The Wilmington morning star., 1940-02-20
Man bout
Manhattan
~ George Tucker =

Oscar Levant is a hard man to
reach. You don't just o n on
him and start talking. Between
writing books, dispensing wisdom on
tho Information Please half-hour,
and composing scores for musical
plavs. he is a busy mar
R,,t so is Al Goldstein busy. He
renresents the st. Louis Post-Dls-
Notch in New York. When people
hecome newsworthy and things be-
pin +o happen he writes about them.
After quite a bit of trouble he ar
RANGED for an interview at the st.
Huberts hotel, where Levant lives.
Arriving at the hotel, Goldstein
presently saw a distracted composer
advancing to meet him. They sat
down to talk, but it was clear that
Levant's mind was a thousand miles
away. Questions put to him received
only perfunctory answers. After
about Is minutes Of this, Goldstein
mt his pad back in mis- pocket and
said. "We aren't getting anywhere
with this, Mr.. Levant; so maybe
we'd better forget about this inter
view. or arrange it for some other
time. I'm wasting your time and.
as things have turned out, you're
wasting mine. I can't write a story
on what you have said"
With this Levant swung around
and asked, "Can you keep a Sc
cret?"
Goldstein thought this over for a
moment. eff it's anything that be-
longs in the paper, you'd better not
tell me-" he said.
But Levant was insistent. For one
thing, he didn't want to be misunder'
stood. He didn't want Goldstein to
think he was rude Or was submitting
to an interview with bad grace. So
he said frankly, It'll tell you some
thing if you won't say anything
about it."
By this time Goldstein was feel
ing better himself, and he figured
he might as well share Levant's con-
fidence as go without it. So he said,
sure.
"Well," cried Oscar, I'm getting
married-tomorrow. To June Gale.
I Just got a call that a hitch has
developed, and the wedding might
not come off,"
Which, after all, was enough to
distract any man. Even a strong,
brave man. But that hitch was
avoided. And it is Al Goldstein's
hope that they live happily ever
after.
Coincidence:
There is an anti-Nazi play on
Broadway in which a young Ger
man Nazi finds out, in the third act,
that he isn't German after all. He
is part Jewish. When this dis.
grace breaks around him he is al.
most persuaded to take refuge in
suicide.
BY some curious chance in cast
ing a young woman playing an i'm
portant role in this play happens to
be a refugee from Vienna. She was
born in the U. S., but moved to
Vienna with her family when she
was a child. One day, like the young
baron in the play, she learned that
she held a strain of Jewish blood.
That is why she had to flee Austria,
This is a story that isn't generally
known. But it is true, and she will
tell you this herself.
4
Peculiarities:
When he wears tails George Jessel
never removes his left hand from his
pocket. All Of Fred Aliens cor
respondence is in lower case. Even
letters to the President began, dear
mr.. roosevelt, the last time I was In
washington l, etc" -. William NC
Chesney Martin, president Of the N.
Y. Stock Exchange, never wore a
hat until last year. Band lead
ers who wear camels hair coats but
refuse to wear hats include Glenn
Miller and Blue Barron. Band
leaders who wear glasses include
Kay Kyser, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn
Miller, and Benny Goodman.
~-@1-