Evening star., 1936-09-20
Versatile Max Gordon
Revives Great Napoleon
Bubbling Career Is Behind Production Of
Coming "St. Helena" Which Will Relight
National Theater for the New Season.

A MONG those enrolled at the
~ College of the City Of New
n York. twenty-odd years ago.
= was q lad whose favorite
author was neither Dickens nor Dumas
nor Tolstoy, but a gentleman named
Slime Silverman, the late editor Of
Variety. While his fellow students
were presumably attending to the
more serious concerns of the class
room. he was avidly devoting his at
tention to such information as that
"The Whirl Of Pleasure" burlesque
show had just crossed $9,400 in
Topeka, Kans., and that Broadway's
spoke when they passed by.
That industrious young dramatic
enthusiast was Max Gordon, whose
production Of "St. Helana" will re-
light the National Theater on Mon
day evening, September %. with
Maurice Evans in the role of Napoleon.
The play has been based by R. C.
Sheriff and Jeanne de Casalis on the
final days of the exiled monarch. Mr..
Gordon has appointed Robert B. Sin
clair and 10 fdielziner, director and
designer. respe ectively, of "Dodsworth"
and Pride and Prejudice" to perform
in the same capacities for 'St. Helena"
None Of his classmates were particu-
larly surprised when Gordon disap-
peared one fine morning from the
purlieus Of c. c. N. Y. Several days
later, he turned up as advance agent
for the Behman burlesque troupe,
touring the provinces, and from that
jaanty eminence bade a none-too-
fond adieu to higher education. A
letter Of recommendation had done the
trick; he had been engaged at q
salary Of $50 q week. He had Incl
dentally written the letter himself.
A FER ballyhooing the burlesque
theSpians for q year, he resigned
to become manager of "Whirl of
Pleasure" also. though you might
not guess it from the title, a bur-
lesque. Gordon had needed no let
ter OF introduction to obtain this job.
It happened that the show was owned
by Bobby North, a well-known mono
logist Of the day, and Cliff Gordon,
his older brother.
After serving a year or so with "The
Whirl Of Pleasure" company, Mc.
Gordon opened q booking Office with
AL Lewis. monologist with manage
rial ambitions. Together they pro-
duced q vaudeville act known as "The
London Fire Brigade" which turned
out to be what is known in theatrical
circles as q false alarm. Lewis went
back to vaudeville, while his partner
remained in the office to produce a
one-act play by the late Aaron Hoff-
man, entitled Straight"
Straight" turned out to be the first,
but not the last Of the successful
Lewis Gordon acts. During the hey
day Of the variety circuits they pre-
sented skits by most Of the leading
playwrights Of the day. At the same
time they were silent partners with
Sam H. Harris In the production Of
such famous plays as "Icebound,"
1.-THE Jazz Singer" RAIN" and THE
Nervous Wreck"
During these years, Mr.. Gordon
likes to look back and recall such in
cidents as:
His first work in the theater as an
advance press agent for q burlesque
show. His job was to distribute hand
bills, accompany bill posters to see
that they weren't skipping any bill
boards, place blotters in hotel rooms.
collect tickets and make speeches ex-
tolling the coming attractions.
The time in Providence, r. l., he
convinced a skeptical burlesque troupe