The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-08-29
HOLLYWOOD
NOTES
BY BOB THOMAS

HOLLYWOOD R-What a diff
ference a hit song makes.
At least it changed the life of
Ross Bagdasarian. He's the guy
who was responsible for "come
Ona My House," which was driv-
ing the nation buggy a year ago.
Yes, his cousin, william Saroyan,
also got credit for the composition,
but his contribution was repeatedly
slight.
Anyway, the song completely
altered the life of Bagdasarian,
whose career had long wavered
between show business and grapes.
Ross-Let's call him by his
easier first name--is a member
of that tribe of Americans of
Americans of Armenian ancestry
who have settled in the warm San
Joaquin Valley, principally around
Fresno. He is happy extrovert,
full of the joy of living. He might
have stepped out of a Saroyan
play, which indeed he has.
The lad abandoned the family
trade-grapes-to follow his fam
Gus cousin. Ross appeared in two
Saroyan plays on Broadway: ''time
of Your Life" in which he played
the pin-ball maniac, and Loves
Old Sweet Song" with Walter
Hutson. Then came the war.
AFTER ! got out of the service,
I decided would settle down in
Fresno and raise grapes" he re-
lated. st so happened that my
first crop came in the worst grape
season in 81 years. lost every
thing. So I decided to come to
Hollywood. My wife now says,
Thank heaven the grapes weren't
good that year."
With a wife and two kids to
support, Ross began pounding on
music publishers doors. He had
written "Come 0na My House" 10
years before, but had never been
able to interest anyone in it. He
still had no luck.
81 tried it with nearly every
singer" he said, .'but they all
turned it down. Peggy Lee and
Dave Barbour said it was too late
in the summer to put it out.
frankie Lame said dialect songs
never sold. The Andrews sisters
weren't interested"
Finally he sent a record of the
song East with Friend, who was
instructed to play it for Kay
Arman. Still nothing happened.
Some time later-he learned that
Kay Arman had recorded the song,
and so had a new singer named
Rosemary Clooney. Then things
started popping.
"My luck changed" Ross said.
''In the past year, I've had two
hit songs (the other: What's the
Use,' recorded by Johnny Ray)
and acted in six pictures"
Ross, who is currently playing
a land-locked sailor in ''60 Saddles
for Gobi," said the film roles
resulted from his fame as song
writer. His life has changed In
other ways, too.
''When / used to peddle my
songs to publishers. they'd treat
me like dirt" he said. IF ! ven
tured an opinion of a song, they'd
say, Who are your
Now I'm ushered in like
celebrity. And If say something
about song they listen attentively
and say, oh, you're so right
It's ridiculous. I'm no different
from what was before Come 0na
MY House was published"
He said he also receives manu-
scripts from hopeful songwriters.
II just got IL songs from q kid
from Michigan" Ross said. HE
said he had been in New York
three days and couldn't get in to
see a publisher. All / could tell
him was to be patient. It took
me 10 years"
Although Ross Is thriving In his
present profession, he hasn't for
gotten his old one. He manages
to get the word grape" into the
lyrics of every song he writes.