Evening star., 1946-05-07
By Harry Macarthur

That dancing master who can
teach you dancing in hurry is ad-
vertising these days that he has hit
upon the secret of the rumba and
you can grasp it in minutes. Well,
a man who occasionally comes out
of rural retirement to perform bit
of espionage for this department
reports that he saw a man learn the
secret of the rumba in lot less
time than that, even, the other
night. The dance teachers, you
know, keep telling us that the rumba
is rhythmic and graceful dance
but not a wildly athletic one. when
performed properly. You also know
that there are those in whom that
familiar Latin beat arouses a wild
admiration for their own frenetic
footwork and it was one of these
who took his rumba lesson that
night our operative saw him. He
had taken over a corner OF the ball
room dance floor at one of our
plushier boarding houses by right of
eminent domain. there to cavort and
gambol in ecstatic appreciation OF
his own agility. A young Irishman,
doing a rumba in his quiet way.
came innocently on the scene, tres
passed the patent leather kids ter
ritory and was solidly kicked by
way of warning He just laughed.
But when our Irish hero caught an
elbow directed with malicious in
tent, he did not laugh. He acted.
First time our informant ever saw
any one take a rumba lesson right
on the chin. but it worked. The
wild ones dancing was far more
graceful and less convulsive all
through the night.
4
1t was Bob knight, the Duets
orchestra leader, who learned one of
the facts Of life he already should
have known on recent eve. 1t
happened while he sat at a table
talking with a group Of friends,
among whom was Philippine gen.
eral. Impressed by all that brass,
Mr.. knight, the EXCL, felt called
upon to confess: General, you
should know you're talking to a
buck private, plain, no-stripe dog
face"
Might be-" replied the general.
but you certainly outrank me nov"
That was quite a crowd that
turned out last Friday night to well
come Ella Fitzgerald at the O'Clock
Club, a mob that had Jack Staples
wishing he were doing business in a
room the size of Constitution Hall
instead of in that small Pennsyl-
vania avenue spot. Miss Fitzgerald,
who can sing almost any kind Of a
song a lot better than most OF the
girls who sing, has host of ad-
mirers who are almost cult. There
are those who collect Fitzgerald re-
cordings with the same zeal shown
by those who collect early Duke
Ellington treasures or rare geologi-
cal specimens. 1t was one Of these.
a pretty, breathless young blond
lassie, who rushed up to the singer
Friday night with request. Il
can't remember the name Of it," she
said, but will you sing the song
that was on the other side of Stair
way to the Stars"-the one you re-
corded right after you left Chick
Webb, back in 1885 or 1882" She
had Miss Fitzgerald there, all right.
well, if you can remember the
name of it, I'll try to remember the
words" was her answer.
y \ X X
The playbill: Marie Nash, the
popular soprano, who lately has
been doing her singing with Sig
mund Romberg's symphony Or
chestra, comes to the Duet Thursday
as the new entertainment headliner.
Also there will be, for the first time
in any night club around here, Jack