The Washington times., 1937-03-11

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when arrived, as they had come
to expect from Hardie Meakin.
My greatest radio kick: Going
on for . 15-minute interview with
George M. Cohan. Second best
The quiz Of Jane Cowl, finest ex.
temporaneous speaker I have ever
seen before the microphone.
The interview 1 enjoyed most !:
Forty-five minutes with katharine
Hepburn. She told me more Glow
down" about herself in this dress
ing room chat than even Bob SiSk,
her press agent, knew.
The cheapest word In the thea
ter vocabulary is swell" and ]
have never used it in q review.
Neither has "aided and Rbetted"
appeared here since Barrister Ray.
mond Neudecker once assured me
it made q review sound like a
legal document.
The most talked about column
was one in which I wrote only
the Introductory. The rest was
Robert Tsylor's diary Of his recent
Washington visit. as prepared by
his Boswell, Raymond Bell, OF
Loew'S.
My most ardent champion: Nor.
ton Downey, who threatened to
sock Milton Berle on the nose at
Club Michel, for calling me a
washington Puritan. AS a matter
Of fact it was the District Attor-
ney's office which made Berle
clean up his act.
Biggest disappointment and sur
prise: Eddie Cantor'S flopperoo rs
an Earle headliner. To give old
Banjo Eyes full credit 1t was be-
fore he became o radio star or a
movie great. He was so cha:
grined he offered to come back for
Johnny Payette and play the Earle
for $2,500 instead Of $500. But
he never did.
Smartest handling Of a movie
house: The change in policy,
which made the Earle Theater a
winner instead of q constant head
ache. Take q bow, Guy wonders.
Watching the amusement cycle:
30 years ago Charmion had old
Boston all excited by a trapeze act
in which she threw away her
garters and other intimate apparel.
Today Bee Lille is doing it in '"The
Show Is On" and all Broadway ap-
plauds it as something brand new.
And the latest Broadway sensation
is strip tease artist who does her
tantalizing from q flying trapeZe.
Old stuff. Ask Jimmy Lake. so
old, it's new.
In 1927 It was hard to buy O
black derby, size 712 in Washing
tons hat stores. It still is. So I
am grateful to this departments
friend who spent all morning try
ing to see that I began my tenth
year under a new Stetson.
The Theater Guilds production
Of peer Gynt" Zone performance
attracted the greatest audience ]
have ever seen in one Washington
theater. Every seat occupied, ali
standing room, patrons sitting on
the floor in the aisles, the orches
ira pit loaded with chair Gus
toners. At the Belasco. never
knew so many people were f.
miliar with TbSen.
Most interesting autographed
picture in my assembled gallery:
George M. Cohan's, which has a
special lyric poem clarifying the
name Of Kelley.
Most interesting addition to my
library: An autographed copy Of
David Belasco'S writings, added
after the review of his last show,
Tonight or Never"
My last interview with Will
Rogers: We sat in the last row
Of the first balcony Of the Ma
tional and watched his daughter
Mary, act In ION to Fortune
The humorist told me then why
| ha haA T.afDkAd ko aNk IN &ha
screen. "Ah wilderness" Had he
accepted this role his tragic end
might never have happened.
The compliment which has me
guessing: When my publisher
John T. Lambert, told Variety
Club I was q good reporter and hi
hoped never would become q
critic.