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166
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
GOOD YEAR IN THE CHICAGO TRADE
"MICKEY" FEATURE OF BIG FILM
Staple Numbers of the Ballad Type Serve to
Keep Business at High Level—Dealers Now
Favoring the Higher-Priced Prints
Song of That Name Used in Connection With
Picture Proves a Very Strong Attraction
December 9.—Chicago music
publishers and managers of branch houses of
Eastern concerns all say that they are very well
satisfied indeed with the showing made the past
year.
A peculiar thing about it is that, contrary
probably to the general opinion, the war songs,
while the feature of the year, do not comprise
the large proportion of the total business done.
It was a good staple year, with songs of the type
of the old-time ballad and a sprinkling of nov-
elty songs leading. The jazz song, if the term
may be used, seems to be gradually declining
in popularity.
Thos. J. Quigley, manager of the Chicago
branch of M. Witmark & Sons, in a chat with
The Review said that the instantaneous country-
wide hit seemed to be a thing of the past. "1
think that the methods formerly used by the
publishers is largely responsible for the fact that
songs of no intrinsic merit were given such wide
popularity in a way that they were bound to die
in a short time," said Mr. Quigley. "The truth
of the matter is that songs have been over-
worked. We now know that there is such a
thing as running a song to death. A song with
some little appeal to popular fancy has simply
been so overworked, played in every restaurant,
every motion picture theatre and wherever peo-
ple congregate, that it has actually been sung to
death. People have got sick of it. As a matter
of fact, there is always a dearth of really good
material—that is, songs with inherent qualities
that work for permanency.
"One of the biggest selling numbers we have
now is 'A Long, Long Trail.' 'Mother Ma-
chree' is a bigger seller now than when it came
out. We are just reviving with remarkable suc-
cess, 'Kiss Me Again,' which was a musical
comedy hit ten years ago.
"It is getting down to the music-in-the-home
proposition. The thing we hear everywhere in
cabarets and motion picture shows does not
seem to be the song the people want in their
homes. In other words, they are getting more
discriminating. The tendency is undoubtedly
towards a better class of songs.
"The dealers seem to be getting the idea, and
for the matter of prestige and profit are push-
ing the 30-cent numbers as they never pushed
them before. Real salesmanship seems to be
coming into the music business."
At the Chicago house of J. H. Remick & Co.
Mr. Worthen made the announcement that their
buisness in 1918 was the largest since 1911.
While they have had, of course, some good war
songs, j'et the better part of their business has
CHICAGO, I I I . ,
JEROME H.RElilCK&Cp.S
^Sensational S o n ^ Hit
Without doubt the most successful composi-
tion or song in co-operation with the motion pic-
DECEMBER 14,
1918
make window displays of the song. The theme
of the number runs throughout the special score
written for the production and the song is
sung at each performance by some well-known
singer. The Columbia Graphophone Co. have
made special records of the song and their
retail dealers in each city will feature and dem-
Miss Mabel Normand, Star of the Feature Film "Mickey"
ture is the Daniels & Wilson number, "Mickey," onstrate these records during the run of the
which was written for the W. H. Production show. Much advertising material has been got-
Co. picture of the same name, in which Mabel ten out by the publishers, by the Columbia
Normand is starred. The picture was just re- Graphophone Co. and by the W. H. Produc-
leased recently and from the reports of the tion Co. The scale on which this advertising
houses in which it has been shown it has material has been gotten up by such large
justified the expectations of the management, concerns shows the number is exceptional. The
and it will without doubt be one of the most success of this co-operation since the picture's
release leaves very little room for doubt that
successful productions of its kind.
In every city where it is shown the dealers "Mickey" will become most popular.
been on standard numbers and high-grade bal-
lads. "Smiles" has. been the big hit of the
year and is selling in increasing numbers. An-
other song by the same composer, Lee S. Rob-
erts, "A Little Birch Canoe and You," promises
to reach a sales figure only second to "Smiles"
from the way it is going at present.
In the war catalog "Till We Meet Again" is
selling rapidly all over the country. "Madelon"
Mr. Worthen characterizes as the "Tipperary"
of the trenches and is having a big vogue. As is
well known, Remick & Co. bought the publica-
tion rights for this country and is supplying a
good English translation of the lyrics for use in
this country.
C. C. CHURCH & COMPANY
60 ALLYN ST., HARTFORD, CONN.
Successors to CHURCH, PAXSON & CO.. New York
FORSTER LIKES "KENTUCKY DREAM"
F. J. A. Forster, of the Forster Music Co.,
Chicago, 111., jobbers and publishers, while in
New York the other day stopped in to see Jos.
W. Stern & Co., and while there listened to
"Kentucky Dream" waltz by the writers of "In-
dianola."
He was so impressed with the number that
he immediately placed an initial order and pro-
nounced it a great composition. This statement
coming from the publisher of "Missouri Waltz"
is significant and augurs well for "Kentucky
Dream."
"WHEN I COME HOME
TO YOU"
Word* by WILL J. CALLAHAN
Music by FRANK H. GRET
3 Keys]
The Song of the Moment
"KEEP THE HOME-
FIRES BURNING"
(Till the Boys Come Home)
SAMMY LAD"
M. G. TEST
High Voice
Low Voict
HUNTZINGER & DILWORTH
159 West 57th Street
NEW YORK
SONGS
"Madelon 11
"Till We Meet Again"
"A Little Birch Canoe and You"
"Smiles"
41 East 34th St.
"Blue Ridge Blues"
BUY YOUR MUSIC FROM
"Tackin 1 'Em Down"
"Give A Little Credit to The
Navy"
"Comprenez-vous Papa"
"In thp Land Where Poppies
Bloom"
"Germany, You'll Soon Be No
Man's Land"
"Blue Bird"
"N'Everything"
"I'll Say She Does"
JEROME H. REMICK & CO.
CHAPPELL & CO., Ltd.
NEW YORK
ROBERT TELLER SONS & DORNER
Music Engravers and Printers
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF
TITLE FOR ESTIMATE
BOSTON
WALTER JACOBS
• Boswortk St,
bHh
of
BOSTON, MASS.
Oliver Ditsoo Company
BOSTON
NEW YORK
Anticipate and supply Every Requirement of Music
Dealers
White-Smith Music Pub. Co.
PUBLISHERS, PRINTERS AND ENGRAVERS OF MUSIC
Main Offices: 62-64 Stanhope St., Boston.
Branch Houses: New York and Chicago.
321 West 43d Street
New York City
Pace & Handy, originators of the "BLUES,"
specialists in rags and Southern ballads, of fer
TWO SENSATIONAL HITS
The Kaiser's Got the Blues
(He's Got Them Weary Blues)
By BROWN a n d HANDY
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
SEND FOR CATALOG
PACE & HANDY MUSIC CO., Inc.
1547 Broadway (Gaiety Theatre Bldg.), NEW YORK