The Washington times., 1933-08-18

In a rather vague mental
recapitulation of the people I
have encountered in the night
clubs and speakeasies during
the four years, more or less,
of making the so-called rounds,
I find now there are few faces
I've missed. I mean that I can
never at any time recall having
seen Eugene O'Neill. AL Smith,
George M. Cohan. Amelia Ear
hart, Babe Ruth, John j. Nc
Graw. Gene Sarazen, Col.
Charles A. Lindbergh, Ethel
Barrymore, Galli-Curci or Sim
clair Lewis in any of the Broad
way night spots.
Theodore Dresser / found one
night in the old Clam House
dive in Harlem when Gladys
Bentley was still wearing skirts,
and George Jean Nathan sat
in q corner of another Harlem
rendezvous, Ye Old Nest, when
that place was one Of the
scOrch spots. Gene Tunney I've
seen at the Surf Club and Carl
Van Vechten was, a frequent
patron at the old Les AmbaS-
aadeurs when Clayton, Jackson
and Durante were breaking up
furniture and running hats.
James j. Farley I met at the
Argonaut when Guinan was at
her Manhattan height; Clarence
Chamberlain and Wiley Post
were among those present at
the recent Penn Roof opening.
In all my wanderings through
the night clubs and speakeaSies,
I have never been able to
tumble in when Vincent Astor
was present or John D. Rocke.
feller, jr., or John Coolidge.
For all I know, they've never
been in a Broadway night spot.
I've encountered one or the
other of the young Roosevelts,
including Mrs. Dali, chiefly at
the Embassy, but I have never
seen Irwin Cobb at one of Lay
haunts.
Huey Long spent at least
one evening at the Riviera
when I was present, but (and
this is very difficult to believe)
I have never been able to run
into Damon Runyon at a night
club or speak, although I've
been with him at the Tavern at
dinner time, but the Tavern is a
restaurant. Harrison Fisher
spent a couple of successive
nights at the old Silver Slipper,
chiefly becaue took him there,
but I can never recall seeing
Bud Fisher or Howard Chandler
ChriSty at any of the hot spots.
Fisher, it is true, dimes at the
Tavern frequently, as does James
Montgomery Flagg, which re-
minds me that the only time I
ever saw Flagg at a night club
was at the Paradise a few
months ago. Russell Patterson,
on the other hand, is a frequent
patron, and Bob Ripley has
stalked by me time and again
at Leon and Eddie's. Eddie Can
tor is an infrequent night club
ber; can remember only three
instances, and each time he was
a guest Of honor. George Jessel,
on the other hand, spent night
after night in the old Five
O'Clock Club, the Napoleon, and
the Park Avenue, particularly
during those first hectic months
Of his courtship Of Norma Tai
madge.
I was first introduced to Nor
ma, incidentally, at Les Ambas-
ga deurS by Gilbert Roland,
whom 1 had met only a few
minutes previously through the
late Larry Fay. Mary PickfOrd,
DOuglas Fairbanks, Norm a
Shearer, Irving Thalberg, Jean
Harlow, Ruth ChattertOn, Char
lie Chaplin, Richard Barthel-
mess, Kay Francis, Richard Dix,
Joan CrawfOrd-all these I
have met at one time or another
at one of the speaks or night
clubs. Tallulah Bankhead put
out slim foot one night at the
Ha-Ha and tripped me up, so I
concluded she must have been
ut the Ha-Ha Club at least once.