The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-06-20
A New Yorker
 In Europe
BY PAUL HARRISON

Paris, June 20.-Lanky, bizarre Josephine Baker, who rose from the hoofing line of the old Sissle land Blake colored revues to become the queen of Paris night life, s going back to Broadway.
 She has had quite time of 1t
 during her decade on the conti-
 nent. Indian potentates enter tained her. Society applauded
 her. And Italian count, it was
 whispered, married her. She head her own night club, starred at the Folies Bergere, strolled in Paris with a panther on a leash, drove team of ostriches through the streets of Vienne, and caused a
 riot in Belgrade.
 But ten years is long time, and La Baker knows that Man haitian isn't awfully excited about her return-cven to the new Zice- l field Follies. She hopes this isn't the end of cycle-a cycle that
 began in obscurity, in sepian Harlem revue.
 Harlem Blues
 And that reminds me of Opal
 Cooper, a strapping Negro man
 man whose cycle of success scarce
 ly has begun to move. He earned
 a lot of attention on Broadway in some of the Ridgely Terrence | plays. Eugene O'Neil suggested him for the role of the Emperor Jones, but Cooper was in vaude- vile in London. They wanted
 him in "voodoo," too, but Paul Robeson got the role.
 | All Cooper wants now Is a
 chance to get back to New York l ---ycs, sir. We came upon him | in Melody's Bar, gay spot on
 the Rue Fontaine in Montmarte. | There was q dance by the Prin-
 cess Vitalis, a cafe au. lait i'm
 portation from Montmarte. Next
 was dance by Miss Bessy, from l Philadelphia. Mile. Chiquita did l a rumba. And then Opal Cooper \ sang. They could call him a
 tenor dramatique" if they wanted to, but we could tell he was
 boy homesick for Harlem.
 I talked with him later, and he mentioned all the Broadway man. agers for whom he had worked
 Wouldn't just please maybe
 mention to them that Opal Coop
 CT was mighty anxious to come
 back to town? said I would.
 Strong Greeting
 On the way out of Mclody's
 chatted with bull-necked behc-
 moth who's the bouncer, and who
 turned out to be l.. B. McCloskey.
 You don't recall the nameY Well,
 he fought Georges Carpenter in
 1914, and Jack Johnson in Spain in
 1917. Back in 1911 he went 25
 rounds with Kid Lewis-eleven of
 them with broken arm. Tough
 guy McCloskey; in 2S years of
 boxing he had 513. fights. Fifty
 years old now, and hell still battle
 anybody.
 !, He said: "But lay off the rough
 stuff If you're writin' anything, see. This is refined joint, wid
 lotsa swell people comin' here. ain't no bouncer, see--I'm a sort of a = welcomer. Did I tell you I was bodyguard to His Highness Prince Mohammed Ally Ibrahim, an' taught him boxin'? Natchally,
 when they's any bouncin' to be } ldone around here = well '" Ard , the mighty McCloskey flexed his massixe muscles.
 we get nice crowd here, see. . an I know all da celebrities. : Young Willie K. Vanderbilt, now, an Bebe Daniels am Harold
 Lloyd an both the Fairbankses an Charlie Chaplin an the Dolly sisters. King Fuad, he come here once. Prince George of Sweden Hello, McCloskey,' and l say, } drops around. He allus says, : Good evening, Your Highness.' All very refined, see"
 II
 . Wandering Cabby
 The only Irish-American taxi driver in Paris is John P. O'Brien. This one, as his car modestly ans : nounces, is travel engineer" lawn has been travelling by . motor for long time. Back in } the New York archives of 1903 Is . a record of the driving license ! Isissued him -- No 7S. At the out : break of the war he went te
 France with the American Red 3 Cross, and emerged from the ! army in 1918 captain of motoi } transport. Made lot of money ] then, did Jawn, buying and sell ing war supplies, American razor'
 and American catsup, mostly
 IO'Brien provided condiments and
 clean slaves for millions ol
 Frenchmen before he went broke < So now he drives taxi and ! | known to every American residen { here, as well as to dozens O . prominent visitors, some of whom n he has plloted all over the contim < ent. lawn is great comfor . to the stranger in 2 strange lana . Iyou've only 10 hear him swear a fhe natives ln his brORued Frenel