Variety (April 1953)

OltCHESTIIAS-MUSIC ^WfldaY* ApHl l 9 *fr95$ 79 On die Upbeat New York RCA Victor vocalist, . ?' C a two-week. engagement at ^o^.fipvard Queens, today (1). the Harry BeWonte into the' ChasfT . • • ® a S y Louis, Friday (3) for two Hotel, St. j an jj ean a t the Ranch f/use' Johnston, R. I.. Saturday ” r ! o nine-day stand . . . Dick Unit Capitol Records Publicity ‘Promotion manager, celebrat- ?”« his 10th anni in the. publicity S? this month . . . Flossie Brooks Mapped Music as secretary to JpJS?general manager, Stan Stan- di 115 g victor s i n ger Joe Allegro If the* Crossroads, Washington, a t-iAnril 11 , . . Tony Morelll, m-G-M Records crooner, pencilled • for -, return engagement at Ka- Sees Theatre Night Club, Toledo, April 13, Pittsburgh chen Fields booked into Vogue Terrace for week of May 4.. . David Carey, band musician joined the Dormont High School faculty as head of the music de- partment . . . Frank Wojnarowski Slavs a one-niter at West View Park next Wednesday (8) and Frank Yankovic dittoes a week later . . Singer-pianist : Gloria Catizone off for a month of hotel and cocktail lounge dates in Miami Beach . . . Eddie Dacco replaced lark Olson on trombone with the Artie Arnell outfit . . . Tiny Wolfe hack on bandstand at the Copa again after the flu. Chicago Kitty Kallen headlines the Pal- mer House show April 23 . . • Art Van Damme group switched over from Capitol label to Columbia and cut four sides with new affili- ation . . . Four Freshmen spend four weeks at the Crest Club, De- troit, starting May 18 . . . ,Stan Kenton stops off for a week at the Palms, Columbus, May 18 . . . Nellie Lutcher does a repeat at the Blue Note May 18~"for two frames . . . Jimmy Featherstone goes into the Oh Henry Ballroom April 22 for five weeks . . . Ronnie Vincent Gaylord, of the Gaylords, cut two solos last week .for Mer- cury . , , Phil Napoleon set for two stanzas at the Colonial, Toronto, before coming into the Frolics, Columbus,. Ohio, May 12 for a week. Dinah Washington has nine davs at the Riviera, St. Louis, May 15 . . . Billy Deverou into Mario’s, Windsor, April 27 for 14 days . . . Jo Ann Jordan group do six weeks at the Maroon Club, Montreal, starting April 4 . . . Sax Mallard inked for two weeks at the Buvette Club, Rock Island, 111., April 10 , . . Three Twins pacted for a month at the Oasis, Munice, Ind., as of April 6 . . . Norm Dygon is being held over at the Luis Hotel, Joliet, 111. Omaha Guy Lombardo added Chadron to his Nebraska swing April 9 , . . Jack Swanson orch opened at Ar- lington, Neb., Ballroom . . . Jimmy White’s trio began at Club Reno . . . Lauritz Melchior booked at Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum May 4-5 . . . Organist Bjll Christofferson into Ritz Dinner Club, Grand Island . . . Albion Swing Kings signed for 12 weeks by WJAG, Norfolk. Clyde McCoy orch signed for an- nual Creighton University Junior- Senior Prom April 10 at Peony Park. Dallas Cheerleaders, vocal quintet, in for two frames at Baker Hotel’s Mural Room . . . “Jewel Box Re- vue” into Pappy’s Showland for in- definite stay . .. Sky Club resumed name orch policy with Hal McIn- tyre crew '. . . Beverly & Twin Tones, instrumental trio, return to The Chateau today (Wed.) . . . Eleanor Roberts opens Saturday (4) in Burgundy Room of Hotel Adolphus . . . Russell Nype set for a split week at Cipango Club’s sixth anni* April 10 . . . femme singer Lynn Hoyt leaves Teddy Phillips* orch to become a WFAA staffer here April 7 . . . Arnett Cobb orch and Five Royals do a one-nighter this week at Longhorn Ranch. Spot also has solo stands by Harry James orch, April 30, and Billy May crew, May 7. Best British Sheet Seilers ( Week ending March 21) London, March 25. Broken Wings Fields Doggie in Window.. .Connejly Wonderful Copenhagen.Morris She Wears Red Feathers.Dash Outside of Heaven Wood Now Dash Don’t Let the Stars.... Morris In Golden Coach.. Box and Cox Because You’re Mine. Robbins Don’t Believe Me...F.D.&H. Glow Worm Lafleur Little Red Monkey.. .Robbins < Second 12 You Belong to Me.. .Chappell Make It Soon Connelly That’s A-Why Connelly Oh Happy Day Chappell Till I Waltz Again. • • .F.D.&H. Love of My Life Reine # Talk to the Trees.... Chappell Comes Along a Love.Kassner LWent Your Wedding. Victoria Isle of Xnnisfree.. ..Maurice Walkin’ , to Missouri Dash Dummy Song Prowse Burning Paul-Ford Duo Hottest With Capitol, Sticking With Label Although Les Paul & Mary Ford are still burning at Capitol Rec- ords for its release of Kay Starr’s “Side by Side,” which used the multiple dubbing technique, the team is ^sticking with the diskery and currently is pacing Cap's roster with two clicko platters. Topping Cap’s sales list last week was their slice of “I’m Sit- ting on Top of the World,” which jumped into the humber one posi- tion after Only two weeks on the market. Also riding high is “My Baby’s -Coming Hpme,” which is coupled with “Lady of Spain.” The “Spain” side broke through when the platter initially hit the market last November but the “Home” side took over a few weeks after and has been a highrider ever since. In its 22 weeks on the mar- ket, disk has topped the 650,000 sales mark. HCL Catches Up to Phflly Orth’s Budget; 1 Philadelphia, March 31. Rising costs are catching up with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as ,vVi(h other institutions, and manage- ment is skedding its second annual drive this year for funds to offset a deficit. Last year, the orchmiade its first public drive for funds, ask- ing $83,000, and got it easily. This year, with a deficit of $70,000 to make up, it’s asking for $100,000, to wipe out some additional debts it’s incurred. One of America’s Big Three, ,the symph has an annual budget of around $1,100,000. It has been taking in about $750,000 on ticket sales, and another $200,000 to $225,- 000 on record royalties, and gets about $80,000 annually as return from its endowment fund. Manage- ment doesn’t perceive any Federal subsidy in the foreseeable future, and anticipates it will need a local drive annually instead, to make up its deficits.* “The 'future looks rough,” commented orch manager Carl McDonald, “but we’re not per- turbed.” Symph, which has had 14,000,000 of its recordings sold to date, is generally regarded as the No. 1 classical recording orch. Royalties, though they vary, run from 12 to 20% of their outlay. Management takes great pride in its disks. It feels an amendment is needed to the copyright laws, to- prevent its recordings being played on the air endlessly, on grounds that “a per- formance is as much a protected right as a composition.’.’ It also favors the suggestion of an import duty on foreign masters, to lessen unfair competition. Orch is chief tourer among ma- jor symphs. Of this year’s 134 con- certs, 54 are out of town. Orch has a transcontinental tour in pros- pect next year, but rising costs are worrying management. Five years ago it figured $6,000 a week for transportation costs. Today it is $11,000. Tour allowance* *for its men has jumped from $5,600 week- ly to $9,800. Weekly payroll has gone from $11,000 to $16,500. Management advises costs have Disks to Date gone up this past year alone about 15% in.trensportation, 12% in hall rentals; 15% in baggage handling, 10 to 12% in advertising, and 10% in office.jpersonnel. Growth 1 of symphonies around the country, management says, has created desire to hear the Big Three, and the PO has had requests from everywhere for appearances. Cost situation prevents, however. On former tours, orch price per condert was around $4,000. Now it is $6,000, and most concert series can’t stand the fee. They can’t raise their tariffs, either. ASCAP Cleffers Click At D.C. Press Affair Washington, March 31. National Press Club’s annual ASCAP luncheon, with entertain- ment by a group of leading com- posers was its usual click last Thursday (26), with an SRO attend- ance. Affairs, which have been go- ing on for‘some years, are a good will gesture by ASCAP to the D.C. press. Deems Taylor emceed and the following offered selections from their compositions on the stage of the Press Club auditorium—Hoagy Carmichael, Harry Warren, L. Wolfe Gilbert, Harry Akst, Leroy Anderson, and the husband-wife team of Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney. Miss Whitney sang and provided patter for her ‘"team's turn, while Kramer played the piano. Toby Deane furnished vo- calizing for the Harry Akst num- bers and Eddie Fisher, shortly to get out of the Army, wound up the performance also singing as Akst played. Also on hand for the doings wei;e the -following members of the ASCAP board: Stanley Adams, Saul Bourne, Gene Buck, Paul Cun- ningham, Donald. Gray, John Tasker Howard and Jack Mills.