The Washington times., 1936-10-22
Back Stage News ond Cossii p
Gathered By Bill HOYe

Until the Richman-Merrill rec
ord air loop of a month back, AL
Trahan, Capitol attraction, might
have been the adventurous mem
Der of the footlighted profession
claiming the longest flight. This
occurred over year ago when he
left the Newark Airport and touch
ing key cities sailed some 5000
miles landing in Mexico City. His
partner on this hop was Capt.
Homer Berry, veteran war and
mail pilot and the first to span
the Andes. Incidentally, their
plane was a Voltee and except for
horsepower, identical with the
Richman-Merrill ship.
The occasion was to contact con-
cert houses for a semi-concert va
riety show and the plans called for
an eight-month circuit ending at
Ell Theatre Municipale, Mexico
City. However, General Theatres
contract lured AL overseas for an
eight-month stay between London,
Paris and Berlin.
1t was on this trip over there
that he clinched the all-time
French line ribbon for pistol, rifle
and trap-shooting champ, and last
year representing the N. Y. A. c.
at the Buffalo shoot he took home
the National medal for class &c"
Amateur trapshooters.
At the aforementioned FL
Theatre Municipale, Tito GUITAR.
grandson of the former President
Tolentieno of Mexico, made his
stage debut as the first concert
singer to trod these famed boards
stunning a guitar.
Two weeks ago he returned from
this same city having followed his
former teacher, the noted opera
star Tito Schipa, into the Alameda,
Mexico's newest and largest
theater. There the former pupil
stayed for a record three-week
holdover, week and a half longer
than his teacher.
This trip also gave him the top
role in "Alla En- FL Rancho" a
Spanish talkie released in this
country through Columbia. The
flicker title is that of famous
Spanish melody sung by Tito on
the Capitol stage this week in his
medley of tunes.
And on this same current stage
bill Harry Roye recalls when he
teamed with Billee Maye and
opened IL years ago here at
Keith's on the same bill as Al
Trahan, then in the act of Trahan
and Wallis. Irene Franklin took
top billing while Jack Benny in
small type was listed as master Of
ceremonies.
Anniversary week at the Earle
brings Ina Ray Hutton and her
Melodears playing for the first
time a new unpublished tune by
noted composer Will Hudson
labelled, I'll Never Tell You That
I Love-" This recalls last De-
cember when Hudson sat in his
hotel room in San Antonio, Tex
the day before the Hutton band
opened at the Olmos Club there
and penned a ballad expressly for
the Ina Ray Hutton personality,
called "Tormented." An unpub-
lished hit for three months, it
came from the publishers in Feb
ruary and the first month out
sold third in the 10 hit songs Of
March.
At the age of 10 as little Ina
Ray, today'S band leader and
tricky tapstress, went on stage in
the Chicago Auditorium and, rep
reSenting her dancing school,
labored for 20 minutes doing her
esthetic Interpretation of 80 scored
pages of Rhapsody in Blue"
Since the age of five, she has
studied ballet and toe, but has
never had tap lesson in her life.
Both Margie Palms and the
Winsted trio of this bill might be
recognized as Benny Davis star
let's. The trio also credit the
first local All-Washington revue
for their stage debut and Joe
Brown for their initial radio time
over local VOL. They go into
the swanky Rainbow Room short
ly and there will work again with
Pianist Evelyn Tyner, well-knoWn
here and also a feature of the
] first revue.