The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-05-03
NOTES OF A NEW YORKER

San FranciScO-wOrkers over at
Zoe d Maggio's swelegant gay spot
last night related the one about the
hate John Barrymore . The Great
One was in San Francisco on the
morning of the big blast in 1906. .
The shock threw Barrymore out OF
bed A huge hunk of plaster
Knocked him sprawling into cor
ner, hitting him on the head
When he came to-still dazed-he
fastened to the bathroom, got into
tub of warm aqua and stayed
there all day Next day, when
Barrymore ventured outdoors i Ma
aonal guardsman thawt he was a
prowler He brought him to an
officer who ordered him to pile
bricks. For two days the actor
helped the stricken city clear away
the debris Weeks later cat the
Lambs Club In N. " Barrymore
told members of his horrible eX-
perience Augustus Thomas, the
playwright and a renowned ribber,
got a howl by observing: 1T took
a CONFUSION of nature to make
Barrymore take a bath-anG the
U. s. Army to make him so to
work"
This yokel from Manhattan should
have known that the citizenry OF
The Golden Gate state shudder
when hicks from New York and
elsewhere call their great meLropo-
rT1nv, SnanL-af' O11r
wrist for calling it that i'll 1912
when we came to San Francisco to
help stage the last performance Oh
the Hollywood Caravan cat the Civic
Auditorium for Navy Relief.
The weeks mail brought several
sQuawks One lady writes oh,
no! Not from you! You who should
know BETTER" We first consid-
cred asking locals to explain why
uobody has ever scolded the rail-
road which sends freight cars all
over the land-the sides of which
Soream: THE Frisco Line"
But we replied: Il stand corrected.
You stand admired
Following the reports Of the
Ouce's end we are reminded Mus
soltni once Grated: 1T Is better
10 live like lion for one day
Than like a sheep for 100 years."
The tragedy is that SO many
innocent sheep followed him Z.
And he turned out to be sheep
in lions etc.
Overheard In the foyer OF the
Mount Royal Hotel at Montreal: Il
know what we ought to do with
those zombies, the drafted French
Canucks, who refuse to fight over
seas. When the fighting is over in
Germany, we should send them
there as occupation troops. Let
than breed with German women
then they will not want to fight
for the next 100 years."
Sound In the Night at New York's
Il Borracho: United we stand,
Divided we crawl"
tioos confab were amused last night
over this gag A reporter on
q gazette noted for Its sensational
treatment Of news was instructed
(via cable) to cover the atrocity
stories In Verminy :. When our
hero got there he surveyed the
scene, made some hasty memos and
cabled his editor: Conditions here
simply terrible; atrocities horrible
Impossible to exaggerate-but will
do my best"
Our recent COLIN (Portrait Of q
CITY, reprinted from 1912 drew some
crthques from aroused experts on
the San Francisco papers One
heckler filled an entire COLIN COM
planning that the facts were not
quite accurate. 1T was not monu-
n1ent," he complained In part. ut
was a statue" Another intoned
chat Sir Francis Drake didn't land
anywhere near where the COLIN said
he landed, and so on The peo-
pie OF San Francisco, however, ap-
peared pleased, not alone with the
portrait but with the affection with
which 1t was written and offered.
The Yellow Cab firm prexy,
frinstance, was so delighted he
wrote: If you can find any of our
cabs empty, use these tickets for
. free r1del" Call-Bulletin
readers sent emissaries inviting us
10 their homes for a home-cooked
dinner. Many others embraced us
IN the lobby Of the Mark Honkins
Cor on Top O. the Mark or at John
Solaris wonderful restaurant and
on the streets. Clad you like our
city 20 much, Walter!" they called
o1ft. etc.