Evening star., 1944-01-23
Red Ske|ton Added
To Stars Attending
Birthday Dances

Red Shelton, screen and radio
comedian with a consistent record
of "wowing" Washington audiences,
was yesterdays addition to the
Presidents Birthday Ball Commit
tees list of celebrities who will min
gle with merrymakers at parties in
the Districts leading hotels Satur-
day night.
With a galaxy Of stars, including
Walter Pidgeon of Mrs. Miniver''
and Madame Curie" fame, John
Garfield, Lucille Ball, Maria Mon
tez, Latin n-American beauty, and
other Hollywood personalities to be
announced this week, Red will visit
dances at the Shoreham, Statler,
Mayflower, Willard and Washington
Hotels to greet fans.
Carter Barron, chairman of the
Entertainment Committee for the
celebration. Yesterday emphasized
that all celebrities have pledged un-
stinted participation in the tour of
Saturdays parties so that dancers at
all hotels will be certain of getting
a closeup of the talent that makes
Hollywood tick.
Visit Stage Door Canteen.
A special stop will be made at
the Stage Door Canteen, where
members of the armed forces will
have gathered to celebrate their
Commander in Chiefs birthday.
Tickets for the dances in all hotels
are now on sale at the Willard Ho-
tel Ticket Agency and have been
distributed to all Government agen-
cies. A departure from the policy
of honoring ticket at any of the
hotel bathrooms, as in previous years
was announced by Edward A. Dent
chairman of the Ticket Committee
Tickets for this years parties will
be good only at the party for which
they were purchased, he said.
Arrangements are practically
complete for the Presidents birth
day dinner to be hend in the Chi
nese room of the Mayf1oWer on Fri
day evening, Edgar Morris. chair
man of the Invitation Committee
revealed yesterday. Jose Iturbi
celebrated pianist, and Guy Lom-
bardo will appear at this event II
addition to previously announced
picture stars. Tickets for the din
ner. available by invitation only
have been sent to list of 7O(
prospective guests.
All this week tickets for Satur-
days dances will be on sale at cigar
stands in hotels participa ting ir
the celebration at $3.50 per person
Attend Midnight Shows.
After the dinner Friday night al
the Mayf1ower, the visiting stars
will appear at mammoth midnight
performances at the Capitol. Earle
and Howard Theaters. In addition
to the stars, both downtown the
aters have booked special gala
shows, which will be combined anc
shown as one show at both the
Capitol and Earle. Seats for these
performances are now on sale at
any Loew or Warner Bros Theater
in Washington. Prices are $3.50
for the orchestra and $165 for
balcony seats.
Tickets for the show at the How
ard Theater may be purchased at
Lichtman Theaters' office, 1912 V
street NV.
Collections for the March of
Dimes Fund, which goes to the
National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis, will start in all Wash
ington theaters tomorrow. Proceeds
from this drive go to swell the ma
tional contribution to the founda-
ton, but is a separate movement
from the Mile O Dimes which
is purely a Washington gesture,
with its stand in front of the Capt.
tol Theater. Contributions from
both sources eventually go to the
same charity.
Souvenir programs of this years
celebration will go on sale for Is
cents at all Government agencies
a hotels Tuesday, it was an
r : ced. Programs autographed by
vi ling movie stars will be auctioned
off Saturday night at the Birthday
Balls.
The Boys Club of Washington al
so has scheduled a full week of
events which will add to the relief
fund. Smiley Burnette, cowboy
screen star and nal Of Gene A,,tr,,
will appear at a show at the boys
Eastern Branch clubhouse, Seven
teenth street and Massachusetts
avenue Sc. at 7:30 pm. tomorrow.
Admission will be two cents and
the cowboy actor will sell his auto
graph for 10 cents. All proceeds
will 60 to the Mile O. Dimes.