Maybe this belongs in "Nitpicker's Corner," but in the description of the film "Varsity Show," there's a reference to "Waring's Philadelphians."
Fred Waring's band was known from its beginnings (around 1924) as the Pennsylvanians, not the Philadelphians. The Waring brothers (Fred and Tom) both attended the University of Pennsylvania, that's why. The Pennsylvanians made some of the first electrical recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1925 and '26, and those early electrical 78's still sound remarkably good by modern standards. They were a major improvement over the older acoustical recordings, the recording method invented by Thomas Edison in 1878.
Edison— always stubborn and determined to go his own way— stuck with acoustical recording until the late 20's, by which time Victor and Columbia's better-sounding records had passed him by in sales. When the Edison company finally gave in and switched to the new process, it was too late; the Depression was right around the corner, and that finished Edison Records off for good.
By the mid-30's, the Fred Waring Orchestra had become a pop outfit like Guy Lombardo's or Lawrence Welk's, but in the 20's, they were a genuine hot jazz band.
If the name sounds familiar, that's because Fred Waring invented and marketed a product that's still around today— the Waring Blendor.
Now I know what the next Pilsner's Picks segment is going to be...
