Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-20
Impossible
Story Finds
Basis in Fact
They Never FeIt Strike
Would Tie Up Trock
BY DAMON RUNY0N

~ rated with Irving Caesar.
the song writer Cfrea for TWO,
'Svanec Is i Trlc What They
Say About Dixie etcD. on
what WAS intended as a two-act
race track musical show. That
is. the story was built around
horse racing incidents.
We called il Saratoga Chips,
which incidentally was the title
of a column Nr-uscd 10 write
from Saratoga Springs during
the racing season for the New
York American years back.
Somewhere along in the sec
ond act, Caesar got tired and we
got more tired Of the thing, 50
we sold what there was of the
story 10 a movie concern for a
picture. made q perfectly
dreadful picture
We have forgotten the title OF
the picture. but il was not Sara
toga Chips That was the first
thing the movie fellows threw
away. The second thing they
discarded was a situation that
was quite adored by Caesar and
Company.
A LABOR agitator had come
"A along and organized the lit
tie jockeys into a union. eve are
giving yeH the gist of the situa-
tom One day the jockeys de-
cided to 60 on strike. They kept
their plans carefully concealed
until a big race came up and
then the strike was called right
in the middle of the race. The
jocks pulled up their horses at
the half mile pole and dis
mounted.
Well, the very idea of that
scene delayed the progress of
the musical more than anything
else, except the tired feeling that
overlook the authors. We would
get together for an evening for
work. but just thinking of that
Jockeys strike would start us
both laughing and we would
laugh until we were no good the
rest of the evening.
So we would 60 TO Lindy's and
tell the walters. or any one else
who would listen, the situation.
They would laugh too, but some
times not heartily.
SITS UTTERLY improbable"
L said the movie makers, as
they hurled that part of the
story into the ashcan. ut
couldn't happen.
They're right" said Irving
Caesar after he had recovered
from the shock and disappoint-
ment of seeing his 50 per cent of
the brain child junked. ut
couldn't happen"
mo, II couldn't happen" we
agreed after a brief period of
mourning over the other so per
cent. ut is too far-fetched.
Jockeys would never strike I'M
der any circumstances"
But you may have read of the
come-off at the Santa Anita
track out in California the other
day when the stable hands went
on strike just before the races
and the sport of kings had to be
abandoned for the day. True.
stable hands are not jockeys,
yet there is certain analogy in
the Santa Anita situation and
the one we all thought could not
happen.
THE little jockeys now have
Il a sort of union which they
term a guild, and il would be
quite possible for them to call
strike, though we do not think
il probable. We rather doubt
that il would be at the half.
They would have to let the
horses in on that. Some Of the
horses might refuse TO be pulled
up. The horses have no guild.
The jockeys guild seems to
be strictly a mutual benefit
proposition and has none of the
aspects of a labor organization.
II has given the small horSemen
a new dignity and recognition.
As long as they keep il in
their own hands and reject out
side influences il is bound 10 be
helpful 10 them. The track man
agements and horse owners are
disposed TO be cooperative.
Copyright. 1881. King Features syuda In,
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