Evening star., 1930-11-30

who aren't superstitiouS is Glenn
~ Mccarthy, whom you've heard
On the air describing such turf
classics as the Derby, the Belmont
| Stakes and a lot of others.
But he likes to talk about supersti-
tions I remember the first time we
worked together-it was on the Derby
Glen mighty near kept me from get
| ting to my post on time, telling me
some of the superstitions he's run
! across.
The other night, after the horse
| show, he added the story of Sonny
Workman, jockey, to his "reminiscences.
Just before the Belmont Stakes, where
Workman rode Whichone, Clem per-
suaded Workman to say a few words
into the microphone. Most of you will
remember that Gallant Fox won the
| race.
Up in Saratoga, just before the
| Travers Stakes, Glen again persuaded
| Workman to greet the radio audience,
much against Workmans better Judg-
ment. That was the day that Jim
Dandy, which hadn't even been con-
| sidered, walked of with the money.
And then along came the Pimlico
| Futurity, and Sonny Workman navi-
gated Equipoise through the mud to a
| victory. Clem's microphone hadn't
been too handy before the race, and
Workman hadn't spoken into it, but the
! owner of EQuipose, Cornelius Wander
bilt Whitney, did speak for few min
utes after the race, and when he and
the trainer, Fred Hopkins, had finished
| talking, Clem beckoned to workman.
Workman must have sighted jinx
even in the invitation for ne waved the
/, mike away and backed of.
You'll never get me before that
| thing again." he declared. L know a
| jinx when see one. and that's it." In
| the language of the cattle country, he
"high-tailed" it for the stables, ap-
parently actuated by the fear that that
microphone had legs and might run
after him.
But Clem says it hasn't really been
proved there's jinx in the mike for
Workman. You can't tell, he says, until
| it's worked three times. It's only been
two for the jockey.
SoderIing in Character Parts.
MANY of you have heard Walter
A'A Soldering playing character parts
in "Harbor Lights" He's also been IN
Gloria Gays Affairs Mystery
| House" and other dramatic programs,
but this story of tragedy is more ap-
| propriate when you think of him in the
! seagoing story. For it was the sea
that gave Soderling one of the wors,
| breaks in his career as an actor.
Early in 1915 Soldering was stage
maragar for the late Charles Frohman
| in the famous John Drew company. He
| played small parts, too, just to help out.
1t was Frohman's custom to assemble
| the cast on the stage after the house
! had been cleared at the end of the
| premier performance, and to bestow
| aYlI RI he n
| work of the evening
One Notwithstanding can't remember
! the name of the play-the cast gathered
! as usual on the stage. Frohn1en was
/ slouched in his seat out front. with all
! the cast in makeup still before him.
Where's the old MANI" the pro-
ducer queried gruffly. Il want to see
the old man"
The "old man." character bit, had
been played by Soderling. 1t hadn't
| been important, and Soldering thought
he might have sighted his work. AS
he stepped forward he was ready for
the worst.
MY friend" said Frohman, "you did
! a splendid piece of work, and I'm going
to take care of you from now on. You
have nothing to worry about. Cast dis
missed"
Soon afterward the Drew company
went on tour. Finally it got to the
West Coast and Soldering was counting
on bigger parts when the company re-
turned to New York. In Vancouver,
however, came the word that Charles
Frohman, the man who had guaranteed
his future, was among those lost when
the Lusitania went down OF Ireland
with a torpedo in her hull In his years
as an actor Soldering has had good
many tough breaks but he counts this
his worst, personally as well as pro-
fessionally.
Hugo Marisni's Stage Feat.
A LONG TIME ago told about the
= time Hugo Mariani, conducting in
his shirt sleeves, heard that distin-
gulshed visitors were coming to the
studio, and donned his coat without
losing beat Of his batcn.
That would never happen in the
cases of such conductors as Len JOY,
Paul Whiteman, Ben Bernie or Harold
Sanford. Joy and Bernie never seem
to drop into neglige, even in rehearsal,
and Sanford and Whiteman often strip
down so far 1t wouldn't do them any
good to make the attempt.
Whiteman will wear a dinner jacket
when guests are expected, and keep It
on, but / think 1t would take q visit
Sanford wear his coat and collar in a
studio.
Whiteman is a big man-you've all
heard about the aviator who hoped some
day TO make q nonstop flight around
Paul Whiteman-but his size doesn't
keep him from being active. Three
hours Of rehearsal for half-hour
broadcast means nothing to him any
more than to some of his apparently
more agile contemporaries. And you