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Show I- . ( Says Will Rogers Vary man that has ever dons any-thing any-thing out of the ordinary la a char- actor, and I would call Flo Ziegfeld a man tbat haa done something out of the ordinary; He haa given to the American Public tor Lord knows how many years, an entertainment that must have given them more pleasure v .JvMmd happiness than any other for they have paid more to soe It than to any other man In the World. A Circus with all Its tremendous aggregation ag-gregation ot assorted animals from the four corners of the earths. Tet Mr. Florents Ziegfeld can take Just ' ' on breed, in fact Just one halt the breed, the she of tbe specie, and can assemble such a round up ot beauty tbat combined with the best there la to offer at that time la the amusement line, and he can concoct an evenings entertainment that you remember It till the next year. A funny thing about the "Follies" all the years I was with It, In hear-, hear-, ing people apeak of the show that year, they never spoke of It In comparison com-parison to any other show. It was Always "Its better than last years, or Its not so good as last years." The reason is Its fresh In my mind. He was out on the coast a ' few weeks ago to visit his charm-' charm-' ing wife who was playing out there In one ot the Coast's most success-i success-i ful shows, and as myself and my family are tremendously fond of him and hla family why he was up to our Igllo one evening for dinner. We got him started in on old times, and we had a great evening. Here was the peer ot all Revue Producers Produc-ers of all time telling ot his barnstorming barn-storming about the country in bis early career. His real start was I with Sandow the strong man, I 1 guess the first strong man. That is the first strong man that was strong enough to make people pay to see how strong he was. Well Mr. Ziegfeld Zieg-feld dug him up over In Europe, and brought him over here. But let him teU It. "1 remeaber the first time I was out here on the coast. It was on Sandows first trip. We had a kind ot a vaudeville show built around bim sorter like Harry Lauder carried, car-ried, only a better show. One time in Frisco we had him billed to fight a, a Lion, Just barehanded. It created creat-ed a lot of excitement and we bad A packed house. We were bringing Rome to Frisco. It was not a part I'-.. of our programme, it was a special atunt that was arranged there. It . wasent framed either. This fellow 1 Sandow really thought be was bet- ' - ter than a Lion, so we got him a big old Lion. He entered tbe temporary Colostum with more bravo than any Christian In the : early days - ever faced one. The .. Women kinder halt hid their eyes, ' appearing like they dldent want It to be seen that they were looking , at such a sight, but secretly hoping , that something would happen. In- atead of the Lion making for him, ; no had to make tor the Lion. Well the old Lion took to outer edges. Sandow had to follow him, In fact chase him. "The Lion dldent pay any more Attention to him than a house cat would. Well there wasent much fight. Everybody hollered that the Lion was doped, but he wasent I wouldent . even think ot such A thing. I love Lions, especially after I Counted up the house. Well Sandow San-dow kept at him, at least he kept at him till I could get the money from the Box Office to a fast moving mov-ing conveyance. It was a terrible shock to me to bear the Lion was not the King of Beasts for I had ' read it all my life. Sandow dressed ' for his performance In a Tiger skin, In fact he brought that style of ral-- ral-- ment over here. He was years ahead of Elinor Olynn, who used It ' as a mattress. Well Sandow left the Arena De Lions not ahead of the Lions but ahead of the Populace." He has had a great experience has Mr. Ziegfeld. He looks and is just the same as the days I went . with him on his ' Midnight Frolic Root, (the first , show) In 1914. A many one of us got our start, our real start with him. Those were great old days' those Folly days, packed house, wonder-fa wonder-fa 1 Audiences, (we) 1$ never bothered me as to what I was to do or say, never suggested or seer cut out And to think after 30 years ot giving them the best in town he still has the best show In New York. That shows It wasent the performers that made Ziegfeld. I think he holds the record tor being Champion. He knew colors, and he knew beauty. He knew how to keep nudeness from being vul-. vul-. gar. His was a gift, and not an accomplishment.' ac-complishment.' Long live the old Master. . (, 1931, BcMiusht Eradicate, toe) |