The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-07-14
In New York
BY PAUL HARRISON

New York--It seems that out III Hollywood they are getting ready to make a movie called "The Great Ziegfeld." Broadway hasn't been SO conscious of a cinematic scheme in years: 1t feels that 1t ought to he taken out there, bag and bag gage, to help reproduce the story of the late Glorifier.
 The film company made mce little gesture when it decided to give jobs to some of the Ziegfeld girls who were in the earlier Fol lies, A great many other people got the idea, and soon the company was getting applications from Zieg- folds favorite waiter, shoe sinner, and the newsboy who always sold Flo a Morning Bugle. One fellow who was fired three times by Zleg- field expressed a willingness to coach the movie people on how Uncle Flo used to toss off tantrums.
 One of the veterans whom the screen concern would like to nave is Fannie Brice. alumna of six Fol lies, including the current one. She may not be able to comply, how ever, because the show is going on tour.
 And Is George Mad!
 Another veteran, though never a Ziegfeld man, is George M. Conan. They wanted him for the title role, but they're not going to get him.
 They won't get him because the great Conan hasn't forgotten all the things that happened to him in Hollywood when he ventured out there about two years ago. And this was one of the things:
 He had been working quite awhile when a director told him one afternoon that they'd start shooting at z o'clock the next morning. So Conan went home and to bed and got up at a. m. He reused his dresser and they gluped some breakfast and arrived at the studio gate before z o'clock. The guard there told them in friend ly way that there was no use hang ing around for autographs.
 Conan explained that he was THE George M. Conan, and that he was working at the studio. NO body works at the studio at this hour" said the guard. But you might go down to the next gate and wait awhile." So Conan moved on, and found himself at the ex- tras' gate. The people there were even tougher. No extras were want ed that day, they said. Working there, was he? We'll. where was his pass? No pass s?-then he'd better beat it before they called cop.
 MT Conan beat it. He went home and telephoned the studio. but mo- body seemed willing to call the di- rector. An hour later he telephoned again, and this time was able to tell the director what had hap pened. The latter apologized. but Conan cut him short, saying he wouldn't come near the studio un- less a pass had been sent to him.
 Another hour went by and a messenger dashed up with an en- velope. It contained authorization for George M. Cohan to enter the extras gate.
 It's Good, Anyway
 A man named Dick Moore, who is head bartender at the Times Square hotel, has an ear for legend and has been collecting stories about the origin of the Tom Col lins. He has his own story, of course, which is that 40 years ago he received the Collins formula from the late John McGraw, who about that time was managing the Baltimore Orioles. McGraw had been given the formula by Maggie Cline in the days when she was singing Throw Him Down, Nc. Closkey!" Maggie, in turn, had learned the mixture from a friend who was combination usher scenery designer and property man at Kernan's old Maryland theater in Baltimore. His name was Tom Collins, so Maggie gave his name to the gin drink.
 Whenever Moore told that story somebody countered with a differ. ent version. The original Tom Col lins has been located variously from the Bowery to the Barbary coast, from London to Central America. A drink known as Colon used to be popular in the hot countries, and the expression for Have a drink" was Tome Co. lon." Travellers brought the phrase back to the states, where it was corrupted to From Collins" A similar change, other people be. lieve, was brought about in the name of one Tom Kohlen, a ia. nous Bowery bartender who in. vented several famous drinks. Still another legend has the Col. lins coming more than a century ago from the home of a perfumei named Thomas Bittl, who lived ir Cologne. An Englishman, who re. membered the formula but forgot Thomas last name. called the drink Tommy Cologne" and successive generations changed it to Collins.