The Octopus

Reputedly one of the richest men in the U.S., his name does not even appear in Who's Who. He keeps oak-paneled, antique-furnished offices in New York, Chicago, Hollywood, Cleveland, Dallas, San Francisco, London. As president of the Music Corp. of America, he is absolute monarch over the careers of scores of celebrated radio and cinema stars. Together with the A.F. of M.'s James ("Little Caesar") Petrillo and Music Publisher Jack Robbins, he is "the supreme court of popular music." He is a small, greying man, 49, with a soft voice and meticulous manners. His name: Jules Caesar Stein.

Jules Stein gives no interviews and avoids photographers. Friends believe that he is merely reticent; others suspect his reticence of being businesslike.

Despite his distaste for the limelight, Jules Stein got his name in the newspapers twice last week. In Manhattan, he took a firmer grip on Broadway by buying out Leland Hayward, play broker and actor's agent. In San Diego, he was charged in a civil suit with violating the antitrust laws.

The Call to Music. Jules Stein originally set out to be a doctor. As a University of Chicago undergraduate, he organized a band, in which he played the fiddle. When he was offered two engagements, he filled one, hired a second band to fill the other. He saw at once that there was money to be made in musical bookings. The following summer he was collecting agent's fees from bands in four Midwest states. With the proceeds, he set off for the University of Vienna to study ophthalmology.

In 1925, Dr. Stein, then resident eye physician at Cook County Hospital, Chicago, wrote a learned, respected treatise called The Use of Telescopic Spectacles and Distil Lens en. But Dr. Stein finally gave up medicine and devoted his whole time to booking dance bands.

Competition in those days was sharp--but so was the quiet, conservatively dressed young eye doctor. Dr. Stein's method was to sign exclusive rights with hotels and ballrooms. When band leaders found that they were unable to get jobs elsewhere, they came to work for him. As his roster of M.C.A. bands grew (Coon-Sanders, Isham Jones, Ted Weems, Zez Confrey), he expanded his interests. Nightclub operators discovered that it was efficient to do business with Dr. Stein. When they signed an M.C.A. band, they found that in the same package they could get floor shows, liquor, table favors. Band leaders also learned that Stein owned the Rolls-Royce and Buick agencies in Chicago and could supply costly cars--or real estate, insurance, bonds.

The mild-tempered eye doctor eventually became known as "the octopus," since his eager arms now reached out in so many directions. His professional embrace had become well-nigh irresistible. Rudy Vallee finally capitulated to M.C.A. and was signed to a big-time radio spot. Fred Waring and Paul Whiteman are among the few name bands still struggling along without Stein's M.C.A. Band leaders who want to get out have their difficulties, too. When Benny Goodman tried to break his contract, he was offered such humiliating bookings that he would not fill them, finally disbanded his musicians for a year.

The Forward View. Stein saw the possibilities in radio. When advertisers began to sponsor radio programs, M.C.A. purchased great hunks of choice network time. Stein explained that this was "for the protection of artists." When he permitted only M.C.A. bands and performers on his time, artists not already in the M.C.A. family quickly joined up.

With his bands and radio stars firmly on the dotted 10% line, the Octopus reached out toward Hollywood. He bought up the contracts of Errol Flynn and Bette Davis, lured Betty Grable, John Garfield, Joan Fontaine, Paul Henreid from rival agents, now draws Hollywood's regular 10% of all their salaries. Outside his brass-studded Hollywood office he decided to ignore the street sign, "Burton Way," and nailed up one of his own which reads, "M.C.A. Square."

Last week's deal with Play Broker Hayward (husband of Actress Margaret Sullavan) gives Stein control of the contracts of a number of playwrights and Broadway actors. Hay ward, who gets an M.C.A. vice-presidency, described the new merger as "the strongest agency in the world." Stein, in his usual reticent manner, said: "You have to look forward in the amusement business."

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