. The non-union ' orchestras faded out of the limelight in the picture palaces, and synchornized films took their places. There is not a stage-band in town and not a pit-orchestra that I know of, Dance-bands, however, are flour- ishing. ♦ ♦ ♦ The Phoenix local A. F. of M staged a banquet at the PalmS; April 1. Invitations carried the proviso of “paid-up cards, only.” * * * Joey Starr, leader of the orches tra at the Rendezvous at Mesa became a benedict last month when he married the former Miss Rose Spitz of New York. Tiny Hardesty, trombonist with Joy’s band, refused to be outdone by his leader and married Miss Berma Babbitt of Mesa. Arizona. Hot Licks offers a lot of congratula- tions and best wishes. * ♦ * Lyol “Spike” Thayer is report- ed as leaving the Westward Ho (Continued on Page 13) A wise critic recently said; “It must be an exceptional orchestra that can stay 6 months in the one ballroom.” We hate to brag, BUT take a peek at our record of successful business. OWEN FALLON AND HIS CALIFORNIANS NOW IN SECOND YEAR AT WILSON’S BALLROOM (Formerly Cinderella Roof) LOS ANGELES, CALIF. LOS ANGELES Established leaders of the past several weeks still hold their own in popular sales of sheet music, but a general arrangement of the followers is reflected, with “White Dove” from “The Rogue Song” making a surprise appearance in the best sellers. This is a number from the original “Gypsy Love from which “Rogue Song” was made. Here is the current line-up: 1. “Springtime .in the Rockies” — Villa Moret. 2. “Happy Days” — Ager, Yel- len & Bornstein. 3. “Should I?”—Robbins. 4. “With You”—Berlin. 5. “There’s Danger in Your Eyes” — Berlin. 6. “Cryin’ for the Carolines”— Remick. 7. “White Dove” — Harms. 8. “If I’m Dreaming” — Harms. 9. “Woman in a Shoe” — Rob- bins. 10. “Singing a Vagabond Song” — Santly. Right behind these in sales are: “Chant of the Jungle,” “What Is This Thing Called Love?” “The One I Love,” “When the Little Red Roses,” “When I’m Looking at You,” “Diet of Love” and “Cottage for Sale.” Recordings 1. “Putting on the Ritz” — All recordings. 2. “When I'm Looking at You” — (Tibbett) Victor. 3. “Happy Days” — All record- ings. 4. “Nobody’s Sweetheart” — (Whiteman) Columbia. 5. “What Is This Thing Called Love?” (Reisman) Victor. 6. “Only a Rose” — (Crooks) Victor. 7. “Hanging on the Garden Gate”—Victor. 8. “Woman in a Shoe”—All re- cordings. 9. “Beside an Open Fireplace” — (Vallee) Victor. 10. “Springtime in the Rockies” —^Columbia. In good demand also are “When the Little Red Roses” and “Sing You Sinners.” SAN FRANCISCO In a new deal on sheet music “Springtime In the Rockies” again drew first position while the re- maining nine ditties were consider- ably shuffled about. First ten sell- ers are: 1. “Springtime In the Rockies” — Villa Moret. 2. “Happy Days”—Ager, Yel- len and Bornstein. 3. “Cryin’ For the Carolines” —Remick. 4. “Sh-ould I?” — Robbins. 5. “Woman In the Shoe”— Robbins. 6. “Kiss Me With Your Eyes” •Villa Moret. 7. “With You”—Berlin. 8. “Congratulations” — DeSylva, Brown and Henderson. 9. “Chant of the Jungle”—Rob- bins. 10. “Mona” — DeSylva, Brown and Henderson. Recordings 1. “Springtime In the Rockies” -All. 2. “Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie”—Harry Richman (Bruns- wick). 3. “With You”—All. 4. “Should I?” —Paul White- man (Columbia). 5. “Happy Days”—Johnny Mar- vin (Victor). 6. “Cryin’ For the Carolines”— Guy Lombardo (Columbia). 7. “This Thing Called Love”— Leo Reisman (Victor). 8. “Puttin’ On the Ritz” — Leo Reisman (Victor). 9. “I’m On a Diet of Love”— George Olsen (Victor). 10. “Song of the Islands”—All MAX BRADFIELD MADE M. C. AT FOX-COLORADO Max Bradfield has been installed as permanent orchestra leader in the Colorado Theatre, Pasadena. All Fanchon and Marco Ideas have premieres in this house. Bradfield is of F. and M.’s pio- neer masters - of - ceremonies and knows the game from the ground up. SAN FRANCISCO. April 3.— The new Paramount is setting its conductor, Don George, in with the kids. Organization of a kiddies’ club was completed last week with the youngsters attending a Satur- day morning show, where George is at the organ console accompany- ing the tots in the entertainment they provide by and for them- selves. Paramount management has is- sued a card to the kids admitting them ten times at IS cents a crack. At the end of the ten times they can bring a free guest to any one of the Granada shows by display- ing the card. George is one of the very few orchestra conductors who also knows his organ console. Until a few weeks ago he was house or- ganist when Publix brought Har- old Ramsay in from the East and made George conductor. ORDERS FROM ABROAD SAN DIEGO, April 3. — Man- aois Music Publishing Co. has just filled an order for 100 copies of their song, “Senorita” for Mon- aka Music House of Japan, and also is in receipt of a letter from Anton J. Benjamin, music pub- lisher of Germany, in which the latter asked permission to re- publish “Senorita” for his terri- tory. offering the firm a guaran- teed amount in advance besides a royalty on copies sold. DOING NIFTY TIE-UPS _A1 Burgess, working under the direction of Sig Bosley of the Robbins firm, has effected a num- ber of tie-ups with leading mer- chants, has placed 200 cards in gasoline stations exploiting “Kick- ing a Hole in the Sky,” and is having 500 cards distributed by grocery stores and markets ex- ploiting “Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love,” in which Ben Hur coffee gets a break. IS RADIO PIANIS'T Polly Hall, who was with the Villa Moret firm for a number of years, is now one of the studio pianists at KFI. WITH RED STAR Jack Reed, formerly in charge of the San Francisco Irving Ber- lin office, is now connected with the Red Star Music Co. in Los Angeles. M.C.II. KEPme yp MPID SIK The Music Corporation of Amer- ica is extending its enterprise by leaps and bounds, according to word received here from the East. Recent activities include: Jimmie Joy and his Orchestra, who for the past three seasons have been featured at the Brown Hotel, Louisville, opened at the Hotel Coronado, St. Louis, March 28. The band also will broadcast over KMOX, and are recording exclusively for Brunswick. Bobby Meeker and his Orches- tra, who were booked into the Jef- ferson Hotel, St. Louis, for six weeks, have had their contract ex- tended until the summer season sets in. For the fifth consecutive season the management of the Steel Pier at Atlantic City has contracted with the M.C.A. for a series of orchestras. Those who will play under the M.C.A. bookings during the coming summer are Ted Weems, Jack Crawford, Wayne King, Phil Baxter. Eddie Neibaur and his Seattle Harmony Kings, who have been featured at the Trianon Ballroom, Chicago, for two years, have signed exclusively with the M.C.A. Emerson Gill and his Orchestra, who have bene featured at Cleve- land’s Show Boat in the Hollen- don Hotel, have also signed exclu- sively with M.C.A. They close at tlie Hollendon early this month, and start engagements at several hotels on the M.C..:\. circuit, re- turning to their former spot in the fall. Hogan Hancock and his Or- chestra, booked into Shadowland, San Antonio night club, for two weeks, have had their contract ex- tended to run until May 1. LIEBMAN IN S. F. SAN FRANCISCO, April 3.— Harry Liebman, assistant general manager of DeSylva, Brown and Flenderson, was here this week visiting Lou Emmel, local repre- sentative for the music publishing firm. Mrs. Liebman accompanied him. PUBLISHING NUMBERS All numbers for the Pathe pic- ture, “Swing High,” are being published by Shapiro, Bernstein and Co. Included are “Happiness Over the Hill” and “Do You Think I Could Grow on You?” HAROLD HOWARD AND HIS ORCHESTRA B.B.B. CELLAR CAFE Hollywood, Calif. PLAYING OVER KOIN PORTLAND, Ore., April 3.— Warner Stone and his Capital City Orchestra are now being featured over station KOIN. OPENING IN DENVER SAN FRANCISCO. April 3.— Henry Halstead and his Orchestra, formerly at the St. Francis Hotel here, are opening at the Cosmo- politan Hotel in Denver. HAVE MUSIC COUNTER SAN FRANCISCO, April 3.— H. Kress store has installed a sheet music counter in its Market Street headquarters, offering pop numbers at a 2S-cent tariff. GLEN BUCEY And His POM POM HI HATTERS With Ellis “Red” Thompson, sax; Jimmy Balderas, piano; Leo Hagan, trumpet; William Alexander, banjo and guitar; Russell Harrison, trombone, and Jean James, piano. Pom Pom Night Club, Hollywood Indefinite WILL PRIOR CONDUCTOR NEW STATE THEATRE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA TED HENKEL MUSICAL CONDUCTOR and PRESENTATION DIRECTOR CIVIC THEATRE Auckland, New Zealand Pit Orchestra of 30 - : - Stage Band of 20