Evening star., 1943-06-22
After Dark
News and Comment of the Night Clubs
Trade REGISTERED q Patent once

Wartime life In the night clubs
has placed an added strain on that
group known variously as maitres
d'hotel, captains and headwaiters
These gentlemen, who are phenom-
enal in their ability to maintain
that splendidly placid front so vital
to their calling, actually would rate
near the top of any neurologist's file
of case histories. To the casual
patron. the fellows whose good
evening" is bowed from the waist
are the epitome of competence,
suaveness and the kind of sublime
calm generally associated with
mothers and cows. The patron can
not, imagine the turmoil which
seethes beneath the starched- shirt
surface.
Maitres d. and their allied artisans
have large assortment of reasons
to justify their condition. The
strands which tie them up into un-
tidy, though outwardly neat, bun
dies of nerves are many.
There are the dinner guests who,
unaware of restrictions in the
kitchen, chorus protests against the
steak which they ordered medium
rare, but which arrived medium
welldone. Others who chafe aloud
when the hired help fails to ma
terialize in its old magical way
little realizing that management and
maitre d. alike are knocking their
heads against the wall over the same
problem.
1t is such as this-and a hundred
minor details-to try the souls of
the night club greeters every hour
of every night. Yet the Freds, the
AleXes, Ralphs and the Looeys con-
tinue successfully to exude gracious
ness and quiet reinsurance to the
limit of their patience.
We probably still would be taking
the boys for granted, too, except for
matter-of fact-not resigned, mind
you-remark which one of them
happened to make the other night.
Shortly after a misunderstanding at
one of the tables-in which harsh
words and bit of pushing were
involved and the patron escorted to
the door-the headwaiter came our
way
Yes he said, "the Army has
gotten all the bouncers the hotel
used to have. But I used to be a
prize fighter myself, SO it's not so
bad"
u
1t is always interesting to talk
with musician. For example, if one
hadn't started talking. a favorite
pastime of musicians, at a late hour
a few evenings ago, we should not
now be able to inform you that the
expression "corny' entered and
passed out of the vocabulary of mu-
sicians more than five years back.
In other words, today if you say
something is corny, you are corny.
Or, properly speaking in sax circles,
you would be from hunger"
The sequence of terminology hav-
ing the same import of the word
"corny,' looks something like this:
"Ricky ticky" (circa 1930-1e32), NC
Gee" 1932-l933). "Corny" 1888
1889, Hungry" 1s38-1s42), From
hunger" or strictly from hunger"
Q942-).
Matter of fact, to pluck an ex-
preston from the dim era of 1928,
this item is strictly mcgee.
X X X X
News item from the Mayfower
Lounge: "Elayne Hume wears gloves
while singing; distinctive and
pleasing effect"
Also very practical effect when
the r-conditioning goes berserk,
and icicles commence forming on
the Scotches- -and-sodas.
July this year marks the period
of wailing and gnashing of teeth
which after-dark habitues undergo
annually: Evie Knight leaves the
King Cole room for vacation. 1t
may be, too, that the long, blond