Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-26
N. Y. Thea+er
Takes Credit
For Bands e
Began Hiring Orchestras
in '35 as Experiment
BY DAMON RUNYON


Theater of New York, thinks
that establishment is entitled to
much of the credit for the new
gold rush in the band business
that I talked about recently.
He points out that ii was the
Paramount that really put the
bands on earth. so to speak.
planting the seed Tor should I
say germs?) of what I men,
toned as a billion dollar in
dustry eight years ago at which
time bands were few in number
and of no great consequence in
the general scheme of national
public entertainment.
The Paramo cunt Theater
opened in 1926 and tried out
various entertainment policies to
supplement the motion pictures,
using all the so-called big names
of show business in person.
The customers failed to re-
spond in a measure commensu-
rate with the expense involved
and then the theater went to
a straight sound policy. Business
got worse.
In 1885. Bob Weitman, man.
aging director of the Paramount.
hired the Casa Iona Orchestra
for two weeks as special
Christmas attraction.
That is the band / mentioned
as one of the first swing outfits
I ever heard. The reaction was
so good that il was held over an
additional two weeks supple
mented by brace of gentlemen
of tin pan alley known as Riley
and Farley who had concocted
a little thing called The Music
Goes Round and Round"
THEY were a positive knock
out and then Weitman sug-
gested to Y. Frank Freeman,
then theater head of Paramount
in New York, now chief of the
company in Hollywood, that
they present name bands regu-
larly, an idea that the wise
guys of Broadway said would
not work because there were
only just so many name bands
that could be played and after
that-what? 1T seemed a logi-
cal thought as the total of name
bands at the close of 1885 did
not exceed a score.
But the Victim an policy
proved highly successful as may
be judged from the fact that
since inaugurating the scheme
of reinforcing the screen with
name bands the Paramount has
not had a single losing week.
And, of course, the popularity
OF bands at the Paramount
produced new bands which now
number hundreds. The Para
mount has played every one of
any reputation since 1895.
IT HELD a poll in 1886 and
Il votes were cast for only 35
bands. The winners that year
were Guy Lombardo, Glen Gray
and Fred Warning. Way back
in the pack were Benny Good
man and Tommy Dorsey. The
now sensational Harry James
and Gene Krupa were with
Goodman. who came on fast to
win the Paramount poll the fol-
lowing year. Claude Thornhill,
Woody Herman and numerous
other topnotchers of today had
not been heard of then.
1t was Goodman who had the
kids at the Paramount dancing
in the aisles on his appearance
there and the word "jitterbug"
is said to have first come into
general use. In 1888 when Para
mount held its last poll, votes
were cast for $50 bands. even
Max Baer. standing briefly be-
fore an orchestra, getting a few
votes. Weitman thinks Harry
James is the coming king of
swing and that he will displace
Glenn Miller, who has been tops
in Billboard's collegiate poll for
three years.
James, still in his twenties,
son of a former circus band
leader. jumped from thirty
second to third in the Bill
boards recent collegiate poll.
He was a trumpeter for Benny
Goodman for several years be-
fore launching on his own.
Alvino Rey, Les Brown and
Claude Thornhill are rated
corners by Weitman, who Is now
pretty much of an expert on
bands and band business. One
of his favorites to Tommy Dor
sey who recently finished his
eighth engagement at the Para
mount and is high man there
with a total of u weeks in
appearances.
1t is interesting to recall now
that the final standing of the
1886 Paramount poll showed
the first dozen bands as the
fons ;,,dood tho,,, ,xa,a oy,,