Thursday, March 28, 2019

While doing a bit of unrelated research... look Kim Gannon!


While doing a bit of unrelated research at NYS Historic Newspapers today, I came across this article about Kim Gannon. 


Greenwich Journal and Fort Edward Advertiser, March 12, 1958, Page 1


                Mr. and Mrs. Kim Gannon left yesterday for Washington, D. C., where Mr. Gannon will appear before the Smathers congressional committee now holding hearings on an anti-trust bill involving the broadcasting companies’ ownership and control of recording and music publishing firms.
                Mr. Gannon, together with Oscar Hammerstein, Arthur Schwartz and Joan Whitney, were asked to appear as representatives of the song-writing business. The Smathers committee is investigating the monopolistic control the broadcasting companies exercise over what music is published and broadcast, and Mr. Gannon and the other songwriters have been asked to testify as to their experiences in having songs withheld from being published or broadcast.

                After testifying Thursday Mr, and Mrs. Gannon will drive to Florida and then fly to Varadero Beach, Cuba, for 10 days vacation. On their return they will attend the masters golf tournament at August, Georgia, the fisrt week in April.

Greenwich Journal, March 12, 1958


As you can see by the little red rectangle in the image above, I was actually searching the Greenwich Journal for references to Cuba & happen to run across this article. I did a brief bit of digging & found nothing on this particular hearing related to anti-trust in broadcasting & music publishing. It must not have come to much, because even George A. Smathers, the head of the committee, doesn't mention it in his interview regarding his career in the Senate, even though he does say "I think the committee is really the most important assignment that a senator has, and it doesn't take a senator long to realize that it's the committee that he serves on that gives him stature and importance."

Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote such memorable musicals as Carousel, The King & I, and The Sound of Music with Richard Rodgers, also testified. As did Arthur Schwartz, composer of "That's Entertainment", and "Dancing in the Dark". Schwartz was also a former lawyer, just like Kim Gannon. Finally, the lesser know Joan Whiney Kramer testified as well. She was a former show girl, singer and songwriter, having co-written songs like "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens".