Variety (Sep 1942)

44 MUSIC Wednesdajt September 16, 1942 Inside Stuff-Musk DouRlas Gilbert, who uiole a book on 'American Vaudeville, Its Life and Times' (Whittlesey) last year, comes up with 'Lost Chord.s (The Diverting Sloiy of American Popular Songs).' published by Doubleday. Doran ($3.50). As the subtitle indicates, it's diverting. reportorlaL breezy and easy reading, which is the expressed purpoge of the author. Gilbert, a veteran feature writer on the N. Y. World-Telegram, and its onetime dramatic critic, is a professional interviewer, and this he evidences anew by the sequence of events that go to make up "Lost Chords.' It's by no. means the complete saga of Tin Pan Alley, but, by the very nature of the fertile, colorful field he attempts to cover, there probably can never be a 'complete' work in the sense of including all its manifold ramifications. Thus, from time to time there have come to light such diverse and variegated treatments of the same central subject from E. B. Marks ("They AU Sang'), which was essentially autobiographical; the autobiogs of Isidor Witmark and Charl«s K. Harris, treating with the glamorous mauve decade period of early Tin Pan Alleylana; the occa- sional hack jobs of Sigmund Spaeth; the informative James J. Geller books ('Famous Songs and Their Stories' and 'Grandfather's Follies'); •Gentleman Be Seated' (Spaeth and Dalley Paskman's saga of minstrelsy) •nd others. Gilbert treats his subject chronologically, from Civil War Days to date, •nd evidences a fairly keen insight on a somewhat obtuse business. That he hints only slightly at the chicanery that goes with music publishing and songwriting is consistent with his initial premise that this is to be a book for easy reading. It is that. 'Army' ;C'ODtlniied from pat' Irving Berlin has a sleeper hit m 'White Christmas,' out of the 'Holiday Inn' (Paramount) score of 13 songs, 11 of them originals. While only five of the fllmusical's tunes will be plugged, and 'Be Careful, It's My Heart,' Is prof. mgr. Dave Dreyer's current plug song, the 'Christmas' ballad is stepping out surprisingly. It sold 12,000 copies yesterday (Tues.) and 8,000 on Monday, and is doubling the combined sales to date of any of the pix other times. While Berlin, Inc., hit almost -700,000 copies with the Walt Disney 'Snow White' score, Berlin's top fllmusical or stage score was the Top Hat' music, which went 400,000 copies. 'Fleet's In' was around 350,000, and the others have been about even. The tempo of 'Holiday Inn,' however, in- dicates this set of songs may pass 'Snow White,' although not likely to hit the 1.000.000 copy sale mark. However, Berlin feels this may be achieved by his other songs frpm "This Is the Army* (proceeds to Army Emergency Relief). The Robbins-Metro group, which consists of the Bobbins Music Corp., Leo Feist, Inc., and Miller Music Co., last week issued royalty checks to writers for the initial six months of 1B42. The payoff toUled $149,000. 10 Best Seflers on Corn-Machines (Records beloto are grabbing most niclcels this u.-eek in jukeboze« throughout the country, at reported by operators to 'Variety.' Names of more than, one band or tH>caIi«t after the title indicates, in order o) popularity, tonose recordings are t>einp played. Figures and names in parenthesis indicate the number of treeks each song has been in the listings and respective publishers.) 1. Wears Silver Wings (7) (Shapiro) } ^ J t. Strip Polka (5) (E. H. MorrU) Y^^lZ^'V^rs.:::!'.^^ S. Be Careful, My Heart (5) (Berlin) Bing Crosby Decca 4. Gal in Kalamazoo (4) (BVC) | "^J^tV. (Jimmy Dorsey Decca 6. My Devotion (3) (Santly). I Jimmy Dorsey Decca ^Vaughn Monroe Victor « ^'^^ <»> <«"'^> l^S* s:Jdman:;(Sj:;f 7. Just TTtough You're Here (3) (Yankee). } J^rk'Sar.-.™ 8. Stage Door Canteen (1) (Army) {^-^^ 'S^.::.C^ 9 He's My Guy (1) (Leeds) ["^'^/--^;l: 10. wonder When My Baby (5) (Remick).. J^^rfy KayT..'^tfr OTHER FAVORITES (These records are directly belou) Urst 10 in popularlti/. Tunes toith number oi weeks in parenthesis are fading, others gaining.) By Light Silvery Moon (6) (Remick). < Columbia office, three being civilians, who have been on the job for long hours daily. An additional ha f dozen soldiers are detailed to work on mail orders. Average number of orders through the mail is 1.000 daily, while be- tween $16,000 and $17,000 has been taken in per day, an unheard of pace. Soldiers working in the office and ticket department arc detailed under Army regulations Just as if on duty in camp or combat. That procedure is followed even when the men receive their weekly mainten- ance pay. l>eing called upon the stage singly. Each man gets $10.25 weekly, an increase from the orig- inal maintenance allowance, which is in addition to their regular Army pay. Whatever their detail, they must drill daily. Top kicks attend to that. Adjourn Case vs. Broker Case against a N. Y. broker, who allegedly sold tickets for This Is the Army" (Broadway) at $8.80 each, was abruptly adjourned by the en- forcement board of the ticket code recently There had been a com- plaint against the agency, but. after the code bunch huddled sev- eral times, it is understood that no concrete proof of gypping had been produced; also that the board could not agree in meting out punishment unless the evidence was clear. Board can suspend an agency for a period of months upwards of a year, dur- ing which time no tickets could be aUotted. Matter was but partly complicated when it was stated that the involved agency's books had been summoned by Samuel Litwin. attorney for the tax collector in N. Y. There is no federal law limiting the price of tickets, but the Government wants 11% on all money in excess of 75c premium, 10% applying up to that amount. Sate law, still not tested legally, and the code set the celling at 7Sc. Complaints are reported made to Federal authorities about barefaced gypping but squawks are believed to be few. Recently the brokers were called in by A. L. Berman, general man- ager of 'Army,' at which time the number of agencies getting tickets was sliced almost in half and allot- ments of others chopped 50%. Ticket men pointed out that they had put their money on the line before show opened and that if 'Army' hadn't got- ten so strong a press they might have been stuck with unsold tickets That argument failed to register. Code was tardy in getting in on the 'Army' ticket matter. Signatory brokers frankly said the rules banned buys, but. as the 'Army' man- agement insisted they pay for all tickets in advance with no returns, a buy did actually exist. Code heads said tlie agency people should have called their attention to the situation. No broker is known to have been stuck with any 'Army' tickets, so great is the demand. All I Need Is You (9) (Miller). t Dick Stabile Decca t Ella Fitzgerald Decca I Vaughn Monroe Victor I Sammy Kaye Victor j King Sisters Victor Met Her on Monday (ABC) 1 ^"'^^^"'r ° ' (Freddy Martm Victor I Came to Talk for Joe (Shapiro). Every Night About This Time (Warock). ) Bing Crosby Decca \ Jimmy Dorsey Decca Take Me (BVC) j Jimmy Dorsey ...Decca Take Me (BVC) (Benny Goodman. .Columbia Cunchita Lopez (Famous). J Bing Crosby Decca (Dinah Shore Victor ^» <™ iL"fry^,^<S^.'."V.-.BlSS When LighU Go On Again (CLP) !^H%TFier^";::.BiSd Boy in Khaki (ABC) }?r^ri5^?sey:.-.-^tol f—COMING UP FASTI NBC, CBS. Blue, Mutual Plugs Follou;ing tabulation of popular music p«r/ormancef embraces all four networks —NBC, CBS. Blue niid Jtfutual—as represented by WEAF, WJZ, lVi4BC ond WOR, N. Y. Compilation heretvith cotters week beginning Monday through Sundav Sept. 7-13 from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., and ij based on data provided by Accurate Reporting Service regular source for music publishing industrv. TITLE PUBUSHEB TOTAL Got Gal Kalamazoo—t'Oichesira Wives' BVC 37 South Wind Wlbnark 30 Serenade In Biut;—t'Orchestra Wives' BVC 2B ••Left Heart at Canteen Army 2.S My Devotion Santly 25 Dearly Beloved—t'You Never Lovelier' Chappell 23 Idaho Mills 23 Wears Pair Silver Wings Shapiro 22 Can't Get Out Mood—f Seven Days Leave'... .Southern 22 Just Though You Here Yankee 22 Wonder When Baby's Coming Crawford 22 He's My Guy Leeds Be Careful, My Heart—t'Holiday inn' Berlin ... This Is Worth Fighting For Harms At Last—t'Orchestra Wives' Feist Jingle Jangle Jingle Paramount •When the Lights Go on Again CLP 1 Came Here For Joe Shapiro .. •Love Is a Song—v'Bambi' BMI Manhattan Serenade Rabbins .. •Strictly Instrumental Cherio ... Where the Mountains Meet Sky Republic . You Never Lovelier—''You Never Lovelier'... Harms 14 I Met Her Monday ABC 13 Just Letter From Home Atlas 12 ••This Is the Army Mr. Jone^ Army 12 Conchita Lopez—VPriorilics On Parade' Famous II Take Me BVC 11 There'll Never Be Another You—f Iceland"... Morris 11 When You're Long Way From Home Broadway 11 By Light Silvery Moon Remick 10 Daybreak Feist 10 I'ra Old Fashioned—f You Never Lovelier'.... Chappell 10 Sleepy Lagoon Chappell 10 Every Night About EiRht Warock 8 I Get Neck of Chicken Southern 8 •Paper Doll Marks e Singing Sands Alamosa Remick 8 Blue Skies Berlin 7 BrazU Southern 7 Embraceable You Harms ...N 7 Mary's Name—t'Yankee Doodle Dandy" Vogel .4 7 One Dozen Roses Famous 7 Pennsylvania Polka Shapiro 7 •Was It Worth It? Melodylane 7 •At the Crossroads Marks 6 Do You Miss Sweetheart Paramount 6 Everything I Got—t'By Jupiter' Chappell « Hip Hip Hooray Bobbins Kille Kille "~* " New York Nocturne You're Grand Flag—t'Yankee Doodle Dandy' You're Too Good Santly 6 Robbins 6 Vogel 6 Mutual 6 A Boy In Khaki AB^ Here You Are—t'My Gal Sal" RoUeo Rolling Along ojo Heather la Blooming Scotland 5!...^." . Johnny Doughboy Robbins S Milder 5 .Crawford 5 • Indicates BM7 ItrenitiTig; others nre Via ASCAP. t Filmu.'sical. t Legitimate. •• 'This Is ih^ Army' publishing subsid, licensed freely to all users. Shosty Synph iConttaned from pace 41; POUND YOUR TABLE POLKA RECORDED BYi • MARY MARTIN and HORACE HEIDT—Columbia • LAWRENCE WELK—Decca • RENE MUSEHE—Victor • BARRY SISTERS—Standard 9 Prof—ion«t copl— ■v>tl«M«. Orehwtrtion by JACK MA$ON > CMMIAL HMie Pll. CO.. In. »• * urn DwniN, mm. Am, CM fees in the United States and all other income that accrues to pub- lishers and composers stems only from the U. S. copyright act of 1900. In this act, Congress on behalf of the people, gives certain rights to authors and composers, for the bene- fit of the people. These rights amount to a monopoly which is only limited by time. At first glance it's hard to see how the public benefits by giving a com- paratively few people a monopoly, but it does. It was long ago recognized that if authors and composers (and inven tors, etc.) were not given the ri^t to earn income from their respective works they'd be forced to other oc cupatiqns to earn their living and much of the .world's beautiful music might never have been written. By placing ■ time limit on the monop oly, a public domain is created into which, sooner or later, all music goes and which may be used by anyone without strings.. Benefit of the Act In passing the Act, Congress wisely Inserted the provision that the bene- fits of the act would also apply to authors and composers of foreign countries provided their countries gave similar benefit* to authors and composers of the United States. The existence of reciprocal conditions to be determined by Presidential proclamation. Since in RussU only the state may hold monopollc* and not individuals, no author or com< poser, U. S. or otherwise, may eon- trol a copyright. Russian composers are therefore barred from the bene- flts of the U. S. act, since U. S. com- posers are not given copyright pro- tection by the U.S.S.R. How Russian composers are taken care of by their government, I don't know. But it doesn't matter since this is not to take sides as to which is the fairer method, but only to set the record strai^t. I certainly am In sympathy with the fact that the composers are not collecting any royalties, but it cer- tainly is not the fault of United SUtes publishers. This music is in the public domain here and the pub- lishers who reprint it are (although quite aside from this consideration!) acting in the public interest since music in the public domain or copy- righted arrangements of it is sold much cheaper because of the competi- tion and iinless a copyrighted ar- rangement is used, it may be per- formed without fee by anyone and so again the public benefits by being able to hear it as often as it likes when it might otherwise be re- stricted. Am-Rus' complaint therefore is just a 'gripe.' TheJ' too are free to make their own arrangements of it and copyright their arrangements if they so choose. Another thing the article fails to point out is that the Income to the publishers who have copyrighted arrangements of these \yorks from performing fees is negli- gible since no one Ts obligatield to use the arrangement and may use the original without fee. You might wonder why a corporal in the U. S. Army should be inter- ested in the music business, but I worked for Robbins Music Corp. for three years and for Mutual Music Society, Inc, since it was organized and 'once a music man always a music man.' Td like you to publish this letter in the interests of ac- curate news and fair play. Bernard J. Sobin. 'The Song Of The How* I NEED AMERICA (America Needs Me) * * * All.Material Avoiloble • BAND • DANCE ORCH. • VOCAL—S KEYS AMTgftTC AW mrSIC, Inc. •US SOKt Blvd. •HoUjiiiii. CWlf. WALKING THE FLOOR OVER YOU Bing Crosby With Bob Crosby's Bob Cats (Dacca 18371) Ernest Tubb (Decca 69B8) Dlek Robartson (Dacca 4189) Bob Atcher (Okah 8406) (lU tuarn BM, Httirmti AMESICAH HDQC, Ino, ff "STRICTLY INSTRUMENTAL RECOBDED Bt HARRY JAMES (COU) BOB CHESTER (BLUEBIRD) JERRY WALO (DECCA) JIMMIE LUNCEFORO <OECCA) CHERIO MUSIC PUBLISHERS, INC.