Variety (December 1953)

OBCBJBSTBAS-MirSIC Recording Ban Looms Wednesday, December 23 , 1953 Continued from pace 1 the recording musicians be as- signed to, the Musiciais Perform- ance Trust Fund, the’agency that was set up in 1948 to alleviate un- employment among musicians. Counter Proposals , The diskers countered with a proposal for a new fivcryear pact with a 10% increase in scale over the present $41 per three hours for the first two years with an ad- ditional 10% for the next three. They also insisted upon no elimi- nation of doubling or any slice in the number of sides per. session. After haggling for five days, Pet- rillo dismissed the diskers Friday <18> with the statement that he and his international board want to go, home for Christmas. A joint statement said the talks had “bogged down." None of the major disk execs seemed to be worried about the recording ban if it should take place. The handful of top compa- nies are banking on their backlog to see them through the crisis, while the smaller labels are frank- ly threatening to record come what may. The latter declare that they can get plenty of musicians, even in New York, for sessions, despite any ukase to the contrary by Petrillo. Problem of Next Hit While the diskers are sanguine, the music publishers and songwrit- ers are worrying where their next hit is coming from in the event of a, strictly enforced ban. Back in 1*948, when Petrillo imposed irban for nearly a year, conditions were toughest for writers and pubs try- ing to get a hew song exposed. Gn the . other hand, some publishers who have had their songs cut but shelved by the major diskers, see this as a great opportunity to get their material out of the can, since the diskers will be using every- thing possible. It’s believed that the diskers will not yield to Petrillo, since they are holding a strong hand with respect to the Trust Fund. Latter was set up five years ago by mutual consent and with tacit approval of the Government which is involved through the Fund’s possible contravention of the Taft- Hartley Law. Some disk execs! state that the Fund may not stand up in the courts if its legality is BILLY ECKSTINE CHRISTMAS EVE Sings * WHAT ARE YOU D0IH6 HEW YEAR’S EVE? MGM11623 K11623 78 RPM 45 RPM M'G'M RECORDS New Facet James C. Petrillo, AFM prexy, was confronted by sev- * eral new faces last week while negotiating with execs of the major disk companies. On the opening day of the talks he looked across the conference table and singled out one youthful looking exec for the query, “Young man,'who are you?" The answer came from Jim Conkliog, 38-year-old prexy of Columbia Records. challenged, and Pethllo will not want to risk that possibility. Not only is the $1,500,000 collected from the disk companies involved, but even piore important, the tele- vision trust fund may also be thrown out. The~ diskers are presenting a united front towards Petrillo in the negotiations. Seven compa- nies, including Bell, Capitol, Co- lumbia, Decca, Mercury, M-G-M and RCA Victor, werd talking di- rectly with Petrillo. Coist Speedup Hollywood, Dec. 22. . On the -cAast, previous week’s optimism has changed to pessi- mism and most labels began scheduling intensive sessions. RCA sent Hefrri Rene out from N.Y. Jto etch everyone he could get harids On, including Phil Harris and Den- nis Day who haven’t recorded in a year r This might be their last chance for a while. Meanwhile, small recording outfits which spe- cialize in dubs and demos, are' making hay in the tunesmiths’ rush to supply platteries and publishers with samples of material. Randall Again Heads Schenectady Tooters Schenectady, Dec. 22. Gordie Randall, leader of the WRGB-TV house band, has been reelected president of Schenec- tady Local 85, AFM. Other officers named are James W. Lavell, vice- president; Carl Denangate, Jr., re- cording 0 secretary;. Alfred Mastria- no, financial secretary, and R. M. Harbison, treasurer. Board of directors comprises William Lane, Jack Yellin, Steve Gurzynik, Robert Beebe and Gene Sennes. Randall and Denangate have been designated as delegates to the annual. AFM . convention, with Lane and Lavell as alter- nates. Saunders Ottawa Topper Ottawa, Dec. 22. A1 Saunders was elected to a third term as prez of Ottawa Fed- eration of Musicians, Others taking office Jari. 1, 1954, are Frank Bonner, vice-prez; Viv Snowden, treasurer; Jimmy Lytle, secretary, and executive board, Harry Pozitsky, Fred Quirouet, I Johnny Murdie; auditors, Fred Pritchard, Ronny. Hyde-Clarke, and trustees, Keith Bedford, Bev Red- ditt. Memphis Picks Skillman Memphis, Dec. 22. Vincent Skillman was reelected to his fifth term as prexy of Local No. 71, American Federation of Musicians (AFL), here last week. Skillman is w.k. in Memphis and mid-South music circles and was a former pit man during vaude days. Other officers are Art Burrell, veepee, and O. V. Foster, Sec. Board members include Ozy Blurh- berg, Vernon Baty, Lester Burch Sr., Verne Adams, Robert Horsley, Ernie Winburn and Nate Evans. Cantor’s Multi-Disk Spread I . (Continued from page 49 phone (Will you Come Back to Me?),’’ “I'm Wild About Horns on Automobiles’’ (disguised on the label as “Eddie Cantor’s ’Automo- bile Horn Song’ and “Making Whoopee”—all of which have a sweetly nostaglic ring today. Came the depression and there wasn’t much disk business left for anybody,. So we find Cantor ap- pearing on a Durium De Luxe singlefaced, semi-flexible record-r- one of those reddish-brown affairs issued weekly for a time during 1930-31 and sold on news stands for I5c. It was made by the same firm, Durium Products, Inc., that made the better known Hit-of-the- Week flatters; On the first half Cantor sings “Cheer Up” from “Ballyhoo" to an accompaniment by Phil Spitalny’s orch.. On the second half, Spitalhy’s boys (they weren’t girjs in those days) did a fox-trot version for dancing. This idea of a; combined vocal-dance record had previously been tried out by Edison ip. 1924, . Cantor was back with Columbia on the “Royal Blue" records. He sang “Look What You’ve Done" and “What a Perfect Combination." A year or so later Eddie was vend- ing his talents on Perfect- records made by the American Record Corp. and’ sold for two-hits in dime stores. One title was 'The Man on the Flying Trapeze," then under- going a strong revival because of Walter O’Keefe’s version. As might have been expected, the character on the trapeze turned out, accord- irig to Cantor, to be Rubinoff. Other side was “Over Somebody Else’? Shoulder (I Fell in Love With You.)’’ Out of The Depression Decca’s bringing out in 1934 a double-sided record . by topflight stars for 35c appears to have done more than anything else .to start nudging the record business out of. the depression doldrums. But Cantor didn’t show on Decca until 1941 when he came through with numbers Which for the most part he had sung - years before for Columbia and Victor: “Makin’ Whoopee,” “Oh Gee! Oh Gosh!” “They Go Wild, Simply Wild, Over Me" and “Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby." He continued, to sing for Decca, making an album of songs identified with himself in addition to single record solos and duets with Nora Martin. There was also a duet with June Clyde Of “We’re Having a Baby (My Baby and Me"), which had caused raised eyebrows when done on the air waves by the team of Cantor & Martin. And now comes the Capitol soundtrack offering, with 15 Can. tor favorites, among them “if y 0u Knew Susie," “Margie," “Makin* Whoopee," ‘Ida (Sweet as S. Cider)," “One Hour "With You * “Bye, Bye, Blackbird," and “Now’, the Time to Fall in Love." Schenectady, Dec. 22. Garry Stevens, featured as a singer on “TV Showcase" nightly over WRGB and one-time vocalist with Tex Beneke arid Charlie Spi- vak, is one of the directors of C01- vens, Inc., chartered to conduct a recordings business in Schenec- tady. Jame? F, (Jim) Cornell, for- mer WGY announcer and now em- ployed in the General Electric Co. motiota picture department, is an- other- director.. Each holds 48 shares of stock. Third director is Richard H. Levy, an attorney here. The New Dance Sensation THE CREEP ViucR MUSIC C RATION SECRET LOVE Recorded By DORIS DAY COLUMBIA #40108 M. WITMARK & SONS Xi ■ 1 fl ■ I m i ■ , One of America's Foremost INSTRUMENTAL-VOCAL 9UARTETTES THE NOCTURNES Recently: ROOSEVELT HOTEL, New York; STATLER HOTEL, New York; BOCA-RATON HOTEL, Fla. 1 Opening Dee. 25 SAXONY HOTEL. MIAMI BEACH. FLA. 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