Music Trade Review

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V O L . X L V I I . N o . 24. Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at I Madison Ave., New York, December 12,1908.
on the 'phone and apologized, saying that he
couldn't afford to be at outs with a houte that
Helf & Hager Discontinue Chicago Office—J.
issued so much good music.
H. Remick May Take Vacant Quarters—
Rocco Vocco is using his "contralto" voice with
Holiday Trade Good—Musical Shows That
good effect in the rendition of the Victor Kremer
Are Making Good—Calling a Bluff—Kremer's
numbers. "Morning, Cy," "Playmates," and
Good Numbers—Other Songs That
Find
"Stung," a teddy bear two-step, are among the
Favor With the Fickle Public.
best sellers of the company's popular prints, as
is also "Long Ago," by Frederick Bowers, a song
(Special to The Review.)
on the order of "Dreaming." Paul Wezeman is
Chicago, 111., Dec. 5, 1908.
having phenomenally good success with the band
Helf & Hager, the New York publishing and orchestra department.
house, have discontinued their Chicago office and
Lillian Berri Reid, the well-known singer, for-
hereafter all business will be transacted direct
merly with Brook's Band, is now in vaudeville,
with New York. Homer Howard, who was in and is using four of the big hits of the National
charge of the Chicago branch, will hereafter de- Music Co., entitled "Winnebago," "When the Col-
vote his energies to the wholesale liquor field, lege Chimes Are Ringing," "Yankee Doodle
having joined the brotherhood of the festive sons Girl," and "Praise Ye the King of Life."
of Bacchus for a local concern. It is understood
Leo Friedman, composer of those old hits,
that Jerome H. Remick will take the vacant "Baby Mine," "Coon, Coon, Coon," and "The Sun
quarters in the Grand Opera House building for Dance," which, by the way, is said to have been
his Chicago office.
the first of the Indian melodies, is now connected
Christmas trade is coming along very nieeiy
with the Chicago office of Shapiro as professional
with the publishers and jobbers. "Praise Ye the manager.
King of Life" (National Music Co.) is one of
the big selling Christmas numbers, according to
"MISS INNOCENCE"
H. P. Chandler. R. D. Fuchs, manager of the
Chicago house of A. H. Goetting, reports a brisk
Has the Ziegfeld Trade-Mark
Stamped
All
sale on "Santa Claus" two-step and "Come and
Over It, Says the "Man on the Street"—It
Spend the Christmas With Me" (Helf & Hager).
Is a Fairly Enjoyable Entertainment, How-
"A Stubborn Cinderella" (Harris), while near-
ever—The Book Is by Harry B. Smith—
ing its 300th performance, is just as popular as
Music by Everybody Eke.
ever. Free tickets to the musical comedy were
recently offered as prizes in the public school
Some twelve years ago, Miss Anna Held softly
"Cinderella" contest.
warbled from the stage of the Palace Theater,
Elsie Janis is winning new laurels in "The London, over the carefully brushed head of the
Fair Co-ed" (Witmark), which is on at the Stude- then conductor, Alfred Plumpton, a song entitled
baker for an indefinite run. "A Broken Idol" "Won't You Come and Play Wiz Me." Miss Held
(Remick), at the Whitney, still draws magneti- was not particularly clever in those days, and
cally. The excellent musical score of "A Girl without being unkind, it cannot be said that she
at the Helm" (Harris), combined with neat work has improved with passing years. However, she
on the part of Cecil Lean, one of the long-dis- has a following, and maybe her latest offering,
tance comedians, and Florence Holbrook, his co- "Miss Innocence," may last on Broadway for
star, tend to keep the La Salle Theater before some considerable time.
the public eye. "A Winning Miss" (Leo Feist),
At the outset let it be said that Parisiana
now playing at the Garden Theater, is proving Anna has for once spared us from listening to a
a huge success both musically and financially. song relating to her eyes, which, like her voice,
"Algeria" (Harris) will soon have completed its can never be induced to behave. It would ba
Chicago engagement to make room for "The Melt- utter waste of time to enter into the plot of
ing Pot" at the Chicago Opera House.
"Miss Innocence." If there is one at all, it was
lost in Lawrance D'Orsay's pathetic attempt to
Professional men run up against all kinds of
people. Here is the latest: A small giant, about create a musical comedy lover out of a character
which was as insipid as it was inartistic. Still,
six feet square, came into the Chicago office of
Witmark the other day and asked to see the pro- if for no other achievement, Mr. Ziegfeld is to
fessional man. Otto Frey, who happened to be be congratulated on being the first manager in
in another room at the time, but who heard the this country to see the limitations of Mr. Dorsay,
inquiry, stepped in and asked what he could do who is now in the same position as he was four-
for the stranger. "I don't happen to have my teen years ago, when, as the Life Guardsman in
card with me, and it don't make any difference, "A Gaiety Girl," he drawled, "We don't do much
anyway," said he of the large proportions. "We fighting, but we sometimes play polo."
accommodate only recognized performers," cour-
In "Miss Innocence" Mr. Ziegfeld has gath-
teously answered Mr. Frey. "Don't tell me I ered around him a chorus whose looks were ap-
ain't a recognized performer, and if you don't parently the first consideration. In various stages
get a hump on yourself there'll be something of dress and undress, they coyly ogled the male
doing around here." Frey looked at him a mo- section of the audience with a charming fa-
ment, and said, "I'll give you about three sec- military, which proved conclusively that they
onds to get out of here." The bluffer, having a had not left Broadway for some considerable
sudden hunch that he had an appointment else- time.
where, departed in haste. The next day a very
As a connoisseur of popular songs, Mr. Ziegfeld
humble and penitent individual called up Frey is at his best, and his favors being apparently lav-
WITH THE CHICAGO PUBLISHERS.
SING
^OS 0 P P ER S YEAR E N T S
ished with an indifference to persons and pub-
lishers which is entirely commendable. There is
the "Yankiana Rag," for instance, and "My Post-
card Girl," published by Shapiro. "I Used to be
Afraid to Go Home in the Dark, Now I'm Afraid
to Go at All," and "It's Perfectly Terrible," pub-
lished by Jerome H. Remick. "Puff, Puff, Puff,"
published by M. Witmark & Sons. "I'm Crazy
When the Band Begins to Play," published by
Cohan & Harris, and "The Kind of a Wife a Man
Loves Best," sung in vivacious fashion by that
vivacious comedian, Leo Mars, published
by Gus Edwards. These are far and away the
best songs in the production, so all the dealer
has to do is to pay his money and take his
choice. By the way, Charles Bigelow, the hair-
less one, plays the chief comedy role, in various
disguises. Taking it all in ail, "Miss Inno-
cence" is light and airy, so light, indeed, that it
carry's little or no weight from any point of
view.
TILE MAN ON THE STREET.
HELF & HAGERJN_NEW QUARTERS.
Now Located at 1418 Broadway—The Old
Music Publishing Rialto Now at an End—All
Feeling the Uptown
Movement—A
Chat
With Fred Helf.
On Thursday last Helf & Hager, the "Hitland"
publishers, moved from their old quarters, 43
West 28th street, to 1418 Broadway, which in
future will be their headquarters.
And here endeth 28th street as the music pub-
lishing center. Helf & Hager were the last of
the "popular" publishers to remain within its
sacred precincts, but they at last had to recog-
nize that a move up town was imperative. It is
true that E. T. Paull still remains at the address
where for years he has conducted his publish-
ing business. But then E. T. Paull, although one
of the most popular publishers in the city, has no
entaglement with so-called "popular" music,
being content to publish his own excellent in-
strumental pieces together with his "Edition
Paul," which is second to none in its own par-
ticular sphere. And so the death knell is rung
on "Tin Pan Alley."
Fred Helf, when seen by our "Man on the
Street," spoke earnestly on the plans of the firm
for the future, at the same time, taking a re-
trospective glance over the past two years. With-
out going into details it is safe to say that under
existing conditions, the firm of Helf & Hager
have safely crossed the bridge and are now well
on the prosperity side. In any case they now
have their destinies in their own hands, and
that they are capable of looking after themselves
has long since been demonstrated.
SONG FOR REVIEW.
We have received for review from the Ottie E.
Colburn Music Co., of Brockton, Mass., a song
entitled, "I Don't Want to be a. Little Girlie."
words by Ottie E. Colburn, music by Francis B.
Manning. On the back of the song in question is
the injunction: "Song Pirates and Imitators are
warned to let this song alone." The Review can-
not do better than make this warning general.