The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-31
JOE HOWARD HERE
Musical Comedy King" RejOins
Show After Two Weeks.
Time Spent in Chicago Where
He Has Bought Home.
DAY OF NEW IDEAS.
Public Now Demands Drama
Trimmed With Music.
Must BE Served on Silver Tray,
Declares Song Writer.

Joseph E. Howard, formerly Of Law
renee Kan, who as boy on the
streets of Denver lifted his voice in
song as he stood upon the street corner
and sold papers; who now is known as
the king of Musical Comedy" and
who also is known as the most prolific
song writer of America, arrived in To-
peWa last night from Lawrence, where
he stopped and visited on his way here
to rejoin 1.-The Goddess of Liberty" the
Grand matinee attraction, which will
be repeated tonight. He returns to the
show after a two weeks absence in
Chicago.
Discussing musical shows, following
his arrival, Howard said that the time
Of the dance and spangles Is past and
that the public now demands heroic
melodranla served on a silver tray and
surrounded with trimmings. He opens
in Chicago on March %, in Love in
Politics. bill of that type which he
recently completed with Hough & Ad-
ans.
Howard now has fourteen musical
shows on the road and has finished the
i work of writing all the shows that
| Mort H. Singer will produce next sea-
son. Not having anything else to do
this winter and being able to write
songs on the road as well as in Chi
cago, Howard is taking what he calls
a vacation, playing the one night
stands and week star.ds over the coun
| try.
No unknown writer has any chance
| with songs, according to Howard, I'M
| less he can interest some star in his
work and get that particular star to
| sing his songs. If some star can be in
terested and the song proves hit then
! the fortune of the author is made, says
Howard, who declares that the stars
| can and do dictate to the managers
what SONGS they use. What is my
favorite of all the songs I ever wrote?"
! repeated Howard, following question.
That's hard to pick. In fact I don't
believe I'd like to pick out one above
all the rest. I like them all. Some
times I think one song is the prettiest
but after a few days I'll switch to an
other one Finally I give it up and say
they're all my favorites."
His Best Selling Songs
! well, what have been the best SELL
ers?"
GOOD By, My Lady Love- went
over million copies. So did Hello, My
/ Baby They were individual popular
songs that made hits without being
sung in any musical show. Two other
! big sellers that almost hit the million
mark were Waning Honeymoon and
| Honeymoon Trail You Look Awfully
Good to Father was another big hit.
| 1t went up above 100000 copies in little
more than single season 1t was sung
| in The Umpire if you remember. I
could name nearly forty more, but it
looks now as though T Wonder Who's
kissing Her Now, is going to surpass
them all.
1.-THE day of big song hits seems to be
| passing. Time was once when there
were not so many musical shows pro-
| duced, and consequently there were fewer
songs that people who go to the theater
became intimately acquainted with
/ But now, when managers are putting
| on scores of shows every year, it is an
| unusual thing for a song to become
hundreds of thousands. One that goes
to a million is a wonder, indeed
How did you get into the song writ
ing business?" Howard was asked.
ooh, just naturally drifted into it,
was the answer. st have been con-
nected with the stage since I was 10
years old. At that age I Joined the Nc
| Nish, Johnson and Slavin minstrels.
From that I got into Pat Riley's The
| F arl of Pekin' From the very first
/ tunes seemed to go drifting through my
head, and I'd sing them or play them,
and other people would appreciate them
| and put them into shows.
Got Start In Vaudeville.
| well, got into vaudeville and used
some of my own stuff, and it seemed to
| go as well as any could get elsewhere
So kept up writing down the bits OF
airs that came to me- I knocked
around in vaudeville and played with
Eddy Foy and a lot of other stars with
the Palace Theater Stock company in
Denver. For ten years or so was in
Colorado. principally in Denver and
Leadville. was in vaudeville with Bob
Fitzsimmons. Ida Emerson and 1 were
together in the team of Howard an6
emerson and played all over the coun-
try in audeville. Finally thought I'd
write a whole show. The first one was
Chow Chow. I wrote it and staged ii
in Chicago. did the same thing witt
The Paraders' and with Tom Tom
tRubes and Roses The Isle of BONG
Bong and His Highness the Bey.'
Then followed the long list OF
shows I wrote for Mort Singer. They
included The Umpire The Time. the
Place and the Girl The Girl CUES