Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-03-03
GEORGE O'CONNOR
BANQUET GUEST
Lawyers Club Honors Sing
er and His ACCompan.
list, Matt Horn.

George O'Connor. entertainer of
Presidents, was entertained on his
own account last night in the May
flower Hotel at banquet given as a
tribute by the Lawyers Club of WASH
ineton. President Roosevelt sent a
letter concentrating the occasion.
The Presidents letter read:
my dear George O'Connor: have
tust learned that the Lawyers Club
will give a dinner tonight in your
honor at the Mayfower Hotel. 1t is
o deserved tribute. For many years
you have given happiness to all OF
us, and want only to add my word
Of appreciation and best wishes"
It was the first time Mr.. O'Connor
ever sat on the other side of the
banquet table-a dinner to himself
although it is estimated he has at
tended $500 such affairs as enter
tainer.
AS his own guest at the banquet
Mr.. O'Connor invited Matt Horn, his
piano accompanist
The only singer who ever played
New York as a "one-night stand. v
George O'Connor has been in the
spotlight 3o-odd years.
From Roosevelt to Roosevelt spans
the era of O'Connor and Horn as
banquet entertainers" They sang
and played for Theodore Roosevelt
when he was in the White House
They have sung and played on
numerous occasions before Franklin
D. Roosevelt.
Members of Lawyers Club.
The affair last night was given IN
honor of Mr.. O'Connor because he is
a member of the Lawyers Club and
the LAWYERS Club believed the time
had come to put Mr.. O'Connor in his
place-a seat of honor at a banquet
table. Mr.. Horn is neither lawyer
nor a member of the club. stu ne
and his partner could not be separated
after all these years. So the Lawyers
Club invited Mr.. O'Connor's accom-
PIANIST to occupy a seat, not at the
piano. but at the banquet board.
From these vantage points MesSrs
O'Connor and Horn had the thrill OF
seeing themselves as others see them
Of watching the antics of two marion
cites made to the image and likeness
Of the singer and pianist-two puppets
"strutting their stuff" on an I'M
nromptu stage while the originals
looked on. Hit of the evening, the
puppets were the work OF MISS
DeGraffenried Wooley OF the Junior
League, who. with corps OF assistants
snent nearly a month modelling me
life like marionetteS. They were
operated by two young puppeteers
Frances Shinn and Lee Pence. Ihey
had Matt Horn, the puppet, sitting al
a piano, while George OConnor, the
nuppet singer, let roll favorite songs
If the duo reproduced on record
and broadcast by photograph. Inc
nuppets were named Signor OCon-
noristavo and Signor HornevaSto.
Paradise Flats Singers.
Then the Old Paradise Flats Quar-
tette sang. Ed Steffe, Barney Fltz.
gerald, Bill Raymond, and Fred EaS,
esft. loose with some of the songs thal
s4nya made George O'Connor and Mat
Horn a famous singing and playing
team.
To put a serious note in the pro-
gram. John Spaulding FlannerS
stepped to the platform and with
fine flourish of oratory presented Mr.
OConnor, on behalf of the Lawyers
Club. with a handsome gold watch
appropriately engraved.
Charles D. Drayton, POSTMASTER,
started the proceedings by reciting
an original poem dedicated to the
guest of honor, one stanza Of which
follows:
"I've heard the song Of lark and
thrush,
OF nightingales in moonlight hush.
I've heard the wild, temptous roar
When Caruso sang-encore! encore!
Take all Of these, like the wheeze
OF George O'Connor more and more. y
Then Mr.. O'Connor, after all the
tributes to him, broke down and sang