The Studio Years of Ehatjneey HAINES As Told to Stu Green
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Studio Years of eHAtJNeEY HAINES As told to Stu Green. Photos are from the Haines Collection. PART II In Part I, we traced the Haines Chauncey enjoyed one final the career from childhood through the atre "blast" in that year of the Olym silent movie era. Then came "talk ics in Los Angeles. The prestigious ies." Carthay Circle Theatre decided to By 1930, even the most optimistic go "all out" with a SO-pieceorchestra observer had to admit that live mu conducted by famed Carli Elinor and sic in movie theatres was a thing of Chauncey at the Wurlitzer. That was the past. For three years theatres had the era of gigantic stage prologues to been installing hastily-developed films, with elaborate scenery and sound equipment and studios were scores of dancers. The movie was an already discontinuing the prepara earlier version of the all-time tear tion of separate "silent versions" of jerker, Backstreet. Chauncey recalls films whose only plus factor was the that one of the featured dancers in "sound version's" singing and talk the stage prologue was Rita Cansino. ing by heretofore silent stars. This She was later known as Rita Hay they did for a time to accommodate worth. It was wonderful while it still "unwired" houses. By 1930, lasted, but the run was short. Here sound equipment had become more and there Chauncey picked up a few reliable. Gradually, sound-on-film organ jobs before the theatres be (movietone's "variable density" and came "all talkie" ghost houses. Photophone's "variable area") sys This is the picture Chauncey tems had largely replaced Vita Haines faced, and it was further phone's "sound on disc" which all darkened by the depression which too often got "out of sync" when the continued to get worse during the needle jumped a groove. early '30s. True, in 1930 there were still many After the demise of live music in theatres not yet equipped with sound, theatres, Chauncey turned to radio and these neighborhood houses be and musical shows. One bit of luck came the refuge of organists who was an unpleasantness between Cal had so recently been starred at the ifornia Melodies radio conductor big downtown houses. But their con Raymond Paige and his employer, tinued employment was threatened Don Lee, then a wheel in west coast by a nefarious device called the broadcasting. There were rumors "non-sync" machine, a two-turn of fisticuffs and Paige took off rather table phonograph which played rec suddenly for New York where he be ords through amplifiers to accom came conductor of the Radio City pany films. Many an organist who Music Hall symphony orchestra. belonged in the pit found himself Back in Los Angeles there was a stuffed into a booth near the pro 45-piece concert orchestra in need jection room with a raft of records of a leader - and Chauncey Haines from which he was supposed to was available. He took the orchestra "cue" the film, segueing from one over to "the music station," KLAC, disctothenext by means of a "fader" for several years of concert broad knob. This was a cheap substitute casts. Later, KLAC decided to sub for synchronized sound. It was frus sist on a diet of recordings. Then trating but shortlived experience for Chauncey heard that Sonya Henie the organist-turned-record player. was looking for a conductor to or By 1932 even the neighborhood the ganize a band for her traveling ice Chauncey during the busiest days of his sound atres had been wired for synchro films scoring career, about the time he married review. Chauncey got the job and for nized sound. Willow Wray . two years it was roadshow work. OCTOBER - NOVEMBER, 1977 THEATRE ORGAN 9 tral climaxes with Hammond organ ships. This was somewhat compli backing, and also sometimes needed cated by the film scoring commu solo-quality playing for film scenes nity's acceptance of Haines. He was which included an organ. There was invited to their parties in the eve also the then new Novachord, a ver nings after a day of working with satile instrument which blended well them. But the film scorers were with strings and could also sound "Haines' people"; he had been at it organ-like. For example, in Frank longer than most of them. And there Capra's Lost Horizon, there are two were some very attractive girls at the scenes in which the Grand Lama parties. (Sam Jaffe) informs Conway (Ronald One gal looked very familiar. Colman) that the latter will soon in "Didn't you date King Kong a few herit leadership of the ancient Tibe years ago?" asked Chauncey. That's tan lamasery of Shangri-La. The ac how he met Fay Wray, who indeed companiment calls for something had been Kong's "intended" - if it both mystical and religious. It was hadn't been for those darn airplanes. Dimitri Tiomkin's music, Steiner Fay was single, too, and several dates conducting, and Chauncey Haines ensued. Then Fay made what might practically soloing on the Novachord. be called a tactical error; she took It's a memorable scene and the mu Chauncey home, and he got a look at sic adds just the right support. her sister, Willow. It was practically The personal life was somewhat love at first sight. hectic after Haines entered the film Chauncey and Willow Wray were scoring scene. There was plenty of married shortly thereafter, and the Max Steiner, one of the giants of the art of film work in those days when movie stu union lasted for 17 years, the longest scoring. Born and educated in Vienna, he came to the USA in the early years of this century and was dios were known as "dream fac marriage up to that time for Chaun soon absorbed in New York show business, orches tories" and produced as many as cey. Indeed, it had to be a little on trating and conducting the pit orchestras for the musicals of Jerome Kern, Victor Herbert and 450 movies a year. But it didn't leave the hectic side for both; they were George Gershwin. He arrived in Hollywood in 1,929 too much time for social relation- strong-willed individuals, but Willow and a year later he was made head of the RKO Music Department. He died in 1971 at age 83. His Chauncey recalled that Fay (reclining) had some strange playmates. The King would be a difficult act to follow music is preserved and commemorated by the - but Chauncey was determined. (Max Steiner provided a landmark musical score for the 1933 King Kong . world -wide Max Steiner Music Society . Steiner lured Chauncey Haines out of the dance band business , back into film scoring. "Then I organized a danceband and was perhaps on my way to be coming a 'name band' leader. I had organized the band around my Ham mond. Then it happened." One day, following a performance Chauncey got a call to bring his Hammond to the W arners studio scoring stage for a recording ses sion. After the session, the conductor approached Haines. "Chauncey Haines - how would you like to get back to playing or gan?" he asked in broad Viennese accents. Would he ever! The conductor was Max Steiner, staff com poser at Warner Bros film studio. Steiner already had a string of top rate film scores behind him, e.g. Bird of Paradise, Cimarron, the original 1933 King Kong and The Informer. He was one of studio music chief Leo Forbstein's fair haired prodigies, the other being Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Both are only now being accorded the ap preciation their contributions to film scoring deserve. Steiner wanted to bolster orches- 10 was there during Chauncey's era of "To him I was moonlighting with greatest film scoring activity, and his a jazz orchestra when I should be memories of her are pleasant ones. devoting all my time and talent to But they finally decided to tread film work. He said I had a good fu separate paths. Even so, the mar ture with the studio, if I wanted it, riage had a longer "run" than those but that I'd have no time to lead a of most of Haines studio associates. dance band. So, I followed his ad Who were Haines' associates? Be vice - and never regretted it. sides Steiner and Korngold, there "That incident not only got me out was Franz Waxman, whose score for of a field then being well served by Rebecca (with Eddie Dunstedter Benny Goodman, the Dorseys and playing the dead woman's weird Artie Shaw, but provided the reas Novachord theme) is considered one surance I needed to get rid of the of the all-time greats. There are 'butterflies.' many more but we are getting ahead "With the leadership of Leo Forb Bette Davis (in costume) and Erich Korngold on the of the story. stein, Warner Bros. had built a mu set of Deception (1946) . Korngold started com The first days at Warner Bros. sical organization never before posing his scores as soon as the scripts were fin ished , and often watched the actual shooting of were filled with apprehension for dreamed of under one studio. The scenes . He came to Hollywood from his native Chauncey. The scoring sessions were scoring was a Mecca for musical Vienna in 1934 to adapt Mendelssohn's music for gatherings of the best musicians in a Warner Bros . production of Midsummer Night's greats and near greats, and I was an Dream which flopped badly . But Korngold re the business and they often attracted accepted part of it.