davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1942-04-26

There were other discouraging factors which had
not been admitted before the O. p A. began to frown
upon private transportation save for the most pro-
foundly useful and worthy ends
One Of these was the quality of the plays during
the regular theater season.
In the choice of vehicles for notable guest stars
artists whose were magic regardless of the
diton of their art. there had grown up logical
sumption that good comedy hit the only sum-
mer theater fare. romantic comedy, that. is. one
which conformed to an audiences requirements for
love and laughter The last few regular have
produced satisfactory number of these. The Male
Animal" Mr. and Mrs. North" was another
and there six or seven which kicked around-or
we're kicked around-all over the rural scene They
clearly the sort of thing audience wanted and
precisely the thing an audience got.
Writers of such lightsome items, however were
brutay unkind this year. A manfwho set his talents
to romantic comedy, comedy with the rarest
flavor of romance suddenly found himself feeling like
an idiot when confronted by the reviews Almost as
suddenly he found himself the author of play which
had just closed 1t desperately not good for the
playwright but it bad, too for the producer who
was looking for the thing called light
alnment-so called usually out of spirit of tolerance
Outlook Was Dreary.
Accordingly, without rationng (modest
wordO tires and the same less restrictions
on gasoline, the outlook not rosy in previous
years.
Summer dramatic journalism will be less Jolly
thing for its practitioners, harsh and sad thing to
admit on the part of enthusiastic camp-f followers of
the meadow theater 1t will not have those good old
tales to tell, ironically, of the casting
which placed Sally Rand in old TaIulah Bankhead
roles which snatched Corio from the art of un-
dressing for burlesque audiences and made her an
actress of sorts and which gave feeling of new life
to some of the jaded but not forgotten talents of
Hollywood
Things like that happen to art in wartime how
Evening star., 1942-04-26
Today's Film Schedules

CAPITOLSong of the Islands, Betty Cradle skirts and
techncolor 3o tbs and 10 Stage shows 35 $40 and
9:05 m.
of Andy Hardy another episode in the
o Hardy: ass, $40, and pm.
EARLE-Kings
ITO and $50 Stage shows: 355 $40 and $40
Alfred Hichcocks meodrama:
3:35, 5:35, TAO and 9:40 pm
LTTTLE-Mayng" intense another visit
2:15, 4:05. SIS, pm
METROPOLITAN Fleets with Dorothy greet
2
PALACETo the Shores of Tipo the Marines action
$50, sos, 7:20 and 9:35 pm
PIX-Whats Cooking" with the Andrews and WOODY Her.
-LUx-News 2
Evening star., 1942-04-26
Barns Are for Cows, Not for Art in 1912
Tire and Gas Rationng Means Death Kiss
For Summer Theaters and Its Works
By Jay Carm ody.

Summer in the country won't be the this
year. No longer will the meadows ring with the
laughter of well-dressed people drawn together to
tired and tarnished movie star give his her
fading all to of those tired little comedies which
nfest the barn theater The farm animals which
have rereated before this rather strange form
years 60 about their business of increasing
wartime production without interruption from actors
in sacks and actresses in shorts who always looked
little strange in that setting matter what their
skill at pretending to be at ease.
These changes in way of life that profitable
whatever else it may have been matters of prori:
ties which, with few exceptions have snufed out the
summer theater.
Hope Dimmed Early.
They constitute an effect that was intimated
months ago when tires put a prescribed list.
That action gave entrepreneurs of this odd
sion for profound speculation In their optimistic
moments they professed feeling that business would
be as usual. In their honest ones, the contrary,
they felt deep convicon that yearning for escape
could be profound enough to inspire families to
tires wantony in the pursuit of such dubious pleasure
Hope, of couse was not entirely dead Hope in a
theater producer dies hard almost harder than in the
case of an actor, which is perhaps of the best
things to be said about either Who after ALL knew
how much mileage left in the neighbors tires? Or
how the nelghbors would care to that mileage on
the long, boresome evenings. 1t slender thread
but something TO cling to nevertheless.
Accordingly, some did cling to it, ignoring the
implication of folly in the emotion
Then, last week came gasoline rationing That
was the kiss of death from Washington Not to all
summer theaters, among them Steve Cochrans Olney
and few others located sufficiently metropolitan
areas, but to many which dependent upon tourists
and summer resort visitors.
No gas plus tires could only add up to no
summer theater-at least not in the old fourshing
sense which tempted nearly every in the pro-
feSSlon 10 the country at one time or another.
Evening star., 1942-04-26

he said. miss Stanwyck did a
straight buck and wing. / Uttered.
That was before the entomologists
had taken up dancing"
Later" wrote Humphrey, Il sang
over the radio"
"As Jane Wyman did?" he was
asked.
yes. only different" he said
MY voice was changing. 1t used
TO change right in the middle of
'Mandalay.'"
Shes Worth Remembering.
Bogey was a dancer in Hollywood,
he noted, until he appeared in a
home-talent presentation of THE
Night of January 16." A studio
scout saw that and two days later
regained consciousness and called
Bogart to the studio for a test.
IF that reminds you of Alexis
Smith and her start in pictures,
Mr.. Bogart explained as he finished
the new QUESTIONABLE, "it1l be al
right with me We all need TO be
reminded of Alexis Smith. She's a
girl with courage She's going
places-and in a hurry"
In due time Mr.. Bogart, having
completed Across the Pacific and
other pictures planned for him, will
probably prepare yet another life
story for his friends, associates and
public.
My life grows better, fuller and
more entertaining all the time" he
says. Who wants to be stuck with
the same life story all his hfe?"
Evening star., 1942-04-26

MAR BdAcb II IL u piCnh AAOo
movies. Mr.. Bogart merely bowed,
from the waist.
"A charming lady" he said. I'VE
have worked together in pictures.
couldn't have picked better pat
tern for my story"
Bogart also reported that he was
once seriously burned by a Christ
mas tree fire. For a time it was
feared he would be Scared for life.
"I was after the candy cane that
hung near the top of the tree" ex-
planned Humphrey. MY beard got
in the flames"
Bette Davis had similar expert
ence," he was told. 1T was her
dress that caught on fire"
Or Was That Olivia?
Strange how fate works" opined
Bogey. II didn't wear dress In
those days. Just beard. But I
have worked in pictures with Miss
Davis. She's still hot number" !"
The new Bogart QUESTIONABLE
shows that the master villain of
The Big Shot had his first expert
ence on the stage as Puck in small
town edition of "A Midsummer
Nights Dream"
That sounds like Olivia de Havil-
lands story" Humphrey was re-
minded.
so it does" he agreed. Nice
work, being up tree with Olivia. "
Under the question entitled "fa-
nous relatives" Bogart wrote Gen
eral Philip Sheridan" This was a
repeat performance. copied from his
second QUESTIONABLE and fife story,
in which he said he had had an
ancestor who was general named
Sheridan but he couldn't remember
the first name.
Can't Both Claim Him?
Told, again, that the same general
was a hard-riding relative of Ann
Sheridan, Bogart nodded knowingly.
Philip left lot of descendants, -
he declared. Cant both of US claim
him?"
Asked how he got into motion
pictures in the first place, Mr.. Bo-
CART parried sharply with. That's
what I sometimes wonder" but i'm
mediately temporized by saying that
he had been signed after season
or two of dancing on the sidewalks
of Brooklyn as youngster.
Like Barbara Stanwyck?" he was
asked.
Very much. only maybe better, "
Evening star., 1942-04-26
Coming Attractions

Stage.
NATTONAL-gh Sophie Jsse
sparkling the musicale; opening tomorrow
Thursday, Leslie Howard
Sullivan underground csmpagne Nan
Rae A Robbins headline the stage show.
COLUMBIAWe Were Dancing with Norma Shearer and Mevyn
Douglas opens its second week downtown on Thursday.
EARLEThe Invaders Leslie Howard Olivier and
Massey starting
Stage changes,
KEITHS-Tuttles of Tahiti Charles Laughton the character
OF Nordhof Halls
of Vatican" documentary film inside the
coupled Disneys Reluctant Dragon"
METROPOLITAN Trinidad"
Doneyy Blair Caribbean isle, Friday.
PAIACE-one Wind" with coming
again popular prices Thursday.
Frankenstein"
Cedric Hardwcke, Ralph Belamy and Bella LugoSi.
Evening star., 1942-04-26

as il used to be in those nostalgia
nights OF Keith and Albee but that
the shows like Keep En- Laughing
and ''Priorities Of 1912" are pre-
sented with suaye speed that
makes the old acts seem like new
revue.
This latest Keep EN- Laughing
presents a bevy of such proven stars
as Victor Moore. William Gaxton,
the Dancing Jack Cole. the very
Yum Yum Hildegarde and the
misunderstanding Hartmans in a
program that could not have been
purchased as complete show in the
old days OF vaudeville. Times have
changed and now Broadway gets
the delight of a merry-go- round OF
stars for the price they used to pay
single one of them.
The acts are-well. they are what
one calls familiar" II you don't
want to say they are something you
have seen and heard before. But
you can see and hear Victor Moore
and Hildegarde time after time and
still be convinced they are the two
most likely people-as an act-with
whom you would like to find your
self stranded on a desert island.
But He Couldn't Change.
Moore knows well that the good
old acts are still preferred by audi
ences more than they prefer new
acts that haven't proved to be good.
For 30 years Moore and his wife,
Emma Littleheld, were hits in
sketch called Change Your Act, or
Back to the Woods"
Moore. who worries easily. began
brooding. He thought they should
change their act TO give audiences
something new, and he paid out his
hard learned money for new scripts.
Everywhere he tried to present one
of his new acts the vaudeville man
ayers told him to go back to his
ancient bills. The audiences loved
those better because those were the
ones in which they knew Victor
Moore: they didn't want to see him
go streamlined
So Keep En- LaughingI is largely
a success because Victor Moore con-
tinues to remain Victor Moore. with
his hesitant sly humor. and because
Hildegarde sings her sultry songs In
a manner that makes this new
vaudeville revue seem to be one of
those intimate shows that once-in
the days before Nazi domination
could be heard only in the gay
streets of Paris.
Hildegarde sang in Paris then,
and it Is a heart-warming thought
that one can hear her sing now in
a vaudeville revue on Broadway and
look forward to the day when she
can sing among the lights that will
shine again in free Paris.
Broadways other vaudeville revue,
"Priorities," is continuing in its
prosperous way, as 1t should with
star comedians like Lou Holtz, Will
lie Howard and Phil Baker in the
leading roles.
Vaudeville, some years ago, died
a noble death Now it is having
gay and magnificent revival.
Evening star., 1942-04-26
Well, a Suit
Could Be
In a Name
So the Studios See
That Those They
Use Aren't Real
By Gladtoin Hill,
HOLLYWOOD.

&&0&~A@ a W NSO@$H
The greatest fear in Hollywood Is
not of a Japanese invasion, or
even of a picture losing money.
It's the fear that. Inadvertently,
somebody's actual name, address
or telephone number win be used
in picture and suit will result.
The main worry Is using same
in an unpleasant connection por-
traying butcher named Hyacynthe
Whiff1etree taking candy away from
babies and then having a real BUTCH
er named Hyacynthe Whiffietree
pop up in Massilon, Ohio, and claim
his neighborhood reputation has suf-
fered,
Or depicting a gangster hideout
at an imaginery IS Snodgrass boule-
ward, Buffalo, and discovering that
there is such an address and the
people there are lawsuit mad.
Sounds fantastic, but. A cou-
pie OF years ago one studio made
a picture called Frankie and john
ME" based on the immortal barber
shop ballad. and darned If wom-
an who once shot her lover didn't
pop up and claim that the whole
thing was based on her case and
she was DETAINED to the extent of
$500, 900. Republic won the suit in
short order after they got Sigmund
Spaeth, the tune detective, to tes-
tify that the song had been cur
rent before the Civil War.
But even when you're in the right
you can't spend all your time in
court fighting lawsuits.
Invented a Street.
The result is that all the studios
have long lists of names, addresses
and telephone numbers guaranteed
three-ply fictitious or otherwise
cleared by their lawyers for use in
pictures.
Another studio, having frequent
need for street addresses in New
York, made sure there was no street
named Caller street. and thereupon
invented one, and If you keep an
eye open you'll see it used often
"453 Caller street" the "Galer Street
Drug Store" the Caller Street
Cleaning & Pressing Shop" etc.
If radio station has to be men,
toned by name, they usually use
WIN, an actual station in New
York owned by a studio affiliate,
who. they hope, won't sue them.
Some Of the companies get spe-
cial New York telephone numbers
from the phone company, just like
they were subscribing to telephone
service. They all have New York
offices, and could use their own
phone numbers, only all the Offices
are in the Times Square section,
and the large and captious New
York movie audience would detect
something phoney if a Bryant ex-
change number was used for an East
Side penthouse.
The no-similarity ty-to-persons- -liv-
ing = or dead goes to fantastic
lengths. On one of the permanent
fake streets on the Warner Bros.
lot is typical cigar store, and ON
its window some cigar brands are
advertised in small type. At a
(See HILL, Page ED
Evening star., 1942-04-26

(See HILL. Page ED
Evening star., 1942-04-26

between scenes-and with profess
sional ease. 1t turns out that Joan
took a thorough secretarial course
some yeares ago. She likes to write
letters, likes to run the typewriter
likes to keep her own books and
household accounts.
Dorothy Lamour, whose fan mail
problem with the armed services
is big business in itself, is cur
rently without a secretary. Her
Patti Mccarthy, who worked for her
for years, bossed her and went to
parties with her, has become an
actress herself. Patti is now under
contract to Columbia because the
studio spotted her as a Clara Bow
type.
George Tobias probably has one
OF the most faithful and efficient
secretaries in all Hollywood. He
is Harold Ramer, a former crack
polo player. About two years ago
Ramer fell under his horse in a
tragic accident and as a result lost
both legs. He was close to despair
When he met Tobias, the Brooklyn
cowboy" Their interest in horses
made them friends and Ramer came
to visit George for a week end. He
has stayed for two years, learned
typewriting and stenography and
made himself invaluable to Tobias.
George accepts few invitations un-
less he can bring his secretary pal
along in his wheelchair
First thing Jack Benny did after
reporting to make George WASH
ington Slept Here" was to intro
duce everybody to his secretary,
Harry Baldwin, an Australian. He
was one of eight children orphaned
in New York and sold papers on
the street until, on the strength of
night school course. he caught
an assignment to take dictation
from Benny. Today Harry sits in
eSee HEFFERNAN, Page ED
Evening star., 1942-04-26
Three New Names

Paramount has changed the
names of three of the studios con-
tract players. Dolly Loehr, now
working in The Major and the
Minor with Ginger Rogers and
Ray Milland. becomes Marguerite
Lynn; Betty Jane Rhodes drops the
Jane" to be known as Betty Rhodes
while Lora Lee becomes Donivee
Lee. The latter was born Donivee
Purkey, q Texas girl.
Evening star., 1942-04-26
They Meet Such Interesting People
Secretaries to the Stars Are Well Paid and Travel
In Best Circles, as Long as They Can Take 1t
By Harold Hefernan.

tary. Being secretary to a movie
star is a rice enough job-provid-
ing you're of easy disposition, laugh
heartily at corny gags and can
otherwise take it" and bounce back
with a smile.
The pay is away above that earned
by the average stenographer or sec
retary in the workaday business
world. You bask in glamorous at
moSphere You meet all the So
called important people. You listen
In on the colony's choicest gossip
You even get chance to swim in
the boss gilt-edged pool
Secretaries to the stars are COM
binations of mother, nurse and lion
tanner. They come from all over
Ike the stars themselves.
William Powell's secretary calls
him Mr.. Poo" He calls her Miss
Moo"
Bob Hopes secretary is a Mr.
Barney Bean, an ex-vaudeville
hoofer. Mr. Bean has his name or
a chair, ike a director. When Bob
pulls gag, he looks at Mr.. Bean
If Mr.. B. doesn't like it. he holds
his nose, or makes other obvious
signs of anguish Hope usually
changes the line to suit the secre-
tary.
Dorothy Lost Hers.
A few players. of course. have
no secretaries. There's Joan Fon-
tame. for instance, who won thi:
years academy award for "Sus-
plcion." :" The deluge of telegram,
and fan mail that swamps a movie
star who has just won an Osca,
is something staggering. There
are decisions to make, letters that
require answering at once Joan
working on The Constant Nymph
on the Warner lot at the time
simply sat down to her portable
typewriter and ratified of replies
Evening star., 1942-04-26

critics tossed across the footlighti
last week 10 this what-is-it farce
'Whst Big Ears"
The reviewers were so violent In
calling It a very. very bad play that
halfway through their comments
they began 70 speak OF the "indul-
gent audience. which sat atten-
lively through the performance
The play is continuing on Broadway
but this correspondent-who votes
may" with the ma lority--has a
hunch that 1t may do business be-
cause It does have an entertaining II
not original idea. The authors. 10
Elsinger and JudSon ODonnell, ap-
parently have been seeing lot OF
movies and reading an old play or
two and added up that two plus two
equals four. For in this there are
dashes Of "Charley's Aunt. Henry
Aldrich," Three Men on Horse"
and a half dozen other manuscripts
or characters that are outstanding
successes on the stage. screen and
radio.
Such a fantastic plot, OF course,
could take place only in Hollywood
and there begins the saga OF Mr..
and Mrs Gabby Martin. He Is fast
talking medicine show maestro who
works from the back Of a truck in
the small villages Of the West Coast
where he has to sell his tonic that
cures anything before dark because
most OF the towns where he works
have no night life and few street
lights.
A Grandmother at IL.
AS a "come-on" he has young
boy about II years old, who was
brought up In carnival sideshow life
and who has learned from his
trouping parents how 10 make up
with gray wig and old-fashioned
dress to look like the portrait of
"whistler's Mother" The idea is
that this little, old lady will come
out of the crowd and claim that
Gabby Martins tonic has restored
her and allowed her to live far
beyond her allotted years.
The kid is good, too good, in his
impersonation of a grandmother
type and a Hollywood studio signs
him mot knowing he is merely a
boy with make-up) as star to play
grandmother roles. Also this bo-
nanza tumbles into their laps just
mt the moment that Gabhy is about
.'to be taken for fatal ride" be-
cause of money he has lost on
horse races. Also, just at the mo-
ment that the kid, joey, finds that
he is in love with q fetching young
blond and therefore. trouper or no
trouper, he doesn't want the en-
barrassment of wearing grandma's
clothes any longer. So he gets mar
ried, the horse race crooks get tough
and the mooth-talking Gabby gets
the heebie jeebies.
1t is, frankly. shopworn play.
But, 1t has the ingredients Of so
many past hits, that 1t may have a
chance for success In this Broadway
season that is now getting very, very
lean. But, you have to keep Tobacco
Road" and its success in mind to
believe that entirely.
Taylor Holmes, the movie star OF
silent days, and Ruth Weston, the
comedienne debutante who has lost
so much weight that she now looks
like q shadow, have the leading roles
along with Edwin Phillips in the
role of the quick-change youngster
who impersonates grandmother.
Old Acts Seem Like New.
No longer need they mourn over
vaudeville with an Alas, poor
Yorick, I knew him we'll" sigh. For
vaudeville has returned to Broad
way in fancy and successful raj
ment.
The only new slant is that today
It isn't weekly change of the bill
Evening star., 1942-04-26
Two and Two Are Four
Snatches From Familiar Hits May
Make New Play Success
By Marx Barron.
wide World News

produced
proof should
Big Ears"
with
Evening star., 1942-04-26
In These, His Many Lives
Bogart Tires of Past Biographies,
So Dreams Up a New Story
By Carlisle Jones.

Every Humphrey studio que
completed
attempt to tell all
According Bogarts latest report himself
Hollywood English
story sounded strangely
Evening star., 1942-04-26
HOLLYWOOD.

First thing the movie actor does
after attaining a definite box -office
rating is 60 shopping for a secre-
Evening star., 1942-09-30

ductions of various kinds, including
advertising
Commissioner Helvering issued
the following statement:
To be deductible, advertising ex-
penditures must be ordinary and
necessary and bear reasonable re-
lation to the business activities in
which the enterprise is engaged
The bureau recognizes that adver-
tising is a necessary and legitimate
business expense so long as it is not
carried to sn unreasonable extent or
does not become an attempt to avoid
proper tax payments.
The bureau realizes that il may
be necessary for taxpayers now en-
gagged in war production to main
tain. through advertising, their
trade names and the knowledge Of
the quality of their products and
good will built up over past years.
so that when they return TO peace
time production their names and
the quality of their products will be
known to the public.
In determining whether such ex-
penditures are allowable, cognizance
will be taken of % the size of the
business, t2> the amount of prior
advertising budgets. 80. the public
patronage reasonably to be expected
in the future, a. the increased cost
of the elements entering into the
total of advertising expenditures, 80
the introduction of new products
and added lines and 60 buying
habits necessitated by war restric-
tions, by priorities, and by the un-
availability of many of the raw
materials formerly fabricated into
the advertised products.
Reasonable expenses incurred by
companies in advertising and ad-
vertising technique to speed the
war effort among their own en-
ployes, and to cut down accidents
and unnecessary absences and in
efficiency. will be allowed as deduc-
tions. Also. reasonable expendi-
lures for advertisements including
the promotion of Government OBJ
jectiyes in wartime, such as conser-
vation, salvage, or the sale of War
bonds, which are signed by the
advertiser, will be deductible pro-
vided they are reasonable and are
not made in an attempt to avoid
proper taxation.
1T is the statutory responsibility
OF the bureau to determine and col
lect Federal taxes, among which are
the income and excess profits taxes,
and to prevent abuses and attempts
to avoid the high tax rates to which
business will be subject under the
proposed tax bill now before Con-
gress
No definite rule for determining
what is reasonable in the case of
expenditures for advertising can be
Evening star., 1942-09-30

laid in advance 50 as to fit all
situations and all classes of taxpay-
ers. In determining whether the
amounts are reasonable it is neces-
sary TO take into consideration all
the facts and circumstances in each
particular case.
The bureau will consider appli-
cations for individual rulings. 1t
is. however, busy with an unusual
volume Of work, and it is believed
that if taxpayers will keep in mind
the foregoing general rules, indi-
vidual rulings will not be necessary
except under most unusual circum-
stances"