This evening, I have been reading through a little bit of Variety, looking for more Hylands information, or anything else that is of interest. One of the items of interest relating to Hylands is actually a fascinating court case(well kind of a court case) where Hylands was "axed" (expelled in a sense)from the White Rats Actors' Union directors in 1912. That is absolutely fascinating! Now the basic background of this trial began with a chap named Val Trainor, who had violated several of the "articles" that this union ran by. He had been in trouble for some time before this whole thing went down, and it was inevitable that he was going to be dropped from the union sooner or later, but he still testified to the board of directors. The board of directors included Hylands in fact, but after Trainor testified to them, Hylands had to take his stand, and they "axed" him. Why? Well the article that explained this whole mess stated:
The objection sets forth Hylands is now engaged in making a livelihood as a musician, and is only eligible as a non-member of the organization. Under article 5, section 2 of the by-laws, and not entitled to a voice in the administrative affairs of the order.
Damn, they really did behead him. He must have been trying to avoid this sort of prosecution for years, as we know very well that he had been a musician solely for a while before that. I would guess that this came to bite him because he joined the union under the intention that he was a vaudeville performer and Broadway performer. Of course, not being able to stay with his commitment, he abandoned the whole Broadway show jag by 1910. He must not have realised how much of a bad decision that was until a little while after he did so, as then the union kept close watch on him, probably watching his every move from 1910 to 1912. That's a little disturbing to ponder, but such a thing was probably true, as the directors of this unions were rough(as he was!) and were constantly watching everything that went on by all of its members, and if anything slipped or was revealed, they would be thrown out quick. Hylands probably knew how bad the consequences were, as a so-called "Note Rat" from 1908 to 1912, though he must have diverted these for a long while. Though come to think of it, he was a blunt and dreaded official for them.
Hmm... This is starting to become a pattern, Hylands saying one thing to the management, in his rather high position at first, but then after a while, he tires of it and becomes much more candid and blunt with his attitude. Hmm. Sounds terribly similar to how he was at Columbia thirteen years before this whole trial. That's very strange...
Refer back to this:
Yes indeed. But then if you were to ask how he though of working with Len Spencer, Roger Harding, Will J. Hardman(his lyricist in 1899-1900), or Burt Green, he'd light up and change his whole demeanor about working at Columbia. Wow. Awfully two-faced isn't it. How that man was very strange. And the more I learn about him, the more bizarre he seems.
Speaking of Burt Green, I think I have a theory as to how Hylands actually met him for the first time. Now something tells me that Hylands had become acquainted with Green prior to 1899, as he was a prominent Rag-Time pianist and dancer in 1897-98.
(that's Green in c.1908)
(a sketch of him I did)
He was known in New York vaudeville as a Ben Harney imitator, who also probably did sorts of parodies on Harney's dancing style, but imitated his playing style with respect and skill. So pretty much whenever you are hearing one of those five or six recordings of him playing piano behind Irene Franklin, you are hearing a mirror of Ben Harney and Fred Hylands. Green fared better than Hylands because of his good looks and not-as-complicated personality, and it is clear that this was so, as he ran the publishing firm while Fred was gone, and I'm sure that those performers who came over were much more pleased to see that it wasn't that chap that was described to them beforehand(he wasn't that six foot tall, 300 pound redhead).
While Hylands was music director at Pastor's famous theater, he flooded in all the Rag-Time related acts in 1897, which got Harney and Green plenty of work. At this, Green probably was hired by director Hylands, but before that, he had to meet the man. Their encounter must have been perfect, two like-minded Rag-Time pianists. How it couldn't have been better! Hylands probably knew that from the first time meeting Green, that this was the beginning of a long friendship. Of course, this friendship did not really become clearer until 1899, but the fact that Hylands specifically chose another Rag-Time pianist to be his substitute during the days that he was filling his obviously more important commitment in Columbia's studio, is certainly more than just a little suspicious. Seeing Hylands and Green's names listed directly next to each other is very strange. Hmm. Irene Franklin's second husband next to Columbia's longest-serving studio pianist, very mystifying.
It gets me every time I read it. So funny.
"All mail cheerfully forwarded"(by Burt Green that is...).
Every sentence of this advertisement is fantastic. Inviting over random local performers, pleading for mail, putting those two Ragged young chaps together for song instruction, asking for boarders, and selling music of course. Great, it's just great. How Burt Green must have been an interesting fellow as well.
I hope you enjoyed this!
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