Fact #185593
When:
Short story:
The Benny Goodman Band opens for a week at The Earle Theater, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Goodman and drummer Gene Krupa are openly at odds during these shows and Krupa will leave soon fater.
Full article:
Russ Connor : It was sad to see Benny and Gene feuding openly onstage those last few days. The audience helped widen the breach at every show. Having waited impatiently through a simpering film titled “Swing It, Professor,” starring Pinky Tomlin, they screamed for Gene to take off as soon as the curtain went up. Not for the band, not for the small groups, not for Benny. Gene was their idol. Gene. perched high on his drummer’s throne downstage, nodded toward Benny, gestured as if to break his sticks, pantomimed ‘He won’t let me.’ Groans and hoots from the crowd. For his part, Benny ignored the audience, appeared totally bored when Gene did solo, and left no doubt in anyone’s mind as to his reaction to the crowd’s clamor for Krupa. A rupture was imminent and inevitable.
(Source : https://swingandbeyond.com/2019/04/13/big-john-special-1937-benny-goodman-with-harry-james-and-gene-krupa-and-1938-benny-goodman-with-harry-james-and-dave-tough/)
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(Source : https://swingandbeyond.com/2019/04/13/big-john-special-1937-benny-goodman-with-harry-james-and-gene-krupa-and-1938-benny-goodman-with-harry-james-and-dave-tough/)