The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-09

Now that 1t is hushed, for the moment anyway-all the tuInult and the shouting about radio, screen and theatrical stars who failed, or who didn't fail to live up to their agree ments on USO tours, it would not be amiss to call attention to those lesser headline performers, who have been doing a superb job on many a front overseas without benefit of publicity, and often with little kudoS for themselves.
 There is one of whom happen to know, and I would have learned nothing of what he had done, had I and the Best Gal not happened to be dining one recent evening with old friends, Arthur and Edna Bril- ant. "
 Art is a former newspaperman who used to do a swell job of editing and reporting on newspapers scat- tered from here to the Caribbean and China seas. Now, grown older, and indubitably more respectable, he, as ace-high man with Rutgers Nelson, is responsible for most of the RKO publicity which you'll find scattered here and all about the world. He has a brother, and it's of this brother I want to tell you here.
 We had had dinner, Edna, Art, The Best Gal and I. We had feast ed ourselves to the point where our Plimsoll Marks were well below the surface = far from uncommon occurrence in the Brilant menage, where Edna has an amazing facility for dishing up rare, and exotic meals and we were lolling in our chairs, slipping ponies of brandy, when Art spoke of "The Professor. "The Professor" is the title by which Arts brother Saul is known upon the stage. And 'The Professor was only 9 few days home from a long trip. abroad. Not so long be- fore he had been in that location known as the North Africa Theatre of Operations.
 And he had been out there put ting on CT shows.
 In Italy, in Sicily, in North Af- rica, when the fighting was tough there, "The Professor" and his troupe, which at times included Francis and Patsy Moran and Mar ion Owen and Paul Willard, put on performance after performance to the delight of thousands of CTS. They staged them-not just at rear baSes-but as far up front as their CT truck could carry them. By all accounts that was a 100 per cent duty truck. Not only did it afford them transportation, but it was also their stage. At night the girls slept in 1t; the lads slept on the ground. Pretty tough going. Often they were directly under fire. But that didn't faze 'The Professor nor knock the grin of his genial mug. Nor did it send him back to a base yelling for permission to go home. On the contrary. 'The Professor" communicated with headquarters asked for, and received permission to extend his professional engage ment."
 He was delighted. So were the GI's. For he was never too tired to entertain them. Even if they were only a small group of doughboyS at some advanced post, and they wanted show, down went the back door of the truck-and the per- formance was on.
 The Professor is back home now. The Army medicos insisted on that. He was 8 full seven months away, about four weeks of which was eaten up in travelling from here to over there and back, and all over the country -sides while abroad. He needs rest and no one will ques- ton that, for here is the unbeliev- able record of his work abroad: 170 performances in 24 weeks to audi ences totaling 17O.00O GIs.
 He is very proud of that record, far prouder of it than he is of a letter he received from Col. L. T. David, Field Artillery, who as Spe- cia1 Services Officer knows of the Professors" work.
 The letter (which have seen my 'elf) is sheer, honest, unadulterated praise for g job well done. It is a etter such as any great movie, stage or screen star would be proud to 'wn. The Professor" hopes 1t will 1elp him quickly to return to the 'ront to put on more GI shows.
 Margaret Harshaw, ezzo-sopra- 10, and John Gurney, basso. both ormer winners of the Met Additions # the Air competitions and full ledged members of the Metropoli- an Opera Company, will be the eatured guests with Wilfred Pelle- fer, conductor, on the WATR Blue | Networks World of Song program, Sunday, November 12, at 4:30 p. m.
 'The Metropolitan Opera Pre- entS," the new coast-to-coast pro- ram which will be heard on Sum- lay afternoons beginning November 6, over WATR and the Blue Net 1ork at 5:S0 will be a Metropolitan )pera presentation, with an out tanding Metropolitan artist as guest |