The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1942-08-21
Yesterday on
Review
By THAYER WALDO
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tremDle. Inc uRnIS DdCkStaBe were
dim and those clustered around her
had their eyes on the stage where
a man Of fifty was performing the
acrobatics that had won him fame
and fortune twenty years before.
The electrician gripped Rheba's
arm.
Steady" he said. 1t was scarce
~ above a whisper, but she heard.
The smile that came in answer had
more than mere bravado to it.
Don't be silly, Dial; I'm all right.
IL couldn't give show unless I
had the filters first"
From the invisible realm "out
front" applause sounded-a gener-
Gus, whole-souled thunder. The
flushed, hard breathing little man be-
hind the footlights made bow after
bow as he edged toward the wings.
Then the youth in white walked on
the stage; handclaps slowly died
away and at last he spoke:
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to
ask your indulgence for moment. !
know a master of ceremonies should
be seen little and heard less, but this
is one time I'm going to break the
rule.
Most of you here tonight have
lived in Hollywood quite while. In
past years some of you have had
good motion picture jobs. Today
we're all one fraternity, working on
the various projects Uncle Sam has
created to help us out, and thankful
for the chance to maintain our in
tegrity and self respect.
This program and your reception
of it means more to us than / can
tell you; but there's one for whom
it's particularly significant. Once she
was the reigning queen of vaudeville,
when that meant being the finest per-
former in show business. Then she
retired, came West, and changed her
name.
well, now she's one of us, and /
want to say that we're all happier
and better for knowing her. Ladies
and gentlemen, it's real joy to
present to you that great star and
wonderful woman, Miss Rheba Shelf
field"
Rheba stepped forward into bright
lights-and the storm of hands broke.
It was fully half a minute before they
quoted down again.
What took place in the nextquarter
hour was really phenomenal. Accom-
panying herself with simple little
melodies simply played, Rheba gave
series of neutrality-suspicious.
that were sentimental, dated, naive
and that crowd went wild over it!
Not just because she was one of
them; the woman's intrinsic warmth
and charm went out across the foot
lights and into their hearts.
When she had finished the last note
and final wistful phrase of There's
Rose in Somebody's Garden" not
fifty people in all that packed house
remained seated The ovation
swelled and continued, tribute and
demand. She gave them an en-
core, and the outburst after that was
undiminished.
Suddenly down the aisle a short,
round man in a check suit came
shouldering Someone in the first few
rows recognized him and cried:
Say, look-there's Joe Fiberg!"
Several heard and the word spread
swiftly. By the time he had logged
up FIVE steps and was approaching
Rheba across the stage, hush had
fallen.
Fiberg bowed to her, then faced
the audience and said:
Folks, dis is a good joke on me.
Twenty minutes ago I'm coming
over here from my office to esk
please you shouldn't make so much
noise-and now look! Alraddy I'm
having swell time, and also finding
out I had it a star I didn't know
about right onder my nose for feet
teen years. Hah!
Miss Shaffield, want you should
right away sign contract. I've got
it great idea to feature you in some
nuvelty short sobjects."
Again he addressed them all.
'Leesten: vunce in New York I ran
a tailor shop-I amt ashamed to
admit it-and right arond de corner
vas a t'eater where dey put on de
biggest musical shows in town. What
girls dey had, What tunes-and What
sceneryl Right now I'd geeve a
t'ousand dollars to find de man who
painted dose sets. His name vas Sim
mons, and he's de vun should design
our stuff for desc peectures I'm plen-
ming Rheba Shaffield should make.
If anybody knows"
Mr.. Fiberg-just a minute!"
The producer regarded her quiz
zically, smiling yet puzzled.
Quickly she turned away from him
and looked offstage.
Dali" she called. "Dal, come out
here, darling!"
An instant's wait, and then from
the wings hesitantly appeared the
man who had stood at the switch
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