The Washington times., 1936-08-13
THE VOICE OF
Broadway
By Louis SObOl-
From a Aomesick GuYl

y Ntlb q tSI ~ 9lSIN w .
Dear Muscles: An elephant some
times forgetS-but not a HuSing.
European travel and news are
something to contemplate these
here days, believe you me. One
wonders where to start and where
to end. Some of the crossings sub
SeQuent to mine have evidently
been vows from descriptions given
by American friends whom I have
met over here. And life in London
and Berlin generally is hotter than
those W. K. hinges.
And so to work. the English
village of LunnOn is crowded
with A mer icanOS One sees
Lindys on parade nightly at the
midnight meeting in the Savoy
Grill-dreSS not essential. To
list the gang in any one evening
would call the roll from A to z.
Some of them: Joe Penner, Nor.
ton DOwney, Lou HOltz, Ruth
Etting, Jimmy Durante, Ham
Fisher, James Montgomery
Flagg, Gregory La Cava, LOnny
D'Orsay, N1arcelle Edwards
(Manville), SnOOny Blair, Hazel
Forbes, William GaxtOn, Made
line Cameron, Lew Leslie, Johnny
Mercer, Ray Henderson, Irving
Caesar, Charlie ButterwOrth,
Bert Wheeler, Lew Clayton,
Johnny Klein-and where is
your Broadway now, tOOtS?
Drinking ends at midnight in
London. Private clubs keep going
on for q quick two-buck entree
fee and but a bottle or else. (They
keep the remaining likker until
the next timeD At all other spots,
the table is cleared on the bell
drink finiS or no. Shows are gen.
orally bad, but packed. Clubs are
essentially dress, and it is uncom-
mon to see anyone without tails
or jacket. It's all wacky, but in
season.
Berlin, despite the antipathy
toward it, is on the spot right
now. Budapest is the nuts and
so is the south of France. But
the games have turned this town
round. The place is flag-be-
decked and wide open. The coy
bars are the works. The joints
are extremely in good taste
and marvellous for fun. Leading
hangouts of this type are the
Quarter Latin, Ciro's, Sher-
bini'S, Kakadu, Rio Rita, La
Femina, Pompeii where the bar
seats are Grecian urnS) and
others. The beer is grand and
the German champagne, with a
tortured peach in it, is the
works. You go in alone, buy a
drink and a gal in evening gown
gives it to yOu-and you buy
her a drink. She sits where our
bartenderS do, and engages you
in converSatiOn-Or something.
It's all too, too de-vOOne!
The weather is the works and
the broad avenues and parks are
full of hinterlanders. The garden
restaurants top everything, while
the politeness is oke, too. You buy
your marks in London at about %
to 25 centS-and can spend 100 a
day. After that if you pay in for
eign dough they cost you 40 cents.
You can beat the rap by engaging
with a ~bootlegger of money-a
very dangerous and uncommon
practice, or you can trip out and
return again-a costly practice.
There are a few laffs from a
gag point of view. You just cape
and love it all Saw Calico,
the Devonshire farmer. He marks
his last sports coverage on the
games, a book, Farewell to
Sports" being the monument.
I'm homesick as hell, old giant
killer-but homesick. Be seeing
you at the Tavern on the six
teenth. Tell Spooner what I want
that night at 7 on the dot is as
good steak as he can rustic up
and if you want to scoop the town
have dinner with me.
Love to all my enemies.
TED, THE HUSING, Berlin.