Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

UHit Parade" Champions
NEW YORK-What popular songs has
America liked best during the seven years
·of CBS' "Your Hit Parade"? Barry Wood,
:singing star of the program, lists the all-
time favorites-the songs chosen number
one by the public during the years the
show has been on the air.
The musical comedy tune which placed
most frequently was Jerome Kern's All the
Things You Are, which appeared on the
program 11 times during the winter of
1939-1940.
The all-time motion picture number was
Harold Arlen's Over the Rainbow, which
was "Sung by Judy Garland in Wizard of Oz.
Most-played novelties: A-Tisket A-Tas-
ket, The Merry-Co-Round Broke Down and
the Woodpecker Song.
Most-played song adapted from the clas-
sics was Larry Clinton's My Reverie from
Debussy.
Composer most represented in the pro-
gram since the first broadcast was Irving
Berlin.
Today's champion on the program is lin-
gle, 1 angle, lingle, which, incidentally, is
the best selling record of Barry Wood's
career.
E'xcelsior Records Debuts
HOLLYWOOD - Excelsior Record Co.,
fathered by Otis Rene, who has had con-
siderable experience ; in the tune-writing,
producing and recording field, announced
their first record release in early August.
Firm intends to record and promote origi-
nal tunes and all will feature colored artists.
Rene will be remembered as the originator
-of the famous Sing Bands of a few years
ago.
As the first release Rene has a disc fea-
turing Herb "Flamingo" Jeffries who was
the featured vocalist for Duke Ellington
and the star of the production "Jump For
Joy." Title of the tune is At Least You
Could Save Me A Dream. Ditty is a haunt-
ing one and seems to be tailor-made for
automatic phonograph use. Backing up is
the Eddie Beal Trio doing String Foo-
losophy.
Gutshall Cabinet Clicks
- LOS ANGELES-These are busy days at
the Jack Gutshall Distributing Co., for oper-
ators are coming in, examining, planking
their doygh on the line, and carting off the
new Twm-12 Replacement Cabinet to their
favorite spots. Following the initial an-
'nouncement in the July REVIEW the wheels
'started to spin and now Jack is getting
down early each morning to take care of
the lads.
Jack has a "dressed-up" model of the
·cabinet which looks like a million dollars
and is available for a small piece of change
·extra.
The Replacement Cabinet is designed to
take care of a twin-12 mechanism, a 20 or
24-record mechanism. Installations are easy
to make and access is provided from the
front as well as the rear. Cabinet is acousti-
cally treated.
il , STRICTLY INSTRUMENTAL
yes s ir, it's
On Decca : JERRY WALD
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Government Soes Petrillo as AFM Chiel
Stands Pat on AOgDstl Recording Ban
NEW YORK-The United States Department of Justice has filed an injunc-
tion suit against James C. Petrillo, president of the American Federation of
Musicians, under the anti-trust laws to prevent the union and its president
from prohibiting union members from making recordings for radio, automatic
phonographs and other non-private use.
Action followed Petrillo's refusal to
amend his August lst order stopping all
record making by union musicians. Petrillo
contends that 550 of the 800 radio stations
in the country employ no union musicians,
and that 8,000 to 9,000 musicians could
be employed in restaurants, night clubs and
other locations that now rely on automati'c
phonographs. Admitting that members of
the AFM received $3,000,000 annually from
recording royalties, he emphasized that they
were losing $100,000,00 in potential em-
ployment because of "canned music."
In late July Elmer Davis, director of the
Office of War Information, appealed to Pe-
trillo to "reconsider" his ultimatum on
patriotic grounds, providing the union's
militant $46,000 a year chief with a face-
saving opportunity for postponing his re-
cording ban for the duration.
"I am informed," the OWl director wrote,
"that if you enforce this edict three direct
consequences will be the elimination of
new electrical transcriptions for the use
of radio stations, the elimination of
new popular records for so-called 'juke
boxes,' and the elimination of new popular
and classical records for home consumption.
I am further informed that this move in
all probability will lead to court fights,
possible strikes, and definitely curtail musi-
cal service to the public in the critical
months ahead-months which may well de-
cide the fate of this country's war effort.
"Since several hundred small, independ-
ent stations which are cooperatinng whole-
heartedly with the government in the war
effort depend for their major sustenance on
electrical transcriptions, your order may
well force them out of business and thus
seriously interfere with the communication
of war information and messages vital to
the public security.
"Since, as you say yourself, 'music is
today one of the finest media for maintain-
ing high public morale,' the elimination of
records for use in restaurants, canteens and
soda parlors where members of the armed
forces go for recreation, and for use in fac-
tories where war workers use juke-boxes
for organized recreation, can scarcely fail
to have a negative effect on morale.
"Therefore, on behalf of the people of
the United tSates and on behalf of the War
rine Corps, the Coast Guard, the Treasury
Department, the Office of Civilian Defense,
and the Office of War Information, I sin-
cerely urge that you consider it your patri-
otic duty to stand by your pledge of Dec.
27, 1941, and withdraw your ultimatum of
June 25, 1942. Sincerely, Elmer Davis, Di-
rector of War Information."
The anti-trust action followed when the
Davis appeal went unheeded. In industry
circles the anti-trust action was entirely un-
expected because the United States Supreme
Court had several years ago refused to
uphold a union conviction gained by Assist-
ant Attorney General Thurman Arnold in
the "hod carrier case" which was based on
the principle that a union could not force
employment of unneeded workers.
Regardless of the outcome it seems quite
certain that there will not be a shortage of
records for some months to come. It is
known' that not only do the wax firms have
a large back-log, but that in the past month
they have been recording at a frantic rate.
One recording executive told a REVIEW re-
porter that he was ready with all the tunes
that will be released through January, while
he has a three year supply of classics. Much
the same holds true for all record compa-
nies, who have tried to work out schedules
of releases with the big publishing houses,
and have had every band under contract in
for at least one recording session. One of
the Big Three has over twenty discs by
each of its two top bands, which at normal
release rates should last them over nine
months.
Within the union itself there is consider-
able dissatisfaction with the stand taken
by Prexy Petrillo and many of the topflight
bands are plenty hopped up about losing a
badly needed source of revenue now that
road dates are taking a walloping. In Holly-
wood one veteran record songster passed
the comment that if the union persists he
will turn in his card and hundreds will fol-
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everyone's got a nickel for
BROTHER BILL
On Bluebird : TONY PASTOR
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