Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-04-10
BY Frank X. Adam

about next weeks rent money? The
dialogue. swapping, sparkling. The old
Jokes light up lust rs brilliantly as if
they had lust been rehearsed that
afternoon. And the romancel 1t is
even tenderer because it Is n story that
will never be told again.
And here is "Ol Man Mountain y
himself. 1t grips you and does things
to you that you never noticed before.
1t is the soul OF the show and it is
passing. Hang on to it. But you can't.
1t is slipping into the groove that leads
to eternity.
Here's AL Baker singing it now. What
a voice the man has. He never sang
it like that before. 1t sounds as if
il was his soul, too.
The audience went wild about it.
Perhaps they, too, had caught the
wiStful finality in the way he sang it.
But Baker did not take an encore at
that time. Instead he signaled for
Amber to so into the dance.
Then out OF the darkness came AL
Bakers voice. He'd never done that
before and Joe Softened the orchestral
accompaniment. All had picked up the
last half of the chorus;
Got to see Their, got to be Their
Where there amt no care or frettin'
l keep slidn', 1 keep suppin'
Climb a little. then I'm trippin'
It's so dark cause the sun am settin'
| can't see but | amt forgettin'
OF Man Mountain, OF Man Mountain.
Got TO climb you fore l die"
The orchestra gave its final trium-
plant crash, the spotlight on Amber's
head snapped out and the song was
ended.
And SO was the show. Al had been
singing directly in front of Joe where
he always stood, usually with one foot
across the footlights on the outermost
RIM OF the stage.
Now in the darkness Joe saw him
sway slightly toward him and then on
the final note of the music topple for
ward. Joe caught him. For a moment
or so alter the lights went up nc one
knew that anything happened. The
applause was terrific, laundering.
Then, gradually and c%uriously, it died
down. Then 1t ceased absolutely as ii
some II had dropped a giant muller
over the entire house.
The musicians made way for little
Joe, who some way seemed strong
enough for this final service, as he
carried Al Baker under the stage. The
curtain hesitated Il moment and then
came slowly and silently down.
What a corking exit!
No actor or playwright could have
planned a more effective final moment
1t was on the front page of every news
paper III New York in the morning. AL
Bakers personal popularity combined
with the dramatic nature of his taking
of made it a news story of more i'm
portance to Broadway than even a
transatlantic non-Lindbergh.
Dance orchestras will 40 longer play
OF Man Mountain" one of the write
ups began, lat least not in New York
City. Because beloved Al Baker, the
man who wrote 1t and sang it into
the heart of the city, is dead.
"Al stood on the peak-he could go
no higher, he climbed it fore he
die"
There was more, most of it about
Bakers long and successful career up
from burlesque to the high point OF
Broadway's favor.
To Joe was entrusted much Of the
planning for the funeral. In the COM
pany he was, with the exception Of
Amber, actually AIS most intimate
friend. And strangely enough there
seemed to be no family to come for
ward and attend to the final arrange
ments. There were living several
women who had been his wives at vari-
GUS stages Of his career, but there were
no known blood relatives.
Finally, everything was all ready.
The stage was banked with flowers.
There was scenery somewhere down
underneath but the surface was en-
tirely covered with blossoms. Joe had
an hour before the ceremony would
begin. He sat down unhappily to.
think.
1t was then that he remembered the
letter and drew it out of his pocket
to read.
Dear joe" it began. Il know Am
Der doesn't look as if she was any re-
lation of mine, but she really is my
sisters kid. Amber happened along
one season while l was on the road
and her mother cashed in before | got
BACK. My sister was a little different
from me and she hated the show bust
ness. So she left word that Amber
was to be brought up in a convent.
Well, that was all right, too, but she
didn't leave any money to do it with.
SO | took over the job. But I never
let Amber know who / was or that I
was paying the bills, because Sis
hadn't wanted her to have any con-
nection with show business.
But when she ran away from school
and joined a troupe 1 knew that the
blood of her grandfather-he was Joe
Baker, the king Of comedy-had proved
too much for her and so l quietly
hunted her up and got her into my
own company. That was better than
having her on the loose. Besides I
trained her better than any one else
would have done. And we liked each
other flne-almost like she was my
own daughter.
Sometimes l thought I'd tell her.
but | never did. And she got really
good, and you know how good she is.
1t would have been bad publicity.
so you're the first person to get
the big news. I'm passing it on to you
because, when you get this, you're 90
ing to have to take my place. You
get this job because 1 like you and
because / know that you care enough
Tor the kid to see that she gets a little
DDlQ ont of life oven if If mute