Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-01-02
By HAROLD HEFFERNAN.

| HOLLYWOOD.
In a business where comics yearri
to play Shakespeare and tragediaiis
want to do slapstick, Harry James
is a frustrated trumpeteer who be-
means the fate that shunted him
from baseball pastures.
Sorry. Jim, but I'll have 10 pass
up that one-nighter in Santa Bar
bara. Our band has a ball game
scheduled for the day."
This was Harry James speaking
and we were witness to his turning
down $4,000 guarantee plus per-
centages for four hours work on
the bandstand in favor of baseball
date. This, we are told, is nor an
unusual occurrence. James is one
of the worlds most famous must
clans, yet he'd trade his gold trunl-
pet for a first baseman's mitt any
day of the week.
A fanatic wherever baseball is
talked or played, James works out
at the Polo Grounds and the Yankee
Stadium when he goes to New York
His favorite major league club, how
ever, Is the st. Louis Cardinals, be-
cause they let him sit in the dugout
during game.
If he has his way, some day he
Is going to own a professional bali
team. Right now he has a bid in
for one of the Pacific Coast clubs.
James band doubles as a baseball
team and Harry has been known to
ask new musician what position
he plays before discussing the ill.,
struments he uses. They have
games scheduled with various semi
pro outfits in and around Holly
wood each Sunday morning. Mrs
James, sometimes referred to as
Betty Cradle, often accompanies
Harry to the ball park and even
acts as team mascot during crucial
games.
The James live in an English
farmhouse home in Beverly Hills
and have one daughter. Victorian
Elizabeth, who is nearly 2 years
old. Harry, who has settled down
to normally since marrying Betty
he used to sleep until noon when
touring on the road-gets up at 7
am. to watch Vicky's feeding. She's
at her brightest then" he explains.
Harry loves working in pictures
and is not at all ashamed to admit
that his secret ambition (besides
playing first base for the Cardinals)
is to do a straight acting role in a
movie.
Though he may never be accepted
as full-f1edged actor, Harry
believes that the story of his life
would make good picture material.
He told us his life, from childhood,
has been wound up exclusively in
show business. He was born in
circus tent in the South in 1916 and
spent his early years in that atmos-
phere.
Harry's father was a trumpet
player and band leader for the Haag
Circus when Harry was born-hence
his middle name is Haag. His
mother was the shows aerial trapeze
artist and she was back on the high
trapeze just Is days after Harry ar
AAFSo- lac AiidoC illo AL OF pQUliC dp-
pearance as b drummer boy at the
age of d.
James formed his own band about
six years ago and became a favorite
of the bobby-soxers with his re-
cording of "You Made Me Love
You"
He and Betty rarely visit the
Hollywood night clubs and when they
do it's usually for the band opening
of one of his friends at the Palla-
dunn or the Meadowbrook Gardens.
The Jameses prefer to spend their
evenings with few friends over
a hot table stakes" poker game.
Since both love to go to the movies.
many of their evenings are devoted
to the ncighborhood theaters. Their
favoritesis the Fox Beverly and they
hold hands while watching the show.
They have burning desire to own
a farm and raise alfalfa. They
think it would be the best possible
atmosphere in which to rear the
baby.
Harry's pet peeve is the spectator
sitting near him in a theater who
talks, yet on more than one oc-