Variety (December 1954)

> * mYdJ A A .MtSrt H'fdnfidaT, December 8, 1954 Soitgsawfh-DttJter Frank Luther boa Mi owl coacapt* of Children's Songs Variety’s recent special issue on ASCAP’s 40th anni was virtually turned into a radio script and set to music for the NBC' salute to ASCAP on its “Best of All” show Monday night <6). John Golden, one of the Society’s founding fathers, retold the yam about how he was elected the first treasurer back in 19J4 while he was out of the room. Otto A. Harbach and Richard Rodgers reminisced about their early years in the music biz, with Rodgers giving a strong salute to both Jerome Kern and Harbach for teaching him the fundamentals of the showtune craft. ASCAP prexy Stanley Adams reiterated the Society’s basic aim of protecting the creators of the nation’s music and extending our musical culture. At the windup, Irving Berlin again stressed that without ASCAP, he could not function as a writer and publisher. [Berlin will be saluted on this hour stanza the following Monday (13).1 Skitch Henderson’s studio orch. Shirley Harmer and the Textor Singers, with an assist on one tune from Eddie Fisher, capably handled the A$CAP musical interpolations. New York London Records cocktailing David Whitfield at the Hotel War- wick today <Wed.>.. .Crooner is set for a shot on Ed Sullivan’s CBS- TV Sunday (12 j. . .Les Paul-Mary Ford profiled by Hyman Goldberg in January issue of Cosmopolitan... Andy Griffith guest-starred at spe- cial Christmas party yesterday (Tues.) thrown by Capitol’s Denver distributor. Cecil Boyd, for local dealers and deejays Dick Linke, Capitol s eastern promotion mana- ger, will visit deejays in the north- west when Cap’s annual meet w inds at the end of this week . Gene Weiss, in charge of Columbia’s pop sales and promotion, takes over coin operators and one-stop sales and promotion George Hayes named merchandise manager of Columbia's kidisk division . The Manhattan College Glee Club and orch under the direction of Robert Garv, of Fred Waring’s troupe, presents its annual Christmas show Saturday < 11 > in its Smith Aud .. Nick Noble, Mercury Records new young crooner, on a d j. hop plug- ging his etching of “Don’t Break My Heart” . Milt Okun paeted by- Stinson Records for another long- play album of folk songs.. Earl ito«tic into the Makreez Club, Low- ell. Mass.. Dec 14 for five days. He then takes a five-week hiatus. Milt Ilerth returns to the Roney Plaza’s Bamboo Room, Miami Beach, Dec. 15 for an indefinite stav . . . Crooner Harvey Grant inked to a Benida Records pact Terri Stevens on a midwest deejav junket plugging her AA etching of “Unsuspecting Heart Thrush Lubov llamshay head- lining the sixth anni show at the Two Guitars . . . Xavier Cugat pen- ned an original tune, “One At A Time.” for the upcoming Colum- bia pic, “Chicago Syndicate." : Hotel Saturday (11) . . . Rover Boys have been booked for the Copa next week Bobby Cardillo oper- ated on at the Columbia Hospital and Don McGovern is filling in for him with Reid Jaynes at the Carl- ton House’s twin pianos and Johnny Costa has taken over the Cardillo Trio on WDTV’s “Lullaby in Rhythm” Thursday nights . . . Jerry Fielding appointed musical director of the new Royal Nevada Hotel in Las Vegas . . . Buddy- Baron joined A1 Marell’s combo and plans to settle down in Pitts- burgh . . . Lennie Martin orch booked for Pitt’s APHA fraternity dance at the Schenley Hotel Dec. 16. or* of Hw oioay editorial foatoroi 49ih Anniversary Number Two brothers who hadn’t seen each other in more than four years, were reunited as a result of a single line in Variety’s nitery column, “Vaude-Cafe Dates.” A couple of weeks ago. Sam Raskin asked the help of Variety in locating his brother, Jules (Buddyi Raymon who had stopped writing and had virtually disappeared from the normal performer routes. Raskin had been particularly worried since his brother had been ailing. Following the insertion, a reader reported that he had spoken to Raymon in Dallas, where he had been working in a nitery. A wire to the spot and telephone call to Dallas resulted in the first conversation between the pair in years. London Publicist Les Perrin returned to London from a six-week business trip to the United States . . . Singer David Hughes leaves England on Dec. 20 for a five weeks season at the Tivoli Theatre, Sydney . . . Norman Granz came back to Eng- land last week after leaving Lon- don a few days before for Paris en route to New York . . . Singer Eve Boswell will be part of the package show with the Jack Parnell orch that is to leave Britain for South Africa next March, for a six weeks tour. Joining other organized seg- ments of the music biz, the Music Publishers Protective Assn, yester- day (Tues.) passed a resolution condemning dirty songs. MPPA, representing most of the major pop publishing firms, was cued to rap the dirty songs in view of their recent spread and the concomitant criticism of the music biz by civic groups interested in preventing juvenile delinquency. Resolution noted that MPPA has on several prior occasions severely- condemned the publication or ex- ploitation of tunes containing “sug- gestive lyrics or lyrics with double meanings.” MPPA board also noted that there is a growing prac- tice among certain firms to publish musical compositions of this type. The MPPA resolution raps the dirty songs “as showing bad taste and a disregard for recognized moral standards and conventions and as detrimental to the music publishing industry.’’ Several weeks ago, the Songwriters Protec- tive Assn, passed a similar resolu- tion. asking for industrywide coop- eration to block the smut. Multiple Sclerosis Society will get half of the proceeds from both the .sheet music and the initial disking of John Hawley’s new tune “Raindrops.” Ditty is the first published effort by Hawley, an MS victim, who formerly was a classified ad salesman for the Los Angeles Mirror and a part time commercial photographer. Hawley is the only one connected with the tune who has the disease but everyone else has volunteered to cut MS in on the proceeds. Tune was recorded by Kay Brown on Crown and the label is earmarking a share for MS as is Malabar Music, which is publishing. Tune was first heard on MS telethon here last August. Chicago Count Basie playing Scaler’s in Milwaukee Dec. 3 for 10 days... Billy Taylor Trio set for Blue Note fortnighter Jan. 5, followed by- Dave Bruberk Quartet on Jan. 19 .. Louis Armstrong tapped per- centages in 10 dates of midwestern tour just completed.. .Ken Grifiin begins indefinite stand at Old Heidelberg on Jan. 5 . Ben Arden set for eight weeks at Jefferson Hotel. St. Louis, beginning Dec. 31 . . Eddy Howard headlining Na- tional Boat Show at Amphitheatre. Chi, Feb. 4 through 13, with Peg- Leg Bates also on bill. Sarah Vaughan’s first hit disk in years, “Make Yourself Comfortable, Baby”—“Idle Gossip” (Mercury ), is sparking a flood of booking offers into the Gale office. Currently winding a three-week stand at Bird- land. N.Y., thrush is set for an 11-day run at Boston’s Storyville for $9,000 as well as a special three-day sting for the Automotive Show in Washington beginning Jan. 11 for $3,500. She’s tentatively skedded for a week at the Apollo, N.Y., starting Jan. 14 to be followed by three weeks at the Chicago Theatre, Chi. On Feb. 11, she heads out with the Birdland Concert package until March 6. You can’t tell where the future Norman Granzes of the jazz world are going to come from. Latest jazz concert impresarios are a soda- jerk from Walgreen’s Drug Store in Times Square and a bookkeeper for the Dining Room Employees Union. Earl Wing (soda-jerk) and Glory McCulley (bookkeeper) have teamed up to produce a concert at Town Hall, N.Y., Dec. 17. Featured in the bash are Billy Taylor, Eddie Bert, Jimmy Raney and Gil Melle. The tyro producers have tagged the concert, “Interpretations of New- York Contemporary Music.” Pittsburgh Morry Allen’s band goes back to the Vogue Terrace Monday G3). following the Dorsey Bros, current engagement, through Jan. 1 . . . Whitey Scharbo celebrating silver anni as a professional musician here. He started as a trumpet man with Etzi Covato at the old Plaza Cafe and now has the orch playing for Friday and Saturday night dancing at Park-Schenley retaurant . . . Sally Brenner, who was in sum- mer opera company chorus last season, is singing with Baron Elliott's outfit . . . Red Barr plays for Pittsburgh Model Club’s Poin- sietta Ball at the William Penn Omaha Paul Moorhead orch stays at the Pax Room of the Paxton Hotel . . . Verne Byers orch paeted for Terry- town Arena at Scottsbluff on both Christmas Night and New Year’s Eve . . . Joe Lukesh orch set for Oscar’s Palladium at Sargent Xmas nite. with Bobby Mills following on Tuesday (28) . . . Walter Eisen- berg is the new conductor of the Colorado Springs. Colo., symphony . . . Marvin Price combo in at the Reno Bar. Schirmer Sues Alamo On Tune Infringement Alamo Music was named de- fendant in a copyright infringe- ment suit filed by G. Schirmer in New York Federal Court last week. Other defendants named in the action were Kay Twomey, Fred Wise and Ben Weisman. The suit charges that the de- fendants infringed on the plain- tiff’s 1944 copyrighted tune. “Go Way From My Window,” by pub- lishing “Mother Nature and Father Time,” which was allegedly copied from plaintiff’s copyright. The Schirmer tune was penned by John Jacob Niles. Action seeks an in- junction, damages sustained and an accounting of profits. A four-month old baby has taken a sheet music title page cover away from Tony Martin. Baby is Gregory Deutsch, son of Marjorie Goetschius (Mrs. Emery Deutsch) writer of “My Bambino” with Al Hoffman. Usual publisher practice is to give the title page cover to the disker who cuts the tune, but since the infant is said to be the inspiration for the song, he got the cover preference. Martin cut the song for RCA Victor. Ben Bloom is publishing. Fred Rose Scotland Don Cornell’s “Hold My Hand.” on the Vogue label, topping best- sellers. with Doris Day in second slotting with “If I Give My Heart to You” on Philips. Frankie Laine in fourth position with “There Must Be a Reason” . . . George Sumner taking over as orch leader at Palais, Edinburgh, in succession to Ivor Kirchins . . . Neville Tay- lor. colored Glasgow singer, to Germany to sing in U.S. zone, with Swedish cabaret dates in the offing. —— Continued from page 41 ^ writer-credit. He was instrumental *n launching the late Hank Wil- liams’ career. Rose made a prac- tice of giving financial aid to down- and-out tunesmiths in both the hill- billy and pop fields. He became an ASCAP writer in 1928 and among his writing credits are “Roly Poly,” “Honest and Truly,” “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.” “Be Honest With Me.” "Tears on My Pillow” and "Twee- dle-O-Twill.” Under the Acuff-Rose banner, he published such hits as “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Half As Much.” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Jambalaya,” “Bonaparte’s Re- tieat,” “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy” and “Too Old to Cut the Mustard,” among others. Born in Evansville. Ind., Rose be- gan his career in Chicago as a pi- anist-writer-singer. He had one of the first radio shows out of Chica- go in 1922. He came to Nashville in 1934 and worked for WSM there for seven years. He returned there in 1942, after a stay in New York, to form Acuff-Rose. In addition to his son, Wesley, two other sons, Lester and Gene, his wife and three daughters sur- vive. “I look at myself... and I flip!” Frankie’s success puzzles him as much as the music critics. What’s the real story behind his rise from $3-a- week crooner to $300,000-a- year recording star? How did he get his singing style from a famous trumpet player, his first break from a famous song writer? Why does he agree with the people who pan him? This week’s Saturday EveningPost solves The Case of the Scream** Trou- badour. Get your copy today! B Recorded by Jg NAT "KIN6” COLE Capitol #2949 ’REMJCK MUSIC CORF., New York, NT-* Sues Perez Prado For Refund Qn Deposits San Antonio, Dec. 7. Perez Prado was named defend- ant in a $2,875 damage suit in district court here while in town last weekend for a one-night stand at the Municipal Auditorium. Plaintiff is Raoul A. Cortez, presi- dent of KCOR. Prado was listed by his real name of Damaso P. Prado. ^ Cortez alleged that in 1953 he agreed to sponsor several appear- ances in the state by Prado and his band, placing a deposit with Prado or his agent for each appearance. They amount to the sum Cortez now seeks to recover in court. Cor- tez said that Prado failed to ap- pear for three performances, and that he didn't get his deposits back. Ireland Pete Roxborough combo paeted for Germati terpery tour next spring . . . Irish date for Duke Ellington being mulled by pro- moter Harry Davidson and Bill Puller . . . Earl Gill orch into Palin Court. Dublin . . . Eddie Downey bow’ed out of Dublin Roseiand to open new neighbourhood terpery at Dundrum. N..d commercial, unpublished song* for rodio and T.V. show. Your song may b. on. of tho lucky 39 tvn.s to d.but on SEARCH for a SONG All rights to your mat.rial remain yours. We charge no fee. If se- lected, we'll preview your sang the way you want it presented! Write for release no wl C. & S. Productions P.O. Sox 3923, N. Hollywood, Cal. CURRENTLY BASIN STREET, NEW YORK New $50,000 Ballroom Skedded for Toledo Toledo, Dec. 7. Hippodrome Enterprises Inc., has been organized to operate a new' $50,000 ballroom to be built on the site of the Coliseum Roller Rink here. Part of the rink collapsed earlier this year. When remodel- ling is completed, the ballroom will have more than 12,000 square feet of floor space, a balcony for spec- tators and a snack bar. Donald F. Hipp is president of the new corporation, with R. K. Price vice-president. Top Christmas Sellers (As Reported by MDS ) 1. White Christmas .. Berlin 2. Silver Bells Famous 3. Rudolph St. Nicholas 4. Winter Wond’land . . BVC 5. Home Holidays ...Roncom 6. Mom Mambo Regent 7. Frosty H & R 8. Mom Kissing Santa Regent 9. Santa Is Coming .... Feist 10. Blue Christmas ....Choice