The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-07-28
What They're Whispering in Gotham


2 lease on rfngside table. We
always knew when he was coming
in to listen and to cut a mean rug
long before jitterbugging became
an epidemic, because his friend,
Louis Mountbatten, came in ahead
OF him TO reserve a table. Both
/ Windsor and Mountbatten were the
best audience a singer could want.
! They did all right in the applause
division. The only one who could
J outclap them was Leopold OF Bel
/ GUM.
| think I'm the only entertainer,
incidentally, who once had a king
for a booking agent. Leopold had
me booked into the Royal Palace
: Hotel In Ostend, after the London
engagement
A wandering minstrel covers 4
lot OF territory. | did Europe 20
times by actual count, and the u.
S. A. and Canad.. more times than
! can remember IL was in Winni-
peg, Canada, that | met a prince
among people and comedians-a
man named Jack Benny. l was a
raw kid with Paul Whiteman's out.
1T then, and Benny an established
comedian We opened in Winnipeg
in the middle of a wild snowstorm.
Payday wasn't due for a couple OF
days, but Benny staked Us all TO
handouts and doled out hot coffee
like a one-man U.S.O. From what
| hear from thousands OF CTS I've
spoken to on my hospital and
Army camp tours, he's still playing
good samaritan, on a much larger
scale.
In New York's Tin Pan Alley
ran into a slight, pink-eyed kid
named Frank Loesser, just about
tops. for my money in young COM
posers. The slightness Loesser
inherited; the pink eyes he de-
veloped. He doesn't do much sleep
ing when a tune is in the making
he's one boy who really sweats
1t out. But his terrific tunes,
Praise the Lord and Pass the
Ammunition, in My Arms,
Deep in the Heart OF Texas, and
that new honey, Spring Will Be a
Little Late This Year, are plenty
worth the trouble.
My friendship with Sen. Alben
Barley started in mid-ocean and
wound up in Washington. | met
him on board the Leviathan, COM
ing back from Europe. and every
time | land in Washington he
handles the Southern hospitality
department. Last time ! played
the Statler, Barley threw one OF
those rare luncheons for me, with
Republicans and Democrats sitting
down together like the lion and
the lamb; John Mccormack was
there, Joe Martin, Sens. Wallgren,
Bone, O'Mahoney. Chavez, Downey
(no relation), Jim Mead, and that
great Gael. Sol McBloom.
or course. even wandering
minstrel can't be en- route all the
time. He's got to have place to
sit down once In awhile. I've got
one. ! can always, thanks to Sher-
man Billingsley. PUNK myself down
| at the Stork with a plate OF Ice
cream and watch the world go by.
Sitting at the typewriter In my
backstage dressing room putting
to use the stenography at which |
earned my living before a more
melodious keyboard claimed my at
tention, l am suddenly interrupt
ed Three excited interlopers, all
talking at once, unwittingly re-
mind me that there is realism, too.
behind the scenes" The three
are Bruce Hayes, Karole Singer
and Gerry Larson who-as my cur
rent proteges-are featured with
me now at the Strand.
What Bruce and Gerry and Kar.
ole are telling me Is that they are
each betting on themselves in their
respective races towards stardom.
What inspired the idea, they ex.
plain, is that just few years ago