May 31, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom -5/30/25 Edition

Show Notes
Transcript

This week's Make Believe Ballroom brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a look at what Jeff Bressler feels is the primary reason for the demise of big bands, a story on how opposites attract, listener emails, and Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week—this and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on the program.

The Make Believe Ballroom is broadcast on member-supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC in Rochester, NY, as well as on other fine radio affiliates across the United States and the United Kingdom, and is also available as a podcast.

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It's make believe ballroom time.

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Put all your cares away.

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All the bands are here to bring.

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Good cheer your way.

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It's make belief ballroom time and free to everyone. It's

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no time to friend your Dalis said bombs. Close your

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eyes and visualize in your solitude.

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Your favorite bands are on the stands.

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And mister Miller, what's you're in the mood?

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It's make believe ballroom time. We are a sweet romance.

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Is you make it bottom?

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Come on jo the last dast.

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Last, Hello world, I'm Jeff Presler, turning on the lights

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of the make Bully Ballroom and welcoming you into my

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Crystal studio for another program of classic big band hits

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from the nineteen thirties and forties. Whether you're listening today

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on the radio by a great affiliate's like Jazz ninety

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point one WGMC in Rochester, New York, or maybe enjoying

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the show on a podcast or even on internet radio

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in the United Kingdom. Any way you've gotten here, I

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deeply appreciate it, and join me as I get ready

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to spin for you some amazing big band jazz, swing, blues,

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and boogie woogie favorites. Folks, you're listening to the Make

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Believe Ballroom, broadcasting almost continuously since nineteen thirty five, and

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to welcome well, welcome one and all into the Crystal Studio.

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Why don't we open the show today with a couple

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of vocals and you could never go wrong with these two.

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Let's start with a little satch mode.

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All me?

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Why not take all of me? Baby?

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Oh can't you see I'm not going to worry about

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you or anybody danging lives.

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I won't just leave them.

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Oh then taking my arm, I'll lever.

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Use them, old bed be your good bye? Left me

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without that guy?

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Oh man, I got.

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I'm going there without you?

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You get before?

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That's what was mine? Oh oh the cost all the

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say it.

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It di.

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All of me.

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Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra, recorded on Okay Records in

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January of nineteen thirty two, and now a beloved depression

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ratoon courtesy of Bing Crosby.

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A long time ago, a million years BC, the best

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things in life were absolutely free, but no one appreciator

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sky that was always blue, and no one congratulated Oh Moon,

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he was always new. So it was planned that they

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would vanish now and then and you must pay before

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you get them back again. That's what storms were made for.

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And you shouldn't be afraid for every time it rains.

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And he's from heaven.

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Don't you know each cloud contains and he's from heaven.

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You'll mind your fagin.

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Fallen all over time.

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Be sure that you're.

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Me is upside. Don pray them for a package all.

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Sunshining flower. If you want the things you love, you

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must have shower.

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So well you hear it, thunder, don't run undert There'll

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be pennies from Heaven for you and me.

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Moody, you must have shot so well you hear it. On,

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don't run under.

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Low'dy.

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Pennies from Heaven for you, a number one hit parade

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song for four weeks, a big top seller for being,

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and the title song from a nineteen thirty six film

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He started by Deca Records. Pennies from Heaven orchestra constructed

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by Georgie Stall, recorded in Los Angeles, July the twenty fourth,

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nineteen thirty six. And now why don't I go to

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the playlist. I think what I'm going to do is

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choose another that was recorded in thirty six. I am

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perusing the playlist now looking for perhaps something a little

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more up tempo to play, and well, here's a classic

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sha on Victor Records, A Swing Time in the Rockies

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by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, recorded in New York

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City June the fifteenth, nineteen thirty six. Let Me Play

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One More by Benny Goodman and this record was part

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of that same RCA Victor recording session for Goodman that

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took place on June the fifteenth, nineteen thirty six. I

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found a new baby any Goodman and his orchestra. I'm

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Jeff Bresler, and you're listening to the one, the only,

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the original Make Believe Ballroom broadcasting almost continuously since nineteen

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thirty five. And I think what I'm gonna do now

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is change things up a little. Usually play now listeners

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emails pretty deep into the program. But what I think

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I'm gonna do is read to you to listener's emails

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right now.

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I'm going to send write down and write myself a.

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Lot and my belie the game from you.

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I'm going to write so sweet that all love me,

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all a lot of kisses on the bottom.

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I'll be glad I got it.

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I'm gonna smile and say I hold you're fending better.

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M closes with love the way.

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I'm gonna send right down and write myself a letter.

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And made me with game from.

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I'm fortunate here in the Crystal studio to receive emails

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each week. I love emails because it lets me know

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that you're involved in the program and thoughtful enough to

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drop me a line. Emails also let me know that

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we indeed have listeners out there who enjoy the program,

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and that I'm not just broadcasting to my cat or something.

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I don't have a cat, but I think you get

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the idea. Our first email today, and I don't know

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whether she has a cat or not, comes to us

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from Karen Schuster, who listens on Jazz ninety point one

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in Rochester, New York, the wonderful jazz station that I

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like to say is our flagship affiliate. And to Karen,

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that's Karen with ac rights. I haven't written to you

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in a few years. I'm the lady who gave you

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the recipe for nocchi. Yes, yes, Karen, actually do remember

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that Karen goes on I was recently speaking to a

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cousin in Chicago who informed me that we were cousins

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several times removed from a band leader named Benny Strong.

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Can you will let me do your detective work and

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track down some of his music? I'll be listening. Thank you,

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Karen Well, Karen, Karen with the Sea. Benny Strong was

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a Chicago based band leader and singer, and I guess

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that's why your cousin in Chicago found out that you

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and her were related. So Benny was a show in

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himself because in addition to being a band leader, he

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was known for his dancing and his impersonations of other singers,

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including Bing Crosby who we just heard, Rudy Valley, and

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Harry Richmond. I guess Benny Strong was a good procurer

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of talent because earlier in her career, June Christie was

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a vocalist in his band Let Me now play for you, Karen,

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the one the only top ten recording that was attributed

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to one Benny Strong.

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Has she got naughty eyes?

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Yes, she has gotten naughty eyes. That's certain.

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That's certain parties you know the one I mean, sure,

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you know all of what I mean. That's a certain

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party of mine. All the eyes turned up, nose, rosy

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cheeks pretty close and not a smarty has she got

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loving ways. Sure she has got loving ways. That's certain

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party of mine.

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All the eyes turned up, nose, rosy cheeks pretty close

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and not this smarty.

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Yes she got loved waves. Sure she has got loving ways.

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That's certain party of my. Has she got you?

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No one? Yes she has got you know what?

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Oh, that's certain that's certain party.

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As she got I forgot it.

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Yes she has got. I forgot that's certain party of my.

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You know what I forgot?

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As?

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That's quite a lot whattest money?

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She got everything?

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Yes, she has got everything. That's certain party of min.

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Yes she has a bank account and she got a

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large amount Ooh, has she elargemount?

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That's a certain party of min.

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That certain party by Benny Strong and his orchestra vocal

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by Benny As I mentioned the only national top ten

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record for Benny Strong and that song that Certain Party

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was a revival of a hit song from the nineteen twenties.

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And then poking around to get some more information about

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Benny I discovered that many of the songs as Ben

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played in which he provided the vocals, were indeed revivals

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of popular songs from the nineteen twenties. So Karen a

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little about your several time removed cousin, Benny Strong and Karen,

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thank you so much for that email. Jeff at Mikebelly

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Ballroomradio dot com. That's Jeff at Makebeley Ballroomradio dot com. Now,

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when I mentioned that Benny's Strong impersonated Crosby Valley and

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Harry Richmond, I'm sure most listeners obviously know who Bing

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Crosby and Rudy Valley were, but I don't think many

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remember hearing a record that featured Harry Richmond. And it's

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a shame because he's a long forgotten But in his heyday,

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in the twenties and thirties, his peak years, Harry Richmond

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was one of the, believe it or not, the highest

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paid performers in show business. It said that he was

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making well what would have to be considered an astronomical

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twenty five thousand dollars a week in nineteen thirty one.

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Twenty five thousand dollars a week in today's money is astronomical,

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But if you convert the twenty five thousand from nineteen

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thirty one money to today's money, he was making I guess,

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in essence, probably about a half a million dollars a week.

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As a matter of fact, his version, Harry's version of

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Putting on the Ritz outsold the fred Astaire record. Harry

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originally starred in the Broadway musical Putting on the Rits.

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Many think that fred Astaire did, but it was Harry Richmond.

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Let's play one from Harry Richmond, who was a favorite

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of Benny Strong, to impersonate.

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I walk with no one and talk with no one,

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and I had nothing but shatter, And one morning you pass.

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Then I write in.

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That loud.

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No, I greet the day and complete the day with the.

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Sun in my hall.

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All my worries blue a when you taught me how

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to serve round your coat and get your hard leave

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your worry on the doorstep, and just direct youry on

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the funny side of the street. And you hear that

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t her pa, A little happy tune is your stapp life.

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And before sweed on the sunny side of the speed

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Why should you walk in the shade with old blues

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on the rain? All be off ray, be off over

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and walk over. And if you haven't got a fair,

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you'll be a rich Tiles rocke with old us at

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yourby on the sunny.

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Side of the speed.

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Grab your coat, get that old Derby hat, leave all

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your worries. Things right on your doors, lap right lamp,

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direct your feet on the fanny side of the street.

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Listen, can't you hear.

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That little bitter past, all that happy tune? That should

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be your head because life can be your post. And

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we on the sunny side of the speed. Why should

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you walk in the shade with all blue arrays? Come on, Paul,

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don't be afraid see a little roll over and walk over.

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And if you haven't got.

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Us, and what of it? Mile laugh?

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You're a rich as lock all with gold at your.

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On the sunny oh.

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Of the scree.

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On Brunswick. Record on the Sunny side of the Street

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Harry Richmond and his Orchestra vocal by Harry, recorded in

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New York City in March of nineteen thirty one. So

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a little history and music about a long forgotten beloved

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artist of the nineteen twenties and thirties, Harry Richmond. Let's

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move on now to another email, and I direct your

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attention to a correspondence from one John kakoryan John Kakorian

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who says he listens on kf QX, the Great Racketeer

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Radio in Seattle, an extremely rich history behind those call

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letters and a wonderful eclectic station. John writes, Hi, Jeff,

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longtime listener to your make Believe ballroom. I recall several

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years ago when you credited the cabaret tax to one

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of the major reasons for the demise of big bands

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in America. Can you talk about that devastating tax once again?

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Keep the music alive? And that's signed John, and thank

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you John for your email. And I did discuss cabaret

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tax extensively on a past program a few years back.

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You have a good memory, but today let me give

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you and our listeners the abridged version. When we think

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of the demise of the big band era, the reasons

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that come to mind, and possibly the first reason that

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comes to people's mind was the devastating nineteen forty two

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to forty four musicians strike and what happened was the union.

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The Musicians Union told its members not to record records

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until the record companies agreed to pay them each time

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their music was played on the radio. Many attribute that

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again is the number one reason for the demise. Another

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reason for the end of the big band era was

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that during World War Two, it was getting harder to

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find quality musicians due to the draft, and along with that,

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00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:31.720
many band leaders and their band managers were starting to

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look at the bottom line and realize that the costs

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00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:41.240
associated with moving their large bands across the country was

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00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:45.039
getting a little bit out of hand. Some people say

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that the demise was due to music tastes that were

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00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:55.279
starting to change, and a number of other negative vibes

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leading to end the era were certainly at play. But

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I truly believe as John mentioned in his email, and

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it was the cabaret tax that put the final nail

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in a coffin, so to speak, of that grand time

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00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:19.759
in American music history. To fully understand this tax, we

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00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:23.200
have to go back to World War One. Now, during

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00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:27.519
the First World World War, excuse me, a tax was

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00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:32.640
introduced on entertainment. Now, this sort of sin tax s

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00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:37.079
in sin tax was a well, it was a necessary

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00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:39.960
evil to help to pay for the cost of the

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00:30:40.119 --> 00:30:44.279
war World War One. It ultimately ended up being called

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the cabaret tax. And it was introduced in nineteen seventeen.

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And what the tax did. It levied a rate of

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five percent on all revenues from places where there was

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00:30:57.799 --> 00:31:03.759
a combination of eating drinking, dancing, and entertainment by live

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00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:10.200
performers such as big bands and their singers. The language

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of the law as it was written referred to cabarets

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00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:19.480
and roof gardens, which made it sound as if only

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swanky places, cabarets and roof gardens catering to rich people

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00:31:24.680 --> 00:31:29.599
were targeted by the tax. However, the Revenue Service interpreted

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00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:34.880
the wording to apply to any public place offering this

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combination of services that meant from the elegant let's say

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00:31:40.920 --> 00:31:45.240
the well, it's like the store club in New York City,

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00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:49.839
right down to the lowest beer and dance joint. So

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00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:53.200
the tax was five dollars a five percent, excuse me,

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00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:58.039
and then it dropped to three percent after the war ended.

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So at that five percent and then three percent level,

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00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:07.119
the tax didn't really make a significant difference in the

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00:32:07.319 --> 00:32:12.359
cost when folks went out dancing and wanted to get

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00:32:12.440 --> 00:32:14.680
something to eat and listen to music, and it really

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00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:20.680
didn't affect the bottom line of those who own the venues. Now,

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00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:23.480
early into World War Two, the government once again saw

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00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:28.000
the need to generate added revenue from the cabaret tax.

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So from nineteen forty to forty three, it crept back

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00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:35.839
up from three percent to the higher five percent from

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00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:41.680
World War One, but by nineteen forty four, and with

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00:32:41.960 --> 00:32:47.359
the financial squeeze to fuel the war effort, Congress again

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00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:53.279
decided to put the squeeze on consumers in the Revenue

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00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:56.960
Act of nineteen forty four. Now, taxes on a broad

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00:32:57.160 --> 00:33:01.799
range of goods and services went up. Many taxes in

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00:33:01.880 --> 00:33:05.640
the United States doubled from five to ten percent, but

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00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:09.359
the cabaret tax, for whatever reason, was singled out. For

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00:33:09.640 --> 00:33:16.000
get this, folks. It was a six hundred percent increase,

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00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:19.960
going from five percent all the way up to thirty percent.

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The initial hope was that patrons would be patriotic and

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00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:30.400
to simply be happy to pay more to help out

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00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:34.200
with World War Two, but when it comes to money,

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00:33:34.279 --> 00:33:38.720
that was certainly unrealistic, and the law was changed after

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00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:42.839
an outcry against it. However, the new rate was still

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00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:46.759
twenty percent. It was lower ten percent, still far above

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00:33:46.920 --> 00:33:51.319
other increases for products and services in the country. So

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at this level, taxation passed on from the businesses to

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the patrons, and that started to change their behavior. And

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00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:05.759
dancing and listening to large bands was simply unprofitable to

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businesses and those individual patrons just didn't have the money

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00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:14.599
to be able to cover this exorbitant new tax in

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00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:18.719
the bills they received for food or entry into these

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ballroom and hotel venues. Now, according to a study by

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the Treasury Department in nineteen forty five, industry revenues had

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00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:30.760
crashed to less than half what they could have been

315
00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:33.719
expected to be if the tax had stayed the same

316
00:34:34.239 --> 00:34:37.719
at five percent. Now the business model had a change,

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and ballrooms with big bands no longer made sense to

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00:34:42.320 --> 00:34:45.599
venue owners, even though the taste of the public hadn't

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00:34:46.119 --> 00:34:50.280
really changed. As the big bands then were forced to

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00:34:50.519 --> 00:34:54.199
break up, a new kind of club came to four,

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that being the jazz clubs. A jazz club didn't have

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a dance floor, and there was and no vocalist with

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00:35:01.719 --> 00:35:05.320
the band, and as a result, the clubs could avoid

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the cabaret tax entirely. Now, when servicemen and women returned

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00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:15.360
from the war, they still wanted to dance and party,

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00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:19.079
and they could, except they didn't have ballrooms and hotels

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00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:22.360
to do it in. So they went to church socials

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00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:28.239
or private parties and small venues in town. But the

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00:35:28.280 --> 00:35:33.159
big dance hall was dead. The punitive cabaret tax had

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00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:39.400
an essence, and my estimation, killed an entire industry and

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00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:44.320
all its supporting industries, such as big band musicians and

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00:35:44.840 --> 00:35:49.159
dance schools. Why the cabaret tax was singled out from

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00:35:49.199 --> 00:35:53.599
all other taxes at the time with a six hundred

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00:35:53.599 --> 00:35:57.440
percent increases totally unknown to me, But I feel the

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00:35:57.519 --> 00:36:04.199
cabaret tax really put the big bands unfortunately to Bed

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00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:08.000
and John, That in a nutshell is the explanation I

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00:36:08.159 --> 00:36:11.079
gave several years ago. I call this an abridged version.

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00:36:11.719 --> 00:36:15.119
I can imagine how much time I spent when I

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00:36:15.280 --> 00:36:17.719
gave the full version of that a few years ago.

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00:36:19.000 --> 00:36:22.840
So nineteen forty five was the most devastating year for

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00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:27.079
the cabaret tax. As I discussed, why don't I look

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at the playlist here to see what folks were listening

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00:36:30.119 --> 00:36:33.960
to in nineteen forty five. Let me pull up forty

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00:36:34.039 --> 00:36:39.119
five and oh, here's a big hit from forty five

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00:37:46.039 --> 00:39:43.519
Skyliner by Charlie Barnett and his Orchestra, recorded in Los

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00:39:43.559 --> 00:39:47.840
Angeles and released on Decca Records in April of nineteen

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00:39:47.960 --> 00:39:53.239
forty five. Let me playing another nineteen forty five recording

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00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:56.920
The year the cabaret tax really took a grip on

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00:39:57.119 --> 00:39:57.960
the industry.

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Once there was a little girl who lived next to me,

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00:40:32.480 --> 00:40:36.719
and she loved a sailor boy. He was only three.

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00:40:38.079 --> 00:40:43.760
Now he's on a battleship in his sailor suit, just

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00:40:43.920 --> 00:40:47.880
a great, big sailor man. But he's just as cute.

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00:40:49.159 --> 00:40:55.760
Foul bottom trousers, coat of navy blues. She loves her

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00:40:55.960 --> 00:41:04.360
saila and he loves her too. When they walk along

356
00:41:04.519 --> 00:41:10.000
the street, anyone can see they are all so much

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00:41:10.119 --> 00:41:15.159
in love, happy as can be. Hand in hand, they

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00:41:15.280 --> 00:41:20.320
stroll along. They don't give a hoot. He won't let

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00:41:20.480 --> 00:41:27.239
go of her hand, even two salutes. Fou bottom trousers,

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00:41:27.840 --> 00:41:33.679
goad of navy blues. She loves her sailor and he

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00:41:33.920 --> 00:41:34.760
loves her too.

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00:41:41.840 --> 00:41:45.519
Everywhere her sailor went, she was sure.

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00:41:45.320 --> 00:41:50.559
To gone, till one day he sail away where she

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00:41:50.880 --> 00:41:56.079
doesn't know. Now she's gonna join the waves. Maybe go

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00:41:56.320 --> 00:42:01.079
to see you. Try to find her sailor boy, whatever

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00:42:01.719 --> 00:42:12.920
he may be. Quote of navy blue, and he loves

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00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:17.840
her too. At first, sailor she cant fine on the

368
00:42:18.079 --> 00:42:23.400
bonding man. She is hopeful he will swim come home

369
00:42:23.519 --> 00:42:24.599
safe again.

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00:42:25.719 --> 00:42:29.840
So they can get married and raise a family.

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00:42:30.920 --> 00:42:36.760
Dress up, all the kiddies in sailors dungle reeves, bell

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00:42:37.000 --> 00:42:40.599
bottom trousers called the Navy Blue.

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She loves her sailor boy, and he loves her.

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Too, Bell bottomed trousers by Tony Pastor and his orchestra

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vocal there by Ruth McCullough and Tony Pastor recorded on

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Victor Records in nineteen forty five. And now friends, as

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00:43:16.519 --> 00:43:21.000
we leave this whole discussion of cabaret tax let me

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00:43:21.119 --> 00:43:23.599
go to well, wait a minute, let me take a

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00:43:23.679 --> 00:43:29.320
second here to mention how the old saying that opposites

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attract is so true. Tony Pastor, who we just heard from,

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the saxophonist, the band leader and vocalist, first made his

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00:43:38.760 --> 00:43:43.599
name in Artie Shaw's band before launching his own orchestra

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at the end of nineteen thirty nine. Though never reaching

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00:43:47.760 --> 00:43:52.800
the same level of popularity as Artie, Pastor managed to

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00:43:52.880 --> 00:43:58.079
have a long and successful career. Tony was very expressive

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00:43:58.480 --> 00:44:02.880
in his singing. He had I do I describe this

387
00:44:03.079 --> 00:44:08.360
from what I've read. He had an impish personality, and

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he didn't just play music on the bandstand, but always

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00:44:12.480 --> 00:44:17.159
put on a good show for his audience. Tony Pastor

390
00:44:17.599 --> 00:44:22.039
was said by many to both be honest and friendly,

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as well as loved and beloved by musicians, fans, journalists,

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00:44:29.239 --> 00:44:33.559
just about everybody in the music industry. Now. Artie Shaw,

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no one can argue was possibly the greatest clarinetist of

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all time and one of the greatest musicians and band

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leaders of the big band era. But Artie liked to

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Make Believe Ballroom -5/30/25 Edition

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