Stripper in the Board Room: Winnie Garrett and Famous Records

By Allan Sutton

 

.Burlesque star Winnie Garrett (a.k.a. “The Flaming Redhead”) served as vice-president and promotions manager of Famous Records beginning in 1947 and was running company by 1948, while continuing to perform on the side.

 

To all appearances, the Famous Record Company was a rather dodgy operation. Its first label design was copied from Brunswick’s long-abandoned 1920 version, although there was no connection to that company. Even the company name was copied; it had been used several years earlier by an unrelated New York venture that briefly marketed cheap cardboard picture discs featuring sound-track excerpts by Hollywood stars. Famous received little coverage in the trade papers, and early labels gave its location only as “U.S.A.” (its mailing address was Room 303 of the RKO Theater Building at 6 Market Street, in Newark, New Jersey). .

 

The original Famous label was copied from Brunswick’s long-abandoned 1920 design, although there was no connection to that company. It was later redesigned.

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To date, no reliable contemporary account of the Famous Record Company’s launch has been found. Its initial releases — four sides by Phil Napoleon’s Orchestra, accompanying singers Ross Leonard and Roma Lynn — were reviewed in late November 1944 by Billboard critic M. H. Orodenker, who delivered a mixed verdict:

“Still another disk label enters the fold, this one springing from Newark, N. J. For its bow, [it] brings back Phil Napoleon for the music making… Napoleon provides a highly attractive setting for the romantic baritoning of Ross Leonard. Warbler goes all out in dramatic style for “I Dream of You,” dragging it out no end and negating much of the disk appeal of one of the better ballads of the moment. However, Leonard listens to better advantage when keeping within rhythmic confines for two new ballads… Remaining side, an innocuous rhythm ditty in ‘Rhythm Has Got You Too,” provides the hot hymnaling of Roma Lynn. However, none in the company can distinguish themselves with the song.”

Famous’ artist roster, consisting largely of second- and third-tier names drawn from New York–area nightclubs, was soon expanded to include Jerry Delmar’s Orchestra, Margie Hudson, Jim Messner, and Tommy Ryan. But the Famous Record Company did virtually no national advertising, and little more was heard of the venture until early 1947, when it resurfaced in Billboard‘s manufacturers’ directory as Famous Records, Inc.

Operating at the same Newark address, the reorganized company launched a new series of Famous records, with redesigned labels, in the autumn of 1947. The company secured several new distributors and began advertising on a modest scale, primarily to jukebox operators. Unfortunately, it was not an opportune time to relaunch the business, with the second American Federation of Musicians’ recording ban looming. The trade papers were filled with accounts of record companies stockpiling masters in advance of the ban, but Famous failed to take that precaution — a misstep that ultimately would contribute to its downfall.

The first release in Famous’ new FA-600 series (“The Stars Were Mine” / “Are You Havin’ Any Fun,” by Freddy Miller’s Orchestra) earned faint praise from a Cash Box reviewer in November 1947 as a “pair of sides that ops [jukebox operators] may use to fair advantage.” .

 

The redesigned Famous label and a November 1947 ad for the new FA-600 series, launched at around the time of Winnie Garrett’s buy-in. Freddy Miller and Janet Parker were among the Famous artists that Garrett took to Connecticut for an appearance on behalf of the Damon Runyon Memorial Cancer Fund in March 1948.

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Among the reorganized company’s investors was Winnie Garrett, a twenty-five year-old burlesque and strip-tease star who billed herself as “The Flaming Redhead.” News reports suggest that Garrett bought into the company in or around November 1947, just as the label was being relaunched. Garrett was made vice-president and promotions manager, although no evidence has been found that she had any experience in the record business. Billboard reported that Famous paid her so little that she could not afford to retire from the stage. Instead, she juggled two careers, representing Famous Records by day while continuing to work the strip-clubs and burlesque houses by night. .

 

Famous Records reportedly paid Garrett so little that she continued to perform on the side.

 

Initially, Garrett’s main duty was to convince disc jockeys to plug Famous records on the air, but by 1948 she was taking a more active role in the operation. In March of that year, she and several Famous artists traveled to Bridgeport, Connecticut, for an appearance on behalf of the Damon Runyon Memorial Cancer Fund. In June, she sued 20th Century Fox for $150,000 over its portrayal of a fictitious “Famous Records” company (which goes bankrupt in the film, “You Were Meant for Me”), alleging damage to her company’s financial reputation. By then, reporters had taken to referring to Garrett as the “head” of Famous Records, without specifying exactly what that might entail.

Famous had failed to stockpile masters in advance of the American Federation of Musicians’ recording ban, and new releases dwindled as the work stoppage dragged on. Garrett appears to have undertaken an image makeover at that time, presenting a toned-down version of her act with mixed results. In November 1948, she was arrested at New York’s Club Ha-Ha for presenting a “lewd and indecent performance.” The incident was widely covered by the local papers:

“[Garrett] told reporters the performance that led to her arrest early today was an ‘interpretive dance.’ At first she wasn’t sure just what it interpreted, but finally decided it has ‘a little African in it’… She explains that she begins the dance wearing an evening dress, gloves, three brassieres, an under-skirt, and peace-net panties. She ends, she said, with one brassiere and g-string panties.”

The charges were dropped after the arresting officer admitted that Garrett had not been totally nude, as he had originally thought. After noting that the same performance had failed to raise any objections in staid Boston, Garrett promised to further clean up her act and invited the officer to visit the Club Ha-Ha every night to make sure her dance was “more conservative.” We don’t know if he took her up on the offer.

In May 1950, Garrett sued photographer Murray Korman for mental anguish and distress after he placed semi-nude photographs of her on some penny peep-machines. By then, Famous Records appears to have been inactive for some time, having failed to garner much attention for anything other than Garrett’s presence. She continued to perform into the mid-1950s but had no further involvement with the record business.

Selected References

“Burlesque.” Billboard (Mar 27, 1948), p. 43.

“Charges Against Strip-Tease Dancer Dismissed in Court.” St. Cloud [MN] Times (Nov 25, 1948), p. 10.

“Film Company Sued.” Bridgewater (NJ) Courier-News (May 19, 1948), p. 9.

Orondenker, M. H. “Popular Record Reviews.” Billboard (Dec 9, 1944), p. 21.

“Sales Talk Louder Than Words” (ad). Cash Box (Nov 15, 1947), p. 18.

“Strip-Teaser Brings Suit as Record Company Head.” Tampa [FL] Times (Jun 1, 1948), p. 1

“Winnie the Waxer.” Billboard (Mar 13, 1948), p. 16.

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