The Wilmington morning star., 1940-09-02
Man bout
Manhattan
By George Tucker

0NoB Bou
By George Tucker
NEW YORK-Sept. IAN in
formal poll among newspapermen
who are assigned to the Broadway
beat reveals that Joe E. Lewis is
the best liked comedian in town.
Lewis is a floorshow worker rath-
er than a musical comedy enter
tainer. He looks a great deal like
old General Iorn Pants Hugh
Johnson. When he gets his teeth
into a story, or a song, he shakes
it as a terrier shakes a rag. It
isn't what he says when he talks
or sings. It's the way he does 1T.
A prime example of the Lewis
stuff is his current monologue
or radio advertisements. Joe main
tains that most people don't know
how to listen to radio. They don't
know what to listen for. Most folks
waste their time with the comedi-
ans. or the heroes of the love
story, OF the newer songs. But not
Joe, Il cock my a for those
announcers when they come on"
he says. Il want to find out where,
1 can get that $500 for nothing, no
questions asked. 1 like to p la y
around with those puzzles that Don
Wilson of the Jack Benny show
losses at you. Sometimes I have
to sit around and wait fifteen min
utes for those comedians to get
off the air, but it's worth it. Then
Don Wilson, the announcer, comes
on. He talks ems He doesn't fool
around with gags. Of course, he
doesn't tell you exactly where you
can get it, but he gives you a
hint. He says go out and look
around until you see the big red
letters on the box. That's the stuff
1 like to hear"
OF course, reading a comedians
lines in print mean nothing. The>
will mean a great deal to anyone
sitting in on a session of the Lew
is foolishness. It's the Lewis voice,
and the Lewis manner, and the
Lewis gestures.
Still another poll recently con-
ciuded by Billboard, the theatrical
trade weekly, points out that the
three best known hotel men IN
New York are Frank Chase of
the Algonquin, Bob Christenberry
of the Aston, and Charles E. Roch-
ester of the Lexington.
Chase has been identified with
Broadway and the theatrical
world for so long that he is &C.
cepted as a home grown product,
though he is not a local boy. He
is the author of two books which
deal with the personalities of the
thousands of famous gests that
have come under his observation
through the last two decades, and
he knows more people by their
first names than any four politi-
clans you could name.
Bob Christenberry is a cultured
southerner an an extremely well
liked man about town. He came
out of the war with a great record
and only one arm. Despite thi
handicap he is an expert golfer.
Rochester is a Monroe, Louisi-
ana, boy who made good in the
big city. Among other things, he
is noted for his wild game din
ners, to which this reporter is oc-
casionally hidden. He is also the
man who inaugurated the Ha-
waiian vogue in Manhattan enter
tainment circles. When he isn't at
his office on Lexington avenue or
flying to the coast on n of his
frequent jaunts, he is plodding
around his upstate f r m, the
grounds of which are alive with
rare species of ducks.
The lonely hearts throughout the
|, country having formed a chain
of carry the torch" clubs, their
new theme song is announced as
You're Breaking My Heart"
They say they've got 500 groups
already organized. 3