Show howl broke into B the M movies ovies R J copyright by HI hal C C harman L BY BUDDY ROGERS STARTED out to be a journalist I 1 1 I wanted to head my own jazz orchestra I 1 became ft a motion picture etar when I 1 was eig eight lit years old the leader of our town band I 1 in olathe kan organized it a boys orchestra and invited me to join sly father bought me a baritone horn by my eleventh birthday I 1 was promoted to the mens orchestra by my senior year in high school I 1 had firmly decided to become a theatrical jazz hand band leader the following year I 1 entered the university of kansas majoring mi joring in journalism outside of class however I 1 blaed in a dance orchestra and was mastering the trombone the trumpet and the other brass instruments on down the line the summer of my sophomore year thirty of us from the university went to europe as deck hands on oil a steamer carrying mules A few of us organized an orchestra and practiced after the mules had been bedded down for the night upon docking at Bar barcelona elona spain we ue played in that c connary and then went to paris france where we played in some of the cafes and night clubs our orchestra was a success ry by the time we returned to america and the new school year had started paramount was organizing its picture school at long island and was recruiting promising young men and women from all over the country our theater manager in olathe in isted that I 1 call at the paramount exchange in kansas city ile he even sent tn in some of my pictures I 1 went bark back to school however and forgot Y C buddy rogers all about our conversation until I 1 received a wire from kansas city asking me to report for screen tests these tests will always linger in my mind as a nightmare in a public kansas city park before a number of curious bystanders I 1 was told to register hate fear and so on to tender love I 1 had to jump leap and run close up tip after close up was taken of me until I 1 was exhausted I 1 felt confident that I 1 had failed dismally so I 1 went back to my school and jazz band counting the tests merely as an unpleasant experience and a waste of time in a few weeks however I 1 received word that I 1 had been accepted for the school along with the opportunity to enter the school came an invitation to tour europe with a college orchestra for the summer to take one offer meant to give up the other I 1 wanted to do both things in the face of two such excellent chances I 1 did not know what to do upon the advice of none other than jesse L lasky I 1 declined membership in the orchestra and reported at the paramount school in the graduation picture fascinating youth I 1 was nas awarded the male lead following the picture I 1 was sent to the west coast but before I 1 could be cast in a picture there I 1 received word from the east to return for a part in sos your old man lan after that I 1 received one of those fabulously rare things a break I 1 had been cast as the hero in wings 0 0 by hal C Q herman |