Show I I a c r W Words Without Music The Warner Brothers' Brothers film of ol George Gershwin reminds of several I I musical oddities which should ba bo new to most of us For example the origin of Yankee Doodle Durin During Dur lug ing the French and Indian War In 1755 a ragged army was camped on the Hudson a little littIe south of Al bany The militia was so pitiful an anI Englishman named Just I for tor giggles revived a ditty tagged Yankee Doodle which was whistled whistled whis whiz tied In Cromwell's time H He passed the tune off oft as a celebrated European martial air scribbling some talk double-talk lyrics for It The gag was on him Two decades later a tiny American army won its Independence from Britain to the tune of Yankee Doodle Four hundred thousand juke boxes will go overseas to keep our men entertained with the latest record record- ings C C. Porters Porter's Begin the Beguine and Night and Day are still printed in lots of Known as popular standards inthe Inthe in inthe the music biz Otto Harbach Is doing a musical play named Meet Miss April Four hundred million recordings were sold this year They say new recordIng recording recording record- record Ing firms have popped up Rose of ot No Mans Man's Land which sold 5 copies and Till We Meet Again which sold were the biggest song hits of World War WarI I I. I All the ditties of this war haven't bavent equalled the sale of any of the above standouts I Mention of Yankee Doodle above recalls that an American gratefully returned the British favor favorIn In another war over a century later Most of us know Koep the Home Fires Burning was probably probably ably the most popular of En English songs longs during World War I. I Ivor Novello English actor created its s lyrics of course But a little littIe known fact is that Lena Guilbert Ford composed Its melody reportedly In 10 minutes after Novello had bad excitedly excitedly excitedly ex ex- ex- ex read her ber Its words via the phone Miss Ford was killed In 1918 In a German air raid over Lon Lon- don She was an American born bom in Elmira N. N Y Speaking of the Gershwin flicker here is how wrong some critics can be This is what the concert appraiser appraiser appraiser ap ap- ap- ap of the N. N Y Herald Tribune Tribune Tribune Trib Trib- une Lawrence Gilman had to say of the now-famed now Rhapsody in in- Blue when Paul Whiteman premiered premiered premiered pre pre- It here Most ambitious piece on yesterdays yesterday's program was the Rhapsody in Blue of Mr Gershwin Weep over the complete complete- lifelessness of its melody and harmony har bar mony so mony-so so derivative so stale so inexpressive in in- q c. expressive I IOnly Only one Gershwin tune was ever ever- network That was the ditty tagged Nice Work If It You Can Get It The air censors decided its I lyrics were a bit too risque Cole Porters Porter's Love for Sale from j the New Yorkers had the same same- sameI I 1 trouble Jimmy Walker did his t unsuccessful best to get them radio radio- t airings t 1 The first blues song according to tv authority Isaac Goldberg was performed performed performed per per- formed In New York on May 29 t 1769 Then a comic opera tagged The Paddock premiered in a theatre theatre theatre the the- e atre in Gotham It was an adaptation adaptation tt tion of a diversion written by rCharles r rCharles Charles Dibdin and first performed at the Drury Lane Theatre in Lon Lon- don Lewis Hallam playing the part of a West Indian slave had this J for tor the of his big musical number Me wish to de Lord me me- r c was dead It In the Warner film there is a. a scene demonstrating how Al AI Jolson i inserts inser Gershwin's Swanee In la SInbad at the Winter Garden timers Old-timers In show biz will pardon pardon pardon par par- don the dramatic liberty First time time- d Swanee was heard on was i In the initial show opening the Capitol Capitol Capitol Capi Capi- tol Theatre on the Stem Jolson I later interpolated it in his show This Is not the first time tune a hit son song sont b 6 was pushed Into a Broadway production pro pro- production prot t d and made a smash of theopus the the- I opus Some years ago a show called I IThe DOE The Girl Behind the Counter wa was playing to moderate houses houses at the m Herald Square Theatre 0 One Ode night the management inse Inserted ted a aPaul he Paul LIncke tune tagged togged Glo GlowWorm Glow Ind Worm Next day the song long and tl the t t 1 show were the talk of the town F hb Another time a Reginald de Roven opus was playing the Standard Theatre Theatre The The- J Jatre atre at St. St Business was off f iz b izso so 10 a new song was written into th the j P fJ production It carried the show sue sir tied through the season season season- On r I Promise Me Mel 1 General Grant and a regiment of r re hIs men were marching g through ro a northern town and were greeted bye by t tit the shouting and cheering ng of mobs r f Who are those people asked a rj Junior officer Those are the people who area areni t tl I V I going answered Grant I 1 r Then theres there's Betty Beth i Rowland of Hollywood who put s t work that s sh much heart into her I bumped one of her swivel swivel hip 1 P J against a wall and took off for the hospital partially paralyzed ala jf f j 1 E fIt It J |