Variety (May 1954)

vr* Incgjay; M a(f Pts&eft MUSIC 5$ BEST SELLERS 1 Jilted (Sheldon)........ 2 ♦Secret Lotte £Remick).\ 8 9 9 20 ♦Happy Wanderer (Fox) 5 ^ . 12 13 A 1 3 fReally Love Me (Duchess).. 9 13 B 14 fM an Upstairs (Vesta) ~~ 15 ” 10 18 6 10 15 8 15 ♦3 Coins in Fountain (Robbins) 2 7 13 ‘Panorama’ a Good Idea But Comes Off , As a Strange Medley In theory, “Pianorama World,” the Helen Beatty Clarke-Rob L. Roberts presentation which opened last week (12) at the Broadway Theatre, N.Y., should be a good show. In practice, despite the array of assembled pianistic talent, it Isn’t. Billed as "the nearest dimension in entertainment,” this musical tour of the world attempts to bite off considerably more than it can chew by merging * the classical, modern and ultra-modern in . a single and rather unimaginative frame. Constant assumption ap- pears to be that music in itself isn’t enough and that added hypo- ing is needed. Instead of making the show, these added frills break it. “Pianorama” serves .as a show- case for some outstanding key- board talent with an extensive rep- MUWNGfl BULS' r MILLS MUSK. INC new BIGHITSI • KISS A FOOL GQODBYI • I DON'T WANNA GO HOMI • I LOVE YOU BOBBY SOX •GOD IS MY - PARTNER • [F I WAS A THOUSAND YEARS OLD I SPlAK . JO THF 5TAR5 R ::or : -,( d b /: ,- f/: DORIS DAY C 0 i U n :) ■ ;i -1 ^ 2 1 0 M. WIT/^AR^ i n, ertoire. If one can forget the color pix screened simultaneously with the playing, it’s quite an artistic treat. The jafcz band comes up with hot rhythms, and while individual members do just fine, their attempt at simulating a "jam session” doesn’t quite come off. Star of the show, put together Under the musical supervision of TJutti Camarata, is Ken Clarke as dynamic a piano personality as has been seen and heard for a long time. Around him, playing music Of various nations, are concert pi- anists With the nimblest fingers heard outside Carnegie Hall. David Saperton is excellent and Jeanne Rosenblum sparkled with an ex- quisite rendition of the first move- ment of Beethoven’s! Pathetique sonata and later with Gershwin. Joseph Battista did three Villa- Lobos works with fire and great skill, ditto Abba Bogin. Jazz combo was composed of Bobby Hackett on the trumpet, clarinetist Tony Scott, Kai Winding (trombone), Clyde Lombardi (bass), Joe Roland (vibes) and Ed Shaughnessy, traps. They are better in solos than as a unit although the session with Clarke joining at the keys was top- notch and theft ‘‘St. Louis Blues” version had sock quality. John Conte did the brief introes without much distinction. The Clarke-Roberts production, apart from giving a hefty plug to Pan- American . Airways (one of Pan- Am’s execs is one of the angels), didn't sustain interest and failed to come off as a unit despite use of the travel line. Pix screenings .were distracting and added little to the overall enjoyment. Lighting also failed to impress except in a couple of scenes. “Pianorama” doesn’t do justice to its star—the piano. Hi ft. . Patti Page to Etch Pic Tunes in Spanish Buenes Aires, May 11. Local songwriter Ben Molar has hit paydirt onpe more, and his Spanish lyrics for two songs, "Es-1 taclon Termini” and “Autumn in Rome,” which are sung in the David O. Selznick pic “Indiscre- tions of an American Wife,” are to be waxed in a Spanish version by Patti Page. This version of the pic- ture, with Spanish lyrics to the songs, will be distributed through- out South America by Columbia Pictures. Miss Page’s name Is familiar here to only a relatively few disk enthusiasts who have imported Mercury disks privately. Hendler’s Coast Shift Herb Hendler, .who ankled his managerial pact with bandleader Ralph Flanagan a couple of weeks ago, is shifting his headquarters to the Coast in June. He’s currently in the process of settling his man- agement deal with bandleader Buddy Morrow. , : George Thompson has taken over , the managerial chores for Flana*| gan. Prado Sues Bus Line Over Fatal ’51 Crash Los Angeles, May 18. " Damage suit for $18,500 was filed by bandleader Perez Prado in L.A. Federal Court as an aftermath of a bus crash in Texas in 1951. De- fendants are driver James L. Car- son, Crosstown Bus Lines and Crosstown Lines of Huntington Park. Singer Delia Romero was killed and Prado injured when the bus overturned. The $18,500, Prado said, represents the guarantees his band was forced to pass up because of the accident Himber Bows New Band Richard Himber will unveil his new orch’ and chorus at the Rye- wood Country Club, Rye, N. Y., May 28 before taking the organiza- tion on tour during the summer. Bandleader is also recording a couple of sides with his crew for Eli Oberstein’s disk company. Easy Prey (or Pirates in.Sticb Coral’s Bob Dinl ~ Bob Dinl, GI vocalist with the U.S. Army band stationed in Wash-, ingtdn, D. C., has been inked to a term pact by Coral Records. He. formerly was with Derby Records. Dinl holds the same Army spot that Eddie Fisher had when the latter was in service. ‘DO WHAT YOU PLEASE’ COAST JAZZ CONTEST Hollywood, May 18. A new kind of jazz concert has been worked Out by Bob. Markup who’s producing “Music on a Sun- day .Afternoon” at the Ivar Theatre here' Sunday (23). Talent is' being encouraged to perform as it pleases rather than follow public dictates or recreate material with which it has been identified. Already set for- the show are Walter Gross (who probably won’t do “Tenderly,”) Jess. Stacy, Holly- wood Saxophone Quartet,. Kitty White, and-George Van Eps, Dick Catchart ahd the Pete Kelly Big Seven. It’s strictly an informal afternoon with no one out to make, •a fortune. Even Markus stands to clear only $70 if he manages to achieve a complete sellout of the 400-seat house. Paul Desmond to Head Own Combo for Fantasy Paul Desmond, alto saxist with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, has been signed to an exclusive pact by the Coast indie. Fantasy Rec- ords. Pact is unique in that it per* mits Desmond to record for Co- lumbia Records with Brubeck’s combo, but he will cut for Fantasy as a leader. First session with Desmond is planned for. next month, when the Brubeck group appears in Los An- geles. MGM’s Magyar Kick Leeds Music has peddled a flock of masters cut by gypsy orchs of Bucharest to MGM Records. Diskery is releasing 12 tunes on a longplay album. Set will hit the market at the end of this week. Disk bootleggers in the hinter- lands are cashing in. on Indie label hits. For the past couple of months some record retailers have been buying duds of -the indie disclicks and peddling them under their own label* The indies became.hep to the dlsklegging practice when the retailers started returning their platters after reports had come iq from disk jockeys and jukebox op- erators that the disk was'clicking in their territories. The bootlegging of indie platters has beezr confined td the small towns around the. country where the indie distribs links are scant. The indie labels are a natural target because they don’t have the policing systenf of the majors. Fact that smaller indies when they get a hit can’t keep pace with the demand also encourages the pirates to make up differences. * Most recent instance of the pirating Is -with the Rama release of “Gee” etched by The Crows. Rama launched the time which was later covered by most Of the major labels. Rama execs have started to hit the road to track down the pirates. / * Styne Sues Morris For Copyrights on 7 Tones Los Angeles, May 18. Jule Styne filed suit in L.A. Su- perior Court asking to be declared soje owner of copyrights on seven songs published by E. H. Morris Music. Tones are “I Was Silly, Headstrong. Impetuous,” “Oh, Henry,” “Things We Did Last Summer,” “Get Away for a Day,” “On a Sunday by the Sea,’"Papa Won’t You Dance With Me” and “You’re My GirL” Plaintiff declares there was an agreement, made in 1945 and amended in 1949, whereby he and Sammy Cahn were to write songs exclusively for the Morris firm for five years. Under the agreement Morris was to have all copyrights except those which the writers were prohibited from giving be- cause of prior commitments. * Wo|iy Early Back to N. Y. Wally Early, MGM Records sales manager, returned to his Hew York desk Friday (14) after a two- week midwestern jaunt. Early checked MGM’s distribu- tion and sales setup in tbat area. Please Note That the Title of Our Song Pub- lished and Recorded Under the Title "I UNDERSTAND" Has Been Changed ta "I UNDERSTAND JUST HOW YOU FEEL" Thia Song la Not to Bo Confuted With tho Song "I UNDERSTAND" by Mabel Wayno and Kim Gannon, Published by loo FoUt Ine. JUBILEE MUSIC, INC. 1270 6th Ave., New York City