The Omaha morning bee., 1924-05-06
New York
DAY by Day.
BY O. O. M'INTYRE.

New York, May 6.-What becomes
Of discarded movie stars? Four who
flashed across the screen as head
liners a few years ago are now host
esses in New York supper clubs. Just
as the prize fighter whose punch has
failed used to turn to saloonkeeping,
so, apparently. does the ex-movie
queen turn to cabaret hostessing.
1t is a come down, to be sure.
They must face life as it is lived
and not as il appears on the tin
SEIZED Christmas card. Where once
they were protected from sharp con
facts by producers, they must now
face wine flushed and loose tongued
roysterers-who have the yoke off for
the night.
As general thing the movie star
whose glamour has faded has not
had the experience on the legitimate
stage that would entitle her to char
acter parts or to leading ladyship
with stock companies. without her
director she Is indeed out of the pic
ture.
It is an odd occupation-this sup
FER. club hostess job. Promoting big
ger checks Is the chief requisite. They
Tit from table to table, passing small
talk and accepting rather indelicate
badinage. 1t requires tact not to Of
lend.
While the pay is good 1t does not
compare with film earnings. The
average salary for the hostess is s10o
week with a percentage of the drink
sale. During the day they must
whip up trade by phoning patrons
and inviting them to drop in.
Also they must arrange special
eyents''-movlng picture nights. stage
nights and the like. They depend
largely on former acauaintances to
help fill the tables. One of the in
flexible rules OF the management is
that hostesses shall not drink on
duty.
Walters attend to that. What
looks to the buying patron as though
it might be a potent concoction is
something innocuous. The movie in
dustry Is in its infancy-so they say
80 IL is not yet time to chronicle:
After the supper club hostesship
what?
In churchyard far up on River
side drive is marble slab on which
vas chiseled many years ago: Far
from worldly turmoil, he rests" As
one reads there is the din of steam
riveters on a halfscore OF apartment
houses being erected nearby.
Today I was lost In New York three
blocks from my home. Let those who
have the idea I am a city slicker fool
around with that one for awhile. |
vas completely bewildered for %
minutes. 1t took two policemen and
ings It happened like this l came
up from Brooklyn bridge on the sub
way and alighted at Grand Central,
> stones throw from my hotel. l fol
lowed q green line for awhile and
found myself In Times square, then
followed a black line and got mixed
up in the labyrinthine depths of the
mystic maze. It became more and
more bewllderlng. One policeman told
me to go this way, another that. ]
finally gave a newsboy a dime TO get
me to the street. Each day brings
added conviction this city IL no place
for Plattsburg boy.
The greatest distance from New
York city hall TO a point within the
municipal limits Is to Tottenville,
staten Island-1e miles in a straight
line.
The most bewildering thing about
New York to me is the differences
between the world that swirls around
Forty-second street and the world
hat bubbles around Brooklyn bridge.
Coming out OF the subway at tho
bridge the people seem different. The
shops are different. Even the news
boys have a different pitch to thoir
voices There ere thousands CT men
rnd women downtown who DO not
set uptown In years time. They
work downtown and live In Brooklyn
or staten Island.
Copyright, i,'Al