Variety (July 1924)

ctiMT. July »«. MM MUSIC VARIETY 81 ILOCKED' IN FRONT ONLY- AND'SELLING' Ipecial Service Men Make XrretU in Sonie Closed Speakeasies Detectives of the ap«clal lervlc* UtUIod In rour.dJnjr up many prle- „0tt, owners of alleged speak- Kates on the west side, were saUs- led that they have been tricked for lome time. . ,. . . Time and again they have passed Jwse thirst emporiums bearing iMtvy padlocks saying to them- idves, "Well, that is one place we lon't have to worry about." Jlecently complaints have come to Inspector Samuel Belton of the ipecial service division in New rork that patrons were emerging trom rear entrances of these "wet ipoU" heavily loaded with "llkker." Belton informed his men of the Bomplalnts and Sunday every pad- locked place was visited. In many places It was found that the heavy padlocks had been put on by the ntfr proprietors in the hopes that Uiey would be "passed up" by the try forces. In many of these ■peakeasies so-called padlocked the letectives found many men gath- ired around improvised bars. They vould make their exits by a rear tntrance, thereby throwing oft all MDse of suspicion. Atlantic City Radioing , Through Direct Wires Atlantic City, July IS. The WIP sUtlon of Olmbel brothers' big Philadelphia store and the WDAR station of Lit ftrothers are making use of direct Irlre broadcasting stations from tntertainers working the piers and mbarets here. tVIP is located on the Steel Pier, tnd the Vessella, Comfort and Leh- ban bandfi play for it EI Kadla Qardens furnish Eddie Elklns and his orchestra for bl-weekly broad- distingrs. The Ambassador Hotel also pays for the privilege of broadcasting and furnishes the Kentucky 'Serenadera For the Lit station tlie Bensan and Charles Pry orchestras play. Their microphones are before the hand stand, with the leader* an- nouncing each number and play- ing it simultaneously with the reg- ular dance program. Specht Taxicabbed Away A fleet of taxlcabs contain- ing representatives of the mu- sic industries accompanied Paul Specht Saturday after- noon to the pier to bid the or- chestra leader bon voyage on his trip to London, where he Win close an Important con- tract for the booking of 50 American jazz orchestras on as many Cunard liners. Specht sailed on the "Berengarla," accomt>anied by the Caroline Club orchestra, the first band to enlist in the Cunard service. A luncheon to Specht at Christie's'Chop house was at- tended by a dozen representa- tives of the "mechanical" com- panies and n)U8lc publishers and other friends. CONFERENCE ON BOOZE Proven Sale Required— Possession Only Not Sufficient to Convict ARCADIA BALLROOM BIG TIME "OPPOSISH"? New Place Expected to Secure Acts from Current Shows —Opening Sept. 9 SEMONSTBATES VE7T METHOD New Haven, Conn., July 16. Ptanklln M. Doollttle. Instructor •C communication engineering at Tale, has announced a new method of "radiocasting," demonstrated be- fore several groups of engineers. According to Mr. Doollttle the weahod makes Is possible for a radio listener to tell the location of performers with respect to the mi- crophone at the broadcasting eta- ijlon. as readily as though the listener were In the studio. The new Arcadia ballroom at 53d street and Broadway which I. Jay Faggen will open Sept. 9 will not be able to get* its vaudeville acts from the big time. That may qualify it as "opposition." Faggen will in- stead book the four or five acts he intends playing nightly from the current Broadway musical comedies, on the theory the talent will be suf- ficient to make possible new bills weekly. An Inspection of the Arcadia which is nearing completion dis- closes It as the last word in ball- rooms. It fiatters the ordinary ball- room classification by being In- cluded therein, since it will be more on the order of a cafe and theatre in combination with the dancing feature. There is a practical stage with an elaborate system of lighting ef- fects that would credit any theatre. The dressing rooms for the musi- cians and the acts as well as a specially constructed green room are another feature from the profes- sional standpoint. Ray Miller and his Brunswick re- cording orchestra will be the regu- lar dance attraction. The opening week, however, through the co-op- eration of the Brunswick recording people, since It gives them a very desirable permanent Broadway rep- resentation, will have 14 other fa- mous Brunswick bands combining with Miller's and the respective leaders conducting the different dance sessions in turn. To offset this, the Roseland, which has been the class dance palace on Broadway, Is planning an intensive publicity campaign. Jan Oarber's orchestra is reported engaged as a special feature and Vincent Lopez and his Hotel Pennsylvania orches- tra has been offered tl.OOO for a special night In addition to a heavy publicity campaign by the Rose- land people, in conjunction. Following a recent conference be- tween police and Federal prohibit tion enforcement officials. In Kew York, the local police haven't ar- rested anyone for possession of liquor. The conference, which took place last week, and which was partici- pated in by high officials of both forces, was called by the New Tork police, who wanted to know from Federal Commissioners Hitchcock and Boyle what the idea was in dismissing all the possession cases. It was pointed out that in all the recent cases brought before the commissioners a proven sale was required for conviction, although the police previously had been in- structed to also make arrests for possession. This practice was a bonanza to the professional bailsmen, who put up the overnight security and raked in from ISO to ISO for doing it, ac- cording to the amount of ball de- manded. The outcome of the conference was that the possession cases might go by the board for a while, according to reliable Information, but that the selling cases must be brought In. Utopian "BoOzer** ) Soon in London WNYC NON-COMMERCIAL WNTC, the New Tork municipal broadcasting station, atop the Mu- ■Iclpal Building, has been placed in tte non-commercial class by the ■oclety of Composers, Authors and Publishers, thus being free from the payment of license fees. FEMININE ORCHESTRA SIGNED Omaha, July 15. The first women's orchestra in Nebraska has been organized by six Lincoln young women. It is called the "Pollyanna" orchestra and has been signed as the dance attraction at Fink's amusement park, at Wy- more. , The personnel is. Gladys Toung, trumpet; lona Hogel, drunis, Em- mallne Novey, Saxophone; Bernlce Kerr, trombone; Henrietta Kraem- mer, piano; Ruth Smith, banjo and violin. FIGHTINa BANDS WITH BANDS Glens Falls, N. T., July 15. Orchestra acts are being booked by the Keith circuit for the Rlalto the last halt of the week to give the Empire opposition, liast week the house had the Balalaidka Or- chestra, with Will Higgle, Russian dancer, and this week It has the Manhattan Society Orchestra, wl'h Nina Brandon and the Lyons Sla- ters. London, July 7. An attempt to bring England into line with the Continent Is being made just outside London at Catford. This takes the form of a remarkable public house built on tondon County Council ground at the cost of over 1160,- 000. It will be run on Con- tinental cafe lines, will have a full beer and spirit license, two bands, dancing and nightly cab- aret shows. It is said the ex- periment is being watched with Interest by the L C. C. This is Interesting considering the council has done everything In its almost unlimited power to kill the cabaret and "brighter London" movement, and even today licenses for the sale of In- toxicants are regularly refused to many first-class houses. In- cluding the Coliseum. But this Utopian "booter" Is built on the solid rock of L. C. C. ground and not the unolficlal and Iftlng sand of private enter- prise. sill prli BILL'S EXAMPLE DIDNT WORK ON HIRAM BUSY, BOY! UST TO LOPE? RUSH Newest Contract Will Keep Director on Hop From 6 to 10 Topie, 'Cellist, with Wife Liking Sky-High Stuff —^Divorced! I "Singing Usherette" p' San Francisco, July 15. ^ Buster La Marr, known as the singing usherette" Is featuring 'elst songs In her local appearances. JIMMY LEE OFF "TELEGRAPH" James Fenlmore Lee, who for 25 years was cabaret editor of the Morning Telegraph," resigned his Posltloi. last Saturday. '^ Observing Coast Theatres "' ^ Chicago, July 15. H. Leopold Spitalny, musical dl- '•ctor of McVlckers theatre, is waving for a four-weeks' vacation *nlch will Include a trip to the «oa8t. While there he will observe •ondltlons In and out of the theatre. I*"". Spitalny before leaving has re- nearsed and staged the presenta- tions that will be preserted during nis absence. Ben Paley will direct 'Is orchestra JORDAN'S JUVENILE OPERA WlUimantlc, Conn., July 15. Jules Jordan, one of the Jordan twins, composers, has just com- pleted a juvenile opera entitled "The Alphabet." It has a preKide of four numbers. The composition Is writ- ten for, and dedicated to, the Amer- ican schools. ^ T"..o music for "The Alphabet" is In march tempo. Al MitcheU Back Providence, July 15. Al Mitchell is back at the Ar- cadia conducting the Whlteman unit there. Mitchell suffered a ner- vous breakdown which necessi- tated Henry Bussee, assistant con- ductor of Whiteman's own orchee- tra, coming to Providence aa the substitute. A salary cutting Innovation has resulted in all but two of the orig- inal band leaving. Cincinnati, July 14. Hiram J. Topie, 'cellist of the Hotel Gibson orchestra, has been granted a divorce from Phyllis Churchill Tople, 18, who claims to be a direct descendant of William the Conqueror and a great-grand- daughter of Lord Lelghton, head of the British Art Academy. The former wife is supposed to be with a Seattle stock company, her husband saying she recently ran away from Cincy with the Alan Brooks Company. From there she went to New York. The musician exhibited several letters purporting to be hers in which she mentioned a sky-high life In New York and of many escapades with men la the metropolis. When living In this city Mrs. Topie was director of the Cameo, Cincinnati's newest Little theatre, and also studied dramatics at a local school. Johns in London Cabaret Brooke Johns sailed for London Tuesday to open an engagement at the Piccadilly on July 28. Johns was accompanied by his pianist, Paul Fay. Remigk's Transfer to Detroit The Jerome H. Remick Ca will transfer Its music store operations to Detroit and will do all the shVi»- plng from the West. The New York department has been discontinued with the resig- nation of Frank Hanselman, who was In charge. Wm. Pryor Going to Australia Los Angeles, July 16. William Pryor, assistant conductor at Grauman's Metropolitan, leaves early next month for Australia, where he Is to take over the post of musical conductor In a new Sydney house. To Fix New Normal N^ical "A** ^ Vienna, July 7. A congress Is suegested here for the recognition of a standard "A" for musical instruments. The last world conference of the kind fixed the A with 435 vibrations, but disorganisation has taken place since and is spreading to large musical centers. For example, the "Vienna opera orchestra tunes Its Instruments above the ofllclal normal A, and the tuning of pianos in various insti- tutions or conservatories differs in some Instances as much as a quarter of a tone. Tuning here Is several vibrations higher than in Germany and there is a difference, If slight, between the recognised A of most other countries. This is trying for singers when they run up against such differences. It is hoped the next congress will fix the normal "A" slightly higher than the last conference of musicians, but a bit lower than the tone of the Vienna State opera. 25TH ANNUAL SESSION Northampton, Mass., July 16. The 25th annual session of the Institute of Music Pedogogy opened here July 8. Ralph L. Baldwin, su- pervisor of music In the Hartford, Conn., public schools, continues as director of the institute. The ses- sion will continue for two weeks. Courses taught are: chorus con- ducting and practice teaching, har- mony ear training, subject matter, sight singing, voice culture, chil- dren's classes, school orchestras, music appreciation, brass instru- ments and harmony. The contracting by Lee A. Ocha of Vincent Lopes, who conducts the overtures and directs the presen- tations at the new Piccadilly The- atre, New York, makes I^ pes one of the busiest musical personages In the show business. Lopes's three- year contract with the "Greenwich Village Follies" calls for his ap- pearance nightly from 9 to 10 p. m. Ijopes Is at the Pennsylvania Hotel from 8 to 8: SO nightly, and at about 8:40 he must be present at the Pio- : cadllly to personalty conduct the overture, which will be of the "clas- sical jazs" school, following which he must make the Imperial by 9, The Imperial incidentally will house the new "G. V. FoUles" this fall. The mornings and afternoons will be utilized for his Okeh recording dates and rehearsals, not to men- tion the matinees of the "Q. V. Fol- lies" and the afternoon perform- ance at the picture theatre. For hie personal services Lopes^ will receive $500 a week net at the PlccadNly. He will supply the or-- chestra, supervise the productions and appear twice dally In person. The Piccadilly is the smallest Broadway "run" picture theatre, seating 1,480. It will play features for an average of three months each, specialising also on "novel- ties^' to offset the mammoth Ca{>i- tor* competition on 61st street and Broadway. The Piccadilly Is at 624 street and Broadway, through Seventh avenue. A 160,000 organ will be a feature of the new house. Its tentative opening Is slated for Sept. 16. Vincent Lopes. Inc., Is a new $600,000 corporation formed last week for the purpose of engaging extensively In the booking of mu- sical attractions. The band leader, BUI Hamilton, his business asso- ciate and saxophonist of the band, and J. E. Horn, their business man- ager, are the Incorporators. The plans call for one of the most ambitious dance orchestra booking enterprises in the field. Lopes has been practically the only one of the big eastern bandmen to forego the orchestra supply adjunct'in con- nection. Paul Whlteman has In- corporated himself as the United Orchestras, Inc.; Paul Specht Is chairman of the advisory council of the Consolidated Orchestras, Inc.; Ray Miller has his Cosmo- politan Orchestras, with Lopes completing the circle. Ace Brlgode, conductor of the 14 Virginians bearing his name at the Monte Carlo cafe. New York, also Intends incorooratlng himself for a similar enterprise, with Joe Fried- man, his business manager, in ac- tive charge. Father Musicians Two music men were blessed with family additions recently. Billy James, the Feist staff songwriter and orchestra leader, became a father for the third time July 9, In Philadelphia. The new James off- spring Is a girl. Robert Beers, trumpet specialist, with the Vincent Lopez orchestra, at the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York, Is also the father of a new daughter. Mrs. Beers is profes- sionally Isabelle Townley (Sidney and Townley). Newspapers Tipped Off to Gilberts* Reconciliation Lios Angeles, July 15. Mrs. L. Wolfe Gilbert and her three children left here for New York, Sunday, Tla New Orleans. In the meantime newspaoers have been tipped off about the trip with wires telling how a song Gilbert wrote touched him so that a reokm- clltation with his wife and. children has become possible. M. P. P. A. RE-ELECTIONS The Music Publishers' Protective Association announces the re-elec- tion of Its offlcers at a meeting held last week, with E. C. Mills contin- uing as chairman of the board. The officers are Louis B. Bern- stein, president; Saul Bornsteln, vice-president; Jerome Keith, sec- retary, and Charles K. Harris, treas- urer. The same board of governors hold over. Nancy Fair and Band San Francisco, July 18. Nancy Fair recently on Pantages circuit, is readying a new act with which she Intends to invade the east. Miss Fair Is assemMing an or-^ chestra to appear in the act which is to be called Nancy Ii^air and Her Callfornians. BANJOS New Catalog—Ju!,t Got THE BACON BANJO CO . Im GROTON, CONf.