Evening star., 1939-07-30
Girls Won't
Dominate
In Music
Feminine Leaders
Admit That They
Prefer Men
BY Marx Barron,
Associated Press Stan Writer.
NEW YORK

Associated Press Stan Writer.
NEW YORK.
The alluring threat of q distah
domination of the fabulously profit
able orchestra industry is dispelled
by the five top-ranking girls who
direct stage and dance musical
units.
Blond Ina Ray Hutton, brunette
Rita Rio. red-haired Frances Car
roll and other feminine leaders who
watt a baton in front of an or
chestra, admitted that glamour girl
musicians is a lovely idea, but the
actual results are more pleasing
when men collaborate to give the
best renditions of both swing and
straight songs.
Miss Hutton, whose orchestra fire.
quently earns as much as $500 a
week, recently disbanded her girl
unit and is now conducting a unit
of all men.
Miss Carroll, Diosan Costello and
Ramona are the other feminine con-
ductors who lead male bands Only
the Mexico City born Rita Rio still
directs a top all-girl band, and even
she says that they can't match men
in consistently keeping their har-
mony at the high standard de-
manded Of a star stage and dance
orchestra.
There are two reasons girl or
chestras have not been able to COM
pete with men in going through the
exhausting grind which star orches-
tras face" Miss Carroll said. "One
is physical and the other is psyche
logical"
Girls just don't have the stamina
of men. and, believe me, playing
in a dance and stage orchestra Is
as exhausting as digging bitches.
THE psychological handicap is
that while women are very fine
musicians individually, they do not
play together as we'll as men in a
unit. The playing of music is really
your personal opinion of what the
composer had in mind, and this
opinion is magnified In the femi-
nine mind, which is inclined to be
more jealous and 'catty. anyway.
Another handicap faced with an
all-girl orchestra is that you have
difficulty keeping them together once
they are organized and working to-
gether as a unit. You find them
constantly quitting the orchestra to
get married. 60 back to school or &c
back to their husbands" S
Miss Carroll, who was born IA
Toronto, admitted that evens she
sometimes deserts her 1l1-male or
chestra to play engagements In the
sister team song-and-dance act In
which she was performing when her
sweet playing of the clarinet won
he the chance to direct an orchestra
Il learned to play the clarinet be-
cause I had school girl crush or
a fellow who played one and ]
thought if I learned to play one ]
might win his love-" she confessed
Il learned to play the clarinet, but
he just listened and said nothing
about romance"
The 24-year-old Miss Hutton, who
left her Chicago home and changed
her name from Odessa Cowan, has
been one Of the most successful
financially of the women orchestrs
leaders. When not touring with he
band, which is composed of a grour
OF Pittsburgh boys who are all 2;
years old or under, she lives in 6
luxurious penthouse in New Yorl
City. The telephones and decora.
tions are all in white, including {
mammoth white bearskin rug on he
bedroom floor.
Men also can be handicaps in ar
orchestra, Miss Hutton said. "Firs
you have to be sure that they art
good musicians and also you canno
have them too handsome. "Tht
pretty boys are permissible in stage
band, but you are running into dan.
ger with them in a dance band be.
cause the girls on the floor pay tot
much attention to them and mo-
enough to their own escorts. 9TH.
man who can swing his music with
authority and sweetness and whit
still has homely face is the idea
man for dance orchestra"
Miss Hutton plays both the clari.
net and piano and usually combines
slinky tap dance with her con.
Quoting of the orchestra. Theatel
managers say she is canny, sensible
businesswoman. She says the chic
reason she has become successful
with swing music is that she frankl.
likes to hear it. When she hear
number she likes she plays /
over and over for hours at time
Miss Costello, an -Italiar
girl who was born in Puerto Rico
| (See BARRON, Page F-2)