LOVE BEATS THE BAND

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 74, 22 November 1940, Page 9

LOVE BEATS THE BAND

HE third greatest white dance band in the world has broken up, and all because of Love. The disbanding was the climax to a series of irresponsibilities on the part of Artie Shaw, a clarinetting farm boy from Texas. After a high pressure courtship of M-G-M’s screen starlet Lana Turner he suddenly dropped his band, muttered "I want to be alone," and eloped to Mexico. Shaw’s career has been punctuated by free publicity that would make a Hollywood lovely green with jealousy. He

os started as a humble, sincere dance musician, but as usually happens, success and fame whittled him surely away. His first step up the ladder of success was when his small but effective band captured the imagination of the dance band intelligentsia. It was a really excellent band, but unfortunately from a commercial point of view it laid heavy emphasis on strings, and the American public likes saxophones. So Shaw broke up his band, and from the debris formed an outfit that was later to challenge the supremacy of Benny Goodman. About this time, he had a much publicised row with his vocalist, Billie Holliday. Billie was as much a draw as Shaw, the maestro, and received even more applause than he did. This preyed on the mind of the farm boy from Texas, but there was little he could do about it, since Billie’s contract was watertight. Shaw resorted to humiliating his vocalist in every way he could think of, with the natural result that when her contract had expired, Billie told the press all about it. The whole affair cost Shaw the respect of his fellow musicians. The band, however, was improving out of all recognition, and it was not long before Hollywood sent an invitation. Shaw was publicised in a big way, and the press was showered with photographs of Shaw coyly holding hands with Betty Grable, the ex-Mrs. Jackie Coogan. But one day Mr. Shaw spotted the glamorous Lana Turner, and he fell for her hard-so hard that one night he just failed to turn up, having eloped to Mexico, declaring that he was "through with the racket for keeps." His band melted away. The elopement captured almost as much space as the _ unforgettable platonic friendship of Garbo and Leopold Stokowski; and the marriage itself lasted three months. Shaw is now setting out to reform his old ‘band and attempt a comeback. Many radio listeners will hope that he achieves it.