Variety (December 1954)

The finest sound on record M G M RECORDS Inesday, December 8, 1954 MUSIC Survey of retail sheet music best sellers based on reports obtained from leading stores in 12 cities and showing com- parative sales rating for this and last week. • ASCAP t BMI British bandleader Mantovani has been signed for hi-*? first U. S. tour by the Cdfjpficutf; Sehang & Brown division of Columbia Artists Mgt. Maestro, whose lush, schmaltzy arrangements have made him one of the top disk sellers here as well as abroad, will do five U. S. weeks next fall. A sixth week will be add- ed in Canada under management of Nicholas Koudriavtzeff. Mantovani will do about 30 U. S. dates under personal management of Frederick C. Schane. With hi* program halfway between sym- phony and Jazz, comprising selec- tions from Strauss. Romberg, Her- bert, Friral, Rodgers. Gould, etc., maestro wants to plav concert halls only, as a concert rather, than pop event. He will be sold only on per- centage, Schang figuring he can do $180,000 at the b.o. Mantovani made his first North American ap- pearance this fall in Canada, draw- ing 8.800 persons in the Montreal Arena (including 940 standees} and 10.500 at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gar- dens. By special arrangement with American Federation of Musicians prez James C. Petrillo, the band- leader is coming with three key tooters. Balance of 45 orchsters will be American. ivnnriiver on legit score sneei cop- jo Chappell Music and tunesmith jlVrold Rome have devised a spe- <iLi package of the tunes from the V'ituner. "Fanny.” to hypo sheet ia'e*. The package, wrapped in a cellophane cover, contains 10 songs iro’n the musical and is being ped- dled for f4. Single copies are priced at 50c each. The Rome score, which is pub- lished via the Chappell subsid. Frances Music, currently is being tied in with the Liberty Mu- sic stores in the New York area. Package is getting top display in the stores and is being tied-in with the RCA Victor original cast album as well as the Liberty produced set of Eadie & Rack playing the show s score. Peg for the tie-in with the latter platter is “sing the score to the accompaniment of Eadie & Rack.” Rome, who believes that sheets will sell if peddled properly, also has worked out ticups with such N.Y. department stores as R. II. Macy and B. Altman. He’s set to appear in their music departments, chat with the customers, sign auto- graphs. etc. The Shuoerts. who operate the Majestic Theatre, where "Fanny” currently is running, have okayed the construction of a special dis- play rack to feature the albums .Rome also cut a set for Heritage), as well as the sheet package. The packages are being peddled to dealers at the regular 100?c return privilege. Rome is now preying his first cross-country disk jockey trek to plug the disks and the copies. He’ll hit Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Cleve- land. Detroit and Los Angeles. He'll be accomped by his personal manager Norman Rosemont. National Rating This Last wk. wk. Title and Publisher 1 3 ‘.Mister Sandman 'Morris) Count Your Blessings 'Berlin' 31333441 1232 102 This Ole House 'Hamblen* 1 Need You Now 'Miller) 2 *lf 1 Give My Heart 'Miller) 7 6 ‘Papa Loves Mambo <Shapiro-B> 9 7 8 ‘Teach Me Tonight <Hub-L> Hold My Hand 'Raphael' Let Me Go, Lover II&Ri Naughty Lady 'Paxton) *White Christmas 'Beilin) Hey There 'Frank' 13 11 ‘'Woman’s World 'Robbins' ''.Muskrat Ramble 'Simon' Shake, Rattle & Roll 'Progressive Larry Adler, Hampton Cop Top Awards In French Disk ‘Oscars’ Paris, Dec. 7. The Academie Du Disque Fran- cais (The French Record Academy), set up to kudos the outstanding disks each year in longhair, shorthair and offbeat categories, gave out its prizes for 1954 last week. For the first time an Ameri- can won the variety instrument category with Larry Adler getting it for his Columbia waxing of Jean Wiemer's "Grisbi Blues,” which figured as background music for the Gallic gangster pic "Touchez Pas Au Grisbi” ("Don’t Touch the Swag”). Second U. S. winner was Lionel Hampton and his Paris All Stars on a Vogue longplaying pressing. Both were considered Gallic since both were made here and used French musicians. Twelve sides got awards with only four in the pop field. For French songs, femme winner was Odette Laure for her "Je Suis Nerveuses,” and male award was to cleffer Leo Ferre for his own recording of his "Le Piano Du Pauvre.” Other winners were Charles Muench and the Boston Symphony for their "Romeo and Juliet” on Pathe, Walter Gieseking for his Columbia Debussy record, and folklore prizes to Ducretet-Thom- son for their “Cante Flamenco.” Adler discovered "Grisbi” dur- ing his recent stint at the Olympia Music Hall here and recorded it at the behest of cleffer Wiemer. It was an immediate hit here, and Adler flew in from London to get his prize, which was an ancient book on the history of money. Hampton is now at the Olympia and also came down for his prize. Minister Edgar Faure presented the Legion of Honor to composer Arthur Honegger who left a sick bed to attend. Hollywood. Dec. 7. History of folk songs from Eliza- bethan times to the present will be traced by Sam Hinton, in a Decca 12-inch LP to be cut this week. Hinton, who has heretofore done some kidisk stuff for the label, will accompany himself on the guitar. In addition to recording the ma- terial and supplying the factual material for the liner notes. Hinton will do the cover design. His full- time occupation, however, has nothing to do with any of the fore- going pursuits. He’s a professor of oceanography at the Scripps Insti- tute in La Jolla, Cal. Kansas City, Dec. 7. Cardinal Records, subsid of Blasco Music, Inc., apparently has hit the jackpot in its original “Card-N-Play,” a Christmas card including a recording of four tunes by The Mulcays, electro-harmonica team. Record and card combo is being sold not only over music counters, but in greeting card shops, department stores and the- atres, opening up some untapped markets to the record biz. Four tunes are included on single 45 rpm EP, at $1.47 retail, or on a 78 rpm disk at $1.69. Cardinal has national distribu- tion on the item, and locally is reaping big sales from greeting card counters. It is also being of- fered at concession stands by a string of 15 theatres in the sur- rounding area, who plug the item with screen trailers. Blasco said he already has had offers from other houses for use of the idea on other seasonal promotion items, for Val- entines Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, etc. Coast Arrangers Form Commercial Jingle Firm Hollywood, Dec. 7. Two of the town’s best known arrangers have joined forces to form a commercial jingle firm. Partners are Keith Williams, former arranger for Walter Lantz cartoons, and Jack Matthias, who was with Harry James for several years. Firm’s first assignment was to turn out a singing commercial for Albert Sheetz, local restaurateur and candy manufacturer. ‘Walking’ Infringe Suit Settled for About $5,000 Harry G. Atwood and Louis Herscher. owners of Keynote Music, have settled their infringe- ment suit against Peter Maurice Music of London and Leeds Music here on the hit tune, "I’m Walking Behind You.” It’s understand that the Maurice firm, which had the original copyright on the British tune, paid about $5,000 to the com- plainants. Plaintiffs alleged that their tune, “I Can’t Forget You,” written by Paul Mellein and Herscher, was assigned to Maurice Music in 1951. They alleged that "I’m Walking Behind You” was largely copied from their tune. Brit. Tooters’ Extra Pay For Disked Air Repeats London, Nov. 30. Under a pact negotiated by the BBC with the Musicians Union, tooters are to get extra pay for re- corded repeats of broadcasts, rang- ing from $4-$6 a time. W’hen tran- scriptions are sold to overseas broadcasting organizations, the ex- tra fee rises to $8-$ll. The new pact is an answer to an MU threat earlier this year that it would ban recorded programs at the end of the year unless special terms were agreed. Can. Distrib for ‘Blooper’ Kermit Schafer has pacted with Quality Records for the distribu- tion of his album, "Pardon My Blooper,” in Canada. Jerry Blaine's Jubilee label dis- tributes the package in the U. S Vox Preps 2d Feyer Set; Gitlis Signed by Hurok Vox Productions is following up its successful 1953 Xmas boxed album of three George Feyer "Echoes” (Paris, Vienna and Italy) with another for the current holi- day trade. This one contains Fey- er’s "Echoes of Broadway,” "Echoes o# Latin America” and "Echoes of Paris” Vol. 2. New Vox artist, Ivry Gitlis, young Israeli concert violinist, has just been signed by Sol Hurok and will make his first American tour under the impresario’s management next season. DAVID ROSE Best British Sheet SeDers (Week ending Nov. 27) London, Nov. 30. Hold My Hand Wood I Give My Heart Robbins My Son Kassner This Ole House Duchess Must Be Reason.... Connelly Smile Bourae Santo Natale Spier My Friend Chappell Can’t Tell Waltz Reine Sky Blue Shirt Wright Things.Mean a Lot... Robbins Happy Wanderer ...Bosworth Second 12 Story of Tina... .Macmelodies I Love Paris Chappell Veni Vidi Vici Dash High-Mighty Harms-Connelly Sway Latin American Wait For Me Lafleur No One But You Robbins Mama Doll Leeds Cara Mia Robbins Coins in Foijntain Feist I Need You Feldman Sh-Boom Aberbach anfl His Orchestra MGM30S45—78* RPM K30845—45 RPM New Crooner Join* Cap Hollywood, Dec. 7. Capitol's newest male vocalist, Bobby Milano, checks in this week to go over material for his initial etching session which will be held some time before Christmas. Mila- no, an 18-year-old baritone, will work with artists & repertoire exec Dave Dexter. Buffalo native is a protege of Frankie Laine and is managed by Laine's accompanist, A1 Lerner.