The Wilmington morning star., 1947-07-16
AsPeglerSeesh
By WEsTBRoOK G

S'f
NEW YORK, July 15.-Beginning about the
time of the expose last winter of Leo Du-
relations with accredited members
of the underworld Of the amusement field,
which includes some professional sports, l
noticed among some Of the Journalists who
specialize in these interests a reaction which
puzzled me. They seemed to resent state
ments that such an underworld existed. as
though they had an interes. in preserving the
fair name of radio entertainment, the night
club business and the moving picture indus
try.
From the professional standpoint, l thought
all of them had a duty to expose this under
word. even though this should call for some
leg work, some professional skill and indiffer-
ence to personal friendships or enmities in
the business. However, 1t has seemed to me
for a long time that many OF these pundlts
have been more ambitious TO become celebri-
ties. themselves, however dNbious, than to
succeed as conventional newspaper reporters.
Celebrities. even the self-made kind who
praise ard advertise themselves. emphasize
their charities and appeal to religion for popu-
larity are able to cash in as broadcaSters
and as entertainers Of a peculiar sort, called
masters OF ceremonies, and so forth.
&c Sullivan, a coiumnist who follows this
line Of journalism for the New York Daily
News, is a celebrity Of this type. 1t may be
my n isfortune. but I have never seen him
perform in any theatre although l have read
Of times, It seems to me, in his
own column, little free advertisements Of his
own theatrical act and sidelong tributes to
his incxhaustible zeal in entertaining wounded
soldiers at Halloran hospital on Staten Island
and iii other hospitsls. Once he related in
4 mood of justified, l hope, heroism, that
on i bleak and b%rooding morning he and
a number OF professional snowmen from
Broadway swallowed their fears and took off
nevertheless in a plane for a hospital a few
hundred miles down the Atlantic coast be-
cause they simply couldn't let those wounded
kids down. Soldiers who had flown the hump
and the Atlantic and had bombed Germany
read this and remarked, "gad! what
coucage!" but observed that they had not
been proportionately cited tor adventures
hardly less dangerous.
On a recent date, Mr.. Sunivan's column
consisted of an open letter to his secretary.
This was an unusual device. Usually his sec
rotary writes to him and in this way is able
exclusive journalism and prophecy and thank
him for kindnesses to others which he might
have the indelicacy to mention, although
modesty is not his worst fault.
In this letter to his secretary, Mr.. Sullivan
said: '"The mail you forwarded was. pretty
dull! hut there was this letter from Frank
Sinatra: Thanks so much for your help, all
of it, all the time. It's great to koow you
have friends when a few guys start throwing
rocks. With all good wishes, Frank
TIL rocks were heaved not because they
didn't like his singing" Mr.. Sullivan wrote
his secretary for all OF US to read. They
flung them because Sinatra was interested
enough to give up his spare time to persuade
kids to be nice to minority groups. Now just
what is wrong with that?"
l am not obtuse so 1 assume that this
refers to some news concerning Sinatra pub
lished within the last year which deviated
from the laudatory and purposely rapturous
trash which had become standard Sinatra
publicity as turned in by the saloon, movie.
radio. and gambling house journalists. His in
t~eresting associations in Miami and Havana
last winter were reported at the time al
though not by these exquisites and. toward
the end of the season. this ill-mannered hood
lun1 was arrested for smuggling a man who
wasn't looking in a Hollywood restaurant. The
prosecution was dropped later when the vic
tim observed that he was about to be '.post-
poned out Of court on payment by Sinatra
of substantial personal damages and with a
stipulation that the assault was unprovoked.
Sinatra had been found incapable of carving
a gun against the formidable foes of "toler-
ance and minority groups in the war.
A1terv'ard, however, he had been licensed to
carry a pistol for use against unidentified
enemies in his own country in time OF peace.
1hls Incense was revoked after the assault.
MT. SuillVan's extraordinary sympathy for
Sinstra In these circumstances natnrarv
aroused my interest for I believed the toler-
ance and youth rackets were being invoked
IN a way that 1 could think of as onlv a
shade -ess than blasphemous to create an
artl!lc1al political character. had been noint-
ing out and proving :he interlocking relation
snip between many OF the entertainers Of the
MOVIES, the radio and the night clubs, and
gangsters who have established financial and
social positions in this fabulously rich realm
OF Our community. Mr.. Sullivan has long
seemed 10 me to be willing to 90 to the
gutter to find a hero. He is a professional
na.le-oropper a grown up but still callow
sa'uroay night sport in his first long pants,
oslh't the tough-guys of the corner pool-room
ana the blue-jowled heavy from III . 1oc.1
sock company as he leaves the theatre ~