The Washington times., 1933-09-30

Fannie Brice hoped out OF a
$35 a week job as chanting sou-
brette in college Days." where
she sang Irving Berlin's sadie
salome," to $75 week berth
with Flo Ziegfeld in the Follies
of 1910. The contract was
printed on stiff calendar paper
and she wore it out showing it
to friends so Ziegfeld gave her
another contract and she wore
that out, too. In all she had
seven contracts that season -
but they all called for the same
figure-$75.
Jack Pearls first stage en-
gagement was with Herman Tim
berg in "SchOOl Days" Tim
berg promised him $40 a week
but gave him SIS and fined him
so cents every time he broke a
regulation. At the end Of the
season, however, he paid him an
additional $14 in a lump sum,
the total of the fines, explain
ing that he merely wanted to
point out to him that he had
erred 28 times. Pearl belonged
to the famous Dialect Table in
the Hunting Room Of the AstOr
the limited company included
besides Pearl, Sam Bernard, Joe
Weber, Lew Fields and Louis
Mann. The waiter was a
naughty meticulOus Englishman
at the start. At the end Of
of q season he was handing
them this: ''Plizz, gantlemens,
how about you should Gift me
yurr h'order!" That's how the
gag, in all its variations origin"
ated.
Ruth Fittings first stage am
bitions came through seeing the
circus. She went home, rode
bareback around the pasture on
the broad back Of the aged farm
horse and then hung by her
knees from the limb of a syca-
more tree in the back yard. She
decided she wasn't cut out to
be a circus queen and changed
her ambition after seeing a few
of Nell Brinkley'S drawings. She
is still an excellent artist.
Albertine Rasch was premiere
ballerina at the New York Hip
podrome at the age Of 16.
George White was the first
Broadway producer to use a
unit of her girls in his Scan
dals."
Paul Whiteman, when the
war broke out, weighed 3OS
pounds but wanted to be an avi-
atOr. The examining officer
sent him over to the blimp
school instead-but even they
decided the risk was too great.
So Paul finally got into the
navy. where they have big
boats. The navy almost kicked
him out when it learned that
special uniforms had to be built
for him.
Morris Gest once blackened
up his body and face to appear
as a wild man in a cage on
the Boston Commons. Later
he put up a canvas at the Buff
falo Exposition the day after
President Mckinley died,
painted the name of Czolgosz,
the assassin, on it, and sold
three baseballs for a dime to
throw at the picture over the
name. He did great business.
Willie and Eugene Howard
were engaged to appear at the
old Victoria by Oscar Hammer.
stein, who assured them that,
while they wouldn't get much
money, he would make up for
that by having their names on
the marquee. A few nights
later HammerStein heard them
while they were appearing at
the Winter Garden. The follow
ing morning the boys passed
the Victoria and saw their
names being painted out Of the
sign.
George Price used to go to
parties with Harry Richman IL
years ago. Harry was selling
dresses then and had an apart
ment over Murray's on West
Forty-second Street, where the
Flea Circus is now. Richman
used to stay up all night so he
could see the buyers early in
the morning and Price stayed
up with him because there
were always plenty Of girls who
wanted to stay up, TOTO help
Harry stay up so he could sell
dresses early in the morning.
Price, at one time, was on the
verge of becoming Richman's
partner and giving up the stage
business.
Tommy Lyman always claimed
he originated the phrase, Gear
rying the TORCH" when he wrote
what he insists was the first
"torch song" something called,
Gee, But It's Tough When the
Gangs Gone HOme"-a ballad,
Damon Runyan later tagged,
the "tOrch carriers anthem"
It was Tommy who first intro
duced and pOpuIarized "Melan.
chOly Baby" which has swung
into popularity again all over
town.