The Washington times., 1938-05-21
F annie Brice Goes
On Stand Fora
Sullivan Quiz
By ED SULLIVAN

hOAhA WOOO, May z1'
~ Shocks, how old are youf
OS Al refuse to answer on the grounds
that might incriminatc or degrade myself
Q-WhyH ...
A.-I1l give you hint, Edwin.
Cts Edward
A.-Yes, of course. Nevertheless I'll give
you hint. Ny first Ziegfeld Follies was in
1910, at the New York Theater roof That's
twenty-eight years ago and when signed
with Ziegfeld wasn't Baby Rose Marie,
Edgar
/ Q.-It's Edward.
3 A.-Why, Daddyf
T Q-That scene in "The Great Ziegfeld"
! when William Powell as Ziegfeld went back
stage to the burlesque house to sign you
did that actually happen in your career9
! A.-No, but I'll tell you a good story
: about that. was playing at the Columbia
! Theater in New York, burlesque house.
I That was in 1909. A girl from one of the
music publishers had sent me song, and
her name was Grace Ziegfeld. So showed
all the other burlesque performers the let
ter, and held my thumb over "Grace," so
all they saw was Ziegfeld. I'd say, casually,
that Ziegfeld had sent me letter.
! Q.-So?
A just a week later, I got telegram
<1obackstage signed Florenz Ziegfeld,
asking me to come to his office about job
Naturally, figured that somebody in the
company was kidding me. I tore up the
telegram and threw it away. Four days
later ran into Bert Cooper on Broadway
and he said: "Why haven't you answered
Ziegfeld" We were standing at Forty
ivfh I was hot 7
almost fell in front of horse-drawn hanson
cab.
Q.-Then it was Bert Cooper who made
the connection with Ziegfeld for you3
A-Yes, indeed. You see, had signed
an eight-year contract with the burlesque
manager, Max Spiegel, and no other theatri-
cal manager wanted to contact me. Bert
Cooper went to Ziggie and pointed out that
SpiegePs contract was not valid, as was a
minor. Nobody else had thought of that
So I signed with the "Follies" for $75 a
week; had been getting $35 in burlesque.
Q.-Since 1910, you've seen them all in
this business, Fanny-who would you say
was the greatest actress you'd ever scent
A.-Helen Hayes.
Q.-Who was the greatest comediani
A.-Frank Tinney. .5. e,t
Q.-The greatest comedienne, present COM
pany excepted?
A.-Beatrice Lille, present company NOT
excepted.
Q.-The greatest singer Of a popular
song9
Al Jolson.
Q-The greatest musical show?
A.-"Show Boat" and right behind that
"The Three Musketeers."
Q-The greatest dramatic show?
A "A show that played only one week
Aeon Broadway: 'Tn Abraham's Bosom"
I saw it when it played week in Greenwich
Village, and / raved about it to all OF my
friends. So when it lasted only a week on
Broadway they all kidded the life out Of me.
But had the last laugh-the play that ran
one week won the Pulitzer prize.
Q.-The greatest dancer?
Aired Astaire.
Q-Who would you say was responsible
for your success?
A.-Irving Berlin, although he doesn't
know it. When l applied for the job in
"College Girls" I told the manager that
was a soubrette. He told me he'd listen to
my songs few days later. I'd lied to him.
didn't have any songs So raced up to the
Berlin, Watterson, Snyder office and I asked
Irving if he had a song could sing. He said,
"Come on in; I've got two songs and I'll
show you how to sing them. The first one
was called "Sadie Salome," a song about a
Bronx girl who became a hula dancer, and
he sang it in Jewish dialect So sang it
in Jewish dialect, because figured if the
author wanted it that way, that's the way
it should be done. That's the way became
a Jewish coincidence. If Berlin had sung it
with an Irish brogue would have started
off as an Irish coincidence So Irving really
IL IN blame for the whole thing
n Have songs changed lot since
u. 1s1o' -.
A.-Uh-huh, the titles have changed lot
The first song sang at an amateur night at
Frank Keeney's Brooklyn Theater, in 1908,
was titled: "When You Know You're Not
Forgotten by the Girl You Can't Forget"
AL Bryan and Solly Violinsky had a big
argument about song titles in Lindy's one
night, AL insisting that long song titles were
necessary and Violinsky disagreeing.