Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 5, 1928 MUSJC-RADIO VARIETY 57 70 Stations, Coast to Coast, Record Commercial Hook-Up B. A. Rolfe Gets Plum at $3,750—Must Play Only Jazz and Dance—"Old Time" Music Favored—^' Concert Stuff Oiit A new use for the Lucky Strike testimonials which have been pub- lished In the form of neWspaper advertisements will be made on a commercial radio tie-up starting: Sept. 15 with B, Ai Rolfe and his orchestra slb the band 'Attraction. Lucky Sti'lke (American Tobacco Co.)., which was a pioneer trade exploiter many years aero, has Rolfe set at $3,750 a week for 35 men, this cost including a corps of four, special ^arrangers. Douglas, Fairbanks and Anrielia Earhart, the aviatrix, w^ill have their testimonials read on the first pro- gram. Because so many of the celebs' voices sound poor on the air, thlis. compromise is resorted to, otherwise Lucky Strike would have favored an additional expenditure for the personalities' own "appear- , ances" on the air. The Rolfe engagement is the prize plum of commercial radio/ consider- ing the 70 station coiast-to-coast tie-up. This is the first time the NBC network goes clear to Callfor- .nii, the WJZ and WEAP stations Jjelhgc distinguished in the past as blue iwid red networks with the west coast chain known as the oraiiige network; AH are combined for the first time on behalf of what will be radio's, most pretentious and costly network. One specification to Rolfe Is that dance music aiid dance music alone must be peirformed on the air. Everything must be in the contem- porary Jazz or waltz tempo. No ^concert Interludes are wanted. Another request has been that each program must comprise at least 30 per cent, "old time" music. Rolfe is still at the Palais D'Or restaurant. New York, where he re- opened Labor Day and. is signed- until next June. It was at the Palais that Rolfe's revivals of old- time favorites brought him to such favorable attention. The 70-station network has been equalled only for' special occasions like championship prizefights, presi- dential speeches or other notable news events, the top radio commer- cial network being less :than half that. Rolfe's nightly "circulation," it is estimated, will be 25,000,000 people. A CHOP HOUSE OF EXCEPTIONAL MERIT l$6-8 WEST 48TH STREET II I ' East of Broadwa|r ROY SMECK Wizard of the Strings Vitaphbne and Recording Artist Hollywood Theatre Detroit Week Sept. 2 USES B & D SILVER BELL BANJOS 48-PaBe Ills. Banjo Catalog Free THE BACWTbANJO CO. INCORPORATED GROTQN, CONN. from the New 1928 Earl Carroll's "Vanities" "Blue Shadows". ""Once in a Lifetime'' -it Sing Them—Play Therrt— J Buy Them • RpBBiNs Mvsic CorforaxionE WGY Experiment Schenectady, N. T., Sept. 4- WGT, broadcasting station of the General Electric company, has been sending program through the air on a gradually decreasing kilowatt niaxlmum, starting with 50 an^ dropping to five as an experiment. This has resulted in difficulty as some owners of smaller sets have been unable to get the programs as the kilowatt power dropped. The radio engineers said this was done to demonstrate why programs should be sent out on a certain wave for the benefit of listener's in all parts of the country and some of them think a maximum of five kilowatts is sufficient. WGY Will return to SO kilowatts this week because they have re- ceived many letters urging it. Davis Buys "Names" Washington, Sept. 4. M*yer Davis is to use "name" bands In his Swanee balirpom here this winter. Ten such combinations have already been booked, these including Ted Weems, Ray Miller, Al Katz "Kittens," and Charles Dornerberger. Davis Is now buck on his regular weekly schedule between New York,, Philadelphia and here. Mrs. Davis, with the da.ughter, Virginia, sailed on the "Belgenland" last week for six •\.eekg in Europe, with her sister Madame Pierre Mon- teux, wife of the noted orchestral conductor. ' MAY CUT WEC TIME 'W.isliington, Sept. 4. Everything is practically set now with the radio commission for the grand shake-up in stations, with Washington scheduled to lose WRC, of the National Broadcasting Co., as a full time proposition. The change also entails putting this station, whIcH does air the goyernrnent official broadcasting, on a split wave with WMAL. This will release the wave length now used by WRC to KFI in Los Angeles. CLAEKSON CONTRIBUTINa R. p. Clarkson, one of radio's spe- cialists In a new.spaper way, has been signed to contribute weekly comment under hia signature to the Saturday radio section of the New York Sun. Clarkson'.s ."stuff is to have a per- sonal touch. TITLE WBITEE'S THEME SONG Los Angeles, ScjJt. 4. '. William H. Kernfll, title writer for Fox, wrote the theme song for "Mother Knows Best" (Fox). Song will be pubHshed under the title of ■"Sally^f„.My_Drx-a ni s." Film Song ''Fixing" Already the angles are be- ing worked on picture theme ^ongs. Sotae film executives are getting ..''theirs" on a royalty cut . for okaying the official- tleups with feature pictures by songwriters anx- ious to> cash in on the vogue. As high as six cents, royalty Is being paid one team of com- posers whtf have clicked with thematic hits, one-third of which goes to a higher-up for seeing that the synchroniza- tion insures sufficient reprise plugs for the theme number. Stark New WHAM Announcer . Rochester. N. Y., Sept. 4. Lewis C. Stark in the new an- nouiiciir at WHAM, F. W. ReynnklP. publicity rlirector, also hoenme.s he;ul of the new piihli.i' relMiions ()'»fi;ii tDu-nt. kswicksNew Lineup; Records For Photophone Under Frank S. Homing's direc- tion, the . Brunswick Recording Laboratories in New York have been completely reorganizing its tech, nical, exploitation and sales dep£irt- ments. Always a good record producer, Brunswick never Quite plumbed the sales depths. This resulted in Hom- ing's commission to takei, charge, succeeding W. A. Brophy, who Is now in the brokerage business, Brunswick has undergone an al- most complete change in personnel: Among the remaining executives are Jimrriy O'Keefe cuid Wllllain P. Wirges. Otherwise there has been a radical housecleaning. Roland W. Foster is H. Emerson Yorke's suc- cessor, the latter aligning with Paramount's sound picture record- ing studios on Long Island. ' Brunswick and RCA Horning has about completed ne- gotiations for sound picture record- ing on behalf of RCA Photophone, Inc., and allied General Electric in- terests. VictOir Talking Machine Co. so far has done the bulk of the recording for all the major companies allied with ■ the Western Electric Co. (Electrical Research Prqducts, Inc.). Victor's Camden studios are swamp- ed with assignments. Brunswick also is now marketing Its own radio receiving equipment built by RCA according to specifica- tions. However, RCA sets in Bruns- wick combination phonograph-radio machines are also being marketed. The same company plans to build up Its foreign, race and hill-billy departments, the former proving a vast source of income, A record- ing outfit has been despatched to China to can Asiatic artists for In- ternational marketing. 40 Weeks of MCA Bands; Taking Two at a Time John J. Faggen, managing director of the Rosemont ballroom, Brooklyn, N. Y., has contracted for 40 weeks of Music Corp. of America band at- tractions. He starts Sept. 20 with Jack Crawford and Al Katz and his Kittens, two Victor recording orchestras. MCA bands will change fort- nightly, with two name bands al- ways booked together. Others slated are Don Bestor^ Zez ConiTrey, Coon- Sanders, Charles "Dornbef^etT Fred Hamm, Thelma Terry and her Playboys, Ray Miller (marking his New' York return), and Sllvertown (iord orchestra, Ro.semont now broadcasts nJglitly via WMCA and WLTH. "Speak-o-Phone" Next Washington, Sept. 4. Trade-mark protection ha.s Just been gi-anted "Speak-o-Phone" as the name of a metallic disc phono- graph record. With Serial Number 268,321 the trade-mark is held by Speak-o- Phone, Inc. New York. It was filed June 19, 1928, with use claimed .sinee tlie preceding May. 1. ART WITH'S COMPANY Chicago, Sept. 4. Art With, Stcven.s and With, or- 'cH(5&tra-"bookersr has-bough t -ou t^hi.s. partner, Vernon Stevens, and formed a new organization to' be known as the Amu,<^cmcnt .S'^rvior- Corporation of Chicago, OffU'fvR are Art With, pre.vident; T).'i\-i(l Kiitz, viro-iire,<ldent. anrl Ur n ,ni;iiitiin, f-eeretary. and tr^-a.'^urer. Radio Rambles By ABEL Sution WLWL, the Paullst Fathers' broadcast central, . in Its etherized play criticisms views the Broadway stage faro through Christian optics in the strictest sense and "chk-ohks" at the pro- fanity and ^eroticism of the newest entries. Even in the line of musi^ cals, the ether critic finds nothing commondablc' and frankly states he can recommend nothing, not even "Show Boat" and "Rosalie" which mar an otherwise favorable impres- sion by sorjie lapse or another. "Front Page" and . "Gentlemen of the Press,", with their shocking language, are particular targets for the WLWL critic, and "Ringside" left him in bad humor. He okayed "Eva the Fifth," a John Golden rule piece, as well as. Edward Clark's "Relations," the . play of Jewish theme,' along with "The Big Pond." Wolfe-Baer Whoopee The Wolfe and Baer, yclept L. Wolfe Gilbert and Abel Baer, the Feist staff songwriter-entertainers, were making periodical Tin Pan Alley whoopee via; WMCA.. Little wonder as to their popularity, adul- terating the frank plug festivities with consistent entertainment value likely to find favor generally. WABC h*5 a jazz band marathon on certain evenings, spanning a sizeable - radius. Harold Stern's Belle Claire hotel roof; Handel's Duck Inn out on Long Island; Cas- tilllan Gardens (Harold Leonard's orchestra); Martucci's Mapleton- ianis from Feltman's, Coney Island; the' Meyer Davis unit at the Hotel Nassau, Long Beach, and the King's Tea Garden, Brooklyn chop suey, are some of the places ofterihg daAsapatioh on this station all in one stretch covering about three and a^ half hours. Emil Velazco from WOR,. like Liew White on the NBC stations, is a corking organ soloist. Velazco, also like White, do^s his stuff from his own . studios, and registers handily. Mac as a Warbler Samuel Jospe's Wood-Wind En- semble on Sunday afternoons is a worthy musical entry with his con- cert recitals. ,The Whittal Anglo- Persians, headed by Louis Katzman, are now Sunday features also on the NBC chain. Graham McNamee, baritone soloist when hot announc- ing, was the Atwater-Kent guest 35,000 on Pier, Whiteman; Plays to 3,000, Providence Atlantic City, Sept. 4. At 50 cents a head, Paul White- man broke Steel Pier's- gross at- tendance mark by many thousands when 35,000 admissions were clocked on Aug, 25. In the evening alone, more than 23,000 people at- tended the pier where Whiteman, at $2,000, was playing a dance engagement. Pier attendants had not a little trouble through women fainting, etc., as it was plenty hot. ■\Miiteman is In New York thiw week recording, opening Saturday at the Met, Boston, his next to last week for Publix on the 40-ln-5.2 week pici ure house tour. Providence, Sept. 4. Prci'A'itfi'nee - paid $3,000 at • $1-3;. throw to '^ee and hear Paul White- man an'! Ilia band at the Arcadia, Aug. 30. i BRUNSWICK'S AUTO CHANGEB j Brunswick contemplates market- ing an automatic record changmg phonograph. This device on the Victor has.boosted the sale of rec- ords noticeably, the publisher«' roy- alty .statements giving evidence to this in no small meaHure. Some litigation is involved over the ba.sic p.atent of the automatic changer. As soon as that l.«5 atraiglit- ened out, Brunswick'.? m.achine will be m^irketed. artist Sunday night, registering as favorably with his vocalizinj,'. Carlton Boxill, tenor, and Taylor Buckley, baritone, along with Lester Place and Robert PaKcot-ello. piano te.am, comprise the Twin I'airs of Harmony. Their joint recitals in alternating duets rficommend them for stage Work ■ ultimately; after thoy have made their radio , mark and developed a following! George Frame Brown, tl\e former WOR bucolic comedy star. Is now' a WP2AF favorite, having quickly established hini.self with his "Real Folks" series. In Matt Thompklna, he does about the sanie character he creattHl for WOR's Columbia Broadcasting System, resulting in a litigation by Frame. against L. Bamberger A Co., the WOR station owners. While Brown lost, he was not "hampered in transplanting his character, creation elsewhere under a different label. JOLSON'S "SONNY BOY" ".Sonny Hoy," theme aong of Al Jolson's "The Singing Fool," Vita- phone feature, is being published by 10t^%-lvo,--I3roAvn:.^&:^nc.ndiiri<jM, Jjoi:,: Th(-«e thrc(5 writer.s, wllh Jol.'^-on. compo.'ied tlie, nujnber. Df.S-n-lI .rjlHo j)utiMHh.'H ' Aru'cl.-i Mi;i," the current tlifirt" suna of "Slrc-'''t Autri.'l," and "."^oineVnidy- Soni'-wlif-r".'' v/lji'-ii ).-• (I'-d nfi v.-i'l. j 'J>'f'fl f):iri'-/T," ^Ml^(| i'"'i.v jii.•■•. •( GUS ARNHEIM'S COCOANUT GROVE ORCHESTRA AMBASSADOR HOTEL LOS ANGELES Second Year THE POBMEB HERB WIEDOEFT ORCHESTRA MOW KMOWH AS JESSE STAFFORD And His Orchestra COMPLETINa SUMMER EN- GAGEMENTS AT EGYPTIAN BALLROOM, OCEAN PARK, CAL. BXCLVSIViB Brunswick Recording Leading Organists in New Yrok PAUL BRASS Solo Organist Keith-AIbee Theatres NEW YORK CITY lliankB to FRED KINSLET W. J. GILROY FKATUKING Organ Novelties PROCTOR'S 86th ST. NEW YORK JOHN GART TltankH to C. C. M. Fr«« practice arriingied for HtiidcntM Phone Nevens 0018 ORGAN 991 Uncoln I'lace, nUOOKrYN, N, Y. JACK SKELLY At the Wurlitier Keith-AIbee WHITE PLAINS THEATRE l-huniis to FHKD KINNLET WALTER WILD Feature Organist AT Keith's Hippodrome NEW YORK riiunks to FRKI) KIN.m.KV Hbward^arren r<';itare Orgnnltt »t tii4' Albee Theatre, Brooklyn Truiikg (<i FKKI) KINSl.KY