Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-10-12
Mew York
Letter


still being sounded over the old
time night spots Of Broadway, the
yen for going places is far from
dead in New Workers. Nor do visit
ors show any inclination to run
when the possibility OF a late
party is suggested.
To be sure, this Is n season IN
which to shout Hello. suckerl" at
your guests. Hence, you'll note that
Miss Mamie Duffy-more generally
known as Guinan-packed her gals
in a couple of a~uto-buses and set
forth for a nationwide tour. II
they are CARRIED as they used to be
in the bright : light belt, not
much space was needed for bag
gage. The last time / heard from
them, they had passed Waltham,
Mass. where, according to Mamie
or Tex, II you prefer-they were
getting the works"
Getting q slant on Broadway
night l~ife-vintage l93l-needs a
slight analysis:
IN the first place, the business
that once went to the So and S.
cover charge emporiur,s now goes
to the speakeasies. These are not,
in the common vernacular. speak
easies. They're a hybrid: there Is
q bar, where drinks are 81 per each
to SIPS; the food prices a fairly
stiff and there is continuous and
good entertainment. Some or the
best talent Of vaudeville and night
clubdom appears during the eve
ming. The chump who used to pay
four dollars to sit down now gets
four drinks toward his evenings
start, and spends no more for food
than he once did.
There are some five very
swanky resorts OF this nature, the
audience generally mixing the bet
ter known Broadwayites with the
not-so-prominent society r. cnders.
Seldom does the gangster ele-
ment sneak under the gate, as II
once did at places Of better repu-
tations.
In spite of all reports to the eff
feet that the cover charge has
disappeared, it's still with US.
Simmer. TO be sure; and not so
frequently encountered. Yet the
Semi-ritZy FL Patio, with Ramon
and Rosita dancing, remained
open most Of the summer, while
most others wilted. Helen Morgan
will be back on the piano in her
own place soon, and the old 300"
will be revived. VIII Oakland. as
usual, has a loyal personal follow
ing and no cover charge this year.
Nor will Harlem be off the map.
After all these years, Comics Inn
and the Cotton Club survived. Cab
Galloway. the band maestro. serves
music hot at the Cotton Tub and
Connie opened up just the other
night with a finger-burning floor
show.
There are three or four head
liners down Greenwich Village
way, also. These are the Nut Club,
the Chico and the Inn. OF this
group. the Nut Club remains the
most incredible. Its capacity for
survival and the type OF crowd that
drifts there is n OF the minor
marvels OF the big city. On Monday
nights one is likely TO meet the
cream or the radio world about the
tables and on Thursday night, the
alter folk are likely to be sitting on
your lap unable to get a chair. What
is equally amazing. Meyer" the
proprietor. has used some magic
formula for making these folk get
up and perform free gratis and for
nothing. on a recent eve. l saw the
Sisters Of the Skillet, Polly Moran.
Ted Husing, Russ Columbo, and a
dozen other stars Of the air. con-
tribute numbers that would cost the
average manager a fortune. Some
how. they perform for the fun OF il.
El Patio is Spanish. serving
Spanish dishes and dishing out
Cuban and Spanish music. It has
atmosphere and good taste. and a
proprietor who tells swell stories
about bull fights If you happen to
know him.
There, briefly. you have the
nighttime getaway for the new
SeaScn.