Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-07-23
Mew York
Letter

NEW YORK-On the day they
we're hurying Harry R~eichenbach ]
happened to be passing a monde
script secondhand and auction store
In lower Sixth avenue IN one cor
ner Of a window. in a pile Of dusty
mirrors and dishes. / noticed a time
worn copy Of September Morn"
Remember II? And how shocking u
was supposed to be?
Well. I mention this because Z
was Harry who caused an entire
nation TO get excited over this ordi-
nary picture. He had been retained
by a certain picture dealer who
wanted 10 sell nor wares. And
millions OF copies were sold when
Harry made almost everyone be-
lieve that something naughty was
being perpetrated.
This was. TO be sure. OF the
earlier stunts Of this fabulous press
agent.
Barnum and Reichenbach would
have made a great team. For Harry
had a flair for the fantastic AMI
Nizarre In advertising and was pre-
pared 10 stage any sort of stunt to
introduce his clients to the public.
This often involved the hood
winking OF many editors. Harry was,
lii fact. one OF the last Of the big
buncombe" type az press agents.
What ne did was often spectacular
and eve hilarious. but a tremend-
u change has come we the pub
Lefty business within the past five
years or more
Broadway gents. who once spent
sleepleSs nights trying TO think u
schemes. now resort to no film
fiammery. They let news OF the
stage OF screen speak for itself. They
write well. and half a dozen OF them
have been taken from their old
tasks to hold down serious writ
Ing Jobs. Several have become stage
producers and have presented sue
cessful plays: any number are n
Hollywood and others are we'll
known authors.
When the var came. Harry's rep
utation had reached the point
where Uncle Sam let him be a press
agent for the American forces.
Before he reached this status,
however. Harry had participated In
hilarious fakeries that have since
become Broadway legends. There
was the case of The Virgin Of Stam-
bcul.' for instance. Harry had
planted half a dozen mysterious
Turks in a swanky hotel. They re-
ffrrnA NJ fters - - unan 49, tAn
press and there was Q UGH conjec-
ture as 20 their mission. Then, M
day. admission VAS made that they
were searching for a kidnapped Turk
ish maid, known as the virgin u
Stamboul." A reward OF $4,000 was
offered. When the newspapers had
tumbled for II. announcement Of the
movie of that name came.
On another occasion a lion was
discovered in a hotel room. II had
been delivered. innocently enough.
In O crate. Police were called and
there was no end OF excitement. The
papers thought it a funny tale and
followed the many incidents. until
the owner was discovered to be a
certain IT. R. zann."
Meanwhile. the efforts 70 diSlodge
a lion from a midtown hotel room
was proving a most whimsical nov
city. II not a difficult task. And. OF
course. the 1T. r. Zann" involved
was later connected with "Tarzau
Of the Apes"
"One might assume that such
stunts would have caused Reichen-
bach 10 have been tossed out on his
a by every editor in New York.
Fact was. that Harry was friendly
with most OF them. though eyed with
great suspicion until he reformed "
Most OF his jokes were SO good that
even an editor who had bitten
had to laugh. The day Of the hoax
type OF publicity passed. however.
and Harry adopted more serious
methods. He took on the personal
publicity of many movie stars and
even toured with Sarah Bernhard.
Harry will be remembered longest
Tor his pranks. which will Be told
and retold for many a year.