davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

enough press notices. The box Of
nee wasn't pressed enough, they
should say +. Remember Fathers
Day, men. He didn't forget you!
Joe Louis. the Detroit bomber will
have what canary whistlin' before
the 7th ? ? And remember above
all things, what l told you first .
The Reggie Fendersons have cal
led it off. l hope that trey didn't
blame it on the weather Victor
ia Vigal is doing her numbers at
the Memphis Club in the Quaker
City :. +. So Fats Waller hailed
Tom Southern, his body guard, as
his cheerful little earful." And
the gangsters aren't misbehavin'
being original and being newsy,
folks!D :. Chez Washington and
Bill Num-, of the Pittsburgh
Courier, came to N. Y. recently
to see their fran Joe Louis. You
should have been up to Mikes the
mite the newsboys gathered-so
much huggin' and bar bending.
Come back again soon, fellers.
Expect Ralph (Afro American)
Matthews in town any day now
So "Spinkey" Aston took Pheon
Hood bark ? ? Attend the show
at the Ambassador this Sunday
mite. BY all means, see Ella Cor
don's Peter Pan Riddles in action
:. Some say Joe Outlear broke
the S. S. Normandie's record when
he told a certain lass a thousand
'nots' when she asked where did he
spend the mite :. Lorraine Harris
still inquiries about Monte Haw-
leeys golngs on They say, too,
that A. B. Coleman has went
places. Beauticians want to know!
Incidently, w. C. Stevens who
gave Harlem (the magl Harlem
Life is slated to succeed your N.
Y. correspondent as editor of the
National Beauty Creator. All
along | knew it wouldn't last :.
Not to be funny, but does Ralph
Cooper know you're out, Billy
Rowe? ? ? So to my friends, north,
south, east and west l am letting
them in on the political situation
in Hot Harlem, Oscar Godfrey
and Daniel Burrows will vie for
leadership-with one, Perry, MAX
ing it a three cornered fight. May
be there are others, huh? Well,
it's about time we have a good
battle. There have been too many
fixed contests FLASH F.! ! Vic
tor Lloyd is sporting one of those
German wrist watches Goodness
gracious me. l must be slipping!
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11
Claude Hopkins Was Reared
To Be a Physician
- Instead He Became Il Doctor of Jazz

and still later at the Nelson
theater in that city. He stayed
three months at this spot.
Then engagements were filled
at the Savoy hotel in Bremen,
the Palace theatre in BARGE
Iona, Spain, and the Royal
theatre in Budapest. He re-
turned to America late in the
year of 1927.
Having met with such sue
cess with his first revue, Hop
kins organized another. He
labeled it Ginger Snaps 1t
toured America with the mu-
steal show. Then his aggre-
cation became a ballroom
broadcasting orchestra. He
was a fixture at the famous
Roseland ballroom in New
York.
His CHS broadcasts on the
Harlem Serenade" program
won him national acclaim. He
has made several shorts for
the movies and two features.
Dance Team starring James
Dunn and Sally Eilers and
Hayward" with Nancy Car
rol, were the names of the
films.
Claude is an exceptional
piano player. arranger and
composer. Among some of his
numbers are Harlem Sere-
made Mississippi River, "
and Smoking My Pipe,
which he wrote with his vo.
calist, Orlando Robson. He
also wrote Il Could Do Most
Anything for You"
Many people have formed
the opinion that Orlando Ro.
beson. the sweet-voiced Groom
er, is related to Paul Robson.
This is not so-Orlando was
born in Tulsa. Oklahoma, and
educated at Kansas UNIVERSE
ty. N
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11
Fiction
Theatrical Career as a
Lifetime Profession

bureau, which manages such
orchestras as Duke, Cab, and
Lucky Millinder, they are
turned over to the publicity
department and given a coat
ing of exploitation, which
arouses your interest to the
extent that you will plank
down" the price of admission
to see them.
Of course, they change with
the present tempo of things.
but in the main, they are the
same. You no doubt have seen
performers who in truth did
not display any exceptional
talents. but they were bub-
ling over with personality. and
you encored them again
and again. They know how to
sell their wares. Then on the
other hand you will see a fel.
low almost break a leg try
ing to entertain you with his
dance-he is no go. He lacks
the personality, the ability to
sell his number.
So, if you are thinking of
choosing a theatrical career,
provided, of course, you have
the ability, don't fear the bug
aboo that you can only last
We years; because if you are
good, people will want to see
you forever more. We laugh
at good jokes that we heard
when we were Children. We en-
joy seeing artists perform in
the same manner that we did
years ago.
You can remain in any vo-
cation in life more than five
years if you have that swing.
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

Shortly afterward he organ
lied his own orchestra, and
secured a job for the band
in Atlantic City in 1924. His
society orchestra played cafe
and club engagements in At
lantic City, Washington and
Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Claude got his first real
break when Mrs. Caroline
Dudley Regain, wife of the sec
rotary of the American en-
bassy in Paris, was a guest at
the club where he and his or
chestra were featured. This
was in 1926.
Mrs. Regain was so i'm
pressed with the music OF
Claude Hopkins that she hit
upon the idea of presenting a
Harlem revue in Paris. She
asked Claude to play the "St.
Louis Blues That settled it.
Ere long she was negotiating
with Claude's employer to re-
lease the orchestra from it's
contract.
Claude was tickled pink over
the idea of the Partisan trip.
When he finished work that
night he had a contract in his
pocket for the European ven
ture. Mrs. Regain was equal
ly as jubilant and she began
to assemble a revue around
Claude Hopkins orchestra.
She got Ethel Waters to sign
on the dotted line that she
would headline the show.
They rehearsed and re-
hearsed. Finally they were all
satisfied that they had a re-
vue. Ethel Waters became i'll
a few days before they were
to sail. 1t would probably have
proven fatal to Ethel to have
taken the trip. What is a show
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

Claude Hopkins did no t
want to be a medical doctor,
but a doctor of jazz. The Har-
lem maestro tossed his pills,
antidotes and medicines out of
the window and switched from
a pre-medical course to liber-
al arts, when music became
his chief interest. Claude Hop
kins is one of Americas chief
dispensers of hot jazz. He
sends out his CHEEKY music
via the air lanes from his ma
jestic perch at the famous
Cotton Club in New York.
Claude Hopkins is one of the
classiest men on the stage to-
day. He was born in Alexan-
dria, Virginia. He was reared
on the campus of Howard uni
versity. His father is the post
master of Howard university
and has held that position for
more t h IN thirty years.
Claude's mother is a mem
Der of the college faculty.
Claude studied "pre-med-
les" at Howard, but changed
his mind and took his bach
elor's degree in liberal arts
from the same school in 1923.
He conducted the college
symphony orchestra. He won
his letter on the track team
he was equally adept at play
ing football, basketball and
tennis.
After graduating he at
tended the Washington Con-
servatory of Music. studying
piano and harmony in the best
classical tradition. He spent a
year at this school.
Then he went out seeking a
job as a pianist in an orches-
ira. Wilbur Sweatfnan gave
aim a berth in his jazz band.
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11
NORA HOLT NOW
A SCHOOL MARIN

Perpetual youth seems to be the
reward of Nora Holt. Freshness
of viewpoint is Nora's secret, one
of her secrets. Love of nature,
the other, romance possible
third.
Driving through the Arroyo
Seco last Sunday morning with a
faint haze giving a purple cast to
California mountains; fields of
green and golden peoples with tall
Yucca raising an occasional bloom,
Nora took a breath of pure air,
swept her gaze over the landscape
and burst forth with the surprise
of the year:
81 was never meant for Broad
wayl Mite clubs and gay parties
always bored me. | was thrown
into it all and l had to make a
good job of it. This is the life, and
Pm going to live it the rest of my
days"
Fine gown creations, many of
them hand-painted; sequins that
Chinese women painstakingly
sewed together. Costly furs. Pri-
celess antique jewelry. All lie I'M
disturbed in Morals trunks.
The former toast of the contin-
ent, Nora Holt, is leading the SIM
pie life: feeding a little puppy,
pruning rose bushes, teaching
school at night, writing new music
as the sun rises.
Now blackbirds are movie
struck.
Indications that they want to
become actors at Universal City
are evident as out of 200 birds re-
leased from a cake at party dur
ing the filming of Diamond Jim,
more than so lurked around sound
stage IL.
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11
Third Row-Center'
(The World, the Theater)
By MARJORIE MURRAY

REV. KINGSLEY in dinner
clothes, and the ony male guest so
correct at the Antillia Protective
Association dinner in honor of
King Georges Silver Jubilee. He
sat next to us at dinner, and we
found him most human and jovial,
yet decidedly convincing. He's
temperate, you know, and as a
result we drank his wine. That's
what he gets for being so sincere
a preacher, and having to raise
his water glass when a toast was
said to the king.
$50
Those watermelons we saw in
that shop window were almost
more than we could bear. Here
it is in the dead of June, with
snow and sleet all over the place,
and a guy thinks up a stunt like
that. think they were for sale,
too! The funny shopkeeper would
make ten times more if he'd put
the watermelons in a glass cage
like mummy or stuffed dodo,
and charge dime q peep.
**%
That section of the MONTGOM-
cry ADVERTISER devoted to the
commencement at TUSKEGEE IN
STITUTE, and its editorial in par
ticular. Those of you who still
have visions of the South being
cluttered up with boogie men GO
ing about hanging you to the near
est tree should dash right out and
grab yourselves copy. We bet
after you've read it you'll call your
selves a couple of big Jack Hor-
ners and give yourselves a swift
kick, or do you inhale?
I've been humming that tune all
day east of the Sun and West
of the Moon," from "Stag's at
Bay" Pretty, isn't it? And that
was a grand number that kid did
the other night over the air from
fiioSo. NDoIly, hci nalhc iids
slipped me.) 1t was after she
sang Sometimes | Feel Like
Motherless Child" "Foot Loose
and Fancy Free" from "Hooray for
Love- the new Bill Robinson flick
er.
1t was nice having a few high
balls with KAY FRANCIS best
girl Friday. She's IDA PERRY
JOHNSON and on her way to Eng
land :. not to meet Kay but on
jolly jaunt quite her own. she
wouldn't discuss the Kay-Cheval-
Ter rumor, but did say that if
there's any feeling out in Holly
wood about our natural sun-tan, she
didn't know it.
For a pickup, take 1-3 Bacardi
rum, IL dry gin, IL French Ver-
mouth. Shake well, and pour in
to cocktail glasses, or any glass
for that matter. You may then,
my dears, relax, and count your
blessings one by one.
Cheerio-See you Friday.
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

Among those officers who for
years have capitalized in this re-
gard as result of their experience
and, as consequence, have always
received one hundred per cent CO.
operation from his subordinates is
Captain James L. Mooney, COM
mander of the 9th District police at
48th street and Wabash avenue.
Dead Heroes Honored
As fitting tribute to those men
under his command, who died in the
line of duty, resisting crime-men
who had great respect for their
leader, preferred to die rather than
to let a pinch" elude them, Cap
tain has adorned the corridor walls
Of the station with their likenesses.
They are all there, black men and
white men alike, an inspiration for
anyone in any line of work who
values devotion to duty and due re-
Rard for a man who never asked his
men to do what he would not do
himself.
There on the wall hangs picture
Of Patrolman Roscoe johnson, vet
eran of the force and hero of the
World war, who went down fighting
bandits who attempted to rob the
Gordon Baking company, March 81,
1888. His slayers were never appre-
hended; Patrolman Louis Furst,
who went to his death fighting a
crazed man at 1857 State in Sep
TENDER of the same year. The mad
man was finally slain by Officer
Carl Nelson; Patrolman John R.
Officer, killed April 10, of last year
when he surprised bandits during
a holdup of Bills Bootery, 302 E.
43rd street. His slayers were
caught and sent to the electric caair
for the crime.
Then there are the pictures of
Policeman Robert Granger, shot
and killed three years ago in the
line of duty on Prairie avenue, and
Officers Thomas E. Torpy and Gal
braith, whose lives were snuffed
out in gun battle at 1888 st. Law
renee avenue.
And so the police work under
Capt. Mooney goes on and on in
this busy district, with every man
anxious to curb crime-the first or
der of their commander and every
man, too, willing to stake his life
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11
LOS ANGELES CAFE
SPORTS NOTED TALENT

Leon Hereford, smart Kansan,
who came west years ago with the
Quality Four: Harvey Brooks, Tin
Can Henry, Paul Howard and
himself, introduced classy bands
in the old Humming Bird Cafe,
opened by Gloria Swanson, owned
by DR.. Eugene Nelson.
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

against the challenge hurled hourly
by hoodlums of the underworld to
prove that their fellow officers who
have gone before them have not
died in vain and that their untimely
deaths are not unavenged.
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11
Captain Mooney Pays Great
Tribute to Fallen Heroes
By CLIFTON THOMAS

It has been said times that the general sordd-
ness attached to police work makes persons engaged in it
hardboiled and mpervous to human suffering and
Each Chicago however plenty of proof has been
piled from of outstanding character and ability in the
police department to show that the miserable experiences
necessarily witnessed only tend to properly direct sympathy
which is due each deserving
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

1lS obctt5N3 10 - AAAO wv W.
is just as good as any. People
are wont to attack the morals
of the stage. The actor gives
the public what it wants-so
you see the morality issue re-
bounds. From the individual
side, the morality of the per-
formers is no different from
yours or mine.
Plenty of Money
Choosing a career behind
the footlights from a moneta-
ry standpoint, it is just as
lucrative as any other.
Bill Robinson's salary on the
stage ranges from $500 to
$4,000 per week. His screen
salary is reputed to be $50,
a picture, and he has only to
work about three weeks to
complete a picture.
Ethel Waters is the highest
paid single act on any stage
today. She is drawing $4,000
for a two-weeks engagement
in Chicago. She coined plenty
dough in "As Thousands
Cheer"
The parents of Duke Filing
ton wanted their son to be a
pianist; he wanted to be an
artist. His mother lived to see
her son become one of the
foremost musicians of he
world. She chose his career
for him; she made him prac-
tice when he wanted to play
ball or wanted to dabble with
paints and oils. She lived to
see him earn enough money
to do anything that he, she, or
their family desired.
Adelaide Hall stuck in the
theatrical profession from the
time that she was just a wisp
of a girl. She sang her way to
fame and fortune. If you
don't think that her profess
sion has paid, take a look at
her home on the Palisades. 1t
only cost her $4,000.
Cab Galloway has a palace.
Bill Robinson rides around in
a Dusenburg. ''Thar's gold in
them thar hills
"Oh, we expect those big
shots to earn that sort of
money you say. "but what
about the little fish'?''
The average good act de-
mands a salary ranging from
$50 to $3.50 a week, and that
isn't peanuts. Then there are
those who earn smaller sal
aries. But they are earning
more than tn ey probably
would in some other line of
work.
How to Be a Star
How do they get to the top?
They are statesmen; they have
a commodity to sell. The same
basic principles of salesman
ship are used. In other words,
a lot of "ballyhoo'' is en-
ployed.
They will play benefits,
dance and sing at every oppor-
tunity they get to keep their
n a m e before the people.
Many times the reported en-
gagements of motion picture
stars are no more than high
powered press agent stuff.
Let's take Sally Rand, the
fan dancer. She thrives sole
ly upon publicity. Her act is
simply to appear in her ''birth-
day suit and make a few ar
tistic turns to music. The nov
city lies in the fact that it is
considered daring. Her man.
ager, Leo Salkins, at tn e
height of her career, had to
sell her to the public. He en-
ployed a high priced press
agent and soon the world
knew about Sally Rand. The
press agent sold her to Ameri-
ca; st art ed controversies
about the morality of the
dance-whether it could fall
into the category of art. etc.
He even pulled those arrests
so as to make her page one
copy. Stars will conveniently
attempt suicide, by jumping
into the lake just as the cam
era man is near (and he is
always near).
When a new star is en-
ployed at a motion picture stu
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11
Facts
BY EARL J. MORRIS

L he span VI q CiiO'Vi ~.
career is only five yearsr'
The aforesaid is the common
belief of those outside of the
theatrical profession. This is
not true in the sense it is ut
tered above. The chances for
success following a career be-
hind the footlights are just as
good as those in other profess
sions. Each year thousands of
people will attempt to become
doctors, lawyers, mechanics,
teachers, authors and what
nots. Only a few hundreds are
able to remain in their chosen
profession. Those who do re-
main in any line of work, do
so because they have some
thing to sell.
We are all statesmen If this
game of life. We have to sell
ourselves to our fellow man.
For example, two doctors with
the same amount of medical
acknowledgements is a success,
riding in a limousine, etc; the
other is struggling along on
a mere pittance. The success
full physician was simply a
better salesman.
You have to sell it, no mat
ter what it is. If it is done
right, you will have a market
for your talents.
There are hundreds of boys
and girls working in taverns
and cheap night clubs, who
may be able to Guidance Bill
Robinson or out-sing Ethel
Waters, but they have no sales
ability. That is the difference
between a star and just anoth-
err singer or 'hoofer"-
course, | mean a person who
has talent.
You have to let people know
that you have the ability, and
you have to sell yourself to
the multitude.
One can last in the theatre
cal profession as long as in
any other vocation. We do not
know the origin of the gross
ly false statement that "the
life of an actor is limited to
JUS five years. We are 60
ing to show you in subsequent
paragraphs that this is high
ly erroneous.
Bill Robinson, who celebrat-
ed his 57th birthday recently,
has been dancing for a living
for so years. He has been a
top act since 1908. Your
grandmother, mother, you, or
your children have thrilled at
the dancing ability of Bill
Robinson. Old Bill will be
around for some time to come.
"Bojangles" is a salesman.
J. Homer Tut has been on
the stage for more than a
quarter of a century. When
this writer was six months
old, his mother took him to
the Pekin theater on State
street with her to see the Tut
Whitney shows. Salem Tut
Whitney has passed into the
great beyond, but J. Homer
Tut is still on the stage. He
has a part in 1.-THE Green Pas
lures"
Gertrude Saunders. t h e
'boop-a-doop" girl. with Billy
King, is still going strong.
Jennie Dancer and Mae Alix
have been in the theatrical
profession "since Hector was
a pup" Blanche Galloway
came out of the chorus of the
Tutt-Whitney shows, and she
is still tops in theatrical
circles.
Human Crabs
Ethel Waters started her
career many years ago. She
has been a star for almost
fifeteen years. Ethel h a d
to sell herself to get to the
top and stay there. OF course
in a way there is plenty of
room at the top-it's getting
there that is so hard, because
the human race has often been
compared to a basket of crabs,
each pulling the other further
back into the basket.
Ethel Waters was no diff
ferent from any other young
girl who wanted to follow a
L L
Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

! ably had been warned that the
span of theatrical life would
be only five years. But she dis
regarded these bugaboos and
went for herself.
Buck and Bubbles started
their careers about 1917 and
they were a sure-fire hit and
rose to the consultations and
stayed there. They are sales
men.
You will probably say: "Oh,
they got the breaksl' Well,
they made those "breaks"-
Ethel Waters, Bill Robinson.
and all the rest. It is no idle
rumor that Ashton Stevens,
the famous dramatic critic,
was one of the most import
ant factors in the rise of
Ethel Waters. He knew that
she was a natural. But it
was no lucky break that Ash
ton Stevens happened to drop
into the Grand theater and
"catch" Ethels act. Mr.. Stew
ems had been invited there by
Earl Dancer, who at that time
was her husband. Dancer is a
great salesman. He sold Ethel
to Stevens, and Stevens sold
her to the world, in big time
style. Earl Dancer in truth
| sold little Jeni LeGon. You
must be a salesman. Are you
reading, "Gate
When They Started
About 1919, several girls,
among them being Flo Mills,
Josephine Baker, Elida Webb,
and Alberta Hunter had a
craving for the stage. In 1921,
they blossomed forth at the
foot of the profession as cho-
rines. They rose from the
chorus to stardom. Flo Mills
was a star in Florenz Zieg-
fields shows before her UNI
timely end. Elida Webb is still
head lady of the ensembles at
the Cotton Club in New York.
Josephine Baker is loved by
all France, and is the number
one star of that nation.
Eddie Hunter and Alex
Lovejoy. both comedians, are
still in the limelight. They
have been cracking jokes for
more than IL years. Leroy
Brumfield started out about
this time. He has danced his
way from coast to coast, did
his stuff in China, and is now
i'll Los Angeles at Sebastian S
Cotton Club.
Five Years-Phooey!
Five years on the stage ?---
Phooeyi You can stay any,
where a life time if you are
good, and know how to sell it
in the manner that the people
like.
Duke Ellington came out of
Washington, D. c., with a six
piece band. Today he has twice
that number of men in his Or
chestra. He started his career
more than ten years ago.
Claude Hopkins also came
from Washington, D. G. He
has been in the business long
err than twice the alleged al
loted span of theatrical life.
King Joe Oliver, the trum-
peter, was a big shot in New
Orleans. ON Rampant street,
when Louis Armstrong was
trying to get a job in his or
chestra. Oliver is still a box
office attraction. His orches-
ira is probably the oldest Sc
pia band in the country. Arm
strong is a product of his,
Armstrong probably learned
his "A-B-C's" of music from
the old master.
| Fletcher Henderson is an
other old master who is still
being sought by dance lovers.
Good Career
Ivy Anderson came from
California. She had a voice
and Duke Ellington needed
such a voice and personality
and she has heen with him
ever since.
Stepin Fetchit went on the
stage when he was about Is
years of age. He was a sue
cess on the stage before he
became a screen star. To stay
in the theatrical or any other
profession. you must sell your
talents to the world.