davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1947-10-19
NEWARK.


Comedian Michael Sachs is on the
road again, playing before audiences
he can't see-because he is totally
blind.
The feel Of the boards and audi
ence applause are a tonic to the ST.
year old comic, a veteran of ~ years
in the theater. He lost his sight
completely two years ago.
Sachs lost the sight of one eye as
a 5-year-old. He was playing Rus
sian prince being spirited away from
revolutionaries A blank cartridge
was fired close to his face and pow
der burns blinded his left eye.
Two years ago, blood clot on the
retina robbed him of his other eye
1T was like a curtain going down,
he recalls. Il was having breakfast
with Dick Zeisler, manager of the
Grand Theater in st. Louis, when
it happened. There wasn't any
warning. Suddenly, I was blind"
Sachs was rushed to a hospital
He has been examined by dozen
specialists since All treatments have
failed to restore his sight.
Thought Career Ended.
He gets around now with the aid
of his Seeing Eye Lady" as he calls
his teammate, Alice Kennedy. Miss
Kennedy has been with him Is years
During the six months after he lost
his sight, she helped nurse him.
Sachs thought his theatrical career
was ended when "tfe curtain went
down" Six months later, he rar
into AL Somerby, Boston theatel
owner.
The first thing he said" Sachs
recalls, was You open week after
next I didn't know i I could
make it; I thought I might get
lost on the stage"
But Sachs opened in two weeks
in Boston.
Miss Kennedy was to lead him
onto the stage, "but when I hearc
my entrance music-'Hail, Hail, the
Gangs All Here" Sachs music fo
two decades-I said, Never mind
darling, never mind-go ahead"
Take my hand" Miss Kennedy
pleaded.
I'm all right. I'm all right,
shouted Sachs Go ahead. I know
Ill be all right"
you Can Feel Things"
He stopped the show for twt
minutes, while the audience stooe
and cheered There's hint of tear'
in his eyes as he recalls that re-
ception.
Everybody was sure good to me,
he says. "All I could do was stane
on the stage and bow to thos'
people I couldn't see.'
Ever since, with the aid Of. Mis-
Kennedy, Sachs has been at hom'
on the stages he has played TO-
more than 40 years.
There's a feeling-I can't ex
plain it-but you can feel things
I can hear the audience when I'm
out there. And know every boare
Evening star., 1947-10-19

male stars, that new crop of
movie-goers were wearing bobby sox
and that they never had heard of
Mature the Great. He was in for
a scrap.
Loves q Battle.
Unable to find an apartment, he
capitalized on his plight by moving
in on the studio. defying his bosses
by taking up residence in a dressing
room. Friends would h ven
him lift, but he was up old
campaign strategies ag, a
politician back in the r. The
longer he stayed there, the more
Mature conscious they became.
In his current picture. THE Bal
lad of Furnace Creek the studio
has put silencers on the guns and
blown up the dramatic scenes. Vic
plays flashy New Orleans gambler
who heads West to avenge the death
of his father.
He still enjoys the limelight. The
city of Los Angeles ordered him to
evict Coast Guard pal, Bud Evans,
and his wife, who have been living
in Vic's garage, since the city code
bars the use of garage for resi-
dence. Vic promptly announced he
would fight the case through the
courts
That's the kind of a battle Vic
Mature loves. He's a great actor
now, but he's still pretty much the
same lovable screwball.
| (Released by North American Newspaper
| Alliancel
Evening star., 1947-10-19

wouldn't let them forget Mature.
I'd kiss their secretaries and when
they'd hear the screams in their
inner offices, they'd say to them
selves, There's that Mature again.
We've got to do something with
him."
Because of that performance as
Nick Bianco, the studio tore up the
old contract and wrote new one
that guarantees him and his boxer
dog, Genius II, a pleasant existence
for the next seven years.
In a Bearskin.
Vic's emergence as one of Holly
woods fine actors marks the third
phase in career so unbelievable
that no scenarist would dare pre-
sent it. While attending the Pasa-
dena Playhouse Vic lived in a tent
on a parking lot across from the
Paramount studio.
Paramount never did discover
him, but Hal Roach read in the
lCWSpdpClo lllS OIL CWDdll
tactics, sent for the fellow and de-
cided he could use a body like
that. He gave Vic a bearskin to
wear in "One Million B. c." The
newcomer was so good that Broad
way handed him a leopard skin for
Lady in the Dark"
Twentieth-Fox signed him, he
squirrel most of the beautiful girls
in Hollywood, was married for al
most two years to Martha Kemp,
carried flash bulbs in his pocket just
in case a photographer might want
to shoot him and didn't have the
necessary lights handy and turned
up at every premiere.
The war interrupted bis schedule
for fame. He served three and one
half years in the United States
Coast Guard. returning to find he
had real job cut out for himself.
He discovered there were too manv
Evening star., 1947-10-19
Francis Did 1t His Way
By Jim Galloway

"The song, of course, Is built on
a live theme Craig points out,
but please note that the word
love Goes not appear in the lyrics.
1t has a short title and the tune is
catchy. That's the basis of its
popularity"
It's His Orchestra.
Craig was born September 10,
1900, in Dickson, Tenn, the ninth of
10 children of the late Rev. and
Mrs. Robert James Craig.
Francis attended Vanderbilt Uni
versity, where he organized his first
band Their first engagement was
a Sigma NJ dance, for which they
received $45.
He married the former Elizabeth
Gewin of Birmingham. Ala, a girl
he met while playing for the open
ing Of the fashionable Cascade
Plunge there. They have two chill
dren-Celeste, 18. and Donia, Is.
Craig's philosophy as a disc jockey
is just the same as when he was
leading the band and may be
summed up in his fiat statement:
Its my orchestra and we'll play
what I like"
He generally prefers smooth and
pleasing" music with few ear-shat-
tering selections.
This is the 22d year Craig has
been associated with WSM. Until
he dropped his band this summer
he had broadcast a weekly show
over the NBC network for IL years
He says he has never yearned for
New York or Hollywood. His hobby
Is chickens-New Hampshire Reds,
which he says he grows successfully
and White Rocks, which aren t
doing so well.
Evening star., 1947-10-19
NASHVILLE.

NASHVILLE.
II think it's corny, Francis
"Okay, but that's the way we're
going to do it," answered Francis
Craig-and with those 10 words
talked himself into a Jackpot.
Since that time. Near You
Craig's tune, has sold almost a mil
lion records, already has gone over
the 350.000 mark in sheet music
sales and has been recorded by some
II name bands.
| just why the song. which WASH t
even a song at this time last year,
| has become SO popular is still some
what of a mystery to its band leader,
disc jockey author, but Craig is sure
of one thing.
Its the luckiest accident that
ever happened to me-"
| In September, 1916, "Near You
was just a tune and a title. Last
November Kermit Coell, profess
sional songwriter en- route to Cali
fornia, stopped in Nashville to see
Craig and asked for copy of the
theme. In December he mailed Craig
the copy with the words written in
pencil under each note. They fitted
perfectly"
A short time later James Bullet of
Nashville. the manufacturer of Bull
let records, persuaded Craig to re-
cord Red Rose" Craig's original
composition and theme song for Is
years, and to put another original
composition on the reverse side.
The way Bullet figured it. he
couldn't miss with Red Rose on
one side" Craig commented. 81
thought it over and decided to use
Near You on the back"
They Wanted "Near You"
It was then he called in his ar
ranger. Jim Hall, who said. Il think
it's corny. Francis
The records went on sale Hear
Red Rose, Francis Craig's theme
song" the ads read.
People bought the record-but
they didn't listen to Red Rose
They listened to Near YOU" Juke
box patrons began demanding it
and the song spread to Knoxville
Chattanooga. Memphis and then
throughout the South and the Ma
ton.
1t is one of the few modern, popu-
lar songs to have reached the
heights without being featured in
motion pictures or receiving Ma
ton wide plugging over the radio
Evening star., 1947-10-19
Now an Actor.
Vic Becomes
Serious One
Kiss of Death
Took Him From
Clown Ranks
By Harold Heffernon
HOLLYWOOD.


A couple of stray jobs are open
in Hollywood. Victor Mature has
shed his garb as the towns No. l
clown. He's no longer its self
styled top genius, either.
The irrepressible Vic, perhaps the
most diverting and agreeable screw
ball the colony ever has known, sud-
denly has emerged as a top dra-
matte star And he's taking the
new role with deadly seriousness.
His performance as the criminal
Nick Bianco, in Kiss of Death, u
may do for him what TT Happened
One Night" did for Clark Gable
Mature has played in other good
pictures-"My Gal Sal" and my
Darling Clementine, for example
but the kind of a role that would
arouse blase critics and drowsy
movie fans never had happened
along before
II woke up one morning, returned
a flea my dog had loaned me, and
lay there thinking what I could do
to make people Mature-conscious, -
said Vic. Then went out for the
morning paper and it said there
that this guy Mature was a good
actor.
I'D suspected it all along, but
the shock of seeing it in print was
enough to make me take two quick
snorts of orange juice and tell the
dog to get off the bed-what in
thunder did he think he was, Just
anybody's dog?
Always in the Way.
II decided if I were as good as the
papers said, maybe I could cut
down on the screwball business, say
10 per cent"
Vic knows that his madcap antics
have put him where he is today. He
has proved that while Hollywood
now considers itself too dignifed
for the Pola Negri days-when ac-
.tresses led muzzled leopards down
the avenue and occasionally rode
an ostrich-the town still will give
a gocd-hearted eXtrovert an oppor-
tunity. Friends know that his ex-
hibitionism has been a studied art
with him-planned antic by antic,
day by day.
Il got chance at Kiss. of
Death,'" he said, because the bosses
at goth Century-Fox always were
falling over me in the halls. I
Evening star., 1947-10-19
Todav's Schedules

AMBASSADOR-"The Unsus-
pected":: l, sos, Sis, 7:25 and
$40 pm.
CAPITOL "Undercover Mai
Sic: 1:55, 4;;35, tbs and 9::55
pm. Stage shows: LOS, 3:45,
$40 and 9 pm.
COLUMBIA-"The Grapes of
Wrath: l, 4::25 and sos pm.
HIPPODROME - LES Misera-
bles": 2, $50 and 9 pm.
KEITH'S - "Crossfire":: 1::30,
$3.50, $50, 7::3o and $50 pm.
LITTLE - Children of Para
disc: 1:25, AIS, $50 and
9:35 pm.
METROPOLITAN-"Dark Pas
sage: 1855, sos, Sis, 7;3o
and 9::45 pm.
PALACE-"The Foxes of Har-
row.: lao, 4:20, 7 and 9:40i
pm.
PIX-"The Open City: lbs,
1928. 5:25, 7:35 and Gas pm.
TRANS-LUX-News and shorts.
Continuous from l pm.
WARNER" The Unsuspected":
/, 3:15, 5:25, TAO and $50
pm.
Evening star., 1947-10-19
Coming Attractions

NATIONAL - Rose Marie"
starting tomorrow night.
AMBASSADOR -" Wild Har-
vest," with Dorothy Lamour
and Alan Ladd.
CAPITOL This Time for
Keeps" with Esther williams,
starting Thursday.
COLUMBIA-"Desire Me" with
Greer Carson, starting Thurs
day.
Magic Town." with
James Stewart.
LITTLE Gage of Nightin-
gales" a French film.
METROPOLITAN-"The Spirit
of West Point" with Felix
Blanchard and Glenn Davis,
starting Thursday
PALACE - Forever Amber"
with Linda Darnell, starting
Thursday.
| PIX-"Northwest outpost, with
Nelson Eddy, starting Friday.
WARNER - wild Harvest"
with Dorothy Lamour and
Alan Ladd.
Evening star., 1947-10-19
By HiIIiord A. Schendorf

and every nail on all those stages" +"
Sachs plays vaudeville routines
that were old years ago. A born
sentimentalist, he has a keen re-
sponse to humans He is a mug
ger" 1t isn't subtle. but it's funny.
Now in Burlesque.
"A comic is born" he explains.
you can't train a man to be funny,
and if he's born that way, you cam t
stop him."
Evening star., 1947-10-19
Audiences He Can't See Cheer Comedian On
Totally Blind Veteran Mike Sachs Again Teads Stages Which
He Has Played for More Than Forty Years

Sachs spent many years in vaude-
vile with the late Ed Hardy as
his straight man, and later he
headlined A. B. Marcus musicals
for IA years. He had his own shows
when franchises were sold on the
theater circuits, and the shows took
a cut of the house receipts When
the franchise system went out
Sachs began booking his act indie
pendently in burlesque.
Evening star., 1947-10-19
Mystery Men?
BY the Associated Press
HOLLYWOOD.

HOLLYWOOD.
Two young film aspirants tried 6
new method of breaking into films
Reginald Pope, jr., and Earl o. Girls.
void flew over the studios dropping
pamphlets reading:
Attention, all movie studios
Calling all talent depts. Pope ano
Griswold are here. We want 6
movie contract. Give us a chance
will ya?"
Nothing has been heard of Pope
and GrisWold since that day.
Evening star., 1947-10-19
To the Drama's S Health
1t Might be Restored if More Writers
Lifted Their Pens to It
By Joy Cormody

other night radio Critic Kronenberge
theater healthy?
Mr. Kronenberger said not Mr. Pemberton
There the observation of either Mr. Kronen
berge diagnosis the expected him who sits
nights weekly theaer
the merits of Broadways plays.
thinks the theater healthy based his
the who in his fourth
collecting huge income from the comedy Harvey And who has
make millions the
when it turned the movies for ransla
celuloid.
of It Revivak.
While the Kronenberger Pemberton talking
each 100 right viewpoint listener
thinking of evidence that completely overlooked
Neither of the radio debaers thought relevant but the listener
could not it of his mind
The the night
debate the following had happened
Philadelphia the performance Judith
Anderson in Medea tragedy by Eurpd written centuries
before Christ.
Cleveland capacity gathered
to Katharine Cornell Anthony Cleopatra another
edy written by William Shakespeare the 17h
In Chicago, Taluah Bankhead moving along prety
in Lives" comedy by
Coward out of the early sos of this century
Miss Also Rcverts.
York Lawrence fourth quartet
American actresses who the rehearsng Tonight
$780, cycle of six plays written by Noel Coward the later
30s of this century
York Actor pleasing
capacity audience superman comedy
Bernard Shaw around the turn of the century.
Washington full assemblage Washingtonans the
tona having the heart charmed right out THE Wnsow
Boy comedy by youthful English Terrence Ratgan which
will go on New York and certainly have the same effect upon
diences there.
out that far box office will concerned certainly shows
American healthy condition would have
point So Kronenbeger might well
Yes, depending Greek,
English payWrighs This kind
located in this
obviously abroad Where the
contributing the health of the
theater?"
And Where's Miss Barrymore?
Anderson
Bankhead occupied with
ranging from II than 20 centuries
least seconds
aiwhich the radio not have above all
igh polished his remark
Ethel another actress has
revival to keep her busy.
health of the American heater American if
thater be vitality related the number and quality
daughters writing it. The number
high verthre is determining how
kicking agents. other ocbut
the quality obviously deficient the revival after revival
1t N Happily.
Qualified 1t ndispuable writing other markets
these they found the odds much in their favor They
confronted by the sales resistance
hazard of humiaing painful death their
work the Of minute take in the
catch They the kind of
which the writer the collecting
productive both security
that the expression
until succession of hits Amer
playwrigh them paywrigh onvines authors
generally absurd thing write
That could happen.
Eastern Connecticut news., 1947-09-30
The French People WU Hold Municipal Elections in October

On just such elections hinge the fate of Democracy in Europe, our own fate as 8 major power in the world.
 The Mode of Election
 On October 18th and 26th the voters of France will elect their Municipal Councillors by universal suffrage. Two laws adopted by the National Assembly last August 18th fixed the procedure for these elections. The first, which was adopted by vote of 399 to 19O, ap- plies to the Seine department (ex- cept Paris) and to communeS of more than 5000 inhabitants. The second, which was adopted by a unanimous vote, applies to the city of Paris. In communes of less than 5000 inhabitants, the procedure es- tablished by the law of April 29, 1945, will be followed.
 Seine Department and Communes of More Than 5000 Inhabitants Proportional representation, voting by list with one ballot. Splitting of the vote and preferential voting permitted. The first seats are to be allotted on the basis of the quo- tient, the remainder according to the rule of the highest average.
 City of Paris-The city is to be divided into electoral districts. Integral proportional representa- ton with one ballot. Splitting of the vote and preferential voting permitted.
 COmmunes of Less Than 5000 1n- habitants-Majority vote on two ballots with splitting of the vote permitted; on the first ballot, an absolute majority is required for election and on the second ballot, a relative majority.
 Tactics of the Parties
 Although under ordinary condi- tions municipal elections in France do not have the character of po- 1itical contest, those of next Octo- Der will have great political sig- nificance because of the French financial crisis, which makes 1t necessary for the parties to take a clear-cut position on the general economic policy to be followed in France: for "dirigisme" (con- trolled economy or against "dir-
Eastern Connecticut news., 1947-09-30
No One Voted for
 This Revolution?

Few people realize that rev. olutionary Change in the govern ment is being effected, says a Washington news bulletin pub lished for conservative business men.
 The revolution" it explains, was notamade by the American people, but by the Army-Navy "Unifica- tion" Act, which went into effect last week.
 While that merger" bill was be- fore Congress, a few voices were raised in warnings that 1t meant far more than military reorgan- ization. Now the business mems bulletin says the new set-up is mak- ing the Presidents Cabinet "obso- lete."
 The real power hereafter, In peace as well as war, will be in the hands of the National Security organization created by the law, and dominated by militarists. It will plan and carry out this coun- try's military, foreign and econ omic policies, the bulletin declares.
 "The unification bill is going to mean just about what the Presi- dent wants it to mean" says the Army Times" a newspaper for military men.
 It points out that, if President wants to, he can push aside the members of his Cabinet and every one else, and run the country ac- cording to advice given him by the generals and admirals on the "Joint Staff created by the new law.
 In other words, the law paves the way for a military dictatorship headed by some pOwer-nungry President.
 The American people certainly were not asked to approve such a revolution" We are old fashioned enough to believe a revolution" should not be imposed on the Ann erican people without their consent.
Eastern Connecticut news., 1947-09-30

MT. MacGoWan succeeds G. M. Bugniazet who resigned following his retirement as secretary of the International Brotherhood of Elec- trical Workers.
 In January, 1914, MacGoWan was elected president of the Boilermak- CTS after serving as international vice president and internatlonaA representative of the union for a period of years. He has been a member of the union for 40 years.
 MacGowan was born in Argyll shire, Scotland in 1887. At the age of 10 he came to Canada with his father who was a stonemason and member of the British Trade union movement.
 He served his apprenticeship as boilermaker on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad which is now part of the Canadian National Sys- tenn. In 1913 he came to the Unit ed States and held his first job in this country on the Rock Island Railroad. He was active in union affairs and held numerous local union posts prior to his association with the International.
 Tn addition to the offices held in his own organization, MacGowan was elected to four consecutive terms as president of the Tri-City Central Body of Moline-Rock Is- 1and-Davenport. He also served at one time as assistant to the pres ident of the AFL's Railway Em- ployees Department.
Eastern Connecticut news., 1947-09-30

A disabled veteran of World War II or I may be recognized by any one of the above emblems in his suit coat lapel, the Disabled Amer ican Veterans points out. The D. A. w., with national headquar- ters in Cincinnati, urges public recognition of these emblems of war disability, pointing out that a very small percentage of disabili- ties are visible. Top, the emblem of the D. A. w., chartered by Con- gress as the official voice of Amer ica's wartime disabled; center, the Purple Heart bar; and bottom, the silver victory button of World War 1,
Eastern Connecticut news., 1947-09-30
Labor Advances
By Ruth DembO

The price of American food was one of the big items in the press and on the radio this past week as the cost of living continued sky ward with no ceiling in view. De- mands came pouring in from con- sumer organizations, labor groups, and all sorts of Americans who de- manded that Congress be called into session \at once to meet this growing American crisis.
 Hardest hit of course were American workers and their fam lilies who were unable to buy meat at $1.0O a pound, butter at 95c a pound and eggs at $1.00 dozen. Considering the fact that two-thirds of American workers make $40 a week or less this was understand able.
 Reports all over the country from Confessional committees investi- gating high food prices and their causes found that huge grain spec ulation on the part of Wall Street businessmen was large cOntribut- ing factor.
 However the chief reason for high food prices is the fact that price controls were dropped far too soon by a profit hungry group of Republican congressman who saw a chance to make a. killing for their NAM bosses. Arguing last November that the laws of supply and demand would automatically bring prices down if controls were lifted, the Republicans were able to force the lid off prices while the American people gave half- hearted approval. Liberal congress men led by Chester Bowles warned again and again that imitation and hardship would result from such policies.
 Embarrassed now by the fact that prices have not come down as they predicted, the Republicans are trying to explain away the high cost of living by telling the people that food shipments to Europe are at the bottom of it. But this is rather a weak argument when dur ing the war even more food was being shipped fin the form of lead lease and war supplies to our troops, and yet the cost of living remained the same. The answer IS that during the war controls were on and the OPA was functiOning.
 The only solution now to the problem we are faced with is pres- sure and more pressure from the people demanding that Congress reenact controls and ration vital foodstuffs so that all Americans can share alike.
 The alternative is a poorer diet with resulting lower health stand ards for millions of American families.
Eastern Connecticut news., 1947-09-30

igisme." Furthermore, the entrance of the Rally of the French People into the electoral arena CD forces the parties to clarify their tactics and to state unequivocally with whom they are willing to ally themselves and whom they are de- termined to exclude. The decisions taken by the government parties
 Socialist, Radical-Socialist and MRP) and by the Communist Party, at present in the opposition, along with the Republican Party of Lib erty (PRL) which sits on the ex- treme right of the Assembly, had to be published.