Variety (Mar 1949)

WgJnegday, March 30, 1949 ORCnKSTRASUMVSie S9 Jack Kapp Continued from page 37 with Crosby, the Lombardos and other favorable talent deals wrapped, -Vann looked all set to take a leisurely European trip with his family llihich he had long planned, Kaop envisioned a recording and pressing plant for Dacca in Israel, Wifh a tentative manpower setup numbering 60. Setting it up was to •tinve been part of this summer's European Junket. Kapp and his wife made Europeatt trips the last two years. It was in July, 1947, that ^ laree number of American showfolk turned up in Paris for the 25th 'bidding anniversary Of Jack and Frieda Kapp, which was signalized by i^iavlsh bound volume of greeHngs to Paris from personalities In Holly- Cfood Broadway and around the globe. KaPP's father died at 52, also a victim of high blood pressure, and 'while the Decca prexy took reasonably good care of himself it is felt I aithln the trade that recent events may have contributed to his death. Feeling noticeably and unusually gay when he left his office Friday evening, because of the Crosby signaturing, he was stricken,in a taxi "•n'route and collapsed at his East 64th street house when the cab driver heloed him inside. He died within the hour in the presence of his wife, Nate Blumberg, president of Universal Pictures, and Jock Lawrence, weepee of J. Arthur Rank Organization, close friends of the family. With Crosby's defection to CBS under a William S. Paley "capital Bains" deal, the affiliated Columbia Records had been heatedly pressur- tac the crooner. The matter of a new contract had been stalling for almost a year. In addition, the current intra-recording industry uncer- tainties over the 33 and 45 rpm versus the heretofore standard 78 rpm's further complicated the business, When Kapp, furthermore, was told that Columbia had cut its prices to 60c (as against the 75c platter), he threw it away with the observation, "Are they mad?" "But," as one of I " his intimates stated, "Jack slept nights; nothing disturbed him." Rack- | mil's statement stresses that Kapp's and the company's "fully formu- lated plans, policy and destinies remain undisturbed." Two years ago Kapp reorganized Decca's operations consistent with the necessary postwar readjusted economies. Only two weeks ago he put down a casual series of 15 tape-recorded platters analyzing all the latest Decca recordings as to quality, showmanship, merchandising, longevity of artists and. technique, etc. He was meticulous in his ad-; herence to detail. Deeca's largest common stockholder, the $2,000,000 depreciation in paper profits of his holdings were lightly regarded by him as he set the sights of his company on new horizons. As during the 1948 Petrillo debacle; which saw Decca drawing on its wealth of backlog material, he juggled albums and music merchandising ideas by giving talent and tune groupings new sales and exploitation pegs. He would shift from accenting the artist to putting emphasis on name composers, such as Berlin, Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers & Ham- merstein and kindred anthologies. He would cull classic oldies and intersperse them with new recordings. " It's common knowledge that even with the Petrillo inroads into his backlog there are dozens of Crosby, Jolson and kindred platters as yet Unreleased. .Unlike his contemporaries, the pre-Dec. 31, 1947, deadline did not panic him into waxing a mess of music on Decca disks, just to have it, He had been doing that leisurely, steadily for years. Kapp felt that songs were timeless, that any datedness was imme- diately dissipated by an unusual recording. His technique with Crosby, tKe Andrews, Jolson, et al., is now" show biz history. His respect for our modem American composers was emphasized In a recent address before the Radio Executives Club of New York when he was struck with the fact that there were 1,300 different versions of Strauss to only 14 of Victor Herbert at one time that he studied the sundry catalogs. He felt that what Puccini was to Italy, Wafiner to Germany, Strauss to Austria, Debussy to France, etc., that's what American songsmiths were to America, and he proceeded to give voice and permanency— ■ Via wax-rto the living American songwriters. Salute to Kapp A national radio program, in honor of Jack Kapp's con- tributions to American music and showmanship, is being planned. Participants may,in- clude Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, the Lom- bardos, Bing Crosby, Fred Waring, Hildegarde, the An- drews Sisters, Jean Sablon, Ted Lewis and other names identified with Decca diskings. Btng Ducks Tape-Recording Hollywood, March 28. Out of respect to Jack Kapp, his longtime business associ- ate, Bing Crosby did not tape- record ; his Philco program per custom on Monday (27), the day of the funeral services in New York. The crooner, who does not fly, was held west by pre-commitm«nts, including a Sunday night broadcast, and could not attend the services. The Philco airer, with guestars Rudy Vallee and Walter O'Koefe, will Be re- corded later. Coast ASCAP Names Gilbert Hollywood, March 29. ■ L. Wolfe Gilbert has been named chairman of the first West Coast committee of the. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publish- ers. Others elected are Johnny Green, Leo Robin, Harry Ruby, Harry Warren and Walter Kent. . Election ends a two-year fight of the Coast group to get official voice in ASCAP affairs; Chairman of the group will go to N. Y. four times annually to lay grievances and re- ports of Hollywood membership before the Board. But since Gil- bert hasn't had time- to: -collect beefs, he won't attend ASCAP spring meeting, which opens Tues- day (?9) in N. Y. New committee meets here April 15 for first time. Committee mem- bers remain in office for three years. Coasters have won fight to have ASCAP pay for chairman's jaunts to N. y. from general fund, not from writers' royalties. Bands at Hotel B. O.'s Band Hotel Emil Coleman*.,. Waldorf (400; $2) . . .. Gardner Benedict* New Yorker (400; $1-$1.50) Lawrence Welk . Roosevelt (400; $1.50-$2> .. Jimmy Dorsey ..Statler (450; $1-$1.50) Weeks Played 15 .. 16 ... 1 1 Coven Total Past Week 1,810 950 1,550 1,820 Covert On Data 41,660 17,925 1,550 1,820 Waldorf, Carl Brisson; New Yorker, ice revue. Chicago Barclay Allen (Empire Room, Palmer House, 550; $3.50 min.-$l cover). Victor Borge keeping ropes up. Excellent 4,000 covers, Henry Brandon (Marine Room, Edgewater, 700; $1.20 cover. Nice weather hiked take up to healthy 2,600 tabs. Johnny Brewer (Swiss Chalet, Bismarck, 200; $2.00 min.-$1.05 cover). Small room continues at husky pace witli upped 1,600 payees. , Dick LaSalle (Mayfair Room, Blackstonc, 350; $3.50 min.-$l cover). Irwin Corey opened Thurs. (24). Slight increase to 1,500 covers. Frankie Masters (Boulevard Room, Stevens, 773; $3.50 min,-$1.55 'cover). Ice show and Masters register hefty convensh trade. Buzzing 3,000 tabs. Los Angeles Carmen. Cavallaro (Ambassador, 900; $1.50-$2). With Modernaires. Fourth and final week. Swell 3,300 covers. Jan Garber (Biltmore, 900; $1-$1.50). Fine 3,000. Ted Fio Rito (Beverly Hills, 300; .$4 min.). Slacking 1,100. Location Jobs, Not in Hotels (Chicaoo) Cee Davidson (Chez Paree, 500; $3.50 mm.). Weather and conven- tion activities upped tabs to 3,600. , I Chuck Foster (Aragon; $1-$1.15 adm.). Opened Mon. (21). Local i fave hypoed admissions to 14,500. I AI Trace (BlacKhawk, 500; $2.50 min.). Increase over last week. : Nice 2,300 tabs. I Griff Williams (Trianon; $1-$1.15 adm.). Garnering hefty trade with Williams. Hot 16,000 admissions. (Los Angeles) Benny Goodman (Palladium B., Hollywood, 3rd wk.). admissions. Good 12,000 Barry Gray Signed By Col. for 2 Pic Shorts '.Miami, March 29. : Barry Gray, Just back from a Hollywood V a c a 11 o n; has been signed; by Columbia pictures for two shorts to be made with Jimmy I Dorsey and Miguelito Valdes. Films j-are to be-made in New York where Ishooting is slated to start around ' April 11. I Gray is disk jockey for WKAT, I a Mutual affiliate. PLAN TO INCREASE GERSHWIN AWARDS " The George Gershwin Tribute Committee is seeking to enlarge: the number and amount of awards being made to promising compos- ers. Concert to be held April 23 at Carnegie Hall, N. Y„ will go toward augmenting prizes. George; Jessel will read a com- mentary on Gershwin at the con- ! cert and Gershwin award winner of last year, Ned Rorem, will have his prize--winning "Overture in C" premiered. From the book, "Peace 0/ Mind," the late RabU Joshua ' Loth Liebman says: "The glory of life consists in our very - a, ability to feel deeply and experience widely; It is the part- of wisdom to taste the cup of joy and sorrow without inner rebelliousness, to accept with equanimity the Inevitable fact that we, and all we possess, are transient just because we are such sensitive creatures; that the marvel of our make-up, the superb intricacy of our chemical, physical, spiritual organization, gives us our supreme blessings and makes our little day on earth in- finitely more significant than all of the rocks and stones which last unchanged but also untouched by the winds the centuries. 1 often feel that death ia not the enemy of life, but Its friend, for it is the knowledge that our years are limited w^ich makes them so 9n dUlemortam Jack Eapp precious. It is the truth that time is but lent to us which maltes us, at our best, look upon our years as a trust handed into our temporary keeping. We are like children privileged to spend a day in a great park, a park filled with many gardens and playgrounds and azure- tinted lakes with white boats sailing upon the tranquil waves. Ti'ue, the day allotted to^each one of us is not the same in length, in light, in beauty. Some children of earth are privileged to spend a long and sunlit day in the garden of the earth. For others the day Is shorter, cloudier, and dusk descends more quickly as in . a^' wirit^^'s;':,^1iatei^.;":B«l;:■' ■ whether our life Is it . long summery day or a shorter wintry after- noon, we kriow that iti- ^ evitably: there ai*. stqrjns and squalls which over- cast even the bluest heaven and there are sunlit rays which pierce the darkest autumn sky. The day that we are privileged to spend in the great pirk of life is not the same for all human being?, but there is enough beauty and jpy and ..gaiety GT the hours if we will but treasure them. Then for each one of us the moment comes when the great nurse, death, takes man, the child, by the hand and quietly says, 'It is time to go home. Night is coming. It is your bedtime, child of earth. Come; you're tired. Lie down at last in the quiet nursery of nature and sleep. Sleep well. The day is gone. Stars shine in the canopy of eternity'." Hildegarde Anna Sosenko