The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-02-09
THE VOICE OF
Broad way
BY Louis SObOl-
BY LOUIS SOBOL
Down Memory Lane!
with Sid SiIYersl

Ign, when I MADE my 1lrSC stage
entrance my mother was more
worried about my brothers cold
than my arrival.
I'm probably the only writer on
the MGM lot who never had any
schooling-at least the only one
who will admit it. When l first
went to work for MGM I told them
wanted a collaboration. They
asked me if I wanted anybody in
particular. 1t didn't make any
difference I Said-just somebody
who knew how to write more than
his name. Somebody had to put
the script on paper.
I didn't get to Broadway until l
was II because my brother, Louis
SilverS, who was the musical con-
ductor for Al Jolson, wanted me
to stay away from the stage.
During the run of "Bombo"
at the Winter Garden, JolSon,
who w1S 1lDdyS Uorried about
his health (probGbly eUery doc.
tor in NeU York had treated
him at some time or dnother),
motioned me to meet him back
stage. 'I'n1 gonna be sick, Sid,
he said. "Tomorro1D / 1Don't be
able to talk" So his doctor er-
nmined him and gaze him tUo
big glass bulbs to take home
with him.
A Night with AL
Jolson turned to me, and said:
Come on, Sid, you're going home
with me and stay at my hotel to-
night" So I did. I crawled into
one of the twin beds in his pent-
house at the Ritz Towers when I
saw these two bulbs on the night
stand next to me, and I think:
What is this guy gonna do?"
I watch him and he comes into
the room and locks the bathroom
door after him and locks the hall
door. And he stuffs paper in all
the cracks and the keyhole. Now
I'm sure he's gonna commit sui
eide and make me partner to
the crime, only I don't see any
gas around and l think the guys
nuts.
Pretty soon he turns out the
light. takes these two bulbs ana
smashes them against the wall.
The most awful fumes-some kind
of menthol-come out. I can't
sleep, but Jolson drops right off
and wakes up the next morning
singing. I'm sick in bed for three
days.
SOMEBODY told me Phil Baker
was looking for a singer. At that
time Baker did a straight act in
which he would introduce a man
in the box as great composer
whose number he was playing.
Then the Stooge would get UP and
sing.
BIRTH OF COMEDIAN
Phil hireo me without an audi
ton. Our first performance, Phil
went through his routine, intro
ducing me as a composer of "Aprll
Showers" He began to play. TOO
high" I shrieked. So he started
in a lower key. TOO low" I
groaned. "Just where do you
sing?" asked Phil, very exaSper-
ated. Somewhere in between"
I said. The audience hoWled.
That was Bakers debut as a come
dian.
After I parted with Baker, had
a tough time finding work.
Buddy De sylvia and Larry
Schwab produced "Humpty Dump
ty," and it was flop. Buddy came
to me and asked me if I wanted
to go to Atlantic City and write a
show with them. We went to the
Claridge Hotel and they gave me
a gable all to myself and a $l00-a-
week drawing account. didn't do
anything for two weeks. Just sat
there in awe of those guys. There
was I, who didn't even know if I
were a writer or an actor and
maybe wasn't either, with two IA
nous people like that. Buddy De
sylvia cut out long strings of paper
dolls with a cuticle scissors. He
must have cut out hundreds of
these, Finally, at the end of two
weeks, they asked me what I
thought of their ideas. And I got
brave and said I didn't think it
was funny. So we worked some
more and finally got Take a
Chance" together.