James Petrillo
Encyclopedia
James Caesar Petrillo was the prominent leader of the American Federation of Musicians
, a trade union
of professional musicians in the United States
and Canada
.
, Illinois. Though in his youth Petrillo played the trumpet
, he finally made a career out of organizing musicians into the union starting in 1919.
Petrillo became president of the Chicago Local 10 of the musician's union in 1922, and was president of the American Federation of Musicians
from 1940 to 1958. He continued being the prime force in the Union for another decade; in the 1960s he was head of the Union's "Civil Rights Division", which saw to the desegregation
of the local unions and the venues where musicians played.
Petrillo dominated the union with absolute authority. His most famous actions were banning all commercial recordings by union members from 1942–1944 and again in 1948 to pressure record companies
to give better royalty deals to musicians; these were called the Petrillo Bans.
, the band leader on the Jack Benny
radio show, once claimed on the show to have been married to his wife, Alice Faye
, by Petrillo. When Jack Benny asked how Petrillo could do this, Harris replies "Why not? - my dues was paid up!". On another occasion Rochester is asked to blow the car horn by putting it in his mouth, and he replies "Petrillo won't let me!".
In the 1945 Crosby
/Bergman
film The Bells of St. Mary's
, when Crosby's character, Father O'Malley, is asked how he was successful in tracking down a long-missing musician, he points to the sky and quips, "I went straight to the top - Petrillo!".
In the 1950 Warner Brothers animated short Hurdy-Gurdy Hare
starring Bugs Bunny
, the cartoon ends with Bugs making large amounts of money by having a (presumably non-union) monkey turn a street organ
and an ape collecting the money from the apartment dwellers, during which he quips, "I sure hope Petrillo doesn't hear about this!" (The aforementioned 1948 strike was ongoing at the time Hurdy-Gurdy Hare was in production.)
In the 1950 burlesque revue Everybody's Girl the comedians Bobby Faye and Leon DeVoe, playing anti-nudist street preachers, mention that the Devil has "two horns." DeVoe then jokes, "Two horns? Brother, we'll have to speak to Petrillo about that!"
In the 1952 Hope
/Crosby film Road to Bali
, Hope shows Crosby an instrument he's been using in his snake-charmer act. He quips, "Hey, I've been playing this flute all night. Have to clear it with Petrillo."
The Petrillo Bandshell, in Chicago's Grant Park
, is named after James Petrillo.
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
, a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
of professional musicians in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Biography
Petrillo was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois. Though in his youth Petrillo played the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, he finally made a career out of organizing musicians into the union starting in 1919.
Petrillo became president of the Chicago Local 10 of the musician's union in 1922, and was president of the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
from 1940 to 1958. He continued being the prime force in the Union for another decade; in the 1960s he was head of the Union's "Civil Rights Division", which saw to the desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of the local unions and the venues where musicians played.
Petrillo dominated the union with absolute authority. His most famous actions were banning all commercial recordings by union members from 1942–1944 and again in 1948 to pressure record companies
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
to give better royalty deals to musicians; these were called the Petrillo Bans.
Petrillo in Popular Culture
Petrillo was well known to the US general public and referenced in pop-culture of the era. For example, Phil HarrisPhil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
, the band leader on the Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
radio show, once claimed on the show to have been married to his wife, Alice Faye
Alice Faye
Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
, by Petrillo. When Jack Benny asked how Petrillo could do this, Harris replies "Why not? - my dues was paid up!". On another occasion Rochester is asked to blow the car horn by putting it in his mouth, and he replies "Petrillo won't let me!".
In the 1945 Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
/Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
film The Bells of St. Mary's
The Bells of St. Mary's
The Bells of St. Mary's is a 1945 American film which tells the story of a priest and a nun at a school who set out, despite their good-natured rivalry, to save the school from being shut down. It stars Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman...
, when Crosby's character, Father O'Malley, is asked how he was successful in tracking down a long-missing musician, he points to the sky and quips, "I went straight to the top - Petrillo!".
In the 1950 Warner Brothers animated short Hurdy-Gurdy Hare
Hurdy-Gurdy Hare
Hurdy-Gurdy Hare is a Merrie Melodies cartoon short, copyrighted in 1948 and released in 1950, which is directed by Robert McKimson and written by Warren Foster...
starring Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
, the cartoon ends with Bugs making large amounts of money by having a (presumably non-union) monkey turn a street organ
Street organ
A street organ is a mechanical organ designed to play in the street. The operator of a street organ is called an organ grinder. The two main types are the smaller German street organ and the larger Dutch street organ....
and an ape collecting the money from the apartment dwellers, during which he quips, "I sure hope Petrillo doesn't hear about this!" (The aforementioned 1948 strike was ongoing at the time Hurdy-Gurdy Hare was in production.)
In the 1950 burlesque revue Everybody's Girl the comedians Bobby Faye and Leon DeVoe, playing anti-nudist street preachers, mention that the Devil has "two horns." DeVoe then jokes, "Two horns? Brother, we'll have to speak to Petrillo about that!"
In the 1952 Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
/Crosby film Road to Bali
Road to Bali
Road to Bali is a 1952 comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. It was released by Paramount Pictures and is the sixth of the seven Road to … movies...
, Hope shows Crosby an instrument he's been using in his snake-charmer act. He quips, "Hey, I've been playing this flute all night. Have to clear it with Petrillo."
The Petrillo Bandshell, in Chicago's Grant Park
Grant Park (Chicago)
Grant Park, with between the downtown Chicago Loop and Lake Michigan, offers many different attractions in its large open space. The park is generally flat. It is also crossed by large boulevards and even a bed of sunken railroad tracks...
, is named after James Petrillo.
External links
- Reproduction of Down Beat magazine article on the AFM strike and recording ban
- Time, December 27, 1948-One for Harry Time Magazine's account of the settlement of the second AFM strike in 1948.
- James Petrillo inducted into Illinois Labor History Society Union Hall of Honor-2009