Variety (Mar 1929)

.Wednetlda^t Mardi 90, IMS USIC VARIETY IKs&Revkm By Abel Briintwiek • Nick Lucas 'crodna 'em • wicked ■ ' with "Old Timer" and "Heart o* '■ Mine." the couplet trom "Noah's '"^' - '^Ark " letter'Is the. ballad theme • V,' anfli '<>«■ Wl Its remUilscence, a'sjrm- : Bathetic retrain, .m line of theme ■ ' MjiBS the' Colonial Club orchestra, : house unit- directed ■ by Liouls -iKateman, wltH Dlok Robertson vo- ^'iKficallztoer. *wf. two 'foz<trots from !«The • Wolf'Soniff,'' namely, "To To * Amo" ("Means I Ijove You") and Amado," latter a. tango tox. ' .wi- f - A red'hot thythuftlo-couplet Is tjie' • : '';--'C:'.fthythm''Ao«BVon(i-8te>, "Jazz Bat- S ; :- .Se,'' backed by. "K's Tight Like • i-^"This," : pliyod by Walter .Bames* '?'iRoyij Creo The "It's Tight ■rSr,':^ilt4 ■ This" - Is the latest Harlem ■.'-.fOfsBep'V--craze. •- (ffX''-' From the'poast oomes June Pur- -'>i"rtell, comedlOnnet ' with Roy Fox, ■■alias "the -whloperlng cometlst," as th6 featured accompanist, doing 'If viv''" r Had Tou" ^nd- "That's the Good hx'i'-'OtA' Sutiny :South." ' Another good '" Yocal "couplet on Brunswick Is ;s^V,i'Danny Shawn's tehoring: of "Pre- u-'.vVr-olous Llttla--Thing- Called' Love," the ace seller'of the country, backed ■'iiv-by "My Mother's EJyes,? from ' i;>^' •'Lucky . Boy;!' ^hlch the veteran ^iV:': Frank ■ .Munn- : beindles eipertly. W'^s-i ."iPrecloue. Little Thmif,", from an .'H^'Iaverage ptoture;;*.'Sh6pworn Angel," 'iX:,--^:^oveB anew ;-that- It's all In ,the ■";':'.'Xaong;':^wIthout a strong flicker tle- .^^-k-'>:«p^.4he eongr'stepped out on itb •.'S'i-'cwri ,as the .Cfliuntry'a current best 'jj/w,. Ray ' Miller's- foxrtrot versions of :>^-SiWlio Wouldn't Be Jealous of -'''i^"-S'ou??'and "Rose of Mandalay" are -'■M diMtce-lnsplrlng,. as Is. the Six juinplng Jackr couplet of two'lm- ^'vitorted novelties: "'Olat (Tou jittiOugljta Hear Olaf Lalt)," from .^rtj;: OChauve-Sourls," and the British ■S r>,v. '"M!Unto "CMl6' Song" (of which .out- oww' Chick 'Ilndor;-Is' co-author). ''':'•);>' .The Six J.-i J'flj are otherwise Hairy ~> U&>9e^^r'B CUqquot Clubltea, - under r:'l^i<r|uiQther noniTde-dlsk, one of a half -•i . dozen, .Irtth . the radio "name" re- :'atrlc'ted t6' the Columbia label. : ' ' f4-oM'the. west coast comes TOm Oerunovlohand his.: Roof Oarden^ ' '(SanVXranblseo) orchestra, teatur- . >liigL|^m'f «lUiig Tou'^ and "X Found . .Tolt vOut/? local ,:dance.'.favorite's. -'- Some .great'-* jnuted trumpet - work aiid' Steve Bowers', vocal interludes . punctuated vthe renditions. " ^.--^-/ .I'Frpmi Sfc . Louis, at'the, CbrOhado' .•' p'-'Do'tei, obiiies'a hew Bnihbwlck ar- ;f.v~ - tlstk ^AUtster. Wylle,..-With a song '-??;,;,-,group ,ot two, one of them a revival of "SoBte of These Days," skillfully /%^Ti)roheBtC)ated to feature two. pianos -\(Wylie and Bill ; Balkex). The -.-ftj^j-other la'equally torrid, a melodious ^^1:? vrhythiiitp Jazz* vcoiuia', :oh. BiCby.'^ iPf'^NIOk 'Xucaa,. "the crooning trOut>a« ^■f dour'', a^n. winds -up . thet Brunsr (:;l:£.:w|dk batch with Kls- molodloujs.Tln- isS' terpAtatlons of 'r^en' the WOrld; -.-'-Is at Rest" and "HI Never Ask for' iMtMore." ^ v-<. m - ■ ■ CoJum bla - t^'lC Paul 'Wblteman's Nos. 1731.-6 are •specially worthy, respectively •JNew Moon" and "Follow Thru" couplets. "Lovpr Comes Back to Me" .and "Marianne,'.' from the op' eretta "My Lucky Star," and "Button Vo Tour, Overcoat.''^ from "Follow Thru," ar*' the- numberii, adeptly scored and distinctively In teroreted.' Fred Rich and Jan Garber are coupled with two satisfying fox ■k. . trots, "Wedding Bells" and "Guess JC^i Who?" while Ben Selvin and Broadway Nltelitest snltt the disk 4i carrylnir "Broadway ■ Melody'*- and fit' "Tou Were Meant for Me," from 'I the M-G-M feature, .'it; Ruth Kttlng whangs' em with tfi "Glad Rag Doll" and 'TU Get By." ;!1 ■ Other good vocals on Columbia are ■ Milton- Watson, Paul Ash's tenor ■ discovery, with two themes, "Love's ..First Kiss" (from "Woman of Af , itMcef'i and "Heart a' Mine" ■y . ".tVlfoah's Ark"), while Ford and . jV'.J'.QIehn, the midwest radio favorites, iottei; "Dream Train" ahd"I Get the ^^Bliies When It Rains," the latter ; Ytheir own. •, I, .<;vcMlItAti Cliarles, the'presentation vhOuse organist, clicks with "Sweet- .-thearts on Parade" and "I'm Sorry, ; \. Sally'! (Ned Miller vocalizing). I, .-.From .the teme territory coihea. Ouy '.I«mbardo, mid western radio rave, by no means a stranger to the .-Oast on the CBS hook-up on behalf ; of Wrlgleyt), who clicks with two sprightly fox-trots, "Please Let Mc Dream in Tour Arms" and "Baby," from the fertile "Blackblrda" score. Jan Garber's versions of "W'eary River" and "Caressing Tou," mel- ody foxes, are equally' noteworthy. Victor Rudy 'Vallee Is quite the vogue at Victor's now, from reports. He's doing about all he pleases, and, -Since he's a strong metropolitan crnze Just now. It's not such bad business to give him leeway. For example, only recently Ohman and i i m.. "ATaffi Iifi'a■(Ie^"a~■c"drRIn?~Ve^BlDT^-n-^ •Lover, Come Back to Me" for Victor, but Vallee has re-recorded It In hia own manner, featuring tlio Vallee vocal Izlns, coupled v.l'ii Coquette," the theme of the new Mary Plckford picture. VixUee's own "Deep Night" composition, backed by "Weary River" (No. "iiseg) and "Sweet Suzanne," a waltz, coupled with "Honey" (No 21869) are likewise recommended to VaUee fans. Irving Aaronson - an4 his Com- manders have made a corking brace Of f-t'B for Victor In the very pop- ular "K I Had Toil" and "All by Tourselt In. the Moonlight," the EhigUsh Imported novelty. WUIard Roblson's vocalization of "If I Had Tou" Is a pip. replete> with rich 1^0 nuances, backed, by "The Sun Is at My Window," a Johriny Mar- vin-Ed Small duet There's but one Helen Kane, as there Is one £ddie Cantor, and both offer two couplets. Miss I^ne-t^r- rows from Zebna O'Neal and "Fol- low Thru" with "Button Up' Tour Oyercoat" and "I Want to Be Bad," while Cantor's pop Interpolations In I'Whoopee" are re-created tor Vic- tor. This Is his seoond disk since "Makln' Whoopee," the titles beln.ij '1 Paw Down an' Go Boom!" and Eddie Cantor's "Automobile Horn" SQng, as It Is known. The forthcoming April 1 releases on Victor are rich with novelties; A 12-lncher by Warren Mills and his Blue Serenaders, from "Black bh-ds." has "canned" that "nalc version of "St. Louis Blues" with voices Just as It's done In the show. The "A" side Is a medley of the "Blackbirds" hits, Including every* thing from "I Can't Give Tou Any- thing but Love" to "Dlga Dlga Do.' Jesse Crawford's Wurlltzer-tran- scriptions of "Where the Shy Little Violets Grow" and "Whert Summer Is- Gone," one of the happiest coup lets, should be a terrific seller. Evelyn Herbert, prima of "New Moon," - has re-created "Lover, Comis Back to Me" and "One Klsq," ^rom;.the tuneful Rc«mber,g operetta. Theme song addicts trill go for Paul Oliver's tenorlng of "Heart o' Mine" and "Old Timer," bothlrom "Noah's Ark." Oliver is a new Vic tor- artist and a clicker. He re^ls ters also with "To Te Amo," from ."The Wolf Song," pelng backed on this side by Helen Clark, who so- pranos "Redskin," from that pic- ture.- One should- be thankflil some facetious songsmith didn't .label U VRedskln, Why Are Tou'teluer It Yd. a 'smooth Indian love' lyric. "Poor Punchinello," of the "Laugh Clown. Laugh" lyric schMI, has 'been linked up with Paramount'a "Looping the Xoop J' whfch ' Fred ekYck ■ Vettel. another new" Victor barytone, does handily, along with "The'-Spell of the BUie8.""Sb mucit for the vocals. . Still an'dfher new Victor- artist, this time on dance. Is Boyd Senter, shifting over from Okeh, with his Senterpedes. Senter la the picture .h.dU8e clarinet soloist 'who aug- ments Jilmself with a. torrid dance aggregation' for the disks. His versions of "Wabash Blues" and ?"Goln' Back to ■ Tennep^" arc beaxicoup heated^ .Naturally, he features himself with bis reed 1n-- terliides In the arrangements. The crack Warlhg's F'enns'ylvani- ana click with "That's How I Feel About Tou,'.' backed- by Nat Shll- kret's dance' description of "That's Her Now!" ^n' Pollack, who, it anybody, should know how to handle the "Hello, - Daddy," show tunes prop- erly, considering he's the band feature of the show, sustains ex- pectations with his rhythmically smooth transcriptions of "Let's Sit and Talk About Tou" and "Futur- istic Rhythm," The Warings ring the bell again with a fox and waltz <!ombo, "Syn- copations," the Radio picture star- ring Warlng's Pennsylvanlans "Jericho" is a torrid fox and "I'll Always Be in Love With Tou," the theme waltz.^ls a smooth compan- ion piece. In line of waltzes, a beautiful couplet is !'My Angellne,' a ^tentlal ' hit, done by Henry Thle9 and his Hotel Slntoh. (Cin- cinnati) orchestra, backed by. "Can Tou Blame Me?'.''iv -pmojUh'number by tM expert 'jean«»''Go,takette or- chestra. -■ FOr exotlii waltzes don't miss "Four- Little Farms" and "To Die Dreaming" by the International Novelty- Orchestra, probably culled out of the - Intematlohal release schedule for American consump- tion. It win appeal generally. Songsters Go Citronella "Scrappy" Lambert and "Billy" Hlllpot, former Rutgers football stars, now prominent as Brunswick recording artists and radio stars, will be the Flit Boys for 26 weeks starting M&y 1 on u national radio plug for Flit, the mosquito killer. This Is a Standard Oil : by-product which seasonally enlists NBC to ex- ploit itself. — Last-year,-Billy., Jonea-and-EIS'jie?,^ Hare, the quondam Happiness Boj^^ were the Flit boys. '' Jones and Hare, incidentally, are no longer the Happiness Boys, but "Heel and Toe, The Interwoven Pair," plugging the hosiery trade mark on a national network. Hap- piness Candy Stores is oS .Ute air commercially. A MaMtro't BUHng Hotel danoo l>and recently made a film-abort upon which the out0t'a leader didn't want his name, figuring the sound fllckor -would lessen his pres- tige. Finally convinced the name thing wouldn't do any harm, the short was released. No sooner had It opened on Broad'tray than the maestro tore to a phone, oalled the di- rector and squawked, "Hey, I won't stand for that single be- ing billed over me up there." "Oke here," replied the direc- tor, "but I-,don't run the the- atres too, so -why don't you walk off with the bDir' 1^ Pots Hm on B\^^ An extraordinary' booking Is Philip Splta^ny'q -engagement by Louis K. Sidney as Oie guest con- ductor at the - Capitol, New Tork, for an 'Indefinite, ikeriod starting Saturday. Considering Spltalny's standing as a ja>.z maestro, heading his orchestra at the Hotel Penn- sylvania, New Tork, this is a con- trasting engagement at two Broad- way berths simultaneously. Spltalny continues at the „Pennsy but will be gtieat maestro at the picture de laze as well, Coast Music Chains Merge L!W,-Ahgeiles, .Mewcb 19^ A merger,,oi two music coptiMJiies on the coast. Is under -way. They are Sherman Clajc of San -Frahclsco and the Blajt Music Co. of Los An geles, for the puriMse'df comblniliig into the largest 'Ohaln music ptore system In the country. Piatt Music Co. Isr caplUUzed for 12,900,000, with Behjaqtln platt Its. .president, and P. P. Clay president :1>^ Shel:- man Clay Co. Piatt' and' Clay are now In New Tork working bi^t dfr> tails of the amalgamation. .. . The two companies do an annual business In ezeen of f14,000,000. The cro;ri),bIn«d oi^hlzatjibii i wbujd operitp =iL\6h4ln 'of S^^jiii>ieii-,frojm Seattle to' Lob VAngiSietk' 'OiC :ltbte number, Platt- Hjusio.- Cd; bpentes 18 in and around Los Angeles. - Shiprman Clay also publishes muslc^ -while ..Piatt'CO. Is on!y' .i selling '«rganltatlon. • Inside Stuff-Music Strength of Pictures Spier & Coslow, Inc., Indle publishers, are. understood to liaye given Harms a 26 per cent, cut In their firm In reciprocation for the Dreyfus^ brothers' organization giving Larry Spier and Sam Coslow a look-in on the picture business. Harms has an exclusive tie-up with Paramount and Richard A. Whiting and Leo Robin, composer and lyricist, on the Par lot in Hollywood turning out themes. "To Te Amo Means I Love," the theme of "The- Wolf Song," currently at the Embassy, New Torki Is the first of their joint eftorts. Coalow and Frank Kelton, of the firm, are on the coast at present, This evidences in a measure the sjtrength of pictures In relation to pop music. The music t^m recognize, that with the revolutionizing of their own business, albng-.wlth the silent picture business, the talkers and sound films have created new channels and new outlets for song wares. It's an axiom now th^t the picture business Is bigger than the music business, but Intended td mean that the music adjunct of plctiu-es, while only a small factor compared to produotlon, direction, creations, etc. Is In Itself BO large as to overshadow an Industry which Is wholly applied to one objective, that of song-hit making. L^Ve- It to' Gieoripe, RobheBter, H.'^J^ Miarcb 19': "Popular'? sobBcirlptlon of |eo.<)00 to raise Cijii ' Orchestra ~ f|ind' to $260,000 fell flat In week^s drive, totaling little over $8,000.- Poor or- gahlzatton --by luncheon clubs blamed. "Let George do It" was public's .attitude.. - Elastman displeased. Drive came .at' bad time, right sifter series of cAmpatgna totaling nearly $3,000,000, BOBBINS SIAinP SEAEEQP Robblns Mtislo Corp. has re- aligned Its Stan of outlying repre- sentatlyes. Chick Castle Is now head of the Chicago'territory; Bob £!arle, southern; Carl ZOebms, Bal- timore and Washington, D. C, Jack Robbin's'returned this'week- from Hollywood where he'confetxed-. with Irvlilg Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer In connection with the Rob- btns-Metro music ' publishing, merger. WEST'S VBOMOnOR Carl West, Reinlck's Detroit manager, has been' transferred .- to the I^lladelphlajofflce, supplanting Ed McC^iil'ey. IMitrolt was Rem- Ick's home office until Joe Kelt purchased'.the flrm. With the mala offices now in Ne^ Tork and out of Detroit. West -waii regarded as too important for the. branch office. McCauley -will be In New Torl^ as Kelt's assistant - Take Over "Russian Moon" Shaplro-Bemstein has taken over "Underneath the Russian Moon" from Kendls-Gusman-Samuels, new publishing combination headed by Jimmy Kendls. Starting -nrith a new catalog, the "Russian Moon'', waltz stepped out via radio In a way to warrant the larger Arm •taklng~lt-over.,—_— '. „ Watson at L. A. Paramount - Los Angeles,' March 19. Monk Watson, Detroit m. c, opens at the Paramount here April 4 on a four weeks'- try. Options for mor» to follow if he cUcka. Jaok>LittU's Marathon Qag Little Jack 'Little, the cohfldentlal songster from WLW, Cincinnati, estabilshed-'a marathon -warbling and announcing record and boosted telegraph dividends, following his announcement that. In response to every telegram, he would acknowledge all communications through the ' radio and seat them at imaginary tables at his Mythical Nite Club of the .Air, s^ Little- calls his planolo'gs, and serve, them with Imaginary Wblte Rock. • -Not a plug for th% nUneral water as much as It was a gag. The result ; was.'that 660 telegrams 'came In In three hours from 46 states and three Canadian provinces. In addition to-100 long-distance calls,'which just gummed up the WLW acheduie for. the.ir^st of' the,evening. Little started at 11 p. m. and signed off shortly After 2 a. m., keeplns. v : his promise In making all-..announcements. 'Supplementary mall from hinterland tans -whtf explained that telegraphlo flacUlUes barred them ' - from wiring the radio entertainer, has passed the 8,600 -mark. - .-< - -< Collegian Wants a Chorus Correspondence between a college student, aspiring to be a novelist, and » ' a Broadway inuslo publishing flrmi, DeSylva, Brown and Henderson, baa been going something like this. Managing editor ot a college paper sent, the first letter requesting leave to use .the chorus ot "Tou're the Cream I'h My Coffee" in his masterpiece whiefa he aald waa to be pubUshed., Miislo publishers asked for more data pertaining to the nature of th« novel and the'printers. Tiie reply fojlowsj "My novel deals w)th ft sophisticated damsel who. believes that through '' the appUcaUon of psychology: and sclehtlflo -prbceacws one'may win.-the , • love, .of any . one she ma7.:!ehoose, but learns sctenice Is worthless^when .- love intervenes, t have, not as yet ^ound;^ publlbber, but have another ' • hovel that Is being consldered.by a publisher,In New 'Tork. y^ien my, •. hew novel Is prlnted^I shall send.you proofs." ' ;. •Firm U writing back that, this data Is Ukewtse Insufficient and In view . tUit their eolfee aiid oreom has bisen tried and proved, they baust with* '.. > hold permission untft 'prbols are advanced; ;^ . From Oblbagor West- Vincent Lopec's new radio .(^p&^rol^l on behaU of Chancellor elgara exploits' Lopez and the produot on the NBCs -netirork from Chicago - ) -- The,'daiico music Is r^U^ed by direct land wires to Chi from they V NBC's' New Tork broadcaist ^central an^ thus etiieHwd on the western - hook-up. Lopes, therdfoi^, lii .ii:bt>heard on any .«iM!{tem station except- , ,v Iiig by eastern sets plolcing up OhI and western sl^tlons. Chancellor'ii V; reason Is to build the new western territory which Is more or less virgin to the cl^r brand. r;- ' T-SiFslst-Tfs-Mp'-'"' - Although thbre is no official "ttthsup, TIflSny-Staht |s giving Feist, Jnc, first crack at ail Its theme sonsfa; {The mariner lb which Feist co.-opetateil v< on" "My Mother's Byes,''-thor tij^me'of; «<tickjr ^y,^ T^B to accord that firm full coroitietatloifi. U-wbUe Gllbbrt-and Abel Baer are C' turning out most of the-,ditties tb be tied up wlth' tHe TIftany-Stahl rp- ,> leases which Abe Meyer 'la'supervising musically, itugo RIesenfeld ^seta: . .' the scores and Joseph LIttau, the RIvoll conductor, wields the baton for ■ > the RCA '^hotophone synchronizations. . ' . ^• "Molly and Me" (Joe Brqwn and Belle Bennett) will have Gilbert-Baer'si -^^ "In the tSnd of Make-'Belleve" as Its theme,. Urgse Olisapitr ,Musio # Henry Waterson, veteran ftiuslc'publleh'er,:-ls stUl of the opliflon t'hat '. ;vV a out In prices would benefit the mpslb Industry on the whole. Th« publisher likens the public rbactlon to the cut in taxleab rates and qtiotes the consensus oi New Tork's haokmen who aver that the 16-and-5 rate t has tilted not only their persopal revenue from tips but the grosses as : well By the same token,^ Waterson believes that instead of three or four copies of sheet music for a dollar public vould buy perhaps twice as '.- many copies If the price were reduced. After 16 years In 'a choice first fioor location In the Strand theatre .'' building, Oornering and fronting.on Broadway and 47th street, Waterson . Is abandoning these offices and Is moving next door into, 1685 Broadway. It will mean an annual saving In rental of $7,000. .Waterson had .been paying $18,600 for the present premises on a new lease from May 1.; 1924 to 'April SOth^ of this year. ' With the: Stanley-Wartier Bros.-Flrst National Interlocking Interests,- It may be th^ the Warner-Wltmark publishing business will take, over V the Waterson; Berlin ft Snyder Co.'s suite In the jStiiand. The plonejering" flrm-of M, Witmark & Sons^ now a Warner subsldlirr,'enterprise, Is head- quartered at 1660 Broadway, but It Is believed that, the WItmarks' .ln->' creased professional activity would make the'Straiid building location; advantageous. Waterson Is also being approached for old Iryliig. Berlin song; hits. These copyrights are Watersbh's property, antedating the formatlbn of- Irvlng Berlin, Inc., a rival enterprise. The catalogue Ihpludes old Berlin hits like "Alexander's Ragtime Band," '^y Wlfe^s-.Gone to the Country" and "When I Lost Tou." ' ;^ .' 8o«lety Frolle Costs. To what extent society goes in for staging'Its frolics -may be gathered from Joseph Moss' flying trips to and fro m Palm Beach to personally conduct the Meyer Davis music at the "Whoopee" ball, which Mrs. E. F. Hutton, Mrs. Randolph Hearst and Florenz Zlegfeld sponsored'at the. Bath and Tennis Club last week. Moss had to return to New Tork for Brunswick recordings and other personal appearances In the metropolis, but again files south for an- other ultra dance at the B. ft T. club on March 22. Radio Yes and No .Whether or not radio la a factor and to what degree may be deter- mined from the melody fox-trot hit of "The New Moon" o'lwretta, "Lover, CinHB"BttClr-to-Mo-,"-Ta;dla-releascdj—As-a-re8ult;-lt-Jump6d-lnto^tremen~- dous 'i>opul'arlty as Harms' current best seller, carrj'Ing the rest of the - catalog alopg with It. As a production song, Schwab & Mandel and the' publishers held It bock, but Will Ro'ckwell,' Harms' professional manr' ager. Insisted on Its releasing, with the sales' rtiactlon spurting both the show and the sheet music turnover. On the other hand, over-exploltatlon has Its negative i,'efsults. Rudy Vallee had to omit "Let's Ml.shehave" from his current' Palace, New (Contliuiod on page 72)