The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-07-05
IN NEW YORK

New York, July 6.-Autograph
collectors have become the most
prevalent nuisance in Manhattan.
Their favorite haunt is the Broad
way theatre lobby, where they ap-
pear between acts on first nights,
their little autograph book hidden in
a pocket or under coat flap. Here
they stalk their prey, centering their
attention on notables or near not
ables; personalities Of stage, screen,
literature or public life. They op-
crate in packs, and even herds;
though some lone wolf often seems
to scoop" the others.
This simple, if brazen pastime APP
pears to have caught on during the
past winter and, with the fair nights,
the autograph hounds are out in
packs. Like newsreel camera men,
nothing seems to stop them. If they
are politely turned down by q
"celeb" who is otherwise engaged in
conversation with his friends, they
often grow insulting and toss some
such comment as: "Well. va don't
need to be so high hat about it." One
gets the impression that many of
them have the notion that they are
comforting a favor upon the good
natured signers.
They are generally headed by an
underslung young woman with a
mass of curly hair, who goes hat
less winter or summer and who
possesses a voice that can shout
down a lobbyful of people. When
she has Cracked the ice" the others
follow.
More than frequently they have
no idea Of the identity of . person
whose signature they are getting.
One Of the herd sees another pounce
upon an innocent celebrity, and
rushes up.
The other night saw "AE," the
celebrated British critic, in the proc
ess of being swamped. A kindly,
rather shy giant Of man with an
impressive dark beard, the visiting
critic protested that he was nobody
Of Importance.
"Well, sign it anyway" demanded
the pack-leader. Better birds than
you have put their John Henry's in
this book"
Tin Pan Alley is reluctantly bow
ing to young woman jazz COM
poser-the first to hit their hard
boiled highway for "the big money"
She is Mabel Wayne, who wrote
last seasons hit, "In a Little Span
ish Town." And now's she's cutting
coupons, thanks to the success Of
Ramona"
For many q year no feminine
name found itself attached to the
popular jazz themes. There was
even a legend that women couldn't
do that sort Of thing. They were
and waltz songs" but, you heard
them say, "they can't turn out
knockover." And, to all intents and
purposes, they couldn't.
But in the background all the
time was Miss Wayne, who had been
a vaudeville pianist. She had to her
credit, "Three O'Clock in the Morn
ing" which was zone Of those waltz
things you'd expect of = woman"
More recently she's done, "There
Must be q Silver Lining" and "Baby
Your Mother" Such numbers" make
even Tin Pan Alley sit up. Only
Walter Donaldson, who wrote "Blue
Heaven" is likely to be a Compel
itor for big sales records.
Mabel works with another young
woman in the composition Of her
hits. She is Dolly Morse, who start
ed out to conquer Tin Pan Alley at
the age Of IA. She was Dolly ferris,
then, just out of q Brooklyn public
school. She walked in on Theodore
Morse, the music publisher, who was
so dumbfounded at her naive assur-
ance that he began to take an in
terest. A few years later he mar
ried the youngster. Chalk up another
of those Broadway romances that
really happen!
GILBERT SWAN.
Copyright, 1928, NEA Service, Inc.)