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MMD > Archives > October 2019 > 2019.10.14 > 03Prev  Next


Piano Roll Artists in Film Shorts on YouTube
By Jim Miller

While plunging fearlessly into the bowels of the MMD Archives for any
references to a short Pathe sound-film of Fairchild & Lindholm playing
dually, I did come across one under the article titled "Piano Roll
Artists in Film Shorts on YouTube," as authored, annotated and
thankfully posted by fellow reader/contributor Andrew Barrett in May
of 2013 thus:
https://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201305/2013.05.30.03.html 

While getting too excited about the possibility of seeing wonderful
things I might not have before, I found that most of the original links
that Mr. Barrett had supplied are now dead links.  Not good, and so this
little update to them plus, some added few supplemental items not there
included.

1923 Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle -- "Video unavailable.  This video is
no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this
video has been terminated."  But it is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEdb-mYpt1A 

1927 Frank Black -- "Video unavailable" but it is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4LZFaxHV80 (duration 3:21)
and here in full length: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzSbql15FMs 
(d. 8:46)

1930 Roy Bargy link is good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXHH9UH7j2o 
also is this Technicolor restoration of Bargy doing much of Rhapsody in
Blue.  This clip demonstrates how good "King of Jazz" can be:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS6CJFsN0PE&list=RDDXHH9UH7j2o&index=2 
But for some very cruel tricks of timing and circumstance, we were not
to have Perrella or Turner.

1931 Fairchild & Lindholm "Video Unavailable" but is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Px-62xoXdg  Why was there not more
of this extraordinary piano personage not filmed? Others completely
missed too.

1934 Sims & Bailey Link is good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Px-62xoXdg  and, be SURE to read the
YouTube poster's annotations, They are intelligent and full of good
informational bits about the glamorous couple.  This same goes too for
original poster, Andrew Barrett.

1936 Zez Confrey, Byron Gay, Babe Ruth -- "Video unavailable.  This
video is private." -- but is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txMwn3HB6Ic  "A Vitaphone Novelty"
On obvious multiple counts, this is impressive beyond measure.  The
"Sultan of Swat" gets musical and creative, and shows to us quite
a personality in addition to his greatly-famous America's Pastime
expertise.  Also, note the three darling harmonizing little sisters
in the radio studio segment.  They were not Brox's or Locusts nor
Ponce's so, who were they and what became of them?  Extraordinary
close harmonization.

1936 J. Russel Robinson Link is good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHZIsfJ-m8U 

1939 Ray Perkins "Video unavailable" but is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6TQEoDS-fQ  There are shorter and
part versions of this title available on YouTube, so the location
timings as Andrew Barrett provides "44:00 to 46:24" might or might
not be applicable.  Most available are of the complete presentation.
(duration 54:40) Perkins made only two, I believe, Licensee W-M titles
 but many others for Ampico and three good ones for Duo-Art.  It would
be useful to _see_ him in-action if only he can be found in all the
footage.

And to end, Andrew Barrett added: "There also used to be film clips of
Vocalstyle artist (and well known vocalist and songwriter) Little Jack
Little playing the piano, as well as a fantastic 1933 film of Ampico
and Welte artist Ralph Rainger (Ralph Reichenthal) playing a medley
of his own song hits, ending up with an overdubbed, split-screen
piano trio with all three parts played by him! Sadly, these clips are
apparently not currently on YouTube; they must have been taken down."

Indeed, they must have been.  Taken down.  And now lost?  He uses
descriptor "sadly" whereas I would choose "tragic" presently, as
regards this Rainger loss.  Rainger was a supremely-fine pianist as
well as composer, and was early-day friends, so I understand, with no
less than Licensee's Vee Lawnhurst herself -- Lowenhertz & Reichenthal!

As given this, what lesson then is to be taken here? "Here today,
gone tomorrow!" maybe?  Every sound-and-sight treasure I come across
compliments of YouTube gets saved.  The original question which led
Andrew Barrett to place his posting was concerning Arden & Ohman's
YouTube video of "The Piano Dualists," which for a time, at least now
-- you guessed it -- is gone.

To tide us over while we try to track-down that Rainger rarity, here
are a few sound-and-sight piano treats that might have escaped the MMD
readership's notice:

Mark Hambourg (Welte; Duo-Art; Ampico) introduces and plays the
Moonlight Sonata first movement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nm9_Lwj0k4  This gives one a fair
measure of the man as presenter as well as musician.  Pathe, however,
interjects a few "moonlight' scenes for added excitement and, treats us
to a short period of white vacuity (don't give up!) but, it's all worth
it to see this special Leschetizky artist in action, who we usually are
only to hear.  His rendering is very much as Friedheim's is on Columbia:
straight-forward, easy on excessive moonlight and, most convincing in
ways not usually heard.

Benno Moiseiewitsch.  Warning: here is some big-scaled pianistic action
for all Ampico aficionados: Wagner-Liszt's Tannheuser Overture!  While
here no longer in his prime, still, the master renders a heroic reading,
leading us successively through the episodes and on-to the grandeur of
the blazing virtuoso finale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKDYla5C5cA  (And, what a gentleman --
almost an extinct species these days.)

And finally, as a refresher after that exhauster, we have the Five
Locust Sisters with Matilda at the piano!  She, Matilda Locust-Heart,
recorded one sole record-roll for Licensee W-M, namely the Romance
"Chant d'amour" op. 31 no. 2 by Pascal and, for good measure, one for
Duo-Art, the Fourth Mazurka in B-flat by Godard.  Although appearing
not very imposing in the video (but really cute!), she was not exactly
chopped-liver.  Her credentials were serious and impressive, having
been an authentic prodigy who studied under Lambert and Bloomfield-
Zeisler, plus with some quite fine appearances under her belt.  To
this day I really regret not having had her Licensee record to play,
when once she visited those many long decades ago.  She was a very
nice lady, kindly and quiet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrtD0vTpeps 

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada


(Message sent Sun 13 Oct 2019, 11:13:30 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Artists, Film, Piano, Roll, Shorts, YouTube

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