Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 February 1952 — Page 9

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~Inside Indianapolis By Ed Sovola

DR. FABIEN SEVITZRY doesn’t want pop-

“corn sold at concerts of the Indianapolis Sym-

phony . , . crunch, crackle.

Before talking to the maestro, the idea of popcorn at the Murat Theater had a lot of appeal ind. possibility. Can you imagine listening to Schubert's “Unfinished Symphony” while munching jon fresh, aromatic, crispy popcorn? e¢ eat popcorn at movies, at ball games, hockey games, at the circus, fairs. Would it taste differently with pizzicato on the side or a dash of allegro? If it's good with Gary Cooper, it should be good with Beethoven. Dr. Bevitzky almost blew a baton when he was approached with the idea. One second he is shaking your hand, smiling. turning an attentive ear toward you. The next, he's just shaking. oo? 1 “WHY CAN'T we sell popcorn at concerts? l like'to eat . , “Popcorn? Popcorn at the symphony? vant to eat POPCORN during a concert? ‘re joking, no?” Dr, Sevitzky 160sened his ascot. He was still reathing hard from a rehearsal. Those bushy ‘vebrows of his began to wiggle and he lowered his head in disbelief. “Ah, of course you are joking. Popcorn at a concert. . ‘Dat’s good, Meeester Saaavoola. Always a You joke.” .

You You

* + © I WAITED until he flopped on the davenport in his dressing room before opening up with the pitch for popcorn. Popcorn would be a, great tem, Millions of people eat the stuff every day. Just because popcorn hasn't been sold in concert halls-in the past doesn’t mean it wouldn't go .over “A few years back movie theaters didn't allow

popcorn. And today the slogan of entertainment houses .fs ‘movies and popcorn fre better than ever, ” { 4

The reclining human Vesuvius began to generate steam. First the davenport, then the floor and finally the picture of the late John Phillips Sousa on the wall began to shake.

x, 5 oe oe on

“NO POPCORN, absolutely no popcorn.” roared Dr. Sevitzky, rising. “I don’t want crumling sound% when my orchestra is playing beautiful music. Impossible, such an idea.” "Don’t you like popcorn?” “I don’t_ like popcorn for symphony. hopcorn.” } Vesuvius looked like he was ready to pop. I covered my eyes and pressed the issue. “Did vou (ever eat popcorn? Couldn't the management just give it a whirl? You don’t have to make a crum- { bling noise when you eat popcorn and a guy could *dig into the sack during the loud parts of the program.”

No, no

7 The only sound in the room was a steady hiss.

I thought it was a leaky radiator. There is no radiator in his dressing room, I ‘discovered upon opening my eyes. 2 oo ge “NOISES with paper bags and chewing would drive listeners crazy.” said Dr. Sevitzky, calming

It Happened Last Night

By Earl Wilson

NEW YORK, Feb. 18—1 went out the other night with a woman spy, “the new Mata Hari.” Boy, the secrets we didn't come back with. We were in luck from the start. Right off, “Sirena” —that’'s the name she uses—and I spotted Yogi Berra, the N. Y. Yankee catcher. “That's Yogi Berra, the #amous catcher,” I said in a low, dangerous voice: - “Who did he catch?” replied Sirena, an Italian gal who hasn’t been here long. So as “finger man” for the lady spy, I decided not to spy on Hank Greenberg, Bill Veeck or any other baseball guys. We were in Toots Shor’s, and quickly found out that the place was run by Toots somebody and that they sell booze. Just shows what a good spy can find out. “Ssssh,” I said out of the corner of my kisser a second later—for there was Comedian Lew Parker, who's full of vital secrets. “Who's the woman?” Sirena—who had on a red hat—asked in alarm. 5 “His wife,” I confided, with a cautious glance + over my shoulder. : “Better a man without hees wife weeth him.” whispered Sirena. “Should I do away with her?” I asked. Sirepa and I spied on Lew and found out he had been a smash hit at the Roxy and that he had to have dinner now because his wife was hungry. * $ > SIRENA was doing this spying because, during World War II, in her native Naples, she did some serious intelligence work for Gls. : She trapped an American turncoat who was smuggling blood plasma out to the enemy.

“Americana By Robert C. Ruark

NEW YORK, Feb. 18—The life story of Mr. Whittaker Chambers, the back-slid Communist, « is entrancing reading so far—and it may well be. as the Saturday Evening Post shyly admits—one of the great books of our time. It may show us for the first says, the true dimensions of the Communist threat to America. Two installments have showed me that Mr. Chambers is sorry for al] the

troubles he caused his kids, that he hated his father, loved his mother, and had a brother named Richard who killed himself because he found life so ° sad. I have also learned that the Post paid Mr. Chambers a reported $75,000 for his memoirs . on how he dropped the boom on a fellow playmate, Alger Hiss, and 'twixt the Book of the Month and ordinary hardcover sales, Mr. Chambers’ beaiitifully written memories certainly have demonstrated one thing so far--he who trans- ~ gresses and repents for pay is certainly no bum businessman.

time, as the Posf

+> + +

APART FROM mentioning moonily that he became a Communist in the 20’s becduse he was heartsick at the world and figured to violently rebuild a chunk ofsit, Mr. Chambers has not yet proceeded to the dirty details of what sent him headlong. into tacit treason to the land of his 5 birth, : Mavbe we will learn all about this in future fnstalments. To date his chief justification seems that he was born a full-blown neurotic in a neurotic family, with even grandma as mad as a hare and packing a knife in her bedgown. ; I keep peering around for the “moral on the likes of Chambers, and have been unable to find one. I doubt his tortured soul has suffered more since he became a member of the come-to-con-fession school of once-was commos. He started out tortured, he says, and torture is hard to improve on. Apart from a possible refinement. nf mental anguish, he has not suffered physically to any great extent since he hit the mourners benchs > a +

) ING onto his two-house farm in MaryWiki Tags in jail. Like Alger ‘Hiss, the man he hollered copper on. The country’s most-revered - weekly omitted Ben Franklin's picture—and the usual Norman Rockwell or Stevan. Dohanti=14 give him a blast billing that Abe Lincoln woul have been proud of. This is the first time the Post has gone pictorially coverless, I am told, A of Mr. Chambers’ horrid sins are very pretty, financially, since he is a cinch fe “make between $150,000 and $200,000 pn memories. Until he chose to expose himse Br a , former Communist, he was working for heavy ' money as a senior-editor of Time magazine, ; © Maybe the moral is that reformed sinners do : er in the trade marts than those who never : po a at all, and henee are apt to be dull. i

oe % ’

. been

Popcorn at Concert Idea Irks Maestro

POP GOES' THE MAESTRO—Dr. Fabien

Sevitzky vetoes a suggestion for bringing pop-

corn to the Murat. : ‘down and fro: ; “Some day at pop concerts which we have trying to inaugurate for many years, will have popcorn, potato chips, sandwiches, refreshments like they have in Boston. Some day when ‘we find the right hall, you can eat bushel! of popcorn.’ . Dr. Sevitzky became talkative. Twenty-nin vears ago when he came to America, he tasted popcorn in Philadelphia. Because he immediately wanted to know about his new country, Dr, Sevitzky and Mrs. Sevitzky and a doctor friend vent to an amusement park.

» » 0 ow oe oe

Sousa, on the wall, stopped swinging to

. THEY SAW everything there was ‘to see and ate everything there was to eat. To this day he remembers how nice and green Mrs. Sevitzky looked in a roller coaster clutching a hot dog “We ruined our stomachs and were sick for a week. I haven't eaten popcorn since.” Dr. Se vitzky said. : He hinted that I wait until the Shrine Circus pitches its tent in the Murat. “I do not dare to put the Indianapolis Symphony on a popcorn

level ” he added. “Would you consider roasted peanuts?” No - neanuts. No eandy. No potato chips. - Music.

beautiful, inspiring music is all he's interested in. “Leave the percussion section to do the noise of popcorn,” the maestro said; drawing his ascot tighter around his neck. “I will tell you this, I would like to own some popcorn stands: Then our symphony wouldn’t be working for peanuts. Dat's a joke: I make a joke. You like?” I like. - I like popcorn, too.

Sirena Learns A U. S. Secret

The - promoters of the spy movie, “Five Fingers,” heard of her and asked her to go around with me, spying. “Psssst,” 1 suddenly pssssted to Sirena. “That young fellow over there's in the service, stationed in Washington.” When the young man had been brought over and subjected to the influence of her red hat, she told him, “I would love to seeng for Mr. Truman.’ “I can arrange it,” he told her. “I'll take you right to him in the White House.” Then he spied on her a little, asking her if she lived alone, and her phone number, and giving Mer four of his phone numbers. Next we went on around town spying on the cheesecake at Lindy’s and other secrets, and finally we wrote out our report. “What did you find out?” I asked Sirena. “All American men are wolf,” Sirena said in a confidential voice. Top secret stuff. see? Button your lip. “w rds DB > TODAY'S BEST LAUGH: Harold Crossman tells of two women with six-carat diamonds trying to embarrass a woman with a little one-carat ring. They said they took their rings to Cartier's and Tiffany's for cleaning, where they had cocktails and music. “What do you do?” they asked loftily. The woman with the little rock said, “Oh, when mine gets dirty, I just throw it away.” w“ 6H NB A WIFE WANTED a new mink, but the hus-

band pointed out, says Seaman Jacobs, “You've only worn- it two years.” Replied the wife: “Yor:

forget the three years the mink wore it.” ,

That's Earl, brother.

Reform Pays In Cold Cash

I suppose that what Chambers will tell us about his crooked brain and unstable emotions will be most enlightening reading, else the hard: headed, proper Post wouldn't deliver that’ kinda dough to tell the kiddies that communism can be made to pay if you handle it right. I am rea: sure that we should know more of the insidious workings of the Communist infiltration. as presented by one of the boys. But a couple of facts remain to puzzle me. Mr. Chambers appears to be transferring into a kind of hero, because he seen he was wicked and said so for the whole congregation: His dingy memoirs seem a fair bet to-become partner of the classics. You know, five-foot bookshelf stuff. — Gettysburg. Address, Huckleberry Finn and Whit Chambers, the reformed Red. “> b>» TO ME ‘Whittaker Chambers is no hero, and I"don’t feel like throwing him kisses just because he quit thé party when party-quitting seemed to be pretty expedient business. To me Whit Chamhers is no martyr, either, because he abandoned ‘he Reds. I am not happy that he turned his treason into an avalanche of dollars. The stuff hits me like maudlin repentance, I was unable to dissolve into tears when Chambers poured on his apologies to his kiddies for exposing himself as a nasty Red. He had the kids when he was plotting the overthrow of the country, his own kids included. It's a plumb shame I can’t feel better over Mr. Chambers’ loud whistle-toot on his ‘old buddies. It may be a necessary job of high-flown stoolpigeoning, but I hate~to see him reap the profitof the pure for a belated confession that he use to be a well-adjusted snake.

Dishing the Dirt

Bw Marquerite Smith Q-—Among other seeds I bought California poppies and larkspur seeds. The directions say “Plant as early in the spring as possible, the earlier the better.” I could plant them on a day like today. It is like spring now but togorrow may be winter. Could “as early as possible” mean new? Oram I too anxjous? Mrs, Sidney Mahalo witz, 6038 Central Ave. : . A—For the seeds you mention, it does mea: now. Though sometimes that phrase means “a soon as the ground has dried out enough to''b

Read Marguerite Smith's Garden Column in The Sunday Times

easily workable.” But larkspur especially need + very early start in this climate of hot summer to do well. It and the California“ poppy and man" other seeds (lettuce, for one) are hardy enoug!

‘ that you-can strew them on.top of frozen groun

now and they will survive. You can tell whic) plants will stand up to such arctic circle treatmen by-noting which ones self-sow in your flower bed These obviously come. from seeds that dropped in the fall and lived through the winter. If vou prepare a good seed bed and cover the seed with a little fine earth you should get excellent germination, / Ee ;

3

We ~

WANT TO

YMCA Boys Start Membership Drive

By GENE FOWLER “| don’t want nobody to put me on a pedasill.” —From the Sayings of Mr. James Durante: IN THE DAYS of the Great Sleigh Ride, the hur-ly-burly 1920s, a little man with a big nose became the clown laureate of Broadway. His name was Jimmy Durante Half hooligan and half saint, his: Knockabout ways and razzmataz songs exactly suited the age that gave him his early fame. There was a peculiar shine (to this man, a grotesque tenderness that reached into the hearts of everyone, and the

'ove of him has lasted through he years, The world of the theater. is a ickle one; our stage favorites

ill almost as regularly as do the premiers of France, But minstrels ‘of the first rank seem comparatively immune to age

and circumstance. When a clown excels in his profession and his private life stays be-

vond blame, he engages public iffec¢tion that. outlasts applause Such a man is James Franci: Durante, the Schnozzola, son o miling old Bartholomeo Du ante, the barber of Salerno.

At 58, Durante has entered upon his most promising role that of a television star. No

entertainer of our time has surpassed his record in so many branches of showmanship. During the past 38 years Jimmy Durante successively has héen a nightclub entertainer, -vaudeville headliner, musical-stage nrincipal, motion-picture actor and radio comedian. = » » HE NOW has come explosiv ly to the television screens. During these years Jimm Durante has jitterbugged with fame without seeming to know her for what she is or is not. So naive is he, so lacking in self-esteem, that, were he a failure, the curators of the inferiority complex might display

the Sthnozzola as their classic”

specimen. “Sometimes,” savs this wordmangler, “I rake my brains to

find out why people pay me-all.,

that money." An essential goodness underlies both the weakness and the strength of the Durante character. When victimized by plain-as-day parasites of Broadway and Hollywood—and this happens with amazing frequency —the Schnozzola not only fails to confess his errors of judgment but becomes angry if someone puts in a word against the offenders. “There are more good people than bad ones in the world,” the Schnozzola says. “I don’t mind if a gentleman scratches a

me all that money."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the saga of the Schnozz’, the penetrating life story of one of America’s top entertainers. Gene Fowler, the author, is the hiographer of John Barry-

more, Jimmy Walker and others. These installments are from the best seller book,

SCHNOZZOLA, racently -published by The Viking Press. match on the furniture, so long as he is careful to go with the grain.” = n ~ LATELY the Schnozzola has been wearing horn-rimmed spectacles, but he says, “I think I'll quit putting on my glasses,

JOIN ?7—

JIMMY IN DURANTE'S INFERNO— "Sometimes |

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 195°

&:

because: everybody looks so beautiful the other way.” His generosity, together with his huge income tax, means that Durante, who made almost half ‘a million dollars in 1950, had not a nickel left of it for his savings account. The tax code permits him to deduct 15 per cent of his earnings for organized charities, but he actually gives away more than 40 per cent. Says Jim, “I only wish I was Rockinfellow.” If his own goodness blinds him to the faults of others, causes him to waste money and energy upon shameless moochers, that same virtue has protected him against the taint of

r

NEVER A DULL MOMENT—Buddy Lone, (left), 1410 N. Denny St., Lawrence Barker, 1651 E. Tabor St., and John Dale, Carmel, know how much fun it is to be a YMCA member. They are all helping in the membership campaign starting today through Mar. 3. taneous membership enrollment drives.

ry

PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY—John Alvord (left), ‘and

‘Dickie Crafton (right), both of Southport are helping in the South

District branch YMCA membership campaign. Harry Prah (center),

is assisting in the North Branch campaign.

-

i REY oe ee

Li : rr. - WN

Six 'Y' branches have simu!

membership drive. |

’

The Indianapolis Times

“PAGE 9

Half Hooligan and Half Saint, A Barber's Son Hits the Chips

rake my brains to find out why people pay

his early environment and the temptations of latter-day prosperity. At 17 he played the piano at places frequented by gangsters, thieves, prostitutes and murderers, but little of their wickedness rybbed off on the strangely insulated man, although the lingo of- the underworld became part of his way of speech.

Nd ” n AS “RAGTIME JIMMY" he pounded the piano in Coney Island dives. His mother feared that her. boy might become a

drunkard, and his brothers that he would turn out to be a procurer. But he remained one of the most temperate of men, and has cOntinued into his fifty-

=,

ninth year to regard all women as great ladies. From the Coney Island honky-tonks he went to the cafes of Harlem. He didn'¢ know a gangster from a vestry= man and then, in the wild 20s emerged in the midtown night spots as the mightiest clown since Grimaldi, Charles Dickens tells us that Grimaldi had “a gigantie mouth,” The public of today cannot think of Durante with out thinking at the same time of what critic Whitney Bolton called the cathedral of a nose that has brought Jimmy the nickname “Schnozzola.” B..RT

TC DIVERT attention from ~

his nose Jimmy allowed his voicé, 'a ‘vast one to begin with, to become even more raucous than naturé intended. Upon overhearing his back-yard conferences, passers-by mistakenly believe that he is preparing to slay his guests, His seem that of a strongly selfs confident person. : The story of his triumph over ais ugly duckling complex, how he “snapped out of it,” may bring good cheer to anyone handicapped’ by the vagaries of

nature. Just recently he disgcussed his nose problem and how it had made of him “a

shrinkin’' violence.” “And those pimples too,” he said. “And those little eyes.” He flapped his arms against his thighs as he recalled those troubled days. “Every time I went down the street I'd hear, 'Lookit, the bigs nose kid.’ » ~ = “AND WHEN anybody'd stare, I'd just sneak off. Even if they said nothin’, nothin’ at all, I'd shrivel up and think they was sayin’, ‘What an ugly kid. What a monster.’ “And then I'd go home and cry. All through life, even when I am makin’ a fortune on account of the big beak, and while I am out there on the stage laughin’ and kiddin’ about the nose, at no time was I ever

~ happy about it.

“It was a catastrastroke.” Not long ago Durante re. ceived a letter from a boy: “I've got a big nose, Mr, Durante. Everybody laughed at my nose. But then I saw you, Mr. Durante, in- a movie, And gee. When you kept laughing about your nose, it made me feel good all over. =And the other fellows call me ‘Schnozz,’ and I'm awful proud.” Darante sat silently at the breakfast table for a ‘While, then he called out happily to his housekeeper, Maggie Are nold, “A big load has just fallen off'n me, Maggie, like an awful

curse.” i (Copyright, 1852, bY Gene Fowler) NEXT: The Modern Grimaldi,

INDIANA INDIANS—Eleven Indian guide clubs are being

TELL ME A STORY—Harry Coryell, 2036 Roosevelt Ave., ifory-teller at Central YMCA, tertains the boys with his dummy Archie. David Hughes, 2036 Roosevelt Ave., Ronnie Baldwin, E. North. St. and Jerry Tincher, 724 N. Alabama St., know that Archie is out to help.

operated in Indianapolis. The clubs are father-son organizations, david Irwin (left), Beech Grove, his brother, Dick, and Harry Prah, ‘Nestfield, hold a membership pow-wow.

them in

3

hurricane voice would,