Radio Digest (June 1932-Mar 1933)

28 Tuneful Topics ByRudyVallee 7-SN'T IT ROMANTIC. Messrs. Rodgers and Hart, gentlemen of the elite school of songwriting, that is to say the Park Avenue "class" crowd, who are best known for their "And Then My Heart Stood Still" from "The Connecticut Yankee," and subsequently "Here's How," have been shipped to the Coast to write music for various great personalities, one of their first being that great Frenchman. Everyone who has seen his picture, "Love Me Tonight," seems to feel that the boys have done a great job in giving him the type of song he needs to best express his very unique personality. The song, which is played continuously throughout the picture, and is introduced in a very unusual manner, with various persons in the picture each taking a phrase or a few measures of the song, is ISN'T IT ROMANTIC. The first night I sang it on the Fleischmann's Yeast Hour I was, unaware of what the second chorus had in the way of lyrics, and was into them before I realized that they were extremely humorous. I could not hear it, but I was told that the audience was convulsed with laughter as I came to the lines about scrubbing my back and having a troop of children, but it is a cute song, and one hears it everywhere. Mr. Chevalier may be very thankful for his assistance from Messrs. Rodgers and Hart. Larry Spier, of Famous Music, Inc., publishes the song, and being of the type best suited to being played slowly, we do it in that manner. rHREE'S A CROWD. Warner Brothers, in their effort to dramatize successfully in a photoplay, Rian James' indictment of orchestra leaders who sing softly, supplied Donald Novis, (who really does the singing in the picture, "The Crooner," while David Manners raises the megaphone in a way which would antagonize most anyone,) with three or four songs, none of which I thought were really outstanding. Irving Caesar sent me one of them months ago, and the first time I would have sung it was when I was in the throes of laryngitis in Baltimore. It was "Sweethearts Forever." Outstanding from the picture, evidently, from the requests which phonograph dealers have received, is THREE'S A CROWD, which is supposed to imply the plot of the story. I did not care very much for the song as it put me very much in mind of "Oh, Baby, Where Can You Be," published by Irving Berlin, Inc., some years ago, and which was one of the first songs with which we identified ourselves. However, the Columbia Phonograph Company felt that in view, of the demand from dealers, that I record it, which we subsequently did. Our arrangement by my good friend, Elliot Jacoby, was one we enjoyed recording, and which I think made a danceable record. All the tunes in the show are published by Witmark, Inc., who are the publishers for Warner Bros. We play THREE'S A CROWD quite brightly. JtyfE MINUS YOU. Paul Francis IvA. Webster and John Jacob Loeb, with whom I wrote "Two Little Blue Little Eyes," and who are two of the most energetic, college-type of boys dabbling in music-writing and doing a good job of it, surprised all of us with their very lovely "Masquerade." And now they have gone for mathematical observations in music — a song which is really a successful attempt at injecting something relative to numbers and figuring into melodies and thoughts. Rarely does the use of anything of such an abstract nature in a song turn out successfully. This is one that did. Abel Baer, who wrote part of the song with the boys, is evidently helping them on the high road to success. Leo Feist are the publishers (it is also one of our recordings), and we play the song about as brightly as we play THREE'S A CROWD. ■\TIGHTFALL. Peter de Rose, J_ V Charles Harold, and Sam Lewis .. . The old King of Jazz, Whiteman himself, selected this song and is really responsible for its introduction to the rest of us in the profession. It had something to do with "inspiration" under the Whiteman banner, but has taken the name of NIGHTFALL under the banner of Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., the publishers. It has one of the loveliest verses it has been my pleasure to sing in a long time — a story which leads to a chorus in which the lovely one is compared to nightfall, beautiful settings of scenes, and all that is lovely. While the verse may be played brightly, the chorus should be slowed down, due to a few phrases where someone saw fit to inject many words in one measure. Yet with all its hasty rendition by many of the bands, the tune is a lovely one, and is constantly heard. riHANTY IN OLD SHANTY ij TOWN. A little late again in dis • cussing the outstanding song of the moment. I am very happy to see Little Jack Little and Ira Schuster, whose nom de plume of Jack Siras fools no one along Tin Pan Alley, finally get a good song. Ira Schuster was formerly associated with Witmark, Inc., and teamed up for years as a sort of Damon and Pythias with Bob Miller of the same firm, and was finally let out by Warner Bros., subsidiary of Witmark. Whether or not he placed the song with them before he left I do not know, but I do believe that Witmark are very happy that they secured the song from the man who once worked for them, as it has been their chief claim to fame during the past several months. Joe Young has always been associated with so many hit songs that I feel it hardly necessary to place another feather in his cap. He seems to go from one hit to another, demonstrating his right to an executive capacity in the songwriting world and American Sociey of Composers, Authors and Publishers. I am very happy that Little Jack Little has come into his own after the writing of many songs, including "Jealous," with this, a real hit for these times. It is the type of song that the big mass public, especially in its ballroom dancing, really enjoys, the type of song that Master Downey does best of all. We can take little or no part of the bow for its popularity, as we have scarcely done it. I am very happy to see that a waltz can climb to that outstanding prominence; when most bands will not play them. QOMETHING IN THE NIGHT. /O There are men in the "back row" of the music world who never bask in the glory which they so richly deserve. They are the arrangers, the men who take the melodies and harmonies and elaborate on them so wonderfully as to make the tune almost another tune. One of these young men is Helmy Kresa, who has been associated with Irving Berlin, Inc., for many years. "Hiding In the Shadows Of the Moon" was one of his first and best tunes, and he has followed it by another tune. He seems to lean toward the hours after dark for his inspiration, hence SOMETHING j IN THE NIGHT, which might lead | you to believe a sort of spooky tune, when in reality it is a beautiful, slow j moving burst of love, a song that grows : on one as he hears it on nearly every | radio program. Again Joe Young, and Paul Weirick must be included in those who helped Helmy complete the song.