rVE BEEN
AROUND
NEW YORK
i By TED YATES
I
MilmndtxcUumbtbnmti At fseiUtmtf lit INDEPENDENT PRESS SERVICE. 27i tlmim S*m,
Ntw Ytri 14, N. Y. irpndmtim in part tr with Uriah ftrbdim.
IT WAS THE GI JIVE—MAN ALIVE I
There were any number of stories told by GI vets returning
from overseas that would fill a column.' But a very interesting one
that should rate a handshake is a tale of prejudice in an Army ramp
right here at home that took place long before the Axis partners
called it quits. 1
It happened near Columbia, South Carolina, at one of your
Uncle Sammy’s embarkation points. The ironic twist to this story
is that Negro troops were not admitted to the barracks Where whites
were housed—on the very same soil which these Negro boys had
spent ail of their lives; where they played, worked, and, yes, many
had helped to build on this very land. True, some of the colored
boys were from the North—but they were all Negroes.
There was the time when one of the all-Negro name bands,
- - on a USO tour of Army camps, and naval stations • - stopped
off here to thrill "our boys."
A number of Negro troops mingled with the musicians after
Mess. They hailed from various sections of the country—the boys
in khaki making inquiries of their loved ones "back home” had
looked upon this moment as a thrill outa this world!
In the group there was a white soldier, Private Lester Finver, j
of New York. Finver was "solid” with the Negro troops. He
knew music and musicians and like his fellow-buddies this meeting
up with some-of-the-boys was copesetic. But it was short-lived.
An MP sauntered up and shouted, "Break it up, you guys!”
The Negro soldiers not knowing what was in store for rh<»m
made a bee-line for auditorium where they knew the band was
slated to give out with rhythm.
A commanding officer in company with several other brass
hats called out to the MP (at this moment several other MP’s—
white, of course—appeared on the scene). The CO yelled out,
"Get those Colored toys out of there and order them to their
barracks. What the hell’s going on here, anyhow?”
Just then a Negro sergeant walked up to tfie officer. He was
accompanied by Private Finver.
"Sir,” he said, "our boys want to know why they can’t sec
the show tonight?”
"It is not right to deny them of entertainment, Officer . . . , "
Private Finver did not finish.
Address me as Captain, you! and he looked at Finver, And
for your information, Sarge, I’m not letting the boys see the show
tonight. You also can inform your commanding officer to that
effect. That's an order!"
The Negro non-commissioned officer and Finver were broken
hearted, disgusted. There was much grumbling among the Negro
troops. Still they would not let this crackpot Cracker officer cause
them to riot. It would just mean giving the Axis an opportunity to
weild more severe attacks on our Allies by the delay of the departure
of more American troops. Our boys knew this would happen so
they chose to be orderly.
Finver protested vigorously the next day at GHQ.
His reward was a threat to be placed in the "brig’’ if he was
ever seen talking to a Negro soldier in camp.
"Do you realize that you could have started a Race riot?”
said one offyer.
"Never let it happen again, Private Finver," commanded another.
There was nothing that Finver could do. Discrimination ruled
in a U.S. Army camp. The just cause which brought about the
drafting of men into the Service—to protect a citizen’s rights, to
abolish prejudice and do away with discrimination was all mockery,
Finver thought to himself.
irked be decided to do something about it.
It was a deplorable situation and he wrote his other two
brothers in the service. He told them about the incident and of
other conditions that prevailed in a U.S. Army camp where men
who were fighting for democracy were being denied their rights—
their citizenry was being taken away from them. Out in the open
they were being discriminated against. Southern officers were waging
a revival of the Gvil War and making "soldier slaves” of Negroes.
Gilored troops were serving in the capacity of servants for brass
bats—and to top it off, Negroes were denied entertainment that
for the most part, and at this particular camp, consisted of Negro
talent.
He wrote to his two brothers,"—and at the end of the War,
should God spare us, we have got to do something to make music
available to Negroes in the South.”
Master-Sgt. Lawrence Finver served at Fort Edwards, Mass.,
and his brother, Capt. Joseph Finver, was stationed at Governor’s
Island, N. Y.
The trio met at the end of the war and discussed the problem
that involved the Negro Race as a whole. Lawrence and joe
decided to combat this evil the best way they knew how. They
formed a partnership and established a mail order record company—■
dealing exclusively with Race records . . . and that dear readers
was exactly how Guver-Hampton Company, 506—62nd Street,
Brooklyn 20, N. Y., was formed.
A Handshake to all three of them—Lester, Lawrence and
Joe. They are doing their part to make Democracy work in
America.
The GI Jive—man alive} You know that too?.
Actress- \\ riter To Handle Herald Pictures Publicity
Lou Swartz, director of Negro
Publicity for Harold Pictures Inc.,
and her secretary, War.da Macy,
start the publicity campaign on
"BOY! WHAT A GIRL-” fise of
the twelve All-Star productions to
be made by Heraild Pictures and
now ready for release. Lou is a tal
ented actress and will probably
appear in some of the pictures she
publicizes.
ALL-NEGRO FILMS TO BE
MAOEE AT NEW FEDERAL
STUDIOS IN BROOKLYN
NEW YORK—All-Negro motion
pictures will be produced in
Brooklyn in 1947 at the new Fed
eral Studios according to an an
nouncement made by Jack Gold
berg, president of Herald Pictures
Inc., of which Federal Studios Inc.,
is & subsidiary company. Federal
Studios Inc., has cquired the for
mer home of the Brooklyn Elks, in
the heart of downtown Brooklyn,
and will start work immediately
on the conversion of the property
into an ultra-modern motion pic*
ture studio.
The building is an imposing five
story structure on a plot 100x115
and is adjacent to the Fulton st.
stations of New York’s IRT and
8th av. subways.
The new plant •will contain, three
sound stages with the latest equip
ment and prepartions are being
made to utilize the entire top floor
for television. The studio will be
completely fireproof and equipped
with film vaults, cutting rooms
and fcillties for casts and produc
tion crews. In addition to an up
to-date commissary and generous
office- space, it will also include
a full-scale modem preview thea
Celebrating Birthdays
jpiut party for these polio victims who have the same birthdate was given at the Lee Angeles Ortho
paedic Hospital where these children are assured treatment by the National Foundation for Infarf
nip ppmIvck Snip cnnnnri of ihp Foundation comes from the March of Dimes, January 15-30.
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Entertainment
opening at the amvets Club,
Post No- 2 Tuesday January 21,
Karri*
was Americas
leading Blues
:s Singer, Oma
1 has own -
Wynonie Har
i' is, who made
good on the
coast several
I years ago, after
heading some of
Omaha’s stellar
attractions at the
old Harlem ciud
* * && managed by Mr.
Jim Bell, then
Jim Bell.then went on to estab
lish himself on Broadway and a
mong America’s leading singers of
the Blues.
Among Wynonie’s latest and
most famous recordings are “Who
Threw the Whiskey in the Well?"
“Around the Clock,” and “Cockle
Do Doodle Do”. _KIT and KAT
the stellar dancing team, and Ter"
ry Gordon, and his Rhythm Rock
ers, supported by the lovely brown
skinned vocalist, Miss Betty Giv
ens, packed ’em in. The AMVETS
Club staff are giving Omahans the
tops in entertaiment. featuring
the race’s leading entertainers.
Omahans, attracted to these star
studded shows, are responding to
the extent that crowds are being
turned away. The Guide’s staff
writer, hopes the citizens of Oma
ha will continue to support the
high class type of entertainment
that is now being featured and
what has been badly needed so
long in Omaha. The presence of
our readers at the beautiful AM
VETS Club rooms, means the con
tinuance of top attractions at the
local club.
***
Count Basie, and his orchestra
will appear Tuesday nite January
27th at the Dreamland Ballroom.
Basie features the popular solid
senders Jo-oJ Jones and Jimmy
(Mr. Five by Five) Rushing.
***
Nat Towles, Omaha's own Lot
tsa Poppa, and fast rising top
flight orchestra leader, and record
ing •artist, completed his engage
ment at the AMVET Club, where
the nightly crowds zoomed higher
and higher, with many folks being
turned away. The Towles unit
will open February 7th at the fam*
ed Apollo Theatre with the King
Cole Trio, for a (1) week engage
ment, followed by an Eastern tour.
Esquire's 1947 Book of Jazz, award
ed the iKng Cole Trio Three, the
gold medals on the King Cole Trio
Time hour, heard over NBC- Satur
day January 18th.
***
When the “Wings Over Jordan
program opened its 10th year of
broadcasting, over CBS.A series
of monthly “scholarship awards”
were announced, in which high
school students in principle cities
will compete by writing essays on
the subject: "Why the Negro Spir
ituals Should be Preserved.”
*** ,
Pearl Primus, young sensational
dancer, was awarded the Newspa
per Guild’s Page One Award, for
her interpretation of Negro culture
through the dance. Miss Primus
is well known for her primitive and
modern dances.
***
The World Famous “Ink Spots”
quartette recently received the
double barreled award of having
been polled the outstanding quart
ette of the year and for having re
corded the largest money-making
disc of 1946. The awards were
presented on the stage of the Apol'
lo Theatre, where 9 years ago, Bill
Kenney, the tall famed, “Ink Spot'
tenor, fresh from Howard univers
ity, made his initial entrance into
show business, by singing on an ’
amateur contest.
r »
Don't Fight, Fellows
“Don’t fight, fellows," seems to be the plea of quartet maestro I
Doles Dickens as he sandwiches himself between Henry Armstrong '
and Joe Louis. Actually Joe is congratulating Henry on his new
Melody Room in Harlem where Dickens’ outstanding quartet is j
currently featured. Armstrong’s Melody Room opened two weeks j
ago with rival restaurateur Joe Louis on hand. Doles Dickens form- ;
erly played bass and sang with the Phil Moore Four and only re
cently organized his own outfit which is already the talk of the town, j
tre.
Herald Pictures Inc., will pro
duce the major part of the re
maining 10 all-Negro production,
scheduled on its 12-feature 1947
program, t the new studio. Plans
are currently being readied for a
Negro Repertory Theatre and
classes in motion picture arts
which will be conducted by recog
nized experts at the Federal Stu
dios later in, the year.
NEBRASKANS INVEST
$108,490,250 IN BONDS
YEAR OF 1946
Nebraskans invested a total of
$108,490,520 in E. F. and G series
U. S. Savings Bonds during 1946,
according to Leland R. Hall, state
director for Nebraska of the U. S.
Savings Bonds Division. Of this
amount nearly two-thirds or
$68,496,268, was “E” series Bonds.
“December was one of the best
months of the year for bond sales.''
Hall said. “In Decemer, Nebraska
sales totalled $9,444,520, an in
crease of over a million and a half
dollars from theprevious month.
E series sales for December to tall
ed $5,805,268."
Eleven Nebraska counties sold
sold more than lOOthousand dol
lars in series E Bonds during Dec
ember. These counties and the a
mount of “E" Bond sales in each
were:
$551,550,; Adams $143,006; Saline
$124,525; Scotts Bluff $122,250;
Hall, $114,350; Platte, $111,112;
and Gage, $102, 375.
“The 1946 sales figures indicate
that Nebraskans have continued to
buy government bonds at a rate al
most equal to monthly sales in the
periods between War Loan Drives,”
Hall continued.
“Nebraska ranked third in the !
nation for the first eleven months
of 1946 with Bond, sales exceeding
redemptions by 127 per cent. Only
South Dakota and North Dakota
exceeded Nebraska’s record. These
bond sales figures indicate that
Nebraskans are investin a sub
stantial part of their income in
bonds, because they consider U. S.
Savings Bonds a sound invest
ment. ,
“Much credit must be given the
bankers of Nebraska for encourg
ing their customers to invest their
surplus funds In government. Dur
ing 1947,, I hope that Nebraskans
... .
SWIMMIN' HOLE SIREN-This should bo
i good description of pretty Julie London,
vho has a role in the new United Artists
>creen release, "The Red House." This film
stars Edward G. Robinson and Lon McCal
ister. Produced by Sol lesser.
MAT No. 78)
will continue to invest a portion oi
their savings in U. S. Savings
Bonds as a reserve for futurt
years." Hall added.
Freezing Milk
Why does the freezing milk
always push the cap off the milk
oottle? Water freezes from the
top down, Science Illustrated ex
plains. If the bottle was filled with
water it would break the glass
But with cream the freezing par
ticles can escape upward, forcing
the cap upwards — and pr
wme ice cream for the cat .-..ovr
tp rp.
103 CANDLES
FOR AUNT CINDY
Hickory North Carolina—It took
a lot of candles and a big cake
when “Aunt Cindy” Carpenter, ex
slave, celebrated her birthday. The
cake bore 103 candles,
Group Readies For Gay Paree
NEW YORK CITY—Mona and her Afro-Cu
ban Rhythm Boys let you in on one of their
hot numbers which has set the folks atalk
ing, and such pleases both (Mona and her
personal Manager—M. Cassvan who has al
ready sealed the contract to send the Group
to the Folies Bergere in Paris, France in
March. However, before going to Paris the
Group will fill a few of the many “Request”
engagements here in the States. Those who
have viwed the Act at the Apojllo gave praise
to Mona for her interpretative, artistic Dane
es, the unique original and spectacular
Choregraphy which was under the supervis
ion of Cassvan and also for her perfect
figure, her charm and personality. This Act
is just one of the few which Cassvan is send
ing to Paris, and according to a recent con
versation with him, he will also send over a
Comic Band which is now in Canada.
“News of The
and Reviews”
• • •
An outstanding contribution to
the library of recorded jazz, RCA
Victor’s “New 52nd Street Jazz”
album present two of the outstand
stars of the Manhattan famous
sector, Dizzy Gillespie and Cole
man Hawkins and their orchestras
in exciting showcases for the in
dividual techniques and those of
their sidemen. Both these brilliant
musicians have won wide acclaim
for their exceptional playing, and
they have brought to the “Swing
Street” much of the fame which
has made the famous New York
mid-town night club block such
a celebrated mecca for jazz fans.
The two bands share eight sel
ections, four apiece, in this album,
with Dizzy and his band display
ing their vlrtusosity on “52nd
Street Theme,’* “Night in Tunis
ia,’* ‘Or Man Rebop” and “Antro
pology.” The mellow sax of Cole
man Hawkins with his orchestra
is heard on “Say It Isn’t So,"
“Spotlite,” “Low Flame” and I
“Allen’s Alley.”
The musicians heard on Dizzy
Gillespie’s sides include such cele
brated performers as Don Byas,
J. C. Heard, Milt Jackson, A1
Haig and Bill de Arangp, while
the Coleman Hawkins numbers in
clude the brilliant musical high
lights of Charlie Shavers, Allen
Eager, Pete Brown and Mary Os
borne, with Jimmy Jones on piano.
(The album was recorded under
the direct supervision of Leonard
Feather, one of the most prominent
of present-day jazz critics, com
mentators and record reviewers).
« • *
At a leisurely pace with real
jazz feeling, Louis Amrstrong
asks, on his latest RCA Victor re
lease, ‘Do You Know What It
Means to Miss New Orleans."
phrasing the question both in his
husky style of vocalizing and the
crystal-clear tones of his celebrat
ed trumpet. The tune is from the
great musician’s forthcoming
movie, ‘‘New Orleons,” which
traces the progress of jazz from
Basin Street to Chicago's South
Side. Charlie Beal’s piano sets the
mood, then Louis blows horn with
his brilliant technique in evidence
and there’s a final chorus by Bar
ney Bigard on clarinet. At a live
ly tempo, with strong ensemble
drive from the band boys, Louis
paints the musical picture of “En
die," on the reverse.
* * *
One of the outstanding jazz re
cordings of all time, ‘ Fats’’ Wal
ler’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ”, a col
lector’s item which nearly was lost
for posterity in the film sound
track vaults of 20th-Century Fox
Studio, now is being released by
RCA Victor after two years of
negotiations to clear the rights,
This classic rendition of the fam
iliar favorite by one of the great
popular musicians of all time, alsc
Bedecked With" Beauty
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KANSAS CITY, MO.—Candidates for queen of the American
Royal Exposition here are shown on the nnusoal floral float In the pic*
turo above. This float, a Fruehauf trailer, led the parade which was
one of the highlights of the annual livestock event that drew thousands
of spectators from all over the U. S.
features a sensational group of
side men, including some of the
“all-time greats” of the swing
world, among them Benny Carter,
“Slim” Moore, Gene Porter, Irving
Ashby, “Slam” Stewart and
"Zutty” Singleton. "Ain’t Misbe
havin’ ”, recorded for the film
"Stormy Weather," was deleted
in the final version. Now, on 12
inch disc, the memorable combo
is re-issued as a fitting “Fats”
Waller memorial.
The reverse side, “Moppin’ and
Boppin’ ”, is an all-instrumental
which spotlights the group's in
dividual solos. The superb cohesion
and musicianship of the perfor
mances on both these sides pro
vides a thrilling musical experi
ence.
SPECIAL GROUPS
GEORGE A. KEEFE, of 19<
Dodge street, has been narm
chairman of the Special Grou
commitee of the Douglas County
1947 Red Cross drive, by E. C.
Schmidt, general chairman
“I Ain’t Mad at You”
m JESSE PfTCE
Hollywood—This is the personable performer whose Capitol
record of “I Ain’t Mad at You” is blowing up a breeze in the
nation's juke-boxes. Jesse Price, above, sings and drums in
what he calls “solid Kansas City style.” He leads his own
hand in Hollywood and has just been given a new Capitol
recording contract by Capitol’s Dave Dexter, who is well
kntjpwn as author of the new book, “Jazz Cavalcade.” Price
has been singing “I Ain’t Mad” for many years, but his rec
ord wasn’t released until Jan. 1.
GREAT LOVE STORY ENRICHED BY
MUSIC IN REPUBLIC’S TECHNICOLOR
“I’VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU”
TED YATE3 PUBLICATIONS
Lovely Catherine McLeod and dynamic Philip Dorn in a dramatic
moment from Frank Borzage’s Technicolor picture, “I’ve Always
Loved You,” which co-stars Miss McLeod. Dorn and William Carter.1
Artur Rubinstein, one of our greatest contemporary pianists, recorded'
the entire musical score for the Republic production.