Variety (Dec 1929)

mm W«diMcday, DfoemtMr 4. 1929 VARIETY 59 Ibdio's Toa^ Oriklok—Tangle of Sqaawhlrs and (kim Em Ctatm Former L. A. Inspector Took Toll from Taxi Joints 2 FOR 15 victor is giving two new rec- ords for any 15 old onfes of Itp own make. . Figure , the idea- win ^ * sales stimulant. ON AIR SKIPS Wftshington, Dec. t. ■ Badio Industry, of all lamuse- jnentfi, actually faces the toughest outlook with convienlng of Congress here yesterday (Monday). • Federal commission crpated to Jron out the squabbles as to wave lengths which: legal lights and those of the Induslipy have admitted was the only way out,. passes put as a full time body Dee. 31,. Thid gives Congress about 20 working days to get through, a oontlnu'anice of the commission—If that .Is to be the Idea!, if congress ever got a bin through and, into a law In 20 days its members would. prbb£}!bly declare a holiday^ ., Senator ; C. C, Dili, a;s has been previously reported," has Bbiine hewi Bochester, Dec. 3 ideas he wants enact^ into law, Getting a bit too co^ifldent In his The Senator ie cret^^ted;: with the predictions, Mel-Roy, "i;a41o seei-," present legIslQ.tIpn and Ipi^^edt uponU^rhb. offered to answer intimate as an authority, by thei'lal^-^msiKIng questions over the air from WHEC, upper body., r His IdeffsV.viiiih known to be :,41§tastefUl 1^ tlie radio Mel-Bioy was getting from 500 to Industry, will. thus: demaw^ and- re- goo letters a. day. Figuring a little, celve .plenty '.of atten'tiofn , 9.n^. sup- hot stuff would boost his following, port. : ." . ho told one woman; "Your-husband in addition to the. S.eniatQj?;s plang is ais true to you as you are to hirti." there are numerQUS prppo.§Eils ,spx?n- He suggested that another follow: sored by party ieadergA.:JJEfei;chvBta- her husband the next tinie he "goes tion throughout the cQunti^f is inak- to lodge m ing an issue-; of, e^ery; littliB ..com- Resultliig family turmoijs brought plaint it' mieht haye;-^^ Investigation. Mdl-Roy was commlsiston' ' witli ^•,lta^« '^*'lhaividpal pinched. Under examination he said member .in XJohgreSs. ^•Itti^ . a local he was Wilbert H. . Holley, 42, of proposition . to- the lajv-niaicer, and Los Angeles, Later he jumped ?iOO presents a serious situation. • bail ;lh city court. On to^ of this Congresslonarangle Letters containing money for and.; its .'eon*equeht ' UtrcertaIriity ''fortune charts" ^ turned over comes .another from the United 1 to federal authorities. States Supreme Court, During the current month a decision is ex-. . pected In General Electrlc's ilght to L Est 13 ullfiFf 6 have th6,.e.Qinnii8slon's power -to con- ' ^ uuw i v trol st9tio,n-power and yraye lengths declared AUU-and void. '■ • .1 After conducting but two operas i-feanwhile. Representative White at the Metropolitan, Dr. G. G (R., Maine), Is spQnsprlng a bill to Rosenstock resigned hiis baton and continue the commission, as is returned to Germany. Senator Cauzena (R.,.Mlch,).- . New Tork critics severely panned All of which is plus the "constant the visiting maestro, claiming he cries of monopoly gaining volume was pfC-tempo. No other orches with the report that-manufacturers tra conductor in recent year& has were contemplattlng mergers. and taken such' a drubbing -from the . establishmei^t pf'chain Btopes to sell! papers radio equipment ' throughdut ytlie ceuntiy. ^ . ■ ' :, Los Angeles,. Dec. 3. Charges that Merle Allen, until recently investigator for Mayor Por- ter, and John Schlieptz tried to or- ganize taxi dancers in L. A, daii.ce hail.<3 and extort toll from the hall proprietors have been laid before City'" Prosiecvitor Lloyd Nix for; in^ vestigatlon. Posing as a. dance hall supervisor, allegedly under Allen's direction, Schlieptz is said to have repre- sented hinxself as an aide of Mayor Porter's and also as head Of .th^ 'Taxi Dancers 3ureau," Under: alleged threats of eitlier cleaning or closing, they are said to have put the shalie on. numerous dance halls, one operator testifying he; paid Schlieptz ,$45 a. month. Schlieptz also it is claimed, accepted $170 .a naonth from various halls as his salary as ''supervisor of girls." In this connection he is reported to have furnished the halls -with eirls as taxi dancers. .■ ■ Lute Revival STaXOWSKI'S FEKJE One of the sensations of the mu , . . . Isical season among ' the Carnegie Negotiat.tiohs'are tfnvfor ■■tiCopoldJ H^ 'bVows Is AguUa' Lute Quar Stokowski and his' 'Philadelphia tette from.Spaln; " symphony oi^chestra to broadcast . Lute ia practically an obsolete In another series'*f. concferfs' fbr NBC strunient. Revival by the'Spanish during the Phllco period' on WJZ. foursoihe has started a vogue slm- Serles of three .were- .piwvlously iiay to that occasioned a' couple of arranged, with Stokowski getting years ago by the Meilcan Tipica $100,000. .for them. Another .three| Orchestra, at $100,000 . are expected to be set this week. lombardo's Gonimexoial Hour Through special, permission of the American Federation of Musicians, Guy Lombardo orchestra. In New York only two months,, has been en- gaged for commercial broadcast by the Robert Burns Co^ for weekly broadcast over C. B. S. chain. Lombardo's contract calls for 13 weeks; beginning Monday. FOX COAST ORaANISTS OUT . Lo.s Angeles. De.c. 3, Fok Coast, theatres has given two weeks' notice to all organists em- ployed in neighborhood. thea,tres where sound pictures are ehto'vyn. Notices .apply to those employed in theatres where only overtures and eiit marches are played. Geissler in Pit BOston, Dec. 2 Arthur Geissler, pit boss at Pub IJx-Metropolitan, has been shifted to orchestra mob pending stay of Gabriel Hines, recently slotted as guest conductor here. DANCE HALL SHAKEDOWN Along the Coast By Bill Swigart RECALL FOREIGN MUSIC RIGHTS m ANYTHING TO PLUG SONG ON COAST-fREM IDEA Hollywood, Dec. 3. "My Kingdom for a Plug" Is a short story compared .to the boOk of ethics now; governing the coast song pluggers. in. pushing numbers into the hit class. Casual survey of the most ftmus- Ing stunts employed to get a num- ber on the market shows several new tricks. One of the boys re ceived a phone call from a friend incarcerated in" the hobsegow for some minor offense. Friend needed $25 to get out.;. "Okay, pal,'"* said the plugger; "you sing 'Am i Blue' so everyone in the; jailhouse can hear you until I\get there.'.' Frlen4. cpmplied, but was too hoarse to thank the song i)lugger when he showed .up next day..; -. . • r A brlgiht publishing rep/flgjores he can get considerable publicity pjjt Of hisx tunes .by having titles of. these numbers printed on his bank checks, But thai can't top the- bird who fig- ured on. buying his wife. a. fur, coat and .made the furrier, put window display ^umbers in the .-.storer be fore making a purchase.; > Capitalizing on Titles . Upion. receipt of .each new number, the' wide-awake plugger analyzes exploitation' value in ■> titles. For "Singing in the Bathtub,'' a plumb ing house on Broadway devoted a special wlndp-w diaplay of bathroom scene, with song plugger furnishing the talent. Loud speakers carried song to street, and stunt jammed the avenue. De Sylva, Brown. .& Henderson made a tie-up with stores featuring pictm'es and frames by installing a small projection machine in the window, showing' an animated por trait singing "If 1 Had.,a Talklnj Picture, of You." inside Stuf-Music A movement of vast importance to the' music publishing business, also affecting the motion picture industry, is being'directed by the Music Publishers'' Protective Ass'n, through' John G. Paine, chairman of its bfoard of directors. According to Paine, the Ass'n is engaged In its most .important work In directing the reacquiring by American music publishers of the foreign rights which they had granted to foreign publishers. This so they will own their copyrights tiiroughOut the world;' and can grant to motion picture com- panies, among others, such world rights as may be desired or re quired. . . It Is the opinion of the MPPA that international music publish ers must i50 conduct their business these days to. cooperate with" users of cops'rlghted material. • To this end the MPPA Is directing its ef forts to bring about a copyright condition which ' will make readily available to plctureff«the copyright ed music • of the world. American publishers' who" have foreign connections are being urged to consuminate. neiw arraingements which will Insure them unques tioned right to gi'ant world syn chronlzing rights for all pictures made in the. U. S.. Also that the fOrteIgn .representatives of Amer ican publishers shall Have the same right in granting •world syU' chronlzing rights to picture com pahies located in the territory over ■which .:they„ .have Jurisdiction. FiibEx M. C. Svntches Publix has scheduled a huihber of switches In niasjtert of "cet^emonles headed bY Rudy Vallee*8 return to the ParamounlJ, on •Brpia'd'^iray, ef- fective this week. , , • - Others are AJ Mltche;!!, ifjfOrii the Paramount* New Haven,',lt.(> ihe Met, Boston, also this^'^eek,; Breese, formerly in Paul Ash's band, for Saenger, New Orleans, .opening tp morrow-(Thursday), and Ray Teale, from New Orleans to New , Haven, opening'Dec. 12. Dave' RublhoflC, formerly at the Pasanaount, New York, goes to the Minnesota, Minneapolis^ as guest conductor, and • after three weeks thex'e, to the Saenger, New Orleans, for. a" similar engagement, then to a Publlx;. bouse In Chicago. Among minor engagements of the Publix music department is Alex ander Ke^se as pit conductor at the Capitol. Austin, Mass. Sam Shayon,. formerly of music department, is back :to same dl vision, capacity of executive assist ant to Boris Morros. HERE AND THERE Ernie Hoist and his orchestra, currently at the Book-Cadillac, De- troit, return to the Colony Club, Palm Beach, Jan. 10. Meyer Davis unit under direction of Ben Glazer opens Us third season at the Patio Lamaze, Palm Beach, Christmas Eve. Gypsy Lee and his orchestra will M..lke_.-_Mian^^ tables, Fla., for the winter. New Foreion Rights Disposal . Robbins Music Co. will depart frOhi the traditional music trade method of selling world rights under four general groupings, England,. France, Germany and Australia. Henceforth, Wherever possible, they will print their own foreign language version. Failing this, they will -dispose of rights, country by country instead of. giving-with the French r,ights, for instance, Holland, Belgium and Spain. Par's Buy Offer pii Famous Paramount, which holds a 60% interest with'Warner "Bros, in Famous Miislc Corp., made an offer to take over the company entirely but is unwilling to pay the $500,000 asked by the "Warnres, according to inside Reports. ^ . . • . - Warners) who through Harms hold the half Interest In Famous, are said to have hinted that the price may be $1,000,000 later on, if Par is still in- terested. Waiting for • Spot "A Little Kiss Each Morning," song In Radio's "Vagabond King," is two years old. T. B. Harms accepted the song from Harry Woods two years ago but would not publish it as a pop and awaited an opportunity to spot it. . _ ^ Man Out of Work •_ " Goast song Ti\Ti^ a^ pTctufe'^i'gahization affiliated with a publishing house, charging it lifted'24 bars from one Sammy Watkins and his band, at I of his coyprlghted songs and used them, in a picture. Investigating, the Claremont Tent, Cleveland, have studio found the chap had visited the plant at the time they were filming been contracted by N. B. C. and will the picture, and in checking the copyright card of his song, discovered come east shortly. [it to.be registered four days previous to the ore the film company had registered. Bonny Rubin and Lawrence Gray, I When the picture was released, the song writer stated the publishers both la pictures on the coast, have must add him to the studio staff and let him work for $5,000 in salary, siKned ex.'lu.sive recorclin? contracts or pay him $5,000 for use o£= the 24 bars. A wire from headquarters ad- ^'ith Brunswick^ I vl.sfd the local represr-ntatlve here to disregard the matter entirely. Fiye-Year Date ' ■• • San Francisco; Dec. 8, Jo Mendel and his band have completed a fiVe-year contract at the Lido Cafe, in the' Nptth Beach district here. Mendel will take a short vaca tlon. Beisman on Vaade Stages Leo Relsman, . whose' orchestra' has been exclusive at the Central Park Casino, and who Is In charge of the music for the RKb broad cast Tuesday nights. Is making his Keith debut Dec. 14 at the 86th Street. The last half Relsman will play at Keith's 81st Street Los Angeles, Dec. 3. Music Buildings Music phase of motion picture production 16 expanding in such proportions that. many' majov stu- dios are continually buildlngr and adding space to their present music quarters. M-G-M Is the latest to recognize the growth of the nausic depai^tment, and within a few •\|\^eeks will have, like Fox and Paramount, a complete building where all sub departments of the .music division can operate under one roof. Fox; is credited with pioneeVing tiils idea.. Before' M-G-M .'dlscOvere'd the Importance and "efBclehcy." of coh- cehtratlng" activities of thi'e' inusic defcartm^nt, executiS'e' ; offices," ' li- braries and composing room's Were'; quartered In a- group of bungalows; near the'studio grounds. Universal recently . doubled size ■ 6f Its .qua^^ : tevs. to make room for a modern, libr.ar.y and additional composers. • . Music '"Dicks" Latest, title he;re-l9 "Music Detec-, tiv^" applied to one well posted on. copyrights and with ability tp tell upon, hearing ai new tune Whether any,.j)art of it has been lifted from a'previous jpublished hunxbet. Wplfe Gilbert and Abel. BaOt.subinltted a brand new tunP for approval of Paramount studio executives. When the d. t. was called In and: traced seyeral bars lifted frort "Faust," the-songwriters canae back- at him with; 'TOU can't gp. wrong with a "Faiust spng-'V -' .'O . Vsrsati Is Composers Staff composers asBlghed to writ» ing^ hUnxbers for Yltaphohe, Varie* ties not only have to^ write lyrion and music, but a story' to fit.. .CPU* rad, Gottler and Mitchell are the latest assigned to writing Vitapfapne shbrts.f.George'Waggner and JT. lU Robinson are' add0d tot.stafT of;'coih' posers at M-G...Sldney Cleare i« doing a siplo oh ^'Radio ReVele" un- • til Oscar Levant kreturns from the east.-/ .. . New Nunib'ers • --. t [With excepttoh of "The*fc*fl^ Dan- g4r in XPur Byes CJhierie;'^ ■ written by Jack Mesklll and Pete Wend- lln^; Jrvlog^ Berlin tsfkeo credit fpr balance of the itoH in Hkt^-Rteih*^ mkn's- picture,- "Putting on the R<tz",(tr. A,)...M6ski» alsO teamed with . Abnef ■ Silveif- bh tiyo othe* numbers ^Or* . <*Blind Haftetv/' * ai* forthcoming lArpe Telbsr- 'starring picture for U. A.; Tltret»'a*e: "Tph Brought the $unshlne to Me" , and "The Wandering ; ■ Mlhstrels". * . Jiames'iHanley and ^JOe McClartH)r arof writlh-* acoife *6r '•'High- SoOlety Blues," to' be produced by.J'PaT'from Dana Burnet's SateSrepost story. 8herman>CI«y .Deal Ed Little of the. 8herman-Clay- oflilce, San Francisco, stopped- tiefH long enough to close the publishlngr deal with Universal, i.This tie-up, -when finally consUmated. affords Uhiversal the - most' unique cotpc' blnation of any picture-music af- filiation. Sherman-Clay conducts its own chain of 8& retail stpres allotted throughout- the country;,. This not only gWee the; picture. Com- pany an "in" on wholesale busi- ness but a direct contact with sheet music buying public^ Ne-w com- bine calling for a 60-60 split on profits, works to ftdvitntage on both 'sides.' '' . ': ''. Radio Complete radio broadcast studio will be installed as part of the M-G Studip publicity department Jan. 1. Station will be hopked up by re- mote control with KHJ, and .used for weekly programs ovep the Co- lumbia nett^rork in conjunction with Purity Bakeries and Tdakter GrilL It win also be used by studio art- ists in local weekly "broadcast hour over KHJ.. .First National's "weekly hour over KFWB featured the enr, tire stalf of WB-FN sOngwrltere, I with each doing his latest songs. 'VARIETY* as Gift A subscription to "Variety" is always an acceptable present, but especially at the hbliday time. Sent to any part of the worjd. FOR YEAI^, $10 FOREIGN (Outside U. S. A ), $11