Evening star., 1950-10-03

That impressive crystal chande-
her In the newly decorated May
Hover Lounge drops a distance of
II feet from the ceiling. is 8 feet
In diameter, weighs 1890 pounds
and cost pretty penny. In fact,
it Is reported to have cost some
$5 900. which is not only a pretty
penny but also is q fair fee to pay
for a candelabra, even one IL feet
high and 8 feet wide.
Now that this trinket has been
hung there above the Lounge
dance floor it is safe to predict
that it will be there forever. Con-
rad Hilton, the hotel nlagnate
to whom the Mayfiower now be-
longs, has undoubtedly learned
his lesson about crystal chande-
[liers and is not likely ever to let
one slip through his fingers, flgu--
ratively speaking.
MIR. Hilton had his chandelier
experience when he decided to re-
decorate the Empire Room at
what was then a new acquisition.
the Palmer House in Chicago.
What this room needs" said
the man called in to do the dec
Grating job. ''is q couple of big
crystal chandeliers"
Some one had the happy mem
Tory that the exact items needed
were stored away in the attic,
they having been ripped out of
the room when some one else was
Eredecorating it one time, Then it
was remembered sadly that all
that junk III the attic had been
sold or thrown out not long be-
fore. The chandeliers were traced
to the shop of a man who had
paid $50 apiece for them. 'ff.
They were In a sorry state,
though. There was no sale for
them in one piece, so the; new
owner had been cannibalizing
them, taking off pieces of crystal
to repair smaller fixtures all over
Chicago. The Palmer House peo-
plesstill were desperate for chan
delierS. -
How much" they wanted. to
know, would it cost to put these
in shape?" The man named a
price. The Palmer House people
WINGED and paid $1,000 for the
chandeliers they had recently been
so proud to get rid for for $100.
You can bet that new one at the
Mayower Lounge won't get away.
If somebody stops you on the
street and asks you the entertain
ment most likely to succeed at the
Statler Embassy Room, don't
Jump at conclusions. Hildegarde's
is name which might leap to the
tip of your tongue. Or you might
think of Peter Lind Hayes or Guy
Lombardo. These are people who
pack the place. all right. But
the boy who really brings cheer to
the Embassy Room is some one
else-Some one else named Xavier
Cugat.
The nine nights while Mr.. Cugat
and orchestra and Able Lane were
on hand to launch the newly dec
GRATED Embassy Room were the
nine busiest nights the spot has
enjoyed since the war days. Dur
ing the hectic days of the war a
box Office attraction was any one
agile enough to avoid being
trampled to death by eager Gus
toners after he had unlocked the
door. A box Office attraction now
is a man versatile enough to play
South American music in North
America and Dixieland jazz in
South America.
X X X y
The Statler being committed to
something of name band policy
this season. Mr.. Cugat has been
followed at the Embassy Room by
Ted Weems. The decibel count is
not so high now, but the customer
count still is imposing enough. If
his Thursday opening night was
any indication, Mr.. Weems is go
ing to leave his mark on the
Embassy Room box Office. too.
Mr.. Weems, of course, has been
building up a following for a num-
ber Of years and he is an affable
gent who never would think of
denying that he has put some
mileage on his baton. His sue
cess right now, as matter of fact,
represents something of a come
back, this being his second time
around as a big man in the name
band business.
number of years before
the war, the Weerns band was a
fred hot item in the entertainment
q