The Washington times., 1937-01-05

It was in 1924 that Europe'S
Ziegfeld, Andre Chariot, brought
his revue overseas and opening at
the SelWyn on Forty-Second Street
gave New York their first glimpse
OF Bea Lille, Gertrude Lawrence,
Jack Buchanan and the current
Earle attraction, Herbet Mundin,
all taking a four.way split on top
billing. Among Herbert'S London
understudieS in this revue were
Walter Butler, now Walter Byron,
present film player, and Frank
LaWton, who later married Evelyn
Laye, won stage recognition and
in 1882 worked with Mundin in
"Cavalcade."
Gertrude Lawrence's understudy
was chlorine Jessie Matthews,
whose break came in Toronto,
while on tour, and she became an
overnight success batting for the
Ill star. In the same line Marjorie
Robertson was later to change to
Anna Neagle of British film fame,
while another chorus beauty, Con-
stance Carpenter, became a Broad
way success. Among the chorus
boys was Hugh Sinclair, the
scoundrelly lover in Elizabeth
Bergner's Escape Me Never"
And of local interest. A year in
the biggest city and this revue took
the road playing here at Polls.
Opening night the future Mrs.
Mundin, on a visit to D. c., sat
In the second row watching Her
bert and after the show, met him
for the first time.
A radio star for four years over
WLW, Cincinnati, and the longest
sustaining feature to play this sta
ton, Little Jack Little took his
first vaudeville date seven years
ago, when he was booked into the
Earle Theater here as their only
stage attraction. This inaugura-
ted their change from a single
big picture policy without foot
light features.
On this debut he introduced
three numbers, all penned by him.
self, and the topnotch ballads for
the month, namely Jealous" "Be-
cause They All Love You" and
where's My Sweetie Hiding?"
This is perhaps the only time one
song writer has clicked on three
blue ribbons.
Strangely enough, three years
ago he organized his first band
and opened his first engagement
on the stage of this same theater,
where Friday he returned again,
but this time with a completely
new all-star outfit, gathered only
six days ago.
vi Mele, SongstreSs with this
organization. played her first
D. c., and vaudeville date, stimuli
taneously when she opened here
Friday. She is the sister of Lou
Use Mele, vaudeville solo dancer.
The Folie Parisienne revue'S fea-
tured M. c., Andre Randall, was
the only attraction to play the
Folies Bergere, in Paris, for six
years, as well as the only feature
to work for this international
trade in six different languages
French, German, Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese and English. Incl
dentally he was born Andre Ayais
in Bordeaux, southern France,
and studied to become a lawyer.
Last year when Randall was
brought here for New York's
French Casino, George Bruay
came along to assist in the dra-
matte and comic sketches. How
ever, it was at the same time that
Choppy, well known for his art
work in the sketching of the
beautys' backs number, was sent
to the London Casino. George
was Immediately put to work and
within a week, thanks to the art
training at the noted Bernard
PalisSy school in Paree. ably filled
Choppy'S shoes.
Petite Freda Sullivan, person
atty dancer, strikes an Irish note
in the revue. Her older brother,
Edgar, led the Georgia Tech Col
lege and during the same years
that LoeW's division manager,
Carter Barron, toted the pigskin
for tke AtlantianS. Her sister,