Evening star., 1935-12-15
GR|D|RON WIDOWS
HAVE OWN PARTY
New Deal Satirized by Club
Members Wives at
White House.

While the Gridiron Club enter
tanned President Roosevelt, his cab
laet and a score or more of distin-
Fuished guests last night at the Will
lard Hotel, the Gridiron Widows, wives
of the club members, entertained and
were entertained by Mrs. Roosevelt
In the White House.
Mrs. Roosevelt has EXTENDED an in
vitation to the "Gridirca widows"
each year of the New Deal 3 adminis-
tration, until the dinner has come to
be almost a tradition. Last night,
except for the cabinet wives Vic
torian skit, the responsibility of the
evenings satire and fun rested with
the widows. The guests included, be-
sides the wives of cabinet officers and
Gridiron Club members, women i'm
portant in official and public life and
members of the Women'S National
Press Club and the National Women's
Newspaper Club.
The guests were received by Mrs.
Roosevelt, who was in Victorian
costume in keeping with the cabinet
wives presentation. Supper was
served in the red and the blue rooms,
the breakfast room and the red cor
ridor, while the Marine Band, con-
Quoted by Lieut.. William F. H. San
telmann, played.
New Deal SatiriZed.
The entertainment provided by the
widows consisted of group of skits
satirizing the New Deal, presented on
q large stage in the east room. The
first, THE Roosevelt Ray" showed
DR.. New Deal administering his life
giving ray to several agencies which
had never before existed. Like Frank
enstein's monster, the newly created
agencies were about to run away with
their creator, but he finally managed
to lock them up until after election
Gay.
With satire in the saddle, the enter
tainment went on to deal with THE
Wages of Sin, or Nellie'S Reedsville
Project" To the mournful tune OF
Hearts and Flowers" Little Nell, her
noble parent, a black-moustached vii
lain, and a worthy yokel chanted and
jigged the sad story. In Little Nell's
arms was her child, in long, black
shawl, referred to as The Project,
which seemed to be the building of
boxes for the Post Office. The villain,
who hailed from Indianapolis, tried to
steal Little Nell's child-project, but
with the aid of the worthy yokel,
virtue triumphed.
Another skit was the Royal Press
Conference" which had its setting in
q nameless foreign court. The King,
in ermine robe and satin breeches,
replied to innocuous journalistic ques-
tions about the grouse and the Tories
in words dictated by his Prime Min
lister. The Queen, in full-pleated
skirt, serge coat, and turban trimmed
In violets, developed a surprise per-
sona1ity. When it came time for her
part in the interview she snatched a
tlicrophone and made radio speech
in tones strangely similar to Mrs.
RooSevelts talks on the air.
Frank Buck in Indiana Wilds.
1.-THE March of the New Deal"
paraded the events of the last three
years across the stage in rapidfire
pantomime, ending with the SPEND
thrift year of 1885 and the Question
Mark of 1886.
The Administration corn-hog pro-
gram came in for its share of the
evenings satire when Representative
Virginia Jenckes of Indiana, who
farms 1,100 acres there and should
know, portrayed Frank Buck investi-
eating the A. A. A. program. In
sunbonnet and gingham dress she fur
iaished some f1rst-hand information on
the farm situation with the aid of the
Department of Agriculture, Mary
land farmer, and squealing baby pig.
The stars of Visiting Firemen,"
the finale, burst musically from a
sightseeing bus. They rubbernecked
through the White House in a "horse
and buggy way" searching for the
lost Constitution, and reminisced
gently over the Long, Long Ago" at
1900 Pennsylvania, where Abigail
Adams always felt cold, where came
the dashing Marquis de Lafayette,
and where Dickens and Irving and
John Tyler met.
Tender Love Story.
The sweet romance of the Boon
doggler and his bride from the T. v. A.