Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-10-19

doing with General Sherman
tank In your ysrd?"
Meantime, we sort OF like the
story of Carole Lombard, Charles
Gentry, and fire engine Gentry
saw in a used car lot.
Several years ago. Gentry, our
drama critic. was in Hollywood
and got an appointment 10 inter
view Carole Lombard. He wasn't
used 10 the size Of Los Angeles,
which is even Sprawlier than
Detroit. so he arrived 40 min
utes late
Rufus Blair. the publicity man,
wouldn't risk La Lombard's
wrath. so he said
"You go on in by yourself and
make your own apologies"
Miss Lombard was sitting
there, thumbing through maga-
zine. Without even looking up,
she. remarked coldly:
well, where In the blank
nave YOU been
shopping for a fire engine"
said Gentry, rightly suspecting
that tho real reason wouldn't be
acceptable.
"Oh. Is that So" said Miss
Lombard Then, she did double
take and said
"You WHAT ."
shopping for Gre engine"
said Gentry. II saw a lovely one
In used car lot on La Brea
avenue"
The miffed Carole gave him a
hshy eye and said
"You know, young man. I'm
going 10 We about that. II there
really Il a FIRE engine, I'll buy Il.
But N there isn't" - fSiniSter
look)-"you better go buy your
self hearSe."
SO. she ordered r studio car
and they went 10 the used car
lot. Sure enough, there was the
fire engine. an sntiquated old
hunk Of junk not very modestly
priced al S275.
I'm quite interested in buy.
ing = FIRE engine" said Carole
The car salesman. 4 phlec-
matte gent pointed az il, and
Carole went on
yes. I believe that's just what
I'm looking for. But I'll have 10
have a demonstration"
The salesman remained Stoldly
agreeable
What kind do YOU want ."
he asked
II would have been like Miss
Lombard 10 have insisted on
having a fire, no doubt but she
settled for a ride around the
block.
Thereupon. she bought the
darned thing and had IL dcliv-
s cred 10 Clark Gable whom she
y hadn't Yet married but loved
dearly After all, YOU have 20
love somebody dearly 10 think Of
sending a secondhand fire engine
asa present Gentry's interview,
by the way. turned out all right.
We're still gonna And out
what that tank ~ doing In that
guys backyard. It's In the $4,000
block on Hamilton, west side Of
the street.
Meantime we might AS well
tell a story We Just heard about
Capt. Jim Vernon Jr.. the heir 10
the gingerale fortune. who is in
the ordnance department since
getting back from the Aleutians
He was driving captured
German jeep. or the equivalent,
down Michigan avenue from the
railroad station, with, of course.
the regulation Nazi swaStika
on n.
Up beside him pulled a Cadil-
lac and from the Cadillac came
an outraged voice:
young man, YOU ought TO he
ashamed of yourself in an
American army uniform and
driving a car with n svastika
on ~"
Capt. Vernon meekly got out
and scraped of the swastika-or
that's how they told il 10 me,
anyway.
NOTES AROUND TOW ~;
The duck" that combination
truck and boat. was so useful In
the Sicilian and Italian invasions
that the 2li-tOn critter has be-
come the pet OF the army. They
even have specialists assigned
just to get parts and supplies for
ducks.
One OF the specialists. as
\ signed To the duck job In Detroit.
= Is Mr.. Hem. A MIR. J. r. Hem,
10 be exact.
Current slanguage for cam-
paign ribbons is fruit salad"
Sam Dibert, the bandleader,
Inspected the shIvering line Of
customers at the liquor store the
first day the weather turned
cold. OF the hundred or more,
only one had an overcoat. Draw
nta-r1 ranraI No.