Evening star., 1942-11-29
A Hollywood Composer Who Has a Sense of Humor
Meredith Wilson Who Scored Little Foxes Dictator
AS Well as Hit Tunes, Gave Up Temperament rFu
By Robert Myers.
HOLLYWOOD.

played your MISSIONS OF CdH-
fornia' symphony in concert be-
cause I considered you one of the
most promising of the young Amer
lean composers" DR.. Coates told
Wilson afterward
But when I saw you doing that
that slapstick with Frank Morgan
it was just too much. I was hor-
rified."
Versatile, affahle Wilson, who
would have been called a hereto a
few years ago by the lovers Of Bach
Beethoven and Brahms, laughed.
II try to enjoy everything I do
It Is fun to do comedy lines. And
I don't believe this outlet has in
any manner injured my reputation
in the ffeld Of music"
Wilson, tall and easy going, Is
proud Of several things. One is his
home town of Mason City, Iowa; (;
another is his versatility. He has
written two symphonic opuses, San
Francisco and Missions of Cali
fornia," and is working now ON the
Wilson opus No. 3, which he swears
will be called And Old-Fashioned
Piece for People Who Stin Like
Melody"
Best-SeIlers, Also.
He's written lyrics and music 50
catchy that two of them, you and
I" and Two in Love" landed on the
Hit Parade at the same time, which
Is a record for best-se1ers.
wilson's liking for both classical
and popular music was also exemph-
ned some years ago, when he intro
duced Chiffon Swing" using no
saxophones and muting the strings.
He still retains a symphonic pres
entAt1on Of swing music.
To his symphonic and popular
musical efforts. also add a pair of
marches, America Calling" and
wings on High" which have been
widely used. This is hardly sur
prising, because Meredith spent
three seasons with the master Of
marches. John Phillip Sousa.
And don't let anyone tell you
that Sousa wasn't great musician
and a brilliant student of music.
or that any OF his works were the
product of some one else, as some
whisperers would have you believe -
AS lad, Wilson played the piano,
banjo and guitar.
II hated piano practice. AS
matter of fact he winked. the
piano is still just work bench
for me"
Played Under Sousa.
His family. non-profesSionals but
musically devoted, persuaded him to
take up the flute He studied in
New York under the great Barrere
and soon was doing concert work
and accompaniment. In 1921 he
went with Sousa.
Il used to be very temperamenta,
I wore an overcoat with a fur collar,
and when played under Toscanini
discovered I spoke with slight
italian accent. Or if the conductor
was German. I'd speak like he did.
When l first began conducting I'd
tear my hair and act very tenn
peramental,
But l outgrew that. I'll bet 1
haven't thrown baton across the
room in 10 years"
His popular You and I" was ded-
icated to his pretty wife-truth is
that one day / found that we had
to abandon our theme song. That
vas when the ASCAP-radio fight
started. So l had to compose
new theme song, and You and I
came out of it. I composed it in
just a few hours
He wastes little time when ne
gets an idea. The Office Of Defense
Transportation in Washington asked
Meredith (every one calls him Mere
dith) to write song that might
make the Nations truck drivers put
q little extra oomph into their work.
ODT Was Pleased.
Twenty-four hours later Wilson
had My Ten Ton Baby and Me" in
the mail. The ODT was delighted.
One of wilson's earliest hits was
4 suite dedicated to the late o. O.
Mcintyre, called Thoughts While
StroIling." Mcintyre accented it as
his personal theme song and to this
day his widow listens for it to be
played on the air on the February
anniversary Of the columnist's death.
Meredith once received card from
her. postmarked in India, where she
had heard the piece by short wave.
Radio isn't his only musical forte,
however. He has done numerous
scores for motion pictures, including
The Great Dictator" and The Lit
tie Foxes"
Il wanted to find out if this type
Of work was as mysterious and COM
plicated as some of the boys init
mated" he laughed. TITS a snap
Comedian at Heart.
wilson's comedy outlet started
several years ago, but it was left for
Fanny Brice and Frank Morgan to
develop it. Originally a script writer,
with due regard for wilson's dig
nifty as a composer conductor, wrote
serious lines for him. But every
time Meredith spoke them they
sounded funny So the serious writ
ing continued and Meredith kept on
being funny. The comedy, uncon-
:cious as it might be, was continued
when the present Baby Snooks- Nor
gan show began.
Lines like Bend Me Over and Call
Me STOPPED" and Burn Me Up and
Call Me a Perfect Ash are later
day additions to the moronic
straight man part Meredith plays on
the air
Oddly enough. wilson's best gags
are written by a 76-year-old retired
farmer named Fred Wetherow. He
mails them in to Wilson each week
and doesn't want any money for
them. He Just like to hear them on
the air.
And what does Wilson think
about his comedy? He's going tc
keep on with it as long as "it feels
natural"