The Washington times., 1936-09-25
THE VOICE OF
broadway
By Louis SoboI
Casual Comment!

The irony OF II! Bored Win Cne
Sunday night activities in the
gilded saloons of Broadway, we
went home early for the first time
in months-at 1880 ayem, to be
precise. Nothing happenS-noth-
ing happens" we walled to our
checkmate. And so to bed. And
while we slept, three doors away,
a Village innkeeper was shot to
death, a cop wounded-and all
hell broke loose! While we slept!!
.. o good times are back again.
Every sign points to prosperity.
Monday night B lue Monday
night-when walters and barten-
ders get together for little choral
sings and proprietors look wist-
fully toward the gas pipes-Mon-
day night found the nitespots
stringing ropes across entrances to
keep the hungry (and thirsty pa
irons out Table space was at
a premium Times are so good
now headWaiters are beginning to
wear that aloof Sneer which
marked the flourishing speakeaSy
decade.
As one sincere newspaper
friend of Harry Richman, we're
sorry to hear about his melee
with Reporter Tom Cassidy ...
We can appreciate the condition
Of the singers nerves after the
tough trip-but it's silly to pick
fights with newspaper men, who
usually have the last word -.
And for that reason we dip the
lid to Cassidy for showing admir-
able restraint in his story de-
gcribing the arrival of Richman
and Merrill-and his mild han
ding of the quarrel which CEN
tered about himself 1t would
have been so simple to have
gone off haIf-cOcked Rich
man, if we know him at all, by
this time is probably sorry 1t
happened-he forgives easily ...
As for Merrill-the poor guy was
sick in bed three hours after his
arrival.
Myras, the clairvoyant at the
HOLLYWOOD, who guesSes your age,
YOUR potential paternity and
where YOU mislaid your handbook,
has been asking Joe Moss whether
or not he was to stay on during
the show. ."If you are such a
swell mindreader, said Moss
"why don't you read my mind"
, Playboy Duncan McMartln,
now the life of the party In Lon
don, is a blessing to the trans
Atlantic phone people. For the
third time in four days, he has
called up Bert Wheeler, at Twen-
ty-One. The first time, he said,
''Bert Wheeler" Eyes, yes
this is Bert" answered the come
dian, excitedly. you spell your
name with a double-u or aWub-
ble-u," and the clever McMartin
hung up Sunday night he
phoned and made Wheeler and
Sally Haines listen while he
played Broken Record" on a
tinny phonograph, three times.
Lousy, amt it?" he asked. Be
fore wheeler had a chance to
agree or disagree, McMartin hung
UP. .Thum fun!. The new hats
on the pretty little frills around
town are cute and becoming, but
some of them are goofy. The
one exciting Joy Lynn CMrs. Sam
Lyons) wore to the Tallulah Bank
head premiere sank us completely
=. Merely a tiny piece of black
velvet made in the shape of a
mask-eye-holes and nose dent
.. but effective!
Incidentally, Sam Lyons who
has been dragging down plenty
of publicity these past few days
in special newspaper and maya
zine articles, based chiefly on
his hilarious accent, relates his
first experience with the amaz-
ing Cali Cali, ace Egyptian pres
tidigitatOr He imported the
trickster here some years ago
and placed him with Jim MOri-
arty at a century per wk. ."1
owe you how much?" asked
Cali Cali ."Ten per cent
$40" was the reply. -.
Cali Cali peeled off a tenner
and slipped it into Lyons, hand
1--WE all pay now, yes?"
eyes," said Sam. "YOu got
um ten dollars, yes?" "Yes,"
said Sam. ''HOkay, you got
nOthing-everything pay" and
Cali Cali walked out of the
office Lyons opened his hand
and found that somehow that
$40 bill had been changed Ito
q crumpled piece Of newspaper.
John P. Medbury describes the
postcard received by a friend bear
ing this description: Having a
fine time. Wish I could afford
it," and goes on to tell of Lew
Lipton's boast to a British visitor
ah011t TalifOroia'S climate easing