Evening star., 1942-01-24

bait toward the top tooters. Even a
single number will do-just so the
magic name of that worshiped
baton waver can be flung from thea
ter marques.
Latest to do a chore on the sound
stages is Tommy Dorsey, whose
lively aggregation has just finished
its portion of Ship Ahoy," featur-
ing Eleanor Powell and Red Shelton.
Tommy and his popular jivers are
now playing at the Hollywood Pa
ladfum, palatial dance hall, and
busting records sky high. Two weeks
before landing here they played IA
one and two night stands-to total
of $1,000 persons! Cleveland, De-
troit, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapo-
lis and Louisville contributed to
this record.
South Bend turned out $500
strong in single day. Three days
at the Palace Theater, Akron. Ohio,
drew $1,000 payees. In one night at
Sunnybrook, Pa, $500 assembled to
listen and jitterbug Did some one
say swing bands were on their way
out? All right, listen to this:
During the past four years Dorsey
has played New York's Paramount
Theater seven times-and in those
seven appearances played to $780,
600 people! That ought to be q
clincher.
n n
There's nothing so new about this
current movie furry for bands and
band leaders. Paul Whiteman
started it all back in 1880. His
King of Jazz" holds the all-time
high in pay checks+$450,00 600. Those
were the days when Bing Crosby
was one Of Whiteman's rhythm
boys"
Other high figures paid to band
leaders by movie makers during the
past few years are Fred Warnings
$4,000 for varsity Show" in 1887:
Horace Heidt's $4,000 for Pot O.
Gold" Benny Goodman's $45, 900 for
Hollywood Hotel" and Artie Shaw's
$35, 900 for Dancing Coed" Dorsey
and his crew are reported to have
received $4,000 for their M-G-M
stint in the Powell film.
Jimmy Dorsey, in Dorothy La
mour's The Fleets In" and Gene
Krupa, beating his drums for Ball
Of Fire" both hit jackpots for . few
days footing on sound stages. Kay
Kyser is by now, of course, a def
mite movie personality and Is get
ting his reward in wheelbarrow
loads.
Bands such as the Tommy Dorsey
aggregation are highly organized
businesses. Dorsey counts 60 people
on his pay roll. They include man
ayers, Wallets, publicity agents, ad-
vance men, business experts and rs
musicians.
In 1941 his troupe snagged many
a musical honor. Buddy Rich, Dor
sey's hide beater" drummer to
you) tops the "Downbeat poll. So do
Ziggy Elman, Cornetist; Frank
Sinatra, vocalist, and Sy Oliver,
arranger. And Down beat is the
national swing magazine-with a
million and a half circulation.
But even these super go-getters
have their troubles. Dorsey still
catches his breath when he recalls
the night he helplessly watched a
big passenger bus back over three
instruments-one his own trombone.
Happened at the Moonlight Ball.
room, Cincinnati. Elman's horn also
went under the wheels, as did Gel
Yokum's guitar. That nearly ruined
the engagement.
Dorsey and his gang set something
Of an aerial jiving record few weeks
ago. A pretty Cincinnati debutante
decided she couldn't 60 on living un-
less Tommy and his boys played at
her coming-out party. The fact
that the debut was scheduled for
Christmas Day, that Dorsey was
5000 miles away making a Holly
wood movie, made no difference to
Socialiste Cecil Cunningham. If
Hollywood could put the top name
band under contract, so could she.
She did Christmas eve Tonnnv