Evening star., 1948-02-15
A Valentine Story in Hearts and Spuds
Glib Announcer PIunees Earnest Husband Into Potato
And Fur Coot Murket-AII on a Radio License
By George Kennedy

~ SoiSS iNSuuS0y
Cecil Lineback was getting ready
for breakfast-thati Is he was dress
ing-yesterday morning when he
lent an idle ear to the radio.
Uncle Bill jenkins, a rise-and-
shine artist on Station WTOP, was
finishing up his commercial for Zlot-
nick, the furrier. Mr.. Lineback
heard it and Mrs. Lineback did too.
Uncle Bills conclusion was land
there's a sheared beaver coat, a
beauty, that you can get for 4s7 po-
tatoes."
Darling" said Mrs. Lineback,
1--WE always wanted a sheared bea-
yer coat"
It was st. Valentines Day and Mr..
Lineback was feeling sentimental.
Sweetheart" he said, "Ill get 1t
for you"
Mr.. Lineback, from winston Sa-
lem, N. c., is foreman of a small
paper box factory over a liquor
store at 1911 Pennsylvania avenue
NV. He has a small apartment on
the third floor. ~
He was perfectly aware that no
one is trading fur coats for pota-
toes on falling commodity market.
But you never can tell about the
radio-what with all these Miss
Hush and Walking Man stunts. He
thought 1t was a publicity stunt and
that they were giving the coat to
the first person who arrived with
the potatoes.
He called Cecil, jr., who is 9 and
who didn't have to 60 to school
because it was Saturday. He didn't
even wait for breakfast. They hit
the street, hailed a cab and sped
for market In the Southwest. He
was SO excited that on the way over
he lost count. He thought it was
437 potatoes.
He bought a 1O0-pound sack and
counted them fast. The bag con-
tanned 377. He bought go more po-
tatoesra few extra to make sure
he hadn't missed count. It cost
him, IS. Then he took a cab to
zlotnick's. He deposited the pota-
toes in front of the show window,
left his son to guard them and went
in.
He looked anxiously around. There
were several customers in the store
but no one had bags of potatoes.
He figured he had won.
Finally saleswo,nan approached
him. We asked to see the coat ad-
vertised on the radio for 437 pota-
toes. She looked a little puzzled and
then said:
"Oh, that one. It's 497."
WELL" said Mr.. Lineback, what's
so potatoes?"
He left the store, left his son
guarding the basket on the sidewalk
and took cab to the market again.
There he bought so potatoes. That
cost him another dollar In no time
he was back in the store.
They showed him the coat. He
noticed the price tag. 1t was ST.
200.
Then Il got really excited" he
said. -.
Y"The tsxsNssaidf thu aaisslady, IS
ss9.50." s--N~
Mr.. Lineback groaned. He knew
there was 9, catch to 1t: This was
like tho hose theater passes You
have to pay the tax in cash. He
went to the cashier. .a#He produced
a $50 company check. Would they
take that?
But what about the purchase
price. he asked.
1.-THE potatoes are outside" he
said. IF it's publicity stunt it's all
right with me about pictures or
whatever you want to do"
Right there everybody began to
realize there was a misunderstand-
ing. Sidney zlotnick, son of the
proprietor, was called in. Mr. zlot-
nick. Harvard Law School 1896, was
aware of legal hazards. He checked
the advertising copy that went to
the station. 1t clearly said "497 plus
tax" He called Maurice Mitchell,
the manager of the station.
II D IdulO llCCllSc, PIOtCoIcu Ml {.
Mitchell. You ought to know that.
You've had Arthur Godfrey lousing
up your copy for years. Jenkins
might had said 497 fish"
Thank goodness he didn't" said
Mr.. Zlotnick.
At first Mr.. Lineback was inclined
to be difficult. He went to the ra-
dio station; threatened to get a
lawyer and sue them both. Later
he decided against it. He went back
to the store and apologized to- Mr..
zlotnick about all the trouble he
had caused.
Last night he was wondering how
he could buy meat to go with all
those potatoes. 4