The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-21
Man bout

By George Tucker


NEW YORK, June 20 - The
name that most of the reviewers
fingered over in their judgments OF
s'Louisians Purchase" was Carol
Bruce, a pretty 1s-year-old girl
who has something of a story be-
hind her. Her appearance on
Broadway as Beatrice in Mr.. IT.
wing Berlin's and Mr.. Morrie
Ryskind's pleasant fable of Lou
lisana politics must be marked up
as something of a triumph for the
judgement of a New York lawyer
whose name is Martin Spector.
Mr.. Spector, known as Mike"
to his friends, had known Miss
Bruce's father for years. They
were old friends. While talking
one day the girls father asked
Spector if he knew of a good
agent for his girl, who had been
told that she possessed a likable
voice and who was DESTROYS Of
trying for musical comedy.
Mike ascertained that the girl
was modelling sweaters at a place
in New York. He went to see her.
They had a long talk together,
and Spector promised to give her
the benefits of his judgment and
experience.
Having a lawyer for a benefac-
tor was a break. It wasn't long
before Miss Bruce appeared in the
supper room of a Manhattan hotel
for $50 a week. From there she
went into MICS Midnight Sum-"
which isn't running anymore, for
$500 a week. From there Specto1
guided her up several additional
rungs, turning down one bid by
Paramount for $3.50 a week. "She
needs only one good show on
Broadway, and we can add another
CIPHER to her salary" he said.
Apparently she had it. She got a
break by being practically the only
new name in the cast. Victor
Moore and Zorina and the others
are stars, but there is nothing es-
pecially new to write about them.
They gave expert performances.
just as everyone knew they would.
but that much has been said of
them so frequently that it is no
longer news. When Miss Bruce,
with her pleastn voice and pleas
ant manner appeared out of no.
where everybody began asking
questions. Everybody liked her.
She has a toe-hold now, and if
she doesn't hold it she will have
only herself to blame.
We a into a big fellow we ad-
mlre as much as anyone we ever
saw the other day-Freddy Fitz-
simmons, who pitches for the
Brooklyn Dodgers. 1t was the first
time we had seen Fitz since he
was tossing them high, wide and
handsome for the Giants, back in
the old days when he and Hub
and Parmelee were prime, and the
Giants were winning. Fitz, for one
thing, has the most unusual de-
livery, and one of the most in
teresting to watch, in all baseball.
When he winds up he merely
waves his right hand and wrist
in a circle, then turns his back
to the batter and looks at second
base. Fitz hasn't been beaten this
year yet. AS the ball players say,
he is 4 for 4, which means he
has four wins in four starts. What
has he got, now that he is 80
and approaching the athletes bor-
der-line? The answer is heart. It's
as big as all out doors. On the
days he works he hangs that heart
OF his out on a line. We ourselves
are a Giant fan, but not on the
days Fitz pitches. In his career
(Which, during the off-season. is
devoted to a California chicken
ranch) he has won 1856 major lea.
que games-just four to go before
he reaches the coveted 20O-game
total which is the goal of all
moundsmen.f q