Detroit evening times., 1945-11-20
BRIGHTER
BY Damon
RunYon

WJINCHELL kept me out until
w broad daylight two nights
hand-running last week mostly
Just walking around. | do not
mind awaiting daylight in some
pleasant doadfall bat walking
around is no good for me and
Walter cannot show me that 1t
is of any benefit TO hlm, either.
Because while he walks around
a heap, he always has a beet
about not feeling any too well,
and he gets balder by the
minute.
OF course, I was onto Winchell
while he was " J king me
around. | knew he wanted COM
pany and that he wanted TO
talk. / made the ideal COM
panion inasmuCh as l am unable
10 articulate and he did not have
TO listen 10 my replies.
Once wrote out an answer 10
one of his statements and he
paused under a street light 10
read it, then he said YOU are
dead right, .Runyon. But l saw
Walter was looking at 1t upside
down and nobody can read my
handwriting upside down and
very few rightSldc up and any
way he should have denied what
| said. so | did not attempt
any more answers. i Just walked
and listened, and listened and
walked. and l am sure he has
had no finer audience IN years,
7 RECKON WinChCll likes TO
i talk more than any other man
alive with the possible eNcep-
tion of Herbert Bayard Swope,
the dashlng gentleman who was
editor of the New York World
for years and more recently a
big figure in horse racing, and
always the bon Vlvant and ra-
contour and What-have-you.
II used to be held that col
lison of the conversational m
movable object and the verbal
irresistible force would be a
meeting between Swope and
"Hurry-Up' YoSt, the Michigan
football COHC1T, ana tTUdTTv
Grantland Rice arranged II al
his home one evening years ago.
The result was supposed 10
have been a victory for YoSt as
Swope finally took his hat and
left but | thought the decision
unjust b @ C au @ NoSt va,
strictly one-SubjoCt man and
would talk about nothing else,
the subject being football,
which | contend IS ore of the
GulleSt in the world, while
SWnpn s. 4 ii-laH}eliRA- se4+7t5eta-
and generally pretty Interesting.
l think Winchell could have
spotted YoSt six all-Amcrlcan
elevenS and SWopc an encyclO-
pcd!a and still out-talk them
both. but that Is luSt a personal
opinion and no formal contest
can ever be arranged though !
got an informal tine on WInchcll
as opposed TO Swope the other
night
NINCHELL was sitting AZ a
W table in the Stork Club
with me and right next 10 US
was party that included
Irving Berlin. Alfy Vanderbilt,
Oscar Lcyant and Swope with
their women folks. SWopc was
posted with his back 10 Us. But
presently SWope was turning
around 10 talk 10 Wlnchell and
WinChell was leaning over 20
talk 10 Swope until he was
practically in the other party
and Swopc was in ours. and y
was quite give-and-take until
noticed the women folks act
inc a little restless over this
invasion OF privacy, and 70
was !.
It was after the women
folks cot up and sort o swept
SWope out of the place with
thcm CWith the chats unlin-
iShcdl that Wnchcll decided We
ought 10 take a stroll AZ first
he wanted me 10 60 cruising
about with him in his auto ~
which ne can pick up police
calls and hurry 10 the scene OF
the crime but | was too smart
for that
60 WE walked from the Siork
- over 10 Hanson'S Drug Store
at 5lSt and Seventh avenue, a
small establishment through
which filters tho early morning
life of Broadway and as we
walked Winchell talked, mostly
in reminiSCcnco.
En- route we pa SO d that
( towering Citade Of a warehouse
AZ SD and ScN emit h avenue
which, ! imagine must contain
more tales than any OF h o 7
building in the whole world anC
We found the en7braSure like
4 windows open Pcerins in We
saw a porter At work mid mas
Sivc furniture and drapcS, prob
ably truck IN storage.
i've passed here Thousand
1 times in 20 years and I never
saw those windows open he
fore" SAID WirChcll and
nodded my own testimony or
f this point Re WIS SIiCnt Tor rf7
/ first full minute since We
started out. apparently lost IN
( thought and thor he said.