The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-21


 shows, blatant
 signs. auctions,
 IN and all manner
 - of tawdry hon. keytonk. So has 42nd street, east and west of Broadway, Fifth ave- nue has tried nobly to resist the encroachment of cheapening in- fluences. The Fifth Avenue As- sociation has had strict rules. Its members are not supposed to have window displays visible on Sundays. They are forbidden to have moving exhibits or demon- strations by living persons in the windows. Their signs and price tags must meet the approval of the Association.
 But of late members have been defying the Association in order to gain some supposed display ad- vantage. Non-members have been crowding in. The five-and-tens, once considered poison to Fifth avenue, have become numerous and big.
 So the visionaries say the new Sixth avenue may prove to be the very next frontier for high-class retail business, and predict the moving over of some' of the big department stores within a year after the last of the el has disap- peared.
 Burton Holmes, the travelling man, after A years on the plat form. is known in almost every town and hamlet in America. He turns 'em away in Boston. But he is practically unknown to Broad- way.
 Holmes, now 69. has made a fortune out of travel talks and travel pictures. He has never played for the New York approval, never felt the need of that prestige which New Workers like to think can be accorded by Q New York audience only.
 In the days of the road shows, there were many famous actors who were comparatively un- known in New York. Having the country at their feet. so to speak. they didn't particularly care for the metropolitan acclaim.
 E. H. Sothern was far better known in Minneapolis, San Fran cisco and Kansas City than in New York, though he was far from a stranger to Broadway. Robert Mantell for many years was accepted as a top Shakespear- ian in Omaha, St. Louis and Charleston, and much neglected in Manhattan. Charles B. Hanford, too, was a bright light of the road. almost unknown in New York.
 Does the night really look dark est just before the pale light be- gins to streak the eastern sky? I've often thought so. George Corey. Q young man who graduated from Northwestern few years ago and now lives on 5Sth street, Manhat- tan. ought to know something about it. He was down on his back with a tropical disease, billed for the undertaken within a few months. He started working on play, because an idea kept haunt ing him.
 On a recent Saturday, his health restored by long walks and rest, he spent his last dollar, The play still lacked third act.
 A telephone call from the Rock efeller Dramatist Guild, Corey had been awarded a playwriting schol- arShip, Now he can finish the play and continue walking fifteen miles a day for his health. as he's been doing. Oh, yes. maybe the play is no good. But if everybody looked at everything that way, there'd be no dawn.
 Spot jottings: Alfred A. Strelsin. advertising mogul, has a pent- house overlooking Columbus Cir cle and Central Park. Standing on the balcony outside his library. you can see the City. on a clear night, as you might see the work ing of ships engines through lighted glass Eugena Lyons, who will soon take over editor ship of The American Mercury, hasn't grown year older in ap- pearance during the 20 years he's been very active in journalism. He and his attractive American wife were lS years in Soviet Rus sia, representing United Press Mrs. David Stern, wife of the pub fisher of three large Eastern news papers, is a slim, stylish-looking woman. often seen at the more brainy gatherings, dressed in be- coming gray Harry Hansen, book reviewer. gets pleaSanter as the years roll by. That is because he learns that there's really noth- ing worth being unhappy about. and his friends are increasing in number He was the saddest and most serious-looking of the critics half a dozen years ago Isabel Patterson, on the other hand. has been writing about books in the Herald Tribune for so long that nobody can remem- Der when Stuart Sherman brought her on from Illinois. and she al- ways smiles about it. But can remember back to when she used to wear green stockings.
 Copyright, 1889, McNaught
 Syndicate)