Show T. T f rw r aL em row r Behind the Scenes in a Fashionable Night hf t J t Club late Fate and Mr Broadway Decree That That v U rf r t t There Shall Be a Mrs Broadway I IU I j 1 zt l a J r tr trY f f t r lJ f. f n i. i ty j HE WAS headliner at the Golden Fleece Night Club A g glib b publicIty man had nicknamed him Mister Broadway Broadway Broad Broad- way and the name caught the public and held beld on He was the lIving illustration of what the well dressed man should wear Haberdashers rushed to the door to watch him pass and rushed back into their shops to dress their windows accordingly Shaving creams and cigarettes were glorIfied glorI- glorI fled fied by his indorsement His worn out dancing shoes were on display at a show show- folk shoe shop A miniature doll mimicking his dance steps was on sale at the toy stores It was a dull day when one of the tabloids didn't carry some yarn about Mister Broadway but no night was ever dull on the street where the giant electric sign of 1700 bulbs sputtered his name I Yet he himself was the most modest little fellow In the world He would often blink up at the big sign and say That means you Billy Barr Dont forget to bluff and bluster and ballyhoo I said those who had had a hand in bringing him to Broadway So he would bluff in a big manner that hid his true gentleness and bluster and ballyhoo ballyhoo bally bally- hoo in his talk about the Golden Fleece But he never spoke about hImself lielet lie let his nimble dancing feet do that eloquently eloquently elo- elo for him And they did That was why the Golden Fleece Night Club opened at 9 P. P M. M and closed whenever Clare the little checkroom girl had sleepily p passed the last coat over the counter ON THE surface of things his seemed t an easy sort of life He had all day dayto to himself till 9 o'clock nighttime The pUblic at 10 envIed his apparent leisure I- I But the publIc did not see him rise at noon and attack the strenuous procedure of newspaper reporters for breakfast appointments with the photographers at atI I 1 with his tailors at 2 with his secretary to answer the mountains of fan mail at 4 a close clos closeting with Antoine the barber at 5 bath and supper at 6 it seemed that ev every ry hour bid for his atten- atten tion Besides being a star there were the shows to stage the chorus routines to plan and rehearse the skits and business to originate and review And then his own spot to fill as only he could fill it The clubs club's first season had been a great success Now at the commencement commencement commence commence- ment of the second he decided to change the skit of the lone for a more pretentious act Keep Tommy Crow at a week he told Big Boy Johnson the proprietor And when he talked to Crow Well need a girl to make up the trio Blonde Brunette Redhead or what have you reeled Crow glibly He was very thoughtful I dont don't know exactly he confessed I wont won't know her tm till I see her The club was being redecorated for forthe forthe the new season Hammers sang artists painted nudes upon the walls walis the headwaiter headwaiter head head- waiter was interviewing help It was a poor place to be tl thinking in How about going the rounds of the agencies tomorrow he suggested and see iee what they have to offer I know a blonde who's all there Crow volunteered i Lets go the rounds of the agencies I repeated Mister Broadway Before night Broadway knew knew that the Golden Fleece was looking for fora a leading lady and before morning prospective prospective pro pro- leading ladies from all five boroughs brought their careful ups make to the agencies He and Crow made the rounds care care- fully It seemed as if his perfectly gloved hand opened and closed a thousand doors as if his amber c cane ne had tapped speculatively every agency floor on Broadway Broadway Broad Broad- way as if his tired eyes had wandered over miles of faces of the nervously untrained un- un trained traine and the brazenly experienced At Atthe Atthe the end of that trying disappointing day Mister Broadway had not yet seen the face he was looking fori for i d Heres what you want declared Crow 1 and brought forth his blonde Please phone me in the morning i answered Mr Broadway but the verdict was already apparent in his tired eyes But in the solitude of his hotel room he was vias no longer Mister Broadway He was just Billy Barr altogether himself He shed his stylish clothes and his waxed manners brought out a smelly pipe that he loved md shabby slippers that were comfortable Then he tried to smoke aria ana think but tonight he was too tired for anything ng but bed He fell asleep dreaming of a girl for his bis trio and dreamed in a nightmare that he had signed up an atrocity Her dance was an splitting eye sight Get off the floor he yelled but she continued dancing dancing her steps all wrong her ber b beat at imperfect SUDDENLY he sat up In bed tully fully awakened but still the dancing con con- He blinked He listened Sure enough there was the sound of dance steps overhead Jimminy crickets he swore softly and rang for a bellboy Listen to that to the boy Just listen I Nothing more need be said It was for the bellboy to jo ao the rest and he turned over and into sleep again The dancing feet stopped Silence rea reached hed out to take him back into his dreams and then the dancing started again I Exasperated he summoned another boy who also produced a silence that was not lasting The steps overhead continued continued con con- tap tapa tapa-t tapa v He glared at the ceiling hard enough to crack it but the dancing persisted tap tapa-tap-tap So draped In a purple robe he attacked the disturbing door himself Im sleeping downstairs he blustered Come tn in invited a sweet voice as if Mister Broadway had been expected The sleepwalker bursting with complaint com com- plaint burst into the room But the complaint complaint com com- plaint never crossed the threshold ot of his lips It There was the perfect girl partner he had been looking tor small dainty haired fluffY and shapely She continued her routine aU all through their conversation Try the tap on the odd count he be suggested forgetting his original mission not No like that like this and he showed her how Before they knew it he was giving her hera a dance routine say he remarked with an effort to tobe tobe be casual as they both stood breathless and resting ever hear of the Golden Fleece Night Club And she answered that where Mister Broadway dances shyly inno- inno He nodded Hes looking for a part part- ner How would you ou like to work there I must be frank with you I already work at- at Easy enough to get your present contract contract con con- tract canceled if that's what's worrying you youl he tumbled eagerly Somehow tie he knew that he wanted this little girl irl Something had happened Inside ot of him It was all for his art he tried to tell teU himself himself him him- self but he knew it was something more than that And he talked and talked watching while her flashing dimples came and went Well its it's all settled he finally assumed though she had said nothing merely dimpled and nodded and smiled Dont forget the address and ana forget to be there tomorrow at 3 31 Crow was rehearsing when she arrived Each of the chorus girls threw her a hello and a broad grin She sat down demurely to wait for Mister Broadway out fronts front's where you belong I ordered Crow with his usual show ot of temper What are you doing back here sarcastically Im Mister Broadways Broadway's new leading lady she told him sweetly Leading lady Coats is where you hang out Miss dare Clare and you know iti THEY were still exchanging professional 1 glares as Mister Broadway strolled in Meet the new leading lady I he introduced Why that's Clare the checkroom girl retorted Crow Lets get down to work If youre you're putting on the fun bag I aint the horse to wear it Exclamations and explanations A poor little tearful story that went right to Mister Broadways Broadway's heart A story or ambition I that led to a cheap professional dancing school and the hope of an engagement engagement en- en on stage or night club door Then failure and letters back home that hid the secret and finally the high resolve to take anything even a checkroom job so the folks back home wouldn't laugh And then I overheard them saying you wanted a leading lady You didn't know me You never once noticed me never once when I handed you your coat coat- and and-and- Never mind Mister Broadway comforted comforted com com- forted gently And what what- P prodded ded Crow merci merci- le lessly sly And I got an idea fiercely I took all the money I had and hired the hotel room right over yours and I danced there therean an all day long hoping you'd be in and hear hearme hearme me and do just what you did She broke down in sobs You spunky kid But please dont don't cry cryl Maybe youre you're just what I want and he be looked defiantly over at Crow Mr Crow meet the new leading lady Any girl who is as clever as all that deserves to dance as my Then he brought dare Clare to Big Boy Johnson Big Boy was a former pugilist Now he walked around In evening clothes his big fISts in his pockets Big Boy was pockmarked had hada a broken nose a crooked smile and one answer to everything everything every every- thing that Mister Broadway ever asked for and that was yes My new leading lady announced Mister Broadway Yes I answered Big Boy and stood at atthe atthe the sidelines while rehearsal went on First the chorus girls giris then the singers then the single acrobatic dancer then the little Hawaiian shimmy shaker then the chorus again in another change ot of steps and tights then and then their act Mister Broadway had never worked so 50 hard at anything Pretty soon hell he'll be picking me up with a sponge complained Crow weary perspiring as afternoon after afternoon went on and the act was rehearsed torn down built up re rehearsed There was nothing so tiresome as rehearsing no place in the world so dismal as a. a night nightclub nightclub club in th the afternoon the scrubwomen hanging over their palls pails the bright lights dim the dining tables shabby and shorn the headwaiter interviewing dishwashers dishwashers dish dish- washers and the orchestra listless the carpenters noisy Mister Broadway patient but exacting develop Ing a proper walk for dares dare's entrance a pick Up in her steps an exit for lor the finale Her childishness her helplessness her mistakes all called for his sympathy dumb Just a dumb Doral Dora That's my opinion Crow would remark t tt t Zo e Why youve you've showed her that step five times in four minutes Im I'm a ham sandwich sandwich sand sand- If she's a stepper Get between two slices of bread yoU ham actor and you will be a ham sandwich sandwich sand sand- retorted Mister Broadway Big Boy dropped a big scowling nod Even on the opening night she made mistakes muffed a turn took her bow running off BUT Broadway saw only her childish h charm and her fluffy hair and her wide gray eyes She was so pretty a fellow fel fel- low could ook at her forever Maybe that was why his heart tugged so Crow overheard them once standing near the room dressing stairway Ite He diet did not hear that Clare had said Ill never be any good All that Crow heard beard was Why girlie youre you're the whole show Without you there'd be no act Without you the act would break up and Id I'd have to go back to the old stu the stuff the I-the hobo stuff Maybe she aint so bad I Crow found himself telling himself Surely Broadway wasn't a showman for nothing He had bad picked winners before Maybe Clare Clare- and then the idea came It struck him forcibly for Tommy Crow seldom had ideas His spare time was taken up with speakeasies poker parties and little love affairs none of which survived the periodic periodic peri- peri two weeks weeks' trial There wasn't much in his head so the idea had room to grow and it did His attitude toward Clare changed considerably Mister Broadway was delighted the right spirit he remarked happily and he did his best to bring the two more closely together But he was jealous of every one else He guarded tier per perso so that she was never approached by the night club who waited around after the show was over Once even Big BigBoy BigBoy Boy who could put his hand on any girl girlin in the show that he wanted tried it on Clare But Broadways Broadway's eyes were eloquent eloquent elo- elo quent and the big hand fell away Big BigBoy BigBoy Boy could be good when he had to and he had to now He knew who was filling the cashbox Weren't they having the best season in the history of New Yorks York's night club racket What does Broadway think of your work Crow would ask Clare from Irom time timeto timeto to time He thinks Im I'm the star but I f know Im I'm not would be the truthful answer OH H YES you are I Crow told her confidentially And he be took her into a corner to elaborate There he looked her over from the white ot of her pretty panting bosom to the he gentle shapeliness of her legs Say but youre you're pretty I he flattered for m in his own way Crow was a clever hand with the women Long Gong practice had made him perfect Stop teasing was her dimpled retort You are arc pretty and clever besides he persisted and went into details Big Boy passed by Another big night he grinned You bet agreed Crow Then he be was back at Clare What you making One bun I Im getting eight and youre you're as good goodas as me any day I Her eyebrows were quizzical And If Im I'm drawing eight you ought to be doubling that Youre You're twice as good even Broadway will admit that Clare wondered if he would The attack continued Your name isn't up in lights is it t She shook her head Yet its it's yoU gets all the applause Yes she answered softly happily they do clap a lot for us dont don't they Us You mean you Me Mc incredulously Yes you just you I And Ive I've got plans that would put you where you belo gl gland and Crow v whispered and whispered till tillit tillit it was time for them to go on Th There re was plenty of time for whispers like Uke these The days were as full of them as the nights were full of dancing Mister Broadway did not mind the whispers between Crow and Clare in fact they pl pleased ased him for after all the closer these two grew the more his judgment judgment judg- judg ment was justified He did wonder that Clare was glum Its nothing I she kept assuring him but her mind was full of A Yi lJ f t j i 4 f 1 ST I ti t tt V k t J 4 K s Ir t t 1 C i t I tl t N S ti s 1 1 I fr II I t Tn a r i I i t t C I R t f But ut Mr i Bf Broadway ay only her childish childish charm and her fluffy hair and her wide gray eyes r the fan fancied wrongs Crow had painted in his clever way By this time their act was routine per feet Mister Broadway in perfect evening attire was a dapper little stepper now no longer a hobo Clare in dainty costume of tulle and gold a perfect leading lady Crow a perfect partner A great dancing trio every everyone one said She appeared for lor her bows between Crow and Mister Broadway Broadway gave her his Crow Cro only loaned them NObody but he knew that until he tackled Big Boy for lor an increase increase in- in crease in salary If I go it'll break up the act he threatened Big Boy stood in fear ot of no ones one's threats the manage manage man man- age without you I Oh they will will they sneered Crow You'll think different soon enough Im I'm walking and he did Crow quit cold last night alter after you left Big Boy telephoned Broadway at noon the next day It doesn't matter replied Broadway Ive other plans and he hung up without without with with- out any further explanation from Big Boy He was thinking of what tp to tell little Clare tonight He always told her something sweet something to make her dimples flash But tonight tonight-tonight he was going to tell her the best thing of all aU He was going to tell her about the cable cable- offer from the |