The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-08-24
WHAT DO YOU KNOW!


 Since we ran some observations here on New York ''steakeasies, !" which pour coin from the cornu- cupia of the American passion for beef. we have had ll6 telephone calls on the subject, as follows: O.. r. A, inQuiring where we got our mformation, l; law-abiding, point straved cafe proprietors, compli- naenting US on the exposure, 3; readers who wanted the addresses of these meat-cheat eatries, 1l2 We also discovered two of the pet tricks whereby meat points are ehiseled Some of the innkeep- CTS who have worked up @ heavy trade on beef at high rates have bought restaurants in poor neigh borhoods, which, because they served many people before the war, were entitled to quantity quotas ;. They used the allotments thus available to buy choice cuts, which they put on sale at their estab- lished spots, and converted the others into sandwich places |. Another gag was buying gasoline coupons and turning them in for black market beef The intake at restaurant is almost all by cash, but wholesale butchers do most of their business by checks, which leave record |. The res taurants bought gas coupons for currency and turned them over to their supply-men, who sold them for currency, thereby leaving no trace on the books .. A couple of days before V-J day, one prominent restaurant man bought 10000 cou- rOns worth gallons each, at 10c a gallon .. Not only did his $10000 60 up the flue, but the trade-draw- ing dish on his menu went out the window.
 Wonder of plastics have been widely reported. But here is one that's new .. A dentist with large practice among performers has been turning out plastic false teeth, es- pecia1ly for radio speakers |. They are exact replicas of the den- lures to which these actors and an- nouncers are accustomed But they do not click! Artificial teeth, no matter how well made or perfectly fitted, often give forth . castinet effect under the tension of talking into 8 mike, and the sen- sitive apparatus amplifies this |. A celebrity who commands a high price for his name took test about a year ago for a national sponsor and lost 8 magnificent opportunity because his teeth, which no one in personal contact would suspect were phony, made 8 sound like a tick tack-toe .. He went to his dentist, who contrived the idea of set to be used only for broadcasting, made of material too soft for chewing, but eoundleSs You have heard him on the air many times since and never suspected anything synthetic.
 The above reminds me cf an hours broadcast for which I was master of ceremonies, short-wave transmission to Commander Byrd 1n Little America, near the South Pole It was widely advertised and during the program, a tele- gram arrived at the studio with a personal message for Byrd from a rational figure . went over to the mike, and, holding the tele- gram up where I could read it, I re- peated it to him Z. Months later. when he came to New York, he told me how he had enjoyed the show, how excellent had been the recep- ton "But," he asked, What vas that pounding while you read me the wire?" I knew of no pound- ing. I knew there had been none
 Suddenly be glanced at my wrist-and solved it ;. My watch! Holding up the telegram, had turned the outside of my wrist into the mike-and at the end of the world, the faint ticking had sound- ed like a trip-hammer
 Radio has been in a victory jit- ter With one sweep, all the gags and flag-waving emotionalism and syrupy salutes to our men in the fox-holes and on the fighting fields went obsolete Jokes about ths draft, about piling up discharge points; exhortations to nail the nasty Nip and win the victory for the good old Stars and Stripes hit the ashcan JeremiadS against the Jap were deflated when he was defeated A slew of slogans and punch lines were punctured =. Reconversion, rehabilitation, full employment and democratic ballots for the Jugoslavs are very unfunny, cont rhyme and spell almost noth- ing backwards Irving Berlin rushed in 6 ballad called "A Blue Serge Suit" setting forth the aspir- ations of our brave battlers to get