Show r I 4 I Ben Bernie Flip sales talks brought success Ben Bernie Dies Following Long Illness BEVERLY HILLS Cal CaI Oct 20 UP Ben P-Ben Ben Bernie the Old Maestro of the stage screen and radio died at his apartment Wednesday mornIng morning morning morn- morn Ing from a pulmonary affection with cardiac complications Death took the year old musician musician musi musi- cian clan at a a. a m m. Pacific war wartime wartime wartime time At his bedside were his wife his son Private Jason Bernie of the U. U S. S army and his brother- brother manager Herman Bernie and the latter's wife The bandleader was stricken with pleurisy while playing an en en- I in Chicago last February ary After a short period abed he disregarded his physicians physician's s orders orders orders or or- ders and c came me to the west coast to fulfill entertainment engagements engagements engagements engage engage- ments in war plants Soon after arriving here he suffered suffered suffered suf suf- a 8 relapse and for tor 11 weeks was confined to an oxygen tent During most of ot the tM peri period d his life was despaired of ot Partial Recovery Recover He staged a partial recovery however and last April was able to leave the oxygen tent He suffered suffered suffered suf suf- a relapse last week Bernie was divorced in Chicago in 1935 from his first wife Rose and later was married to Dorothy Westley in Miami Beach Fla Jason Jason Jason Ja Ja- Ja- Ja son 22 was his son by his first marriage Bernie was one of the first radio entertainers to kid his product and he helped form the pattern for that type of commercial commercial commercial commer commer- cial advertising His going easy-going witty microphone manner caught on at the Hotel New Yorker but the story is that Ben wouldn't have gotten the Job of leading the band there had it nc t been for the famous gambler Arnold Rothstein Terms of the contract Bernie related to friends were that the orchestra was to acquire a interest in the then newly constructed constructed constructed con con- hot hotel l. l Although he didn't know Rothstein he succeeded in borrowing the money and paid it back in installments every M Monday Monday Mon Mon- n- n day noon Former Clerk Use of flip sales appeal while selling toy violins in a N New w York department s store t tor o r e during the Christmas season 31 years ago put Bernie on the trail of success His numerous sales talks and quips to customers sent his sales soaring and brought him a vaudeville vaudeville vaudeville vaude vaude- ville offer from a booking agent Remind me to have the boss cut my mv salary if I dont don't sell YOU vou this violin h lie told one customer Bernie's vaudeville tryout was in a Brooklyn waterfront theater where he said one had either to be bea a good entertainer or an expert dodger of missiles In later life he recalled he was so nervous nervous he achieved on his violin that week a tremolo he never since had been able to duplicate The tremolo made a hit with the stevedores in the audience and Bernie was given a years year's contract at at 25 a week Bernie organized his own band bandin in 1923 Ben Bernie the old maestro maestro maestro mae mae- mae mae- and all the lads |