42nd Street Novel

BOOK I
REHEARSAL
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T HREE GOOD TUNES AND A KICK IN THE PANTS FOR. YOUR WOW
blackout. Can ya make a hit show out of it?" Abe Green
beamed expansively on the distinguished gentleman who
',l' occupied the scat of honor in his office.
Julian Marsh shrugged. "I've managed with less," he ad-
mitted, "but don't forget your dear public isn't the naive
gathering of a few years back. The mere prestige of playing
on Broadway won't mean much to the latter-day yokels who
tread our pavements. W c must convince them they'll receive
their money's worth."
Si Friedman bent over the desk. "That's why we got you,
feller. My God, Julian, we ain't sentimental guys, we pro-
ducers. We forgot all about bein' nice to our friends the min·
ute the 'dear public' tightened up on the purse strings. Per·
sonally I like you, you're a swell egg, but you wouldn't get a
dime outta me if I hadn't read your record for hits on the
ledgers of our firm. Only two weeks in red ink, that's
something."
"Sure-an' you like us, too," Abe Green pursued, "but you'd
chisel us out of our last nickel without so much as a 'pardon
me' if you thought it meant money in the bank to you. Here's
the gag. We can get the coin all right, you know me when it
comes to diggin' up the backers-we heard Conroy's tunes an'
they'll get over, we think-but you're the baby with the class
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an' the ideas. Without you the show don't figull at all. We at the 'Palace this week-guy named Danny Moran. Put 'em
admit that cheerfully. So what arc you gonna do about it?" all together-they spell 'Mother'!" · ,,
Julian Marsh got to his feet, He was tall, well tailored and Julian Marsh smiled. "You won't have to worry, he as-
bore himself like one who has been told he is a "natural sured the two anxious. gentlemen. "I think we can safely
aristocrat." Marsh was of English birth and this aided the illu- prophesy a good season."
sion. There was no need for these petty cloak and suit prodigies
to know that the Marsh family were plodding members of the The theatrical columns of the morning papers carri~df the
British shopkeeper ~ass. first story of the new enterprise. The offices of Broadway s ore-
"You know how these things are accomplished," he said. most agents were filled with applicants. In front of t~e Pal~ce
"Give me a free rein and I can promise you satisfaction. But I the "lay offs" wagered on the chances of. success. Little gi.:ls
must have the final word. You two gentlemen are smart and soaked their silly heads in basins of peroxide and emerged in
ingenious, you have your own methods when it comes to shining blonde glory. Threadbare suits v;e.re ca~efully pressed:
securing the necessary financc8ut your knowledge of show- U h rn hea'ds were submitted to the mm1strauons of the bar
manship is .a trifle limited. That's why you're calling on me. be~~ ~eaky tenors polished up their high notes. Shrill sopranos
Your 1peech on 1entiment w11 admirable, Si. It's a minus
quantity in our profes1ion. I'm accepting your offer not be- tortured the melody 0 £ Mr Kilmer's immortal Trees. In three
more days the first "call" for talent was scheduled. The age~;s
cause I have any flaming pa11ion for you two boys but for the
moved with unwonted jauntiness. The r~s of Chor~ Eqm y
good and sufficient reason that I hope to make a little money.
So do you or you wouldn't be wasting your time on a hot ew more hopeful. The music publishmg furn which ".°n-
afternoon in June by ftattering me, We've worked together fcacted for Russell Conroy's tunes was agog with speculat:on.
before for the mutual good of all concerned. We can do it Julian Marsh was going to produce the new Green and Fried-
again." man show. Julian Marsh, pampered idol of Forty:second Street;
"Fine, Julian. Sounds okay to me," Si declared. "We'll start was once more definitely in the running. On with the dance.
right now. Abe, you get busy and round up more dough. This
ain't gonna be a turkey. We'll panic 'em with more pearl cur-
tains than they ever seen in their lives. I'll hap on the wire
and send out some blah about the new magnificent revue
which will be staged by the king of musical comedy producers,
Mr Julian Marsh. We'll phone Equity an' let 'cm know there's
to be a call for girls. Abe, round up all the agents an' sec
about principals. We got Dorothy Brock. We got John
Phillips; we're givin' you a brand new comic who's slayin' 'cm
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Lorraine squared her shoulders truculently. "An' don't go
givin' the boss the idea I can't sing."
"Well,". commented Ann Lowell, Hinging her loose body
into a nearby chair, "looks like old times, Jerry. How's the
pocket flask?"
' "Lissen, you," Jerry warned. "Better lay off that. You ain't
workin' for the Shuhcrts now. This bunch means business."
"Aw, nuts!" snorted Ann. "Drop the tambourine, Evange-
line Booth, and come down to earth." She swung one hare
J
D.RY ST'JlUCK. A RASPING CHORD ON THZ PIANO,
"Hey, you kids, make it snappy!" he bawled. ''One leg over the other, hunched far down in her seat and glared
o'clock don't mean one-fifteen with this management." defiantly at Jerry.
The darkened recesses of the theatre came to life. From Andy Lee, the dance director, pounded his cane on the
dressing rooms, from alleyways, from orc:hc1tra cbaire in the floor.
auditorium they flocked, these chon11 girl1 in the fint day of "Awrightl Awrightl Corne on, girls, we gotta lotta work
their arduous five-week rehearsal. ahead of us. Mr Cole1s gonna run through the lyrics for half
Jerry Cole moved his hands over the key1 11 he 1urveyed an hour an' then I'll work with you."
them. To his hlasc eye. they were jult anather bunch. Some "Big-hearted Andy,'' muttered Ann Lowell.
·malign fate turned them out by the thouaand.-pretty, in- \ Andy Lee was feared by every chorus girl on Broadway.
effectual things in their flaring practice clothca who balked a They told fearsome tales of girls in his ensembles who fell
brief moment in the spotlight of Broadway and then hurried fainting from his routines. In appearance he was unimpres-
onward to the oblivion of marriage. He recognized a familiar sive-a little Jew of Ghetto extraction with vivid, restless
face-Lorraine Fleming from the choru1 Of Holll1 Thal'J, eyes, and feet which were constantly beating out a sort of
with her heart-shaped face and ever so blonde hair. rhythmic tapping. Burlesque, vaudeville and musical comedy,
"Lorraine's been at the peroxide again," he decided. these three had sired Andy Lee. Beginning obscurely as
Then Ann Lowell came lounging out of a drating room. straight man to a red-nosed comic in Tiu: Sporting Widows,
"Jeez, that baby!" he muttered, for Ann wu a notorious he had emerged through varying fortunes in the r8le of dance
and dangerous gin hoWld. director. There were many who claimed Andy as the best
Lorraine leaned her elbows on the curve of the piano...H'lo, hoofer on Broadway. Certainly the many movements of his
slave driver!" she chirped. "Got some nice hot lyrice for us?" feet were bewildering. He dressed meticulously in the fashion
Jerry grinned. "Sure, kid. Still sing that lousy monotone o' never seen above Fiftieth Street nor below Forty-second Street.
yours?" "I'll bet he buys his clothes from Bill Robinson," Lorraine
"Monotone, hell! I took lessons. I'm a soprano, by God!" commented.
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A semi.circle of chairs had been drawn up around the piano was strident with anger as he· summoned the boys to lyric
and these were filled by the "ladies of the ensemble." A chorus rehearsal. For five weeks, until Pretty Lady was presented to
in full practice regalia offers an unforgettable sight; bathing its public, he would continue to urge recalcitrant actors to
suits molded tight to slim figures, rompers with starched their places, his voice would hold varying notes of blandish-
frills, even an occasional outfit consisting of a boy's shirt and ment, anger, scorn and efficiency.
velvet trousers. Practice clothes are designed to give full free- "Hey, you guys," he repeate d. "Its' ten mmutes
. after one."
dom for body movements and they achieve their purpose. It The "gentlemen of the ensemble" trouped in. They were
must be admitted that the average male working through the slim eager-eyed youngsters for the most part, a bit abashed
rehearsal period is as insensible as a stone image to these at the r8le for which Fate had cast them, but in the mind of
revelations. each one was the resolve to "get out of this racket after
"And where are the boys?" Jerry demanded. His voice another season!' The chorus boy is much maligned. He is
became a shade higher pitched as he asked this question and pointed out as the degenerate, effeminate male . whom all
the final "s" trailed offensively into the air. Jerry was kidding. normal boys should avoid. Each chorus finds two or three
"Mac, call your men." . who maintain this doubtful standard, but the average chorus
Harry MacElroy left his post at the piano and shouted, boy is a somewhat toughened youngster .whose abilities. do
"Hey, ygu guys!" not quite measure up to his aspirations. In time he will .rise
Harry was assistant stage manager, and let that be cata- from the mob to small bits, then to understudy, and, lo, the
logued as the world's most thankless job, combining as it does chorus boy is transformed, he has become a principal. But
a penny's worth of mean authority with a pound of drudgery. meanwhile he leatris the value of self-obliteration. His haughty
The assistant stage manager must rival God as the all seeing sisters have small use for the companionship of a chorus man,
eye. His the duty to see that every chorus member and every the boss regards him as a necessary evil, and so he is forced
principal is in place at the appointed time, his the responsibility
by an unfriendly W')rld to become a solitary segment in the
for all announcements concerning rehearsals; when props are
well-appointed structure of the modern musical comedy.
needed the assistant stage manager must find them, when the
The boys hurried to their places and Jerry yelled,. "Give
boss wants a malted milk the assistant stage manager runs to
'em the lyrics, Mac."
the corner drug store, when a principal actor is absent the
assistant stage manager reads his lines. As varied and unend- With the celerity of a magician Mac produced printed slips
ing as the labors of Hercules are the assistant stage manager's of paper which were passed around.
tasks. And when all is finished he must quietly resume his Ann Lowell gave vent to a disgusted growl. "My God,
place in the rank and file and become to the eyes of the what are these? Mother Goose rhymes?"
world just another chorus boy. Jerry heard her. "Any time you can do better, sister, just
So it is not to be wondered at that Harry MacElroy's voice wire Ziegfeld. He's dying to find new geniuses."
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IO 42ND STllEIET
"I think these would go better in Swedish," Ann continued, "I've got a rhythm, you've got a rhythm, all God's chillun
got a red hot rhythm"-over and over again, searching out
unabashed.
the snares of modern syncopation.
"All right, you girls, quiet!" snarled Andy Lee.
"Don't take too long," shouted Andy Lee. "I gotta work
"Wouldn't you know he'd put in his nickel's worth?"
with 'em, you know."
sneered Lorraine.
"Try Lonely little Lotte Nest,'' suggested Jerry.
"Wdl, are you dames willing that I oblige on the Stein-
"God, we got one of those?" muttered Ann, who was perma-
way?" shouted Jerry with daborate sarcasm. "Or do I have to nently disgruntled unless in close proximity to a gin high ball.
get permission from the Pope?" Jerry struck up the syrupy strains of the inevitable love motif.
No answer. There are times when it is not policy for a "Sounds like Dardanella," murmured Lorraine. For every
chorus girl to utter the wisecrack that is her birthright. theme song is reminiscent of a melody of former days.
"Come on then, take the first one!" said Jerry.
Lonely little love nest-waiting there for you-
I've got a rhythm-you've got a rhythm- Storing up its sunshine-and its skies of blue.
All God's chillun got a red hot rhythm- Lonely little someone waiting for your call
Ticka Tack Toe-Ticka Tack Toe-Ticka Tack Toe. Standing all alone-
Gotta go with 'em-gotta go with 'em-gotta go with 'em- you don't even phone-
Ticka Tack Toc-Ticka Tack Toe-Ticka Tack Toe. Gee, where can you be?
You'll find a movement that's most entrancing- Nights are dim and starless with your presence gone,
Something a Boston Cop just couldn't call dancing- Poverty seems far less than me all forlorn,
Ticka Tack Toe-Ticka Tack Toe-Ticka Tack Toe. Lonely little love nest, 'neath a shel'tring tree
Heds were pounding time on the floor. One or two with a Can't you hear its Love Call-meant for you and me?
quick ear had begun to hum the melody under their breaths. "And God bless mamma and papa," whispered Ann.
"The show's a flop," Ann Lowdl declared impressively. This particular song was destined to vanish from the present
"That ditty sounds like Joe Leblang's Love Call." production and appear a season later as Hot Cha Cha Mam ma
"All right, girls, take it with me and for God's sake watch by the simple expedient of changing the time. Jerry Cole
that 'E' flat on 'dancing','' cautioned Jerry. could not foresee this, however, so he labored with the mem-
It is wearisome business learning the many tunes which an bers of the chorus over its awful sentimentality.
optimistic composer has supplied. Some quietly disappear "If they spring any more like this we might as well run
after the first hearing, others linger until dress rehearsal night, out an' buy the tin cup an' pencils right now," prophesied
and often the hit song is not written until the show has been Phyllis O'Neill.
launched on its tryout week. At the left-hand corner of the stage Andy Lee's restless feet
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were twisting and turning in the most astounding evolutions. "Jerry, ask him up some night to frighten the children,"
Teddy Wright, one of the more experienced chorus men, stole whispered Ann Lowell.
a look at him. Pete Dexter pushed the pearl-gray hat far back on his head
"Gonna be a tough season," he declared. "Andy's gonna and came to business. "I got a great bet for you, Andy," he
have us hoppin' the buck like nobody's business." said in the manner of a monarch who bestows favors on an
There was an interruption at the stage entrance. After a humble subject.
rather spirited altercation with the door man, a theatrical Andy's shoulders hunched. "We're full up," he snapped.
agent appeared on the scene closely followed by a young lady Pete smiled. "Come here, Polly," he said, and Polly and
sporting ringlets and a mother. her curls trotted obediently to the footlights. Mother followed
Andy glanced at the becurled young lady, noted her supple at a safe distance.
walk and groaned, "Jeez, another bender." For benders are Pete placed a fatherly arm about Polly's shoulder. "This is
those agile young ladies who touch their toes to their noses Mr Lee, Polly," he explained with tender gravity.
without so· much as an extra breath. They are always accom- The would-be addition to the cast achieved a bow and
panied by mothers. The virginity of an acrobatic dancer is gulped, "How d'ye do." Andy nodded.
unquestioned. As Ann Lowell remarked, "Most of 'em aren't "I don't need no dancers, Pete," he repeated with gentle
out of a back bend long enough to lose it." insistence.
Mother and daughter lurked in the background, but the Pete was not dismayed. "Jus' take a look at the kid's rou-
agent, like the fool of the ancient proverb, rushed to the tine," he wheedled. "Hell, it don't cost you nothin'! You know
corner of the stage where Andy Lee awaited him. Andy's me-I'm blasc!-nothin' gives me much kick, an' I saw this
pose suggested a caged lion. kid stop the show so cold at the Jefferson that Will Mahoney
"H'lo Andy," carolled the agent. He was a dapper gentle- couldn't go on. And me applaudin' my hands off like a ten-
man boasting a mustache of the most splendid proportions year-old punk."
ever seen in the Palace lobby. He and Andy possessed one "Yeah?" said Andy with a disconcerting lack of interest.
secret in common-both were former hoofers. Andy, being a "Polly, dear, go put your clothes on," Pete ordered.
good one, had become a dance director; and Pete Dexter, "Lissen, Pete, I got a rehearsal here," Andy protested.
being a bad one, had turned agent. Most agents arc unsuccess- "'Twon't take three minutes," Dexter assured him. "And
ful performers who take subtle revenge on managers by you'll be crabbin' for the rest of your life if you miss this
inflicting upon them all sorts of toe dancers, acrobats and chance."
prima donnas. . Polly rejoined the Amazonian figure of her mother.
"Well, looks like you got a hit,'' said Pete Dexter, slouching "Where'll I change?" she piped. Pete looked to Andy Lee
beside Andy and surveying the little tableau of Jerry Cole and for a suggestion.
his singing choristers. "Tell her to go in any room," Andy said. He was mentally
14 42ND STREET;_ 42ND STREET
running through the routine he had arranged for the T.icka . Polly and her mother appeared from a downstage dressing
Tack Toe number. room and Andy clapped his hands loudly.
Polly and her mother disappeared. Pete pulled a cigarette "All right, girls," he called. "Move your chairs back to the
case from his pocket, offered it to Andy, displayed his ornate wall an' take a minute's rest."
lighter with due ostentation and then launched into the small A buzz of conversation spread over the stage. In the mad-
talk with which agents while away awkward moments. In- dening routine of rehearsal an audition is always a welcome
stantly the stage door man was at his heels. relief.
"Can't smoke in here," he growled. "Let's get a load of Front Split Flora," said Ann Lowell,
"Aw, Pop, have a heart," Pet.e begged. dragging her chair to the wall. "Mother looks like one of the
"Orders," said Pop and marched away. Four Horsemen."
Pete tossed the offending cigarette into the footlight trough. "Where's your music, Polly?" asked Pete Dexter.
Mother proffered an orchestration. Jerry Cole groaned.
"See you got Dorothy Brock in the show," he remarked.
"She probably chose some little thing from Debussy," he
"That girl has her nerve. She won't come to no good. Why,
muttered. The average pianist for a musical show is not a
do you know I called her up a month ago an' offered her the
quick reader and he dreads the moment when a fond parent
part an' she says she's not interested. An' the next thing I
will inflict on him a copy of the Love Death to be played
hear the James office has signed her for the part. That ain't as accompaniment to little Wilhelmina's toe dance.
playin' fair, you know. Not that I mind losin' the money-it's ~olly snatched the. music and, in a spasm of girlishness,
the psychology of the thing. God, who can ya trust, nowadays?" .skipped over to the piano.
He spread his hands in appeal to a remote justice. Andy "With everything waving in the breeze," Lorraine com-
muttered something unintelligible. ' mented inelegantly.
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'1' "An' I made that girl, too," Pete continued. "She didn't "What you got, kid?" Jerry inquired.
have nothin' but a back bend with a fan when I put her in "Three and a half choruses of Always, eight bars introduc-
Happy Days. Well-that's the breaks, I guess. Where the hell tion and the last sixteen bars fast for rolling splits," answered
is that kid?" Polly in one breath.
Andy was beginning to wonder the same thing. The lyric "Do you dance this with a fan?" Andy Lee asked.
rehearsal was on the verge of disbanding and Jerry Cole cast "No, she ain't got a fan," Mother broke into the conversa-
an inquiring eye in his direction. tion. "But she can use one-an' she does military buck an'
"I can't wait all day, Pete," he whined. An agent holds some Russian on her toes, too."
mesmeric power over the mightiest of Broadway's lords. Mother subsided with startling suddenness and Jerry began
Though time presses ever so fiercely they will spare a moment ·to play. The tempo was not right. It never is. The dancer
to look at some new proteg6-all protests to the contrary. who finds her accompaniment correct at an audition remains
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unknown. Bad music provides the perfect alibi. If one fails Came the question of salary.
in securing a coveted position, the pianist must shoulder the "The kid's all right," said Andy, opening the offensive.
blame. "She'll be the talk of Broadway," Pete asserted.
So now both Polly and her mother were humming loudly "How much does she want?" Andy's chin went up aggres-
and tunelessly in an endeavor to whip Jerry to the proper sively. ,
speed. "Well, I tell you, Andy, you know me-I always try to
"I think she'd better recite," commented Flo Perry. play fair. Now in vaudeville--"
The music was adjusted, Polly paid a frantic visit to the Andy snorted. "This ain't vaudeville-this is production,"
resin box, then signalled that she was ready. She danced he stated flatly.
remarkably. "Sure-sure-I know, but you gotta pay for talent," Dexter
"Like a zee-phyr/' Pete Dexter explained confidentially to objected, tugging at the vaselined tips of his mustache.
Andy. Her slim legs moved in poetic circles. She spun from "Well, how much?" Andy insisted.
one feat to another with disconcerting ease.
Dexter appeared to be considering. Polly, breathless and a
"Get them spotting walk-overs," breathed Pete ecstatically.
bit grimy, retired to the sheltering wing of her mother :who
In the distance Mother could be heard beating time with
was watching the proceedings with gimlet eyes.
her feet. When the accompaniment faltered she shouted an
"We'll say one seventy-five," Dexter offered.
angry "Dum di dum dum dum di dum dttm" to .Jerry.
"Aw nuts," swore Jerry under his bre<1,th. "We'll say one twenty-five," Andy Lee amended.
The awful moment of the rolling splits arrived. Mother
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"Aw, lissen, Andy. You know I can't do that. Why, I got
was tense with fear. Andy Lee forgot his boredom and this kid under contract and I guarantee her more than that."
watched the proceedings attentively. "One twenty-five, take it or leave it;" said Andy.
"I gotta spot in 'one' where we might use her," he said "But, lissen, Andy. She's a great bet. Looks-class--every-
doubtfully. thin'," Pete expostulated in a final burst of desperation.
"Lissen, the kid can dance on a dime," Pete Dexter promised "I tell ya she ain't worth more than that to me," said Andy.
him. "She's an artist. All the people I handle is artists." "Jeez, Pete, you know show business. Ya don't get money like
On the floor Polly was turning like a human St. Catherine's that for bein' a high kicker unless you're an Evelyn Law or
wheel. This was the stunt known technically as "rolling splits" a Hoffman girl."
and it constitutes the aim of every dancer's existence, a sure Pete Dexter sighed. He had privately expected a maximum
fire finish. Jerry obediently accelerated the tempo. Polly con- offer of one hundred dollars and a giddy feeling of relief
tinued to spin, Mother beat time and Pete Dexter sensed by surged through him.
the gleam in Andy Lee's eye that he had sold another per- "Well, I wouldn't do it for nobody but you, Andy," he
former. wailed.
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Lee strove to look sardonic. "Yeah-me an' Ziegfdd an' get that much. You're livin' at home. You can be with your
Dillingham an' the Shuberts," he corrected. }I husband."
Pete Dexter was the picture of abject martyrdom. "The drunken bum," put in Mrs Blair.
"I'll go talk it over with her mother," he murmured. . Dexter passed over the suggestion of domestic incom-
"Okay, but don't bring that gorilla near me," Andy warned patibility. "You're playin' in a New York production, Polly
him. "She looks like the Battle Hymn of the Republic." can take her singing lessons and you only got eight shows a
Pete Dexter went over to Polly and Mrs Blair. Gone was week." From Mr Dexter one gained the impression that he
the downcast expression. Mr Dexter was positively beaming. had rubbed Aladdin's lamp and lo, Polly's path was heaped
"Well, kids, it's all set," he glowed. high with luxuries.
Polly expressed her appreciation with a slow back kick. "An' outta that I gotta pay you ten per cent commission and
Mother's face shone with all the radiance of a totem pole. I gotta join Equity," Mrs Blair complained. "I'd sooner play
"How about money?" she demanded. .for Fanchon and Marco."
"The money's all right," Pete Dexter soothed her. "Better Dexter's jaw clamped in a hard line. "Now get this," he
than I thought." threatened. "I can take Polly an' put her with the rest of the
"Well, how much?" stars on Bro~dway or I can send her back to playin' cans for
"Now, lissen, Mother. Ya know ya can't ask the same price the rest of her life. I got influence in this town. These other
in production that you do in vaudeville. The market's over- guys, James, Brown, Lyons, they're just pikers, but I deliver
crowded. Why, I know twenty agents want to get specialty the goods. Look at these other people-look at Dorothy Brock,
dancers in this show-only I got entry. If Andy Lee wasn't a ._ she was like Polly when I got a hold of her, just a specialty
particular friend of mine you wouldn't get a look in." • :dancer, and between you an' me her left leg kick was lousy,
Pete was every inch the benevolent deus ex machina. • · but I put her in the Winter Garden for a hundred a week an'
"Don't try to stall me," cried Mrs Blair. "I want to know she was glad to get it. Now Polly's got a kick that Brock in
how much Polly is goin' to get for this job." her best days never owned, she looks class and there's no
"One hundred and twenty-five a week," snapped Dexter. reason why she won't be up in that four-figure column along
"A hundred and twenty-five," Mrs Blair screeched. "Polly, with Brock in a few years if you'll lissen to reason."
go put your clothes on. You've been insulted." He paused, seeing that the torrent of persuasion was bat-
"But, Ma," Polly protested. tering down the woman's resistance. Mrs Blair displayed signs
"Leave me handle this. You go get your clothes. One hun• of weakening.
dred and twenty-five dollars! He's gotta lotta nerve and I've "But we can't live on that," she objected. "Why, Polly's got
a good mind to tell him so." singin' lessons, her buck, her horseback ridin' and her saxo- ·
Pete Dexter laid a restraining hand on her arm. phone, and God knows she can't expect nothin' from her
"No use raisin' a row," he said. "Lottsa girls'd be glad to father."
42ND STREET 42ND STREET 2I
Pete Dexter was quick to press his advantage. "One season "Oh, boy, here go those varicose veins," murmured Teddy
on Broadway an' she can name her price anywhere," he Wright.
vowed. "You gotta be known." "Quiet!" snapped Andy. Teddy ducked out of sight behind
"Well, I'll take your advice, Mr Dexter," Mother capitu- a languid show girl.
lated. Wearily Jert~eat out the refrain of Ticka Tack Toe, time
"I knew you would, I knew you would-an' believe me you and time ag'Mn. He was beginning to sicken of the tune al-
won't regret it. Why, I got Polly's interest at heart-an' you ready and there were five more weeks; Jerry began to cogi-
know I got some of the biggest people in show business signed tate on the comparatively happy life of a deep sea diver.
under me. Come over to the office sometime an' I'll show From one-thirty~o'6ve they were on their feet save for a
you their contracts." short interlude of ten .minutes. Already Andy Lee was run-
"I hope we're not making a mistake," moaned Mrs Blair. ning true to form. The routines were baffling. Many a girl
"It's perfect, Mother, it's perfect. Now you stick around retired weeping to a corner following the caustic comment
here an' watch the rehearsals an' I'll run over to the office an' of the dance director. It was said of Lee that he got results.
get an Equity contract. Polly may have to dance for the Big On opening night he never failed to present a well-trained
Boss but don't worry, it's all set-whatever Andy Lee says- machine. There were feet that moved mechanically, fed by
goes!" some unquenchable force which overcame the tasks imposed
Mrs Blair retired to a settee at the rear of the stage. In front upon them. The thought of a season's work in a success
of her all was activity. Their brief recess ended, the chorus spurred on these boys and girls. Past the limits of human
were falling into position under the shrewd eye of Andy Lee. endurance they went-day in, day out; dancing until blisters
"Come on, make it snappy now," he barked. "Little girls became festered sores, dancing until their very brains reeled
in front, boys in back, show girls in the rear. Y'see, the set is and limbs responded automaton fashion to the shrill anger in
the garden of a Long Island home and you girls are on the Andy Lee's voice. Dancing from ten in the morning until
verandah. Now, Mr John Phillips comes down an' there's midnight then taking their aching bodies to bed where the
some dialogue which I'll give you later an' then into the twitching of outraged muscles and ligaments made hideous
number. All right, Jerry!" · the hours before dawn. Five weeks, like centuries, that must
Jerry played the chorus of Ticka Tack Toe. Andy Lee turned be laughed through somehow to achieve the Promised Land-
his back and sketched through a series of steps. There were a successful season.
apprehensive gasps. No doubt now that Andy Lee planned The "numbers" that Andy Lee staged were always success-
to outdo himself on this show, and that meant a laborious five ful. He was lucky that way. And so the chorus grinned and
weeks. The old timers shuddered, the new girls and boys practiced a new routine. In the stifling August heat such
looked on unknowing. They were to be the butt of Andy activities breed madness, yet the show must go on. They
Lee's gibes in the awful month that followed. were not human beings with whom Apdy Lee was dealing,
.!
~·\ ...
.

but a well-ordered row of dancing shoes strangely vitalized, kittens," Flo Perry groaned. "Give me the Living Curtain
slow in comprehending at times through sheer fatigue, but any day."
dancing shoes that would be reduced to the mechanical per- They kept on grimly because they must, for if Andy Lee
fection that marked all Andy Lee's work. were displeased he was privileged to dismiss any one of them
Lee's small eyes would gleam vindictively. His voice was and then the heart-breaking search for employment began all
the flick of a whip, wounding unbearably where no hurt was over again.
needed. Five weeks! Five weeks! I've got a rhythm-you've got a rhythm-
And eveniih the thing was not ended. After the opening All God's chillun got a red hot rhythm-
night woul , me endless changes. Whole numbers over Ticka Tack Toe-Ticka Tack Toe-Ticka \f.fack Toe.
which they · , , labored for many days would be ruthlessly
..
1
torn out, to be replaced by others even more difficult.

A chorus girl seldom sees t~e daylight when she is in
rehearsal. Fro_p:i nine in the morning until after midnight she
is pledged to ft!r Great God Amusement-and Andy Lee was
one of his mightiest apostles.
Someday the Uncle Tom's Cabin of the chorus girl will be
written. Until then it is pleasant to picture a young, rather
3
immoral young lady who finds her niche in some musical
show and thus established s9' out on a continual round of ...
pleasure. For Oll<:~~~horns f~<egathcr and strive to relieve
with drinking ly fatigue induced by countless re·
hearsals, and the wor bristles with indignation at what it
P derfoot," she accused. Flo Perry s&d at her.
EGGY SAWYER SURVEYED HER BRUISED TOES RUEFULLY. "TEN-
"Puppies on the bum?" she asked.

terms a theatrical orgy. Peggy nodded. "This is pretty tough for the first day, isn't
And yet, what else offers itsdf? After a soul-racking day of
it?" she ventured.
tapping feet and swinging arms it is rather difficult to retire
Flo Perry made a vicious jab with her powder puff. "Yeah,
to a lonely bedroom and stare at unfriendly walls.
but that lousy bum's a slave driver. I remember in Paris Nights
The human mind demands some other outlet.
we had a dance on a tree and eight girls used to faint regular
So now the piano drummed, "I've got a rhythm-you've got
a rhythm-all God's chillun got a red hot rhythm,'' over and every night."
over again. The craze for broken time dances had arrived and Peggy's eyes opened wide in consternation. "I hope I'll be
Andy Lee was a devotee of this complicated art. able to stand it," she murmured. "My-my heart isn't very
"In ten more minutes I'll go right out in the alley and have good."
., I
24 , 42ND STB.l!ET 42NJ) STREET
i
"Well, don't let the old buzzard get you; he always has to The circumstances of her selection remained vividly in
have some goat to pick on and he generally goes for the new Peggy's memory. First there had been the morning visit to
girls," Flo Perry advised her. Equity. Her friends assured her that was the quickest method.
They crawled wearily out of their practice clothes. In of learning who was producing the show. At the Actors'
deference to a time-honored custom there was no rehearsal Association she was informed that Julian Marsh was planning
that first night. an audition for chorus girls the next morning. Julian Marsh
"I'll bet that hurt Old Man Lee," Flo commented. "He'd engagements were much sought after because of his reputa-
keep us on our feet twenty-four hours if the Boss would tion as a shrewd and careful show man, so she determined to
let him." be on hand at the Forty-Fifth Street Theatre where the "call"
. "Is Mr Julian Marsh really the Big Man?" asked Peggy. was to take place•
"Sure-Marsh is the works around here, all right," Flo An audition is always a memorable adventure. Peggy
answered. "He always gets the damndest gang of rats to found the theatre with little difficulty and jammed her way
I past a score of girls lounging in the doorway. As usual there
work with him. Seems like he goes looking behind old brooms
an' things to find a lotta muggs so he'll appear to be Ye was a delay, for history reveals no audition which has begun
Perfect Gentleman by contrast. He's a wise baby, that Marsh." at the appointed hour. The powers that be are so constituted
"I liked him," said Peggy. that a prompt arrival is impossible.
From inside the theatre came a veritable Babel of voices.
"Don't let the Oxford accent fool you, girlie. Marsh can
The Broadway chorus girl in her many-hued glory had
be as big a bastard as the rest of 'em when he puts his mind
turned out for this special occasion. There were ladies in
to it."
ermine coats, carrying Pekinese dogs, whose manners were
Privately Peggy thought Flo's remarks were nonsense, but most excellent counterfeits of Park Avenue. Eyeing them with
at this stage of the game it would be unwise to question the ill-concealed disgust, were the over-rouged, over-dressed Broad-
word of such a veteran of the ensemble. way chorus girls who knew a soft shoe dance from a waltz
"My clothes are wringing wet," she said, to change the clog, but whose ideas of dress must have been gained in some
subject. "Guess I'd better take them back to the hotel and bizarre and as yet undiscovered corner of the universe. There
wash them out." are many who claim it is an uncharted land not far from the
"Yeah. Time to get out the old box of Lux again," Flo Palace Theatre.
agreed. Then she asked curiously. "This your first show?" "Did you have a goqd summer at Deauville?" asked a soft
"Yes, I'm a greenhorn from New England," Peggy ad- voice at Peggy's shoulder.
·mitted. "Yes, dear, but H. M. can be impossible at times," responded
"Funny Lee picked you. He generally goes for the old another voice. Her English accent would have incited an
timers," said Flo. Oxford graduate to homicide.
,I
42ND STREET
42ND STREET 2'J
These gorgeous, orchidaceous creatures were. show girls. was Marsh who introduced soft lights and scrim drops into
Their exquisitely formed bodies adorned advertisements f?r the revue, who molded ballets into the chaotic pattern of a
hosiery and lingerie. Their photographs wer~ to be seen. m musical show.
lobbies, holding coyly to some leaf or mandolm as protectl?n No one questioned the intellect of Julian Marsh. He played
from the lascivious stares of mankind. One of the two ladies to perfection the bored man of the world who had turned
sported a cane and Peggy stifled a gasp at the mono~le ja~med to the stage as a child that seeks relief in some elaborate toy.
tightly into her right eye. Surely this was the dermer en. The He always managed an entrance surrounded by cohorts of
show girls moved away with that swaying w~k which ~mes secretaries and yes-men. His clothes were impeccable, his
after many evenings of parading down a flight of stairs as taste in cravats vivid but unerring. There was just the faintest
the Spirit of Love or the Spirit of Music. trace of an Oxford accent in his speech.
Two derisive little choristers gaped after them. Andy Lee, standing only shoulder-high to the great man,
"Get Minnie the Mountaineer," jeered one, indicating with barked, "Quiet, please."
her thumb milady who carried the cane. The dart shot home A secretary echoed this command. As though by common
and quivered in the show girl's none too acute mind. She consent the great wedge of chorus girls occupying center
turned in regal anger. stage moved to the rear, crowding against those who had
"I'll give you a swift kick in the fanny, you little bitch," captured the few available chairs and benches.
she yapped. For swans should never leave the lake and show There is a sinister armosphere in a darkened theatre.
girls must remain forever mute. . . Shadows play eerily over the walls, thrown into bold relief
The rumblings of battle were dispersed by a disturbance m by the solitary light which is planted center stage whenever
the auditorium of the theatre. Someone had entered through the house is vacated. The men moving about in the first three
the front of the house and was walking down the aisle toward rows of the orchestra were half-seen gods possessed of mighty
the orchestra pit. A tense hush fell over the gathering. powers. Theirs the right to withhold or dispense the much
"There's Marsh," someone whispered. sought-after job. Permanent waves were pushed into place,
"Andy Lee's with him," another added. bobbed hair straightened with a few deft passes of the comb,
Peggy craned her neck to see the fabled Julian Marsh, powder compacts held up to the uncertain light for a frantic
sybarite among producers, by his own adm~ssion the elect of moment and then shut with determined snaps.
the gods. Like many others, Marsh had climbed the ladder Andy Lee, peering near-sightedly at the assemblage, deigned
from actor to manager. Possessed of an unerring instinct for an occasional smile as he recognized some familiar face.
business which he skillfully wedded to a sense of the artistic, Those who had worked for him before crowded to the foot-
Marsh was now at the height of his power. Illiterate Jewish lights in the hope of being recognized.
theatre owners with no feeling for art except its echo at the For several minutes this state of affairs existed, while Julian
box office sought Marsh because of his reputed smartness. It Marsh and Andy Lee held conferences. These little heart-ta.
l'ENNBSSEE.STATE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
I 28 42ND STREET 42ND STREET ~
heart talks are part and parcel of an audition. What is decided of girls form here,'' indicating with his pencil an imaginary
remains a mystery, but for ten minutes producer and dance line running parallel to the lights. .
director talk heatedly, with frequent snarls of "Quiet! Quiet, For all their eagerness the girls seemed abashed. Each hesi-
ladies!" from a well groomed secretary. tated to rush forward, fearing that such an attitude might
''I'll get a ticket for parking my Rolls overtime," muttered indicate too desperate need of employment.
one of the show girls, giving a vicious twist to one of the two "Come along, girls," Andy Lee urged impatiently.
silver foxes adorning her neck. The monocled show girl and her friend stepped into the
She was overheard. Show girls are always overheard. breach majestically. They were blue ribbon specimens and
"I hope to God they hold that special Bronx express they're knew it.
I runnin' for me," whispered one of the dancing girls with A titter ran through the gathering as they caught sight of
malicious intent. the glass jammed into the eye of the taller godd~ss, but sh.ow
The shaft fell on deaf ears. "And my chauffeur has to be at girls are oblivious to the laughter of the less glorious dancing
Wall Street by five-thirty," the glorified one continued. girls. They took up their vantage point with an air of match,
"Just a good mattress for some tired business man," sneered less boredom.
the little chorus girl, and then a savage "Quiet!" from the "Would you mind putting down that dog?" suggested Andy
secretary. Lee mildly.
They waited there like restless inhabitants of some half "Oh, I cawn't do that," protested the monocled one. "Fifi
world moving through dim shadows. In sheer desperation a goes crazy the minute I leave her alone." And Fifi remained
young thing of no more than sixteen years fell to practicing in the arms of her mistress.
a time step. The tender sensibilities of Julian Marsh were "Any more show girls?" yelled the secretary.
outraged. · Four more trooped over to the front of the stage. Trailed is
"If there is any more of this unseemly noise I shall post- perhaps the appropriate word. A show girl'~ walk is in-
pone the audition," he warned. The buck dance ceased with imitable; compared with her, Mrs Vanderbilt becomes a
agonized celerity. gawky parvenue. . .
"They must be telling all they know," said Peggy's neighbor When twelve ladies had presented themselves for mspect1on
in a discreetly subdued voice. Andy Lee advanced to the very edge of the orchestra pi~ .. He
"If they were just doin' that this conference would've been leaned his arms on the brass rail which separates musmans
over long since," her friend replied. and audience and scrutinized the first batch with a keen eye.
Came signs of action. A table was produced from the dark "First lady in green step forward," he ordered. A slender
realm of the property room and placed at the extreme right young woman, who modelled for some of the foremost shops
of the stage. The secretary stepped over the footlight trench, on the A vem,l:e .,in her spare time, marched one pace in front
surveyed the crowd of applicants and shoute<;l, "First group of her less foltill\ate sisters;
,,
'
~
,, · ... {
'/
:/. \,
'
r
'1 .f'
~L
r1 30 42ND STREET
"The lady with the dog," suggested Julian Marsh.

42ND STREET 31
overseer only to b,e told, "Sorry, there's no room for you,"
This was the occasion for parley as Andy Lee alw_ays dis- and t~_grind starts over again.
played antipathy toward the owners of Pck:inese. His wife Peggf~er held her own in the competition. A producer
had devoted years of slavish devotion to one of the little invariably recognizes a fresh recruit to Broadway. Only one
beasts. But Marsh's word was law. Fifi and her mistress were year is neceuary to add the hard veneer to that outward love-
enrolled for the edification of New York's musical comedy liness, and fortunate the man who can fill his ensemble with
public. the unspoiled children clamoring at the gates of theatredom.
From the first line three were chosen. The daughter of a minister of Paris, Maine, cannot but look
"Well, good-by, dear," drawled Fifi's owner to her girl different from •the hard-boiled sisterhood of Tifues Square.
friend. "No doubt I'll be seeing you at the Mayfair some · ·The mills of Broadway's gods grind swiftly but as yet they
Saturday." had had little chance to reduce Peggy Sawyer to the common
"Will those young ladies whom I've selected please give mold.
their names and addresses to Mr Squires," said Marsh. "And
then pass quietly out of the theatre as we want to get through So now she was a full-fledged chorus girl. Even those
this with as little trouble as possible." blistered toes were a badge of success. She pulled on her
Mr Squires was busy with pencil and paper. stockings.
"One Fifty-Six West Forty-Seventh Street," volunteered the "Gonna eat downtown?" Flo Perry asked.
Venus in green. "I think so. I'm living over here on Forty-Third Street, the
"Fifi and I are at Three Thirty-Three Park Avenue," said Hotel Windsor," Peggy answered. It was incredible how the
Miss Monocle with obvious relish. simple act of putting on one's shoes hurt.
"I'll bet her homework is tough," hissed one of the dancers. "You'll get used to that," said Flo, observing Peggy's strug-
Selecting girls is wearisome business. For two hours, row gle. "Wait till dress rehearsal."
after row shulHed to the footlights to undergo the inspection "That tap dancing is terribly hard," Peggy complained.
of Julian Marsh and Lee. Back and forth, weeding out the "Wei~ you know what they say about the first fifty years.
undesirables, the axe of dismissal fell inexorably. From a Only it's the first hundred in show business. Want to cat
multitude of three hundred, some sixty had' to be chosen, and with Ann and me? I'm yearning to throw my body in front
of these twenty would be dropped in little more than a week. of a tenderloin steak."
The Chorus Equity allowed a producer ten days' grace to "You're sure--" Peggy began.
find any unsuitability in the ranks of his chorus; after that no "Now don't get delicate," interrupted Flo. "We're glad to
dismissal was permitted without the payment of two weeks' have you."
salary. One may work at fever heat to please an exacting "I'd love to. I'm meeting some friends of mine about eight
r1 32 42ND STREET
o'clock but there's nothing ~ do until then except to drop

42ND STltEET 33
"Just pulling the Ritz," Flo explained, "She probably goes
into a picture," Peggy admitted. home on a bicycle."
Ann Lowell drooped into the dressing room. "God, that "Isn't she the girl who lives on Park Avenue?" asked Peggy.
guy's heartless," she complained. "Two days more of this and "Yes, dear, complete with her sugar daddy. She'll probably
it's back to the ribbon counter for little Annie." be marked 'X' in the diagram of a well known murder one
"Miss-Miss-wdl, anyway, she's coming to dinner with of these days," Ann replied.
us," said Flo, abruptly terminating Ann's woeful litany. Peggy was shocked but contrived not to show it. One gets
"I'm Peggy Sawyer," Peggy explained. hardened to these things in time and the philosophical ac·
"Well, I'm Flo and this is Ann, so let's take our tin hips to ceptance of Diana's methods by Flo and Ann taught Peggy
the British Tea Room." many things. Diana with her Rolls Royce and her Park
"I've eaten there so much I'm beginning to look like the Avenue flat was an integral part of Broadway.
place," Ann whimpered .. As Flo explained succinctly, "Just one of Broadway's whore·
"Oh, don't be like that. It's the nearest place, and I'm not ified girls."
dreaming of walking these I. Miller's any further than Forty· In a dark corner they came upon Polly Blair and her
Eighth Street," Flo demurred. mother. The old harridan was laying down the law to her
rebellious offspring.
"Okay. But you know the last time I ate there I woofed
"No, you can't eat now," she snapped. "Here's a swell
the cookies," said Ann.
chance to practice your nip-ups without payin' for a rehearsal
"Well, lobster always makes you sick," Flo returned. hall, an' a dollar's a dollar these days."
"Come on then! Ready, Peggy?" "But, Ma, I'm so hungry," Polly blubbered.
"Sure!" Peggy responded happily. "All right to leave my "Hungry, my eye! Didn't you eat three plates o' beef stew
practice clothes here?" this noon? That's plenty for any growin' girl. You'll be put-
"Nobody touches 'em, although after a couple of weeks' tin' on weight if you're not careful and then who'll give ya
rehearsing they're apt to get up and walk away by themselves," a job?"
said Ann with grim humor. "I can't work in this light, Mal Honest, I'll get up early
Outside the dressing room a swarm of girls were making tomorrow. I'm dead. Three hours in the studio this mornin',
the final preparations for departure. Diana Lorimer, the an' the audition--"
monocled owner of Fifi, was fretting. "Shut up before I smack you one. That's the gratitude I
"I don't understand what ddayed the car!" She tapped a get for slavin' an' runnin' a lousy boarding house all these
forty-dollar slipper on the floor in well bted impatience. years. Don't you wanna be famous? Ain't you got no ambi-
"Get her!" whispered Ann. "She certainly upsets one. What tion? Here ya go landin' a class show an' you begin to bawl
does she think she is-the Spirit of Equity?" an' snivd like a two-year-old. I never seen the likes of it."
t,
' I
I 34 42ND STREET 42ND STREET 35
"If I get 'em good tonight can I go to a movie?" queried of many of Broadway's daughters. A chorus girl eats with the
the girl dancer hopefully. daintiness of a debutante, her hand holds the fork at just the
"We'll see how the money holds out," said her mother proper angle; if, on occasion, her voice grows shrill she is
grudgingly. "Go on, now, get out there on that apron and hushed by more prudent companions. Only a sharp-eared
let's see the nip-ups." listener could gather that these ladies with their well modu-
Polly walked to the middle of the stage with a lagging step. lated voices and unimpeachable etiquette were chorus girls.
"For God's sake, we ain't got all night. Get warmed up and On entering the British Tea Room one is subjected to an
then show me something," Mrs Blair snarled. "Don't forget open fire of curious glances. Actors instinctively recognize
your resin, else you might slip an' break somethin'." their kin and the sight of some well known face provides
Polly raised her hands high above her head and bent back- enough "dirt dishing" for an entire meal.
wards, her thin body describing a perfect loop. She remained There were various coteries present when the three girls
in that position for a full minute, swaying back and forth, entered. At a table near the door an earnest group of young
her mouth hanging open in sheer fatigue. "Theatre Guilders" had gathered, their youthful faces puck-
The three girls passed through the stage door into a canyon- ered with the burden of carrying the weight of the theatrical
like alleyway between two skyscrapers. "Stage mothers," said world on their shoulders. These disdainful youngsters were
Ann. "God damn every one of 'em! That old bat'll have her apart from the motley; the fancy that they were torch bearers
pride an' joy in the grave in about five more years." to a newer and better regime intrigued them, and so one
"And a little child shall feed them," said Flo. heard murmurs of Eugene O'Neill and St John Ervine (with
"Pop" bade them a ceremonious good night, for the door- the "Sin Jen" precisely articulated) wafting from their nook.
keeper is always the chorus girls' friend. He runs their er- Ann Lowell flashed them a look. "Christ and his Apostles
rands, makes their telephone calls and in dull moments got here first," she commented. The remark is not so irrev-
r~inisces about the dear days when he, too, trod the boards erent as it sounds. On Broadway the Theatre Guild cult has
in New York City. And those were the days! assumed the role of a local Deity. At present they were joining
They wormed their way through the snarl of traffic and hands to show how an intimate musical show should be pro-
entered the British Tea Room. New York is the happy hunt· duced, and admittedly they had succeeded beyond all expec-
ing ground for such establishments. At reasonable cost the tations. In the year of Peggy's first venture on Broadway such
tea room gratifies the actor's desire for Bohemian surround- names as Rodgers and Hart, Betty Starbuck, Romney Brent
ings, good food, and an atmosphere at once congenial and yet and Libby Holman were just commencing their ascension
subtly refined. For all performers are refined at dinner time into the bright heaven of Broadway's luminaries.
(though one might make an exception in the case of female Flo located a table near the wall which commanded a
blues singers). It is only after the theatre, during the progress strategic view of the door. "Now nobody'll get in or out
of some hotel party, that one glimpses the congenital vulgarity without my knowing it," she affirmed, settling herself as
(,
42ND STREET 42N D STREET 37
comfortably as possible on the inadequate chair. It is part of tween her and starvation except a flat on Park Avenue and a
the tea room ritual to see that the guest is made uncomfort- wealthy gentleman on Wall Street. The wages of sin are
able. To achieve this end all sorts of furnishings are crowded generally from ~.50 per week-and up." .
into the dining room so that one is shoved into a far corner "She's only kidding," Flo put in. "Some of those kids m
amidst a display of dubious antiques, and elbows and shins the show are so pure they'd make a Methodist deacon blu~h
are scraped during the course of the dinner. with shame. You can go wrong in any line of work, but m
Over their ''blue plate specials" the two more experienced show business they do grease the rails a little."
girls sounded the depths of Peggy's knowledge and found "I should think you'd be so dead after a day with Andy
them reasonably shallow. Lee that sin would be the last thing to enter your head,"
I. "So .this is your first offense?" said Flo. Peggy laughed. . .,
"Except a home talent show in Portland, Maine," Peggy "Oh, nothing ever happens dunng rehearsals; its tryout
assented. week when you need your tin drawers. And look out for. the
Ann shook her head dolefully. "It isn't worth it," she de- baritones! A tenor isn't so bad, in fact he's apt to be a sister
clared. "Why don't you go back to those beautiful cows and in disguise, but, oh boy, those baritones-hair on their chest
that thar mountain air?" and fever heat temperature."
"Oh, we sweet young things have to descend on Broadway "She's been in a Shubert operetta, she ought to know," Flo
once in a while," Peggy protested. "Don't worry-I'll learn." pointed out.
"Well, here's where I open the carpet sweeper and let out "No, on the level," Ann maintained. "For some reason or
some dirt," Ann decided. "We've got to keep you a good girl other a girl's resistance reaches a new low when she plays
until we play Atlantic City. After that, God knows what will Atlantic City or Philadelphia. Boston isn't so bad becau~e you
happen once the buyers get to you." can always feed the pigeons on the Common and avoid the
"This head is tight on my two shoulders," Peggy assured facts of life. But those other two burgs. Why, I'd do almost
them. anything to avoid a Sunday in Philly!" .
"Dearie, you need more than common sense," Flo explained. "When to say 'no' and when not to is one of the world's
"With some of these guys, brains won't get you a thing." trickiest decisions/' Flo interjected. "Now, if Andy Lee asks
"I think everybody exaggerates so," Peggy argued. "Why> you out to lunch just 'yes' him to death, but if he suggests
from what you read in the papers I expected to find seduction supper say 'no,' girlie, say 'no'!" . .
waiting for me at every corner." "But can't a girl eat supper with a man without becoming
"Oh, good old Sex is still bouncing about," Ann agreed immoral?" Peggy inquired.
sagely. "The trick is to recognize it when you see it and "She probably can, but it isn't worth the trouble because
holler, 'Take off that beard, I know you.' Oh, us girls have no one will believe her. And one thing you've got to learn-
a tough time of it; pity the poor chorine with nothing be- whatever you do in show business, it's exaggerated a hundred
r! 38 4 :2 N D S T Jl E E T
times. If you. have supper with a man you're his mistress;

42ND STREET
"The grease paint's sure got Flo," Ann sighed, linking her
39
nobody in this game wants to believe good of his friends." arm with Peggy's. "I'll walk you to your hotel. The boy
"So just watch your step and pal around with girl friends friend don't meet me for an hour yet."
even when the orchids start showering," Flo advised. They proceeded slowly through the early theatre crowds
"Sure," Ann seconded. "I always see the shadow of an that were milling about Times Square. Although the sun
abortion hanging over every corsage I pin to my swelling was still slanting over the massive buildings many of the
bosom." theatres shone with an extravagant electrical display.
The discussion hung like an evil cloud over the remainder 1 "You know, Flo will spend her last dime to see some damn
of the dinner. The dark byways suggested to Peggy's mind by ' fool movie actor. Thank God, I've got sense enough to know
the words of Ann and Flo were terrifying and yet-inviting. there's something in the world besides the show game. Ya
The Theatre Guild crowd was dispersing. Flo listened to gotta look at it from all sides," Ann philosophized.
their gay banter. Peggy breathed deeply. "It is fascinating, though,'' she said.
"They slay me!" she groused. "There they go, just rattling "I don't suppose there's another sight in the world like that."
with culture and not one of 'em earns more than fony bucks She indicated the glitter of electricity.
a week." Ann remained unimpressed. "Yeah!" she assented. "It's
"But they get a. great kick out of it," Ann reminded her. flashy, an' the yokels love it. But to me it's just a lot of light."
"And if you laugh at show business you've got the whole On either side moved the motley of Times Square: gam-
racket licked. It's the only way." · blers, racketeers, sightseers and show folk. The cheapness of
"It's tough trying to laugh when you've got five bucks be- Broadway is stark and vivid. It dashes on the senses in a
tween yourself and the breadline," said Flo. "That's where series of shocks. The women of Broadway are coarse and
those kids are lucky. They've got folks with dough." over painted, the men tough and avid-eyed. The clamor of
The dinner ended, they divided the check three ways, left traffic thunders between its rows of tall buildings, and even
their tips and departed. the sky above is painted yellow from the lights. The illumina·
"Ramon Novarro's at the Capitol," said Flo. "I think I'll tion is like hard sunlight, you can feel the heat from the signs
drag the body over there. Want to come along?" as you pass along the street. A few blocks to the west reigns
"I'm meeting friends at the hotel," Peggy apologized. squalor; to the east stands the lofty splendor of Park Avenue;
"And a boy friend from way out in Ohio is dragging me but the stream of Broadway runs undimmed, a thing apart.
to the Winter Garden," said Ann. "One of those kids you Into it pour poverty and wealth; they meet, converge in the
knew when--" mutual quest for pleasure, and then retire leaving Broadway
"Oh, well, myself's good enough company," Flo opined. to shriek in untiring raucousness.
"Skip the gutter I" She hurried off in the direction of Fiftieth A dull glow illumined the globe atop the Paramount
Street. Theatre, Times Square's newest landmark. The radiant hands
"
'
of the clock pointed to seven forty-five. Broadway was awak- When she entered the lobby her step was elastic, despite
ing to its evening life. Crowds were disgorged from the sub-' the rigorous day just passed.
way kiosks at Forty.Second Street. They Bowed over the .., J • • .. .. , .. .,. • • ,,,. . . . ,,,,.,., .. - - - · . . . .,. • • .. • .. • • ... ..,.""'
pavement relentless as a tide. The theatre signs seemed to in-

crease in frenzy. Broadway was a world gone mad with elec-
trical display.
The two girls reached the corner of Forty-Third Street
and paused.
"Won't you come up a minute?" Peggy invited.
4
Ann shook her head. "I'll get there early so the boy friend
can treat me to a drink," she decided. "No use in letting him
off too easy."
"Then I'll see you at rehearsal," said Peggy. "You've been A_NDY LEE TOOK IN nm ROOM AT A GLANCE, A DISORDER OF
swell, both of you. I don't know many people in New York." f i finery was apparent everywhere. Discarded clothes bil-
"Are these friends from the home town you're meetin' lowed from the rocking chair, lingerie covered the bed. Under
tonight?" asked Ann curiously. the chaise longue the red slippers which were Amy's particular
"Yes, two girls from the Pine Tree State who went Green- pride lay on their sides as though brusquely kicked out of
wich Village. I'm going home with them to get my weekly the way. From the shower in the room beyond came the
injection of culture." sound of Amy's voice hymning the charms of Charley, My
"I s'pose that's okay if you like it. Personally I never went Boy in a tuneless monotone. Andy saw his Paris dressing
in for the big words much," said Ann. "Well, see you tomor- gown crumpled on the closet floor as though someone had
row." trampled upon it with thoughtless feet. In front of the'
"At ten o'clock," Peggy reminded her. , window lay the evenii:ig paper in fine disarray, a breeze rus-
"Goe\, yes; once more I start getting up in the middle of tling through its pages with a sort of stiff whisper. Andy's
the night," Ann groaned. thumbs hooked themselves in the straps of his belt and he
They bade one another good-by and Peggy started toward stood, hat far back on his head, surveying the scene.
the hotel. It was one of those institutions known as a "family "Married life!" he soliloquized. "Give this little sucker a
hotel" and catered chiefly to out-of-town visitors of modest great big hand." He went through the pantomime of a left
means. hook to the jaw.
Things were progressing nobly. Her first day at rehearsal Unwitting, Amy began to shrill:
and she had made two friends; everyone said the show wou11
be a hit. Perhaps Broadway wasn't so impregnable after all. Love when you love, then I'll be h+p-p-y.
r: 42ND STRBET 42ND STREET
43
"Any time,'' muttered Andy Lee grimly. The hissing of so early. And the weather's so awful I've spent an hour in
the shower ceased abruptly and he heard Amy curse as she the bath. See how lovely I am."
stepped on the bath mat. No doubt the floor would be a pud- She opened her kimono with a deliberate gesture. He tried
dle of soapy water by the time he got in there to shave and to avert his eyes but Amy's smile compelled him to look.
Amy's things would stretch over all the corners; dirty towels When he finally wrenched away his gaze, he breathed like a
flung down anywhere; jars of powder and cold cream; a man tormented.
white comb with hairs still clinging to it-and, worst of all, "Still fighting me, Big Boy?" she taunted him.
the scent of Amy's body. No, he'd wait half an hour even He got up without answering and strode over to the bath-
though it meant being delayed at dinner. He stooped down room. "Why the hell don't you pick up after you?" he
to retrieve the paper. shouted.
"Hello, Honey," called his wife, opening the bathroom "Trying to start a battle, dear?" she asked. "It won't work,
door. He looked up to see her advancing upon him, the sleek I feel too lazy. The room'll cool off in a few minutes and
kimono drawn tightly about her figure. The swaying of her then you can go in and splash 'round to your heart's content.
hips fascinated him; somehow Amy achieved a melody in It must have been terrible working today."
movement. It was that very thing which had snared him, the "Never mind," he shot out. "It helps pay for a new car."
feeling of rhythm in her body as she danced under his instruc- "What a sweetheart you are to think of that," she trilled.
tion. She had been lissome and graceful, and even now, when "Desiree and I were looking at some of the sweete~ models
the fat crept about her hips and deepened the line under the this morning."
exquisitely chiselled jaw, he realized the allure of her. Auburn "Yeah? Well, don't go buying on credit until you see how
hair fell about her forehead and she made a tossing gesture the show's going," he admonished. "We don't want to be left
high and dry." ·
to shake it from before her eyes.
Her eyes reproached him. "As though I'd spend my hus-
"H'lo, Amy," he grunted.
band's hard-earned money like that;' she cried. "Don't worry,
She was undaunted. In moments like this she could afford
dear. I've learned the lesson of economy and I'm going to be
to be gracious for he was held firmly under rule of thumb a true helpmate from now on."
• by the evidence a sharp-eyed detective had picked up some "You're a slut," he shouted brutally and slammed the
I three months before. bathroom door.
I
"How's the show?" she inquired. "You've been at it two For the fraction of a second her brow clouded and unpleas-
days now." ant words forced their way to her mouth. It took firmness
!
'1 He shrugged. "Like all the others," he answered. Then, to choke down a reversion to her gutter childhood. But one
"This room looks like a pigsty." must remember that a lady does not act so crudely. She turned
"Darling, I'm sorry," she cooed. "I didn't expect you home 1 her back on the offender and contemplated the view.
; I
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I
45
The Lees' suite was on the thirtieth floor of the new Hotel to that. She wouldn't let him off too easily now that she held
Westminster and New York spread its summer panorama the lash of infidelity over his guilty head. God knew she
below her. Smoke twisted lazily from the factories far to the might get tight some evening with Pat Denning and then
north and cast a pall of gray over the city blocks. On either Andy would have the laugh on her. There were unsteady
side gleaming towers mounted far into the quivering heat. moments when Pat seemed worth the risk. He was so tall
The late afternoon sun, slanting against a million windows, and clean limbed, not a disgusting, hairy ape like Andy. But
struck out squares of living fire. On the still air the sounds Pat was continually broke and she couldn't afford to pay his
of river traffic were borne to her ears with unaccustomed bills indefinitely. Andy had been known to grow wary. What
sharpness. She distinguished the hoarse cry of the tu~s and would become of her pretty case once he learned that she was
the sharper, more insistent note of the other craft. Directly keeping a man? Keeping-such an ugly word!-and, really,
beneath a variety of cars fought in the snarl of traffic; their she only bought him expensive presents; he paid his own
horns blared angry protests and Amy thought of the passen- rent. At least she thought he did. One never knew with a
gers inside, perspiring and fretting, eager to be out of this devil like Pat. It was foolish to be so blind as to think that
too close proximity to the rest of humanity. The silk dressing she was the one woman in the world who recognized his
gown clung to her with a gracious coolness. She rested her charms. Pat was shrewd. Emotion entered but slightly into
hand against the window frame and admired the graceful the game he had elected to play. The cost of keeping a gentle-
manner in which the lace fell away from her forearm, expos- man to oneself was high.
ing the milky whiteness of her skin. It was a pretty con~eit She heard Andy snorting in the shower. A picture of his
I
to think of herself as a goddess on Olympus, condescendmg small, muscular form covered with lather nauseated her
to view from her watch tower the world below with its lesser momentarily, but the vision faded and there was Pat, tall
mortals. and slender in his bathing togs. She must pull a few wires to
Poor Andy! What a struggle it must be for him to keep get him a job; one found a market for intelligent, personable
from embracing her l Her fingers traced the line of her chin would-be Englishmen quite easily these days.
a bit anxiously. No, that was no shadow; she must be more Andy emerged from the bathroom to interrupt her reverie.
careful, that suggestion of sagging boded no good for the ' There was nothing of the Galahad about Andy, his thin hair
beautiful contour of her face. She considered the methods one dripping with water, and his eyes reddened from the impact
might try for eliminating such a nuisance. Dieting was so of the shower.
distressing when there was such a plethora of good food in "More like a drowned rat," thought Amy.
the New York restaurants. Horseback riding might do; it was Andy rummaged through the chest of drawers for his under-
smart and showed her to good advantage. That meant an clothes. From time to time he encountered an article bdonging
expenditure for clothes, but Andy could be persuaded to agree to his wife and shoved it aside with a muttered imprecation.
I'
r~
I
I
"You're touchy as a bear with hives," remarked Amy, you? Well, from what I saw you'll have a hell of a time
crossing the room. proving it-and in the meantime you'll listen to me. Seducing
He ignored her and continued his search. a minor's a pretty stiff charge, you know, and you sure ruined
"I've been good and laid out everything on the bed," she that kid. If it weren't for me, you'd be sweating in the Tombs
said. She pulled her lingerie from the counterpane on the right now. So cut out all this wise talk about my face and
bed and revealed a supply of fresh linen. . treat me like a lady or I'll let the whole world see you with
! Andy growled his thanks and hastened to dress. And _this your pants down!"
time it was Amy who sought to turn away from the odious She accented each word with a vicious slap of her slipper
.flesh of her husband. against the bed. Andy glared into her eyes.
· "You're going out, dear?" she asked. "You're a bitch!" he yelled. She snatched the slipper from
Andy nodded. her foot and threw it in his face, leaving a livid welt.
"We never eat dinner together now," Amy pouted, resting "When you're dressed get out of this room," she shrieked.
a hand on his sleeve. "An' don't forget I got the power to send you up the river
Andy shook her off. "You've got me d?wn( he answe.red. for a nice long stretch, yuh louse!"
She departed in a whirl of draperies into the ornate parlor
.. "Can't we leave it at that? God knows Im sick of the sight
of your face." which they maintained for show•
Amy flushed. "But darling, I did just what any woman Andy's hand shook so that it was difficult to dress. The
• would have done to preserve the sanctity of her home," she nerve of that chorus trollop daring to talk like that to him! "
prqtested. One of these days she'd be sorry; he'd trace every rumor
"What book did you get that out of?" he sneered. against her to its source and when he had proved she was
"It's true," she reasserted with growing heat. "I forgave playing around he'd hit and hit hard. When she begged for
you. That's more than a good many wives would do. Why, I mercy he'd laugh in her face. The bloodsucker! He pulled on
know lots of women that would have dragged you through his patent leather shoes, adjusted the uneven ends of his bow
the horrid mess of a divorce." tie, and surveyed the effect in the glass. Here he was, as
"Well, I know why you didn't; so snap out of it and don't classy a guy as you found on Broadway, tied down to a hell
act ga-ga with me. I know when I'm licked b~t I'll be god cat like Amy. And all because he got drunk and went on a
damned if I'm going to hang around and listen to your wild party with some fifteen-year-old kid. Then the next thing
whining. And one of these days, lady, I'll get the proof tJ:iat he remembered was the groggy aftermath when they found
you framed that little deal on me." He shook an aggressive him in the girl's bed and she accused him of assault. Only on
finger before Amy's nose. Amy's pleading did she agree to hush the matter and now
She laughed shrilly. "So, you think you were framed, do that episode hung over his head like the sword of Damocles.
42ND STREET .,., .... #".,, • "" .....
But something had been phoney. God knows he didn't fool

with kids!
The mantle dock struck seven and he swore ferociously.
Wasting all this time grousing about Amy when Lorraine
awaited him. He parted his hair with painstaking care, ad- 5
justed the soft felt hat at a jaunty angle, and moved toward
the apartment door.
Passing by the living room he heard Amy's feet pacing the
0 'WE EAT·~" ASK.ED HARRY TOWNE, FINGERING THE FEW COINS
carpet. The impulse to pucker up his mouth and blow a child-
ish, vulgar sound through the half-open door assailed him D .in his pocket in a sudden access of panic. Funds were
and he yielded. The walking ceased and he closed the outer growmg low, and what remained must be spread over three
door of the apartment just as a dull thud told him that Amy's or four. more weeks; then perhaps the management would
other slipper had struck the panelling. :illow hrm to draw on his salary in advance. He got up from
"The happy married couple," he snorted. his. chair by the ~ndow and went over to the bed. Terry
But for a brief two hours all this would be behind him, ~e1~l lay there, his mouth open, the suggestion of a snore
for there was Lorraine to taunt him with her provocative . :~sumg through his parted lips. "Hey, bozo!" Harry reiterated.
half yielding. It was uncanny how the woman knew the right Do we eat?"
minute to withdraw, but he'd catch her napping one of these · Terry sat bolt upright. "For God's sake let a guy rest will
evenings. Lorraine was a show girl in the new piece and it ya ?" he grumbled. "What's up?" ' '
required skillful work to keep the producers in ignorance of "I feel the Crystal Room of the Automat calling me," said
the fact that he was philandering with a member of the Harry.
company. Once let that be known and his job wouldn't be "Yeah?" Terry stretched his arms so wide that the joints
worth much. in his fingers cracked. "And what do we use for money?"
Thank God, Amy sensed that and made no move to inter- "Well, I got four bits with me, you got that quarter we
fere with this newest and most exciting affair. By the time found in the dressing room, so that oughtta stake us to
the lift reached his floor he had regained the sensation of somethin'," Harry pointed out.
well being that warmed him during the greater part of the , 'Tm sick o' the Automat," Terry objected.
day. To hell with Amy! He'd keep on having his good time l\. "Well, suppose we crash the Ritz," Harry jeered with
and if it cost him more because of Amy's gentle blackmail j:. elaborate sarcasm.
why-the devil!-he could afford to pay. .; "I wish Jack Meyer was in town," sighed Terry. "He'd
The elevator dropped swiftly into the heat and confusion 'l lend me a few bucks. But, no, the goddam act has to go to
of early evening. ' Scranton and Wilkes-Barre this week."
49
"Maybe we shoulda stuck to vaudeville," Harry mused the butter and egg man who had grown weary and refused
glumly. to meet her that evening-the giddy atmosphere of Forty-
"Nuts! You're in a production, ain't you?" Terry demanded. Seventh Street. -
"Yeah. A chorus boy with four hits. That's a wow! I should "Get a load o' them hams," commented Harry. .
sing the Star Spangled Banner over that! And we coulda gone "This dump's a madhouse," Terry said. "But the broad in
in that Dance Fan<:ZeS' act for eighty-five d.Ollars per-" 519 ain't so bad. Still, what the hell can ya get on two hits?"
mourned Harry. The elevator arrived to interrupt the mournful train of his
"Lissen, guy, you gotta sacrifice sometime; they'll let you thoughts. The metal gate clanged open.
play them cans till you're wore out and then they won't notice "H'lo, George," Harry greeted the smiling operator.
yuh. But get a season with the big guys an' you're all set. "H'lo, fellers," the negro returned. "Rehearsals begin?"
An' fi&y a week comin' in steady ain't so bad. It's better than "Sure. Looks like a hit," Terry told him.
layin' off in Dubuque or Fort Wayne." "Thass fine! Thass fine!" George was the recipient of con-
"It hurts my pride, though," Harry complained. "At least fidences from the majority of guests in the Hotel Columbia.
you are somethin' in vaudeville. Look at the hand we used to "Pretty good guy for a monkey chaser," said Terry as they
get for our military buck. I'm tellin' you, this chorus job is pushed through the revolving door and descended the short
strictly from hunger." flight of steps to the pavement. Harry nodded absent-mindedly.
"Sure, we went great the two weeks the act lasted," Terry "Got any butts?" he demanded presently.
assented. "But you can't show your notices to the landlady Terry displayed a somewhat battered package of Luckies.
when she wants the rent." "You'll take one o' these an' like it," he said.
"So I suppose we're rollin' in wealth now?" Harry Towne Extracting a cigarette from the pack, Harry mutely im-
gibed. · plored his friend for a match. Terry obliged him with a light.
"Awright, awright! We only been rehearsin' five days an' "How's that for bein' a ham?" he said, indicating the stage
you start bellyachin'! Maybe they'll let us draw a little dough door of the Palace Theatre with a nod of his head. Harry
next week." stared past him at the resplendent youth lurking in front of
Terry tightened the knot of his orange tie, slipped on his the gate which leads to the hack stage of America's foremost
coat, gave-a hurried slick to the thick curly hair that fell over vaudeville theatre.
his forehead and said, "Allez oop." "First time that guy ever got a break on the big time in
They turned off the lights and stepped into the thick gloom i his life an' now he's three sheetin' in front of the joint
of the corridor. This was a theatrical hotel and from all sides '1· mornin', noon ;m' night. They even bring over his breakfast
came the wailing of portable phonographs, the tuneless from Thompson's," scoffed Terry.
rhythm of ukuleles, loud voices raised in altercation as to the The hoofer under discussion intercepted their gaze and
merit of some musical show, a chorus girl shrieking curses at waved a breezy "Hello! How goes it, you guys?" he shouted.
'
L
"Oke," returned Terry. "Too bad you got such a lousy spot, with a nance for a whole season an' he never even tried to
but what the hell, they always walk out on closing acts." touch me."
"I should care!" jeered the more fortunate one. "At least "I s'pose that's what I get for havin' this truck driver
I'm here an' a coupla production managers been after me physique," Harry regretted. The subject was definitely
already:• dropped.
, "Now if we'd stuck to vaudeville we mighta been there The boys plunged into the Times Square traffic. Across t~e
in a coupla months ourselves," said Harry. Terry's sarcastic way the Automat gleamed its invitation. Lined up before its
laugh could be heard the length of Forty-Seventh Street. doors were the hangers-on of Broadway.
"With the stinkin' turkey we were in?" he sneered. "Some- Harry recognized three at a glance. "Get the O'Malley
times you kill me!" brothers," he whispered to Terry. "I thought they was all set
"I seen plenty worse there," Harry defended himself with a Pan route. Ya never can tell about these guys who
staunchly. "An' if you hadn't been so damn high hat we'd talk big!"
've made Eddie Leonard's act an' that's comin' here next The O'Malley brothers, three dark, sleek-haired youths who
week while we're sweatin' our guts out for Andy Lee." wore clothes of an extreme cut and sported patent leather
The two boys were plunged in gloom. The remembrance of shoes, greeted the arrivals.
the day's rehearsal and their own ~nancial plight combined "Hey, Terry; hear ymlre one o' the girls!"
to sour the evening's outlook. "Harry, how does it seem to be with all them fairy nice
"D'y' suppose Jeff Mulcahy's got any dough?'" Terry ven- boys?"
tured. Harry swaggered. "Better than layin' off," he shot out. "An'
They lingered on the corner of Forty-Seventh Street, under when ya get gain' they's only eight shows a week!"
the lights of the Columbia Theatre, to discuss the probability "An' Andy Lee promised us a specialty in the last act,"
of fattening the exchequer.
"Hell, I owe him ten bucks already," Harry gr{lwled. "It'll Terry added.
"Specialty in your hat. They won't nobody lift a leg with
take half a season to pay debts, big boy."
Dorothy Brock in the show. She'll yell the theatre down,"
"How about that fagot in the show? He's got a yen for
you, maybe he'd come across," Terry suggested. scoffed Pete O'Malley.
"Lissen! I ain't puttin' myself under obligation to no fag. "Yeah?" snarled Harry. "Well, we stand in good, see? We
He won't keep his hands offa me now. Someday, I'm gonna gotta coupla good numbers an' Andy Lee likes 'em, so they'll
sock that guy!" Harry's shoulders squared with a sense of prob'ly shoot one of 'em into the ballroom scene. What y~u
outraged virility. boys doin'?" He stemmed the tide of questions and put one
"He ain't a bad egg, that Winslow, and them guys can't of his own.
I. "Oh, the office is fightin' about salary," Mike o'Malley
t help th.emselves," Terry observed. "Why, I palled around
1
:,,1 \
L ..
·~ ''!"!'
j
54 42ND STREET 42 N D STREET 55
replie<i,airily. "They don't wanna give us our price so we're that money is none too abundant. But happy the hoofer who
holdin'. it.it."
\ti;r·
can produce definite proof of coming wealth.
"Oh, }'(ah?" Harry's voice was rife with disbelief. "Gee, they's more lay off's every season," Terry remarked.
"Didya ·see our notice at the Eighty-First Street in Variety?" "Guess the movies are doin' it. See that guy over there, he's
asked Mike" with a motion toward an inner pocket. Arthur Lorraine, swell legit performer. Why he got eight
"Sure, it was swell, swell!" Terry agreed, averting the peril hundred and fifty smackers over the Orpheum. Boy, you
of being forced ;tQ read the clipping from Variety that always sure gotta hang onto the kale when ya get it. He must be a
lay within easy re~cJ:i of Mike O'Malley's fingers. pretty old guy by now."
"Ya gonna eat?" asked Eddie O'Malley. Arthur Lorraine caught the boys' stare and returned it
Harry looked in at the shining expanse of restaurant with with a condescending nod. Caste must be observed, even in
indiffe~;nt eyes. "We migh~ well," he said. "How about it, the Automat, and he had played leading r&les with Robert
Terry? -.;;·f~ Mantell in his time. At this moment, indeed, there might be
"Sure; Ain't you guys et yet?" questioned Terry. a part for him in the new thing Al Woods was producing.
The O'Malley brothers, it seemed, had not, so the five Broad- Of course, it wouldn't be his sort of work; they weren't
way gentry plodded through the revolving doors into the writing plays like that nowadays, but the Woods management
surge of diners. was influential and one must ride with the tide.
Some comedian wisely nicknamed the Automat the "Racket Men milled about the section of the wall reserved for coffee,
Club," for above the ceaseless clatter of dishes comes the which costs only five cents and lingers on the stomach with
nasal flow of show talk-half-caught sentences about "routes" gratifying warmth. An occasional sharp-tongued woman
and "lay offs" and "wows," though the word "wow" is more wedged her way through the slow-moving throng, ignoring
often heard on the second floor where a cafeteria is located. the insinuating gibes of those about her, and gathered to-
Here the more affluent show folk dine at ease, and the
gether her evening meal.
observant person learns the financial status of a friend by
"How's this guy Lee to work for?" Eddie O'Malley asked.
watching to see whether he eats on the first or second floor
The boys found room at one of the white-topped, circular
of the Automat.
Sundry voices called out to the O'Malleys as they entered tables and deposited their supply of food, sweeping aside a
and the five boys stopped often on their way to the food litter of dirty coffee mugs and paper napkins.
supply to exchange a flippant word or opinion, as to the "Okay," said Harry in answer to Eddie's question. "I guess
merit of some performer, with a hoofer acquaintance who was he can get tough if he wants to."
already seated. There is an easy camaraderie about the Auto- "He sure was a swell hoofer in his day," Eddie enthused.
mat. For the moment pretense is down; though one may talk " 'Member them triple wings, Mike? God, what I'd give for
vagrrely of big projects, one frankly admits by being present a routine like that."
>.~
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42ND STREET 42ND STREET 57
He attacked his plate of beans with enthusiasm. The table 1he savage grind of job seeking and rehearsal had dulled were
was silent save for the audible gulping of coffee. finding life and could not be denied. The others twitched
Eddie O'Malley finally expressed the yearning of them all. uneasily in their chairs. It was unwise to let the talk drift to
"Wish the girl friend was in town," he mumbled. "I'm all women for it spurred them to reckless thoughts.
set tonight." Outside, the somnolent August night captured the city and
"You're lucky, Harry," cried Mike. "How are the dames covered the towers which shot far up into its protecting
in your show?" darkness. Broadway seemed a shade less frenzied as the
"Hell!" Eddie snorted. "They don't look at a chorus boy. theatre rush died down and only an occasional crowd from
I know. I was in the merry merry, myself, for a coupla some nearby movie house loaned a temporary spurt to the
months." becalmed traffic. There was always the grumble of the sub-
"So you guys are as hard up as the rest of us," Eddie sym- way and the street cars clanging along their tracks, but the
pathized. He stuffed the remaining portion of mashed potato insane crush of humanity that chokes the canyons of Times
into his mouth. S(1uare between the hours of eight .and nine was mercifully
"They'll be plenty doin' once the show opens," Harry said. nbsent.
"When they get away from their heavy collegiate boy friends Harry got to his feet abruptly. "Wdl, we might as well
they'll be easy to handle. Right now we might just as well get outta here," he said. "This joint stinks."
be a coupla A. K.'s for all we're gettin'." They scrambled to their feet and went outside where a line
"But that's almost five weeks," Terry groaned. "I wish to of youths loafed against the plate glass window, whistling
God that girls' band was in town. 'Member those hot mammas, nt the unaccompanied women who passed. The boys joined
Harry?"
t hcse poverty stricken stags for a moment and surveyed the
"An' how!" Harry grinned. "But if y' can't even take a
parade of ankles. Eddie O'Malley tossed his cigarette into the
broad to a picture show she ain't gonna bother with you."
They accepted the wisdom of this statement, but there still gutter where its dull glow shone for a second and then died
remained the aching need for diversion. The conversation out. He stretched his hands far above his head in simulation
grew more furtive. Gone was the thought of visiting Jerry of a tremendous yawn.
Mulcahy hack stage. One urge dominated them, and this "Let's be movin', Mike," he suggested. "We can sit in on
they were unable to realize. that game down at Joe's.''
"Jeez," Harry broke out. "I'm gonna find me some jane if The three O'Malleys said good-by and went off to combat
I gotta hit the Drive for her." the awful boredom which had descended upon them. Harry
"That's out," Terry objected. "The Navy's got first call and Terry stared at each other hdplessly.
on all them dames." "We can't do that with two bits," said Terry.
Harry crouched low over his mug of coffee. Instincts that Harry grew sullen with thwarted hopes. "Jeez, kid, we can't
:? '
•••
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'1 58 42ND STB.EET 42ND STREET 59
go back to the hotel an' hang around," he protested. "I'll go get is a first class dirty look. Women are the nuts, at times,
nuts. Feel like takin' a walk?" ain't they?"
"With these feet?" cried Terry. "Lissen, big feller, save 'em Terry nodded vigorously.
for tomorrow. Andy Lee's gonna be plenty tough." .... ,, ...... ,,,.,_.,,,. •4"......... ., , ,. ........... 411 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - ..
Harry rammed his hands inside the pockets of his coat. "I
got to do something," he repeated.
"Ya look like ya belong in the Bronx zoo," Terry re·
marked.
"God, Terry, seven weeks without a shot of booze, no ,
cards, no women, just pluggin' to get in the chorus. I gotta
6
do somethin'-this playin' 'round has got me screwy."
Terry caught something like a strangled sob. He put a
hand on Harry's shoulder. "Maybe we can give somebody a
J
ring," he suggested. ULIAN MARSH WATCHED THE RISING TIDE OF DARKNESS WHICH
"We don't know nobody, ev'ry god damn one of 'em's slowly inked out the tiny ribbons of street below and left
workin', except us. Even the O'Malleys can play poker," Harry them in a well of black. From out the blue haze which
ground out. hung about New York, evening advanced with the gentle-
Terry lost patience. "Aw, hell, sleep it off, big boy," he ness of summer time. In winter, the descent of darkness is
said. "Let the dames wait." swift and sure, like the quick curtain which terminates the
Harry jerked away. "An' another day like this tomorrer, second act of a melodrama, but in summer, the afternoon
an' after that four weeks more. God, we're human!" he blends imperceptibly with deeper shadows and stars take
wailed. their accustomed places in the sky.
"Sure, we're human all right, but what ya gonna do about To Marsh it seemed as though the yellow street lamps sent
it?" asked the practical Terry. their rays reaching jealously toward these aloof stars, seeking
Harry gave a hopeless shrug. "Let's hit for the Park," he to draw from them a millionth part of their unearthly splen-
suggested. "Maybe we'll find some bag slinger who feels dor. The heat of the day was forgotten. A slight breeze
a
like hit o' charity work tonight." stirred the shrubbery on the terrace. To the soutli the steel
They started off with lagging steps. Before ten block~ were · towers of lower Manhattan were shafts of blackness against
passed all hope of adventure had deserted them. The. f:w·' the horizon, in the west the string of lights shone dully
approachable ladies seemed peculiarly disdainful of their m· through a mist that obscured the Hudson. The sounds of
vitation to dally a while. At Fifty.Seventh Street they gave up. traffic were mufBed, the battalions of cars which raced over
"C'mon home," grumbled Harry. "It ain't no use. All ya the pavement far below were no more than a procession of
.'
•
6o 42ND STREET 4lND STREET 61
headlights, moving to the dimly heard accompaniment of world's foremost producer. Privately he believed himself
motors. For the first time that day Julian Marsh knew peace. nmong the elect of theatredom. Though others might. rival
These intervals of respite from the clash and hurry of his achievements in a monetary sense he had always been
rehearsal were destined to grow shorter and shorter as the musical comedy's perfect gentleman. His background was no
play progressed. The Show is a jealous god. At any moment mean street of the Ghetto. The spires of Oxford were deeply
now the door leading to the terrace would be hurriedly imbedded in his consciousness. The generations of sober
thrust open and old Alice would summon him to the tele- British ancestors had left their mark. Meticulous of speech,
phone for one of the wearisome disputes that dot the journey conservative of dress, restrained in manner, he saw himself
of a musical comedy to its ultimate fulfillment. Costumers imparting dignity to a profession that was looked down upon
would harass him with. their plates, scenic designers would hy millions of laymen.
jabber endlessly about "drapes" and "scrims." The thousand In those first years there had been many irritating incidents.
and one units that made up the show found their way sooner He knew he was superior both in intellect and breeding to the
or later to his door. In a sense he, too, was God, but not so rabble among whom he had cast his lot and it required a
mighty that the Show was not still supreme. "There is hut tremendous amount of repression to keep from hurling insults
one Show and Julian Marsh is His Prophet." The duties of in the faces of these stupid, complacent bosses of the theatre.
a producer are manifold as the stars of heaven. He must be ; He hated their gutter instincts, their dreadful mangling of
the nerve center of the show's being. One minute he is listen- the English language; most of all their gross, pawing sensual-
ing to the tirades of the men who have invested thousands of , ity. To him they were peddlers with a god-given sense for
dollars in the confidence that he will return their money a the almighty dollar. Eventually he had triumphed over them,
few times over; directly after he must stem the flow of com- and now they bowed with deference when he entered their
plaint from the humblest specialty dancer who feels that her offices; they begged him to produce their shows, not because
number has not been allowed sufficient scope. they liked him, but because the new beauty which he had
It had been a long journey, this, from the childhood spent brought to the stage was a potent aid to dying box office
in an English village to the pinnacle of fame which he had receipts.
achieved in the past few years. There were memories of The musical comedies of the pre-Marsh era had been cum-
public school life in England; of Oxford; of theatricals first bersome affairs. Few scenic artists dared to use their imagina-
amateur and then professional. He liked to believe that the tion. When the script called for a house, a solid enduring
ascent had been splendid and inevitable, carrying forward atructure was built; if the setting happened to be an exterior
with the sweep of Greek drama. He forgot the petty, disagree- the studios labored to reproduce nature through the medium
able· episodes-the cheating, the conniving, the faltering, the of painted back drops, papier nillche trees, and foliage that
denial of friends, all the unpleasant landmarks along the ~rew in a weird and wonderful fashion. Marsh banished all
way-and saw himself rising in majesty to the throne of the I hcse notions. For the practical houses, the crowded village
42ND STREET 42 N D S TREE T 63
squares, he substituted soft lights and filmy draperies and per- I he quantities of well wishers who had "expected it all the
mitted only the most indispensable props to clutter his stage. time" were amazing. The visions had brought him money a~d
He argqed that visual beauty of this sort enchanted the eye respect, they had overridden the arrogance of his hated em-
of the observer far more than any painstaking attempt to copy ployers.
the wonders of nature and crowd them behind the proscenium A musical comedy is a curious thing. It gathers its people
arch. If the scene be a garden, let the audience feel the enchant- from the four corners of the show world. In no other field of
ment of rose bushes and flower-bordered walks through the production does one encounter such a variety of temperaments.
mediums of lights and curtains rather than by the use of Yct each of them must be shaped to one end, the success of
artificial properties. the show. Dorothy Brock was a raging hell cat feared the
'1
It had taken all Marsh's powers of persuasion to render this · length of Broadway, but at the behest of the show she became
idea palatable to the managers. They wanted their shows to n shy, lisping ingenue. Andy Lee could indulge his lust with
look expensive; the audience must be blinded and dazzled the many women who thronged about him since he had be-
· into admiration. Marsh preferred an elusive sense of richness. come a famous dance director, but once inside the theatre he
He won but only because the ring of money at the box office ahed all thought of these affairs and became the driving ma-
was the public's answer to his efforts. These Titans of the chine that turned out number after number to amaze and de-
theatre were content to sec their coffers swelling and hear the ' light future audiences. The show was the great leveller. For
encomiums heaped upon their undeserving heads by a grateful . the five long weeks of rehearsal, through the tryout period and
press. Julian Marsh shuddered as an unkind premonition well into the run of the engagement it dominated the lives of
warned him of the weary campaign that lay before him in this : every person playing a part in it.
new production. These men, Green and Friedman, were re- . Marsh, dispenser of favors, builder of costly box office suc-
luctant to open the purse strings, although they were seeking , cesses, was slave to his own creation. Each waking thought
the best. With Julian Marsh at the helm all should go well, must be for the show. Early morning might bring an hour's
but one never knew. freedom from the grind, but as the weeks went by the show
His fixed determination to produce only the tasteful and would possess him more and more completely, as it would
beautiful had brought Julian Marsh many things. The some- possess the dancers, the singers, the musicians, the stage hands,
what competent young actor of a decade ago would scarcely ~ the comedians, the authors and the managers. The play was
have dared to dream of this apartment half way to the clouds, the thing. About it revolved the lives of many people, their
these hosts of subservient, boot-licking friends, this intoxicating · joys, their tragedies; but each moment of happiness was
sense of power that stole over him when he realized that the tempered with the reflection that the show must always be the
mind and will of every person engaged for the show was his ; main consideration, each tragedy lost some of its force because
to command. Ten years ago he had been called a good per- ;' the show was dominant. A hundred individuals lived in
former with visionary ideas. Now that the ideas were realities almost perpetual association with each other knowing little
n
;
4:2ND STREET 42ND STREET 6s
of the outside life of the ones who were their boon companions with whom he came in contact he was able to guide them past
within the walls of the theatre. A hundred souls, each with his the da:igerous shoals of too much ingenuousness with a sym-
own ambitions and ideals, molded to fit in the pattern which pathetic hand. Women disliked him intensely, for the most
Julian Marsh conceived and which, when it was finished, p~rt, yet at rehe~sal they listened with respect and obeyed his
would be presented to the public as the latest musical hit. slightest suggestion. Toward men he was more lenient. Men
It was thrilling to be the hand which presided over the · he. regarded as fundamentally honest performers whose egos
destinies of so many. In this, his seventh production, Marsh might need a bit of restraini,ng but who were otherwise
was still experiencing the giddy sensation of playing puppet . straightforward types that did not require the careful coach-
master to scores of performers. i~g which he e~pended upon his feminine principals. He cared
He delighted in striking fire from the temperament of those little for comedians but recognized their important place in the
· about him. In the heat of battle his own notions flamed high · scheme of things and was content to give them their heads.
and presently a finely tempered scene was conceived. Each If he drew the check rein a little tight on occasion, it was done
personality he sought to mold to his own liking. Though he . w.ith no malice. The psychology of comedians was foreign to
was a lenient taskmaster who encouraged a certain amount him. If they acknowledged his genius he let them wallow
of obstinacy from those he considered artists, he would brook in their. own. self satisfaction. That was the only requirement
no defiance in a show down. In the white heat of encounter. for an mtelhgent player under Marsh's supervision. He was
he stormed and raved. This was excused on the ground of · permitted his own outlook so long as he admitted the funda-
temperament, but it was more than that, it was the earnest en- · mental superiority of Julian Marsh.
deavor to shape the ideas of another into his own mold. He Marsh stepped over the casement of the long French win-
never argued with players whom he regarded as his inferiors, dow w~ic~ led into. the dining room and surveyed the cozy
they were favored with a cloak of icy indifference; but he was scene w1thm. Old Alice had prepared everything to perfection,
willing to wage war with a performer for whom he held high n~ usu.al. The silverware shone with a glow caught from the
regard to the end that he might persuade another mind to his fl1ckenng candle rays. The lace which he had ferreted out of
own way of thinking. From widely different natures he must a dingy shop in Brussels lay the length of the old table that
extract by argument or flattery the best they were capable of had been brought from his c:hildhood home. About it had
giving. He was obliged to know the language of the Park gathered generations of propertied EngliSh shopkeepers. He
Avenue leading lady and the Forty-Second Street hoofer. was the last of this line and with his death its echo would
Outside the theatre he ignored the crass comedians and die ~ut forever. In ~ tall silver vase roses stretched high in in-
dancers who cluttered his show, but under the spell of re- credible ~eauty, their long green stems tracing a graceful pat-
hearsal they were no more than chess men who must be care- tern agamst the half dark. The candlelight threw into relief
sketches which lined t~e walls, of the scenes conceived by
, fully manipulated into their proper places on the board.
Though he loathed the artifices of the majority of women Marsh for past productions. In them all one found a delicate
I
66 42ND STREET ,p.ND STREET 6']
grace, the sure touch of a great artist. The appointments of the Marsh studied him curiously. The manager was short and
room were exquisite. The architect had caught the atmosphere 1l1uat with a nose curved scimitar-like and thick lips which
of a high-vaulted room in some ancient castle. The ceiling, far were almost always holding tightly to a tremendous cigar.
above, was lost in shadow; in such a room it seemed fitting "My God, My God," Si groaned, by way of beginning. He
that a company of gracious ladies and gentlemen should •poke with the slightest trace of accent, and ornamented his
gather. Broadway had its word for the effect which Julian every speech with a set of hysterical gestures.
Marsh strove to create. It was "class!" "Trouble?" asked Julian, seating himself on the stone
The telephone in the study rang. Forestalling old Alice, parapet.
Marsh crossed through the library into the smaller room be- "That Brock. She's a bitch! You know she's a bitch, Julian!"
yond. Picking up the instrument he called, "Yes?" "Everyone knows it. Nevertheless she earns fifteen hundred
"Mr Friedman to see you, sir," said the switchboard ll week and draws hundreds of worthy souls to the box office,"
operator. Julian answered him. "What's the lady done now?"
"Damn," he swore. This was a strange fancy of Si's to seek "Done? Done? Lissen, that dame's poison. I wisht I'd never
him out at this hour. For a moment he feared trouble in the 've monkeyed around with her in the first place. But, no, Abe's
offing. gotta stick his hand in an' says she's a class draw at the box
"Ask him to come up,'' he said, and replaced the apparatus office; they like her over on Park Avenue an' she has a record
on its hook. He hoped that Si would not be disposed to linger. for never appearing in a flop."
There were far weightier matters demanding his attention Friedman pulled furiously at the cigar. Crouched there in
than the woes of the Semitic gentleman who would be pro- the dusk with puffs of smoke jetting from his mouth and
grammed as "Abe Green and Si Friedman present ..." nostrils he might well have been some beast of mythology.
He explained to Alice that dinner might be delayed and Even the sounds that issued from his throat bore little relation
went to the door to await Friedman's entrance. Si was notori- to speech, rather it was the snarling of an outraged monster.
ous for his spells of pessimism, and in the throes of gloom he "Your rages are superb," said Julian. "I think you missed
was wont to unburden his soul to any listener, willing or un- your vocation, Si. What a blood and thunder star was lost to
willing. Marsh could hear the elevator car moving upward the world when you elected to become the producer of gilt-
on its cables and braced himself for an ordeal. cdged musical comedies!"
The elevator door slid open and Si Friedman emerged. He "Okay! Okay! Here's the sad story!" grunted Friedman.
was obviously in a state of turmoil. Grasping Julian by the "I s'pose you know that Abe an' I only got a small piece of
arm, he hurried him into the apartment, leaving the elevator the show. Money was kinda tight when we came 'round to
boy to gape after them in confused wonderment. The two men doing it, and what with the lousy season an' everything, we
crossed the living room and stepped outside on the balcony. figured what the hell, why should we risk our cash when
For a few seconds Friedman maintained a bitter silence. there's suckers to be had for the askin', glad to lay it on the
68 42ND STREET 42ND STREET 6g
line just for the kick of havin' somethin' to do with a Broad- "Yeah, I guess so,.. said Friedman uncertainly. "Anyhow,
way production. You know Abe, he's good at that racket. For this Endicott guy goes in for polo teams, bob sled races in
some reason or other they go for that little kike over on Switzerland, an' cocktail parties with the crowned heads of
Sutton Place an' up in Westchester. God knows why, because Europe. All that hooey. But the bank roll would choke a
his manners is strictly from hunger, but, anyhow they do, so . horse-a whole string of horses, so that was the big idea, of
Abe says just leave it to him, he'll find a couple of angels. I course. I wondered how Abe got hold of this guy, because
got myself talked into that, too, when, as God is my judge, I ; he didn't look like the kind that mixed his angeling with his
was all for corralling some nice cloak an' suiter an' have him . dry martinis, but the cat popped outta the bag-he's nuts about
put up the dough. Those guys from the Bronx and Thirty- : our little Dorothy, the angel of light of musical comedy. Ain't
Seventh Street think that a few thousands in a show is a free that the pay off? Thinks she's the Broadway lily-an' of course
pass to get a feel from some of those good-looking dames you an' me know that dame's slept in more beds than George
they've been wanting to put their mitts on ever since they was Washington ever did. So, because he loves Miss Dorothy with
kids. But, no, Abe's gotta have the Social Register. The Social a pure passion he took a twenty-five per tent piece of the show.
i ' Register don't mean one, two, three with me. So far as I'm Right then an' there we figured you'd get your jewelled cur-
concerned they're the muggs that come in late, messin' up all tains an' some more of the props you were yappin' for and we
the love duets, tripping over their ermines and making couldn't see our way clear to buying. So it was all set, Endi-
enough noise to land the opera in cut rates by the second cott agreed to buy in an' Pretty Lady was on the way. Abe and
night. But, Big-hearted Si, I say go ahead, get me one of your I figured we could chisel Endicott for more cash from time to
gilded angels an' we can take him over for plenty." time, because these things run into money an' by the time we
Si paused for breath. Julian mentioned a drink but Fried-
get all the stuff you've been yellin' your head off for the past
. man waved aside the suggestion. He was much too intent on
week, Endicott11 have to ante up plenty mazuma to keep the
finishing his tale. Alice came to the window, looked inquir-
outfit running.
ingly at the two men and retired to the kitchen with a shrug
"But ya can't figure on Brock. She gets a big bang outta the
of resignation. Dinner would be delayed a half hour at least. Si
was off on one of his tantrums and she knew the man of old. mob Endicott pals around with, an' he's a nice little package
She poured her grievances in the cook's disinterested ear. to show off at the Mayfair ev'ry Saturday night; but when it
Si launched forth on the second stanza. "So you know who comes to a little lovin' up, our Dot still goes for the guys with
Abe digs up? He heads straight for the top of the ladder an' the fancy manners and not a dime in their pockets. She's
comes back draggin' this Richard Endicott with him. I suppose common all right, the little tart! I bet she had every kid who
you know all about the Endicotts ?" owned a pair of trousers when she was with that child prodigy
Julian Marsh nodded. "Very first family," he said. "Old act years ago. So that's the fix we're in. Any moment now
aristocracy falling into the sere and yellow, and all that.'' Endicott's gonna get wise to the fact that his virgin girl
'JO 42ND STREET 42ND STREET 71
friend is keepin' some feller who's strictly on the bum and, "Who's the man?" asked Marsh.
zowie, no more cash and we start ridin' for the red ink." "Nobody knows. It's strictly under cover. He don't run
He slumped into an abject huddle, the glow at the tip of 'round with any of the musical comedy crowd, an' of course
his cigar died out. He was a picture to rend the heart of the wild horses wouldn't drag his name outta Brock. She's got a
coldest tabloid reporter extant. strangle hold on this daddy all right. But jealous guys have a
"You mean he'll endanger his original investment just to way of findin' things out an' any minute now Endicott's gonna
spite Brock?" demanded Julian incredulously. hear about it. He'll be so sore he'll give birth right on the
"Sure. What's dough to that guy? He could put out five spot."
companies of Pretty Lady without turning a hair." "McDermott's the man to see," Julian decided.
"And where do I fit into the picture?" continued Marsh. "Oh, oh, gonna get messed up with the beer boys?" cried
"You're not suggesting I take my shotgun in hand and fight Friedman. "Bad business. First thing you know we'll be shell-
for the honor of the production, I hoper I don't give a damn ing out to them for protection an' God knows what else."
about Madame Brock and her sleazy affairs. Everything about "Mac's not a bad sort," argued Marsh. "And he could put
the lady is cheap and tawdry. Naturally we can't afford to lose the fear of God into the soul of Dorothy's gigolo. Scare him
Endicott's good will, but what measures should be taken I'm off and Dorothy will be forced back to the yearning arms of
sure I don't know." her millionaire playboy."
"Well, they gotta be taken, all right, all right," moaned Friedman considered the proposition. The racketeers were
Friedman. "Mr Richard Endicott has to think he's the white- just gaining foothold on territory that had been previously
headed boy with Brock until we've been runnin' at least three
barred tight against their invasion. Where they had formerly
weeks. I tell ya, Julian, we ain't got enough dollars to float
entered through back doors in the r8le of bootlegger, front
this thing without Endicott. We always slide into the red the
doors were being thrown wide open and they sauntered in as
first week on Broadway, ya can't help it with an overhead like
welcome guests. The surrender of America to Gangland was
ours, so we'll hafta hang onto the Endicott dough an' the way
to do that is to make Brock behave herself." imminent. Marsh had encountered a number of these pic-
"The only suggestion I have-is to take her to some veteri- turesque gentry at social affairs during recent months. They
narian and have her spayed," murmured Julian. mingled none too easily with their more distinguished hosts.
"If only Brock had fine instincts that you could appeal to But though their shirt bosoms bulged in the wrong places and
the way they do in books," mourned Friedman. "You know, their table manners rather alarmed timid hostesses, they fitted
Camille an' all that crap. But that gal's had her heart wired well enough into the background of the cosmopolitan society
with Frigidaire. All she wants are these lousy goofers who which succeeded the post-war generation.
can't pay their rent but who know their way around a bed "Well, how do we do it?" Si questioned fearfully.
without a blue print!" "We can'i: work miracles, Si," said Julian. "Personally, I
42ND STREET 4lND STREET 73
have very little regard for this McDermott. He's a four flusher, the stone railing of the terrace as though steadying himself for
a welcher and no doubt a coward at heart. But, in his florid I he decision.
way he does manage to keep in the good graces of our munici- "Okay, Julian, we'll see it through. Where d' we find
pal underworld. Any night club operator must be able to do , McDermott?"
that. I'm not suggesting that Mr McDermott run riot down "He's running El Mirador, at present. It's the only swanky
the streets of our fair city, machine gun in hand, seeking out night resort to weather these midsummer evenings. I'm taking
Brock's lover. It may be a tedious busine~, but we obviously 11 party of friends there Thursday evening. Join us there and
can't afford to show our hand in the matter so we'd better we'll have a talk with Mac.''
leave this mysterious paramour to the mercy of McDermott's "But that's day after tomorrow an' we gotta act snappy," Si
crowd." fretted. "My God, Julian, anything can happen in two days.
"Well, we gotta act quick," vowed Friedman, understand- Herc we are in the second week of rehearsin' the opera and
ing little of the address which Marsh was delivering. "But, my you stall about somethin' as important as this. Suppose in the
God, how do we make the proposal? I know lottsa those guys. meantime Endicott gets wise?"
I can talk their language all right, but I was never up against Julian led the way back to the living room. "Somehow I
anything like this! They won't go haywire an' try to bump don't think he will," he assured Friedman. "We shouldn't
anybody off, will they?" He pulled out a very large handker- be too hasty. We don't want to rush Mac into using anything
chief and mopped his brow. 1tronger than words.''
"I hardly think so. These matters of intimidation are His last remark insured Friedman's acquiescence to the plan.
handled with a great deal of finesse nowadays. Remember, the "Okay, okay," he agreed. "I'll hop into my tux an' meet you
there Thursday. What time do you figure on arrivin'?"
play's the thing. What's a gangster or two compared to the
"I'll let you know at rehearsal tomorrow," said Marsh. "I'll
success of Pretty Lady?"
have three or four people with me. Young Lawler, the
Friedman shivered. "Julian, I don't like it, I don't like it
Crosbys, perhaps Conroy will join us later.'' Conroy was the
at all. God knows I ain't got no helpful suggestion myself, composer of the show's music.
but I'll go to bed ev'ry night dreaming about pineapples an' Friedman's large nose wrinkled with distaste. "You drag
'X Marks the Spot.' " that young punk Lawler everywhere," he complained. "Don't
Marsh laughed. "McDermott's not nearly so deadly as you people's talk mean nothin' to you?"
, think. In fact the big shots among our gangsters regard him Julian's face darkened. "I mind my own business," he
as a small timer, but he's sufficient for our needs. He won't 1napped.
act quickly, but when he starts moving I believe the Brock Friedman nodded. "I get it," he said. "Just the same he's
boy friend will be thoroughly scared.'' pretty high hat, that Lawler. Better put a word to the wise
Friedman got to his feet. He braced himself firmly against in his ear.''
i.I
42ND STREET
.74 42ND STREET 1S
"Billy's a gentleman," Julian Marsh stated loftily. "Hello, Si," Billy Lawler greeted him familiarly.
"Yeah! So was Whittemore, the candy kid," Si responded. "Hello, Billy," mumbled Friedman. "See you all tomorrow."
He saw that Marsh was disinclined to continue their talk· He waved his hand in good-by. The elevator door slid into
further and started toward the door. Half way across the room place slowly blotting out the picture of Julian Marsh standing
the ringing of the telephone startled him. He saw Julian there in the hallway, one arm about the shoulders of Billy
Marsh spring swiftly past him, as though with the sudden Lawler.
movement the producer cast ten years from his life and was
young man once again. Marsh disappeared into the study
.
.,,,.... ....... -
.............. ... ··-
,,,,.
with a muttered apology and Friedman stood his grourid and

waited.
Presently Julian returned. Some witchcraft seemed to have
erased the tired lines about his face; in his eyes there was a
look of radiant contentment. Friedman, who knew little of
7
any emotion other than the greed for money, was~rangely
disquieted at the transformation. The sight of t~e other man's
happiness reawakened sleeping memories which he was satis-·
fied to leave to their slumber.
"You'll forgive me, old man," Julian said. "I've a guest for
T HE DETECTIVE WAS A GRUBBY LlTl'LE MAN PAST FORTY WHO
affected striped neckties and chewed gum constantly.
Amy stared at him incredulously.
dinner. It's my first chance for a bit of relaxation. I'll meet you "Shades of Philo Vance," she murmured.
a few moments earlier at tomorrow's rehearsal and we can "Pardon," he said, unwrapping an oblong stick of gum with
attend to the matter of Dorothy Brock." tender care.
He ushered Friedman to the door. Si took his dismissal with "Nothing. So you got the goods on him, did you? You
good grace and promised faithfully to keep his own counsel found out there was another dame. I mighta known you
regarding the proposed encounter with McDermott. He stared couldn't trust a guy as good-lookin' as he is."
into Julian's face as they parted. If ever love was written large "He don't look like no knockout to me," the detective ob-
on a man's countenance, Julian's was the betraying face. He served.
pressed the buzzer which summoned the elevator and stood "No? Well, lissen, Sherlock, did you ever hear of hidden
quietly beside Marsh, wondering at the fatuousness of this charms?" demanded Amy, her eyes flashing.
middle-aged genius. The door danged open much sooner than "I get it. But ain't that what the scientists call, 'indulgin'
he expected. Without lifting his eyes he started into the cage your libido'? Bad business, Mrs Lee, bad business. It'll drive a
and collided with the young man who was emerging. poor guy nuts!"
76 42ND STllEET 42ND STREE't 77
"Tell me what happened," Amy commanded. "They stalled over their dinner quite a long time and drank
''Well, after the rehearsal I sees this Brock gal gettin' into a lotta wine. My God, hot as it was they could pour down
a cab. I t'ought right away-oh, oh, this is gonna run inter that red ink. I just mingled with the spaghetti an' waited,
dough for Mrs Lee, but I remembered you told me to go hopin' ~hat they'd scram before I turned into a fried egg or
the limit so I hopped inter the next yellow that came along an' somethm'. For a neat five-cent sample o' hell gimme a speak-
started after her. Well, I guess she kinda hadda hunch that easy on a hot night. She kissed him a coupla times an' he loved
everything wasn't jake because by the time we reached F~fty her up a little, with what you'd call technique, I suppose, an'
Third Street she hops out, quick as lightning, pays the driver, then they got ready to leave. I gave my waiter the eye an'
don't wait for her change and starts runnin' east. Of course he rushed me the check so I was right beside 'em when they
I'm too old a guy to let anyone get away with a stunt like that, was payin' the bill. An', unless I'm gettin' cockeyed in my old
so I tails along. Sure enough she's headin' for a speakeasy and age, Brock slipped him the dough for it. Is it one of those
that's where lady luck was on my side. I knew the feller that things?" .
ran this particular joint so I could get in without raisin' a "How should I know?" demanded Amy irritably.
row. I let her have ten minutes headway, then I strolls in calm "Dunno. Just thought you might. Anyhow, I heard her say,
as you please an' sits down at a table in the back. There she is 'Now, sweet, we'll get the car and drive out to Stamford.'
talkin' very confidential to the Denning guy you think is so Sweet! My God, what a pet name! A guy must have a little
good-lookin'. They both seemed kinda startled w~en I co?1e pansy in his make-up to stand for anything like that!"
in, guilty conscience, I guess, but God knows I don t look hke "Is that all, Mr He Man? Did you let them get away from
no bull, so pretty soon they was at ease and chattin' away a you?" asked Amy, getting up from her chair and pacing the
mile a minute. That dame's gone on Denning all right. She'd floor.
go out an' try to buy him the moon if he wanted it. Funny a "Well, what the hell, Mrs Lee. Stamford is Stamford! You
hard-headed gal like her can get took in so easy." ain't figurin' on all that dough just to keep your eye on a two
"Lissen, you," hissed Amy. "I'm not paying you for your timin' cheater, I hope? Why, that'd almost pay the bonus.
opinion of Pat Denning. He happens to be a gentleman, but Don't worry, they'll be back tomorrow."
you wouldn't know about that." "I knew he was gettin' away with murder," fumed Amy.
The detective grinned amiably. "I never tried doublin' for "I knew it! An' won't I have plenty to say to Mr Pat Denning
this Casanova guy," he laughed, "so you can't hurt my feelings. the next time we meet!"
D'ye want to hear the rest of it or shall I take a seventh inning The detective edged toward the door. "Yuh can't tie up these
, stretch while you tell me how much charm this Denning has pretty boys you know," he said. "They will do a little roamin'
now an' then."
and why he's such a knockout?"
"It'd be· wasted on you," rejoined Amy. "Go ahead!" "I'll find a way to tie him up, all right," vowed Amy.
t
42ND STREET 42ND STREET
"Huht The only kinda terms those guys understand is a stantly apprehensive. She moved closer, pressing hard against
blanket contract," guffawed the detective. his body.
"Get outl" shrilled the enraged Mrs Andrew Lee. "This is going to be good-by for '.l while at least."
She jerked away from him. "I don't understand.''
The road curved through a grove of maple trees to the foot "It's simple enough. The ways and means committee can
of the hill. Before them stretched Long Island Sound. Over- devise no manner for appropriating funds. Behold your im-
head the sky was thick with clouds which veiled the stars and provident lover!"
a damp wind blew across the water. Far off the lights of a Dorothy laughed hysterically. ."Pat, is that all?" she
steamer moved through the night. Though they were near the demanded.
Boston Post Road, here, in the quiet of late evening, solitude "All, my darling? Isn't poverty enough?"
enveloped them. Dorothy stirred restlessly. "Not nearly. So that's the reason for all this solemnity...
"Pat, let's go on," she begged. "We shall be terribly late!" He nodded. "I've been on the well known uppers for three
He stared moodily ahead without replying. She shook his days now. Thanks to you I've managed nicely about meals
arm. "Pat!" she repeated. "I'm cold. The effect of that wine and such details, but this morning brought a very nasty note
wore off long since. Put your arm around me and hold me from the rental agency.''
dose." "The beasts!" She was all sympathy for his plight. "I should
Pat obeyed but there was something impersonal in his have known that five hundred dollars couldn't last forever."
touch. "What's the matter with you?" she insisted. "You've He shrugged. "Oh, well-I roused myself to action and
been like this ever since dinner." lighted upon a deal that may prove profitable."
"Like what?" he inquired absently. "What's that?" she inquired uneasily.
"Oh-abstract-inattentive. It's most annoying!" "Stock acting in Lexington, Kentucky. Cheerful prospect,
He patted her knee. "Sorry, darling. I've got the blues." isn't it?"
"Pat-I'm here." "Kentucky? Oh, Pat, you can't-you mustn't!"
He kissed her. "And that should be enough," he responded "I'm afraid there's not much help for it. Rental agents and
gallantly. creditors can be pretty insistent, you know. I'm sorry to break
"But it isn't?" Dorothy prodded. it this way, darling, but you had to know. And, at the most,
"Not quite. I'm unhappy as hell tonight." it will be only six months."
"Then let's get away from here. I don't like it at all. Here "Six months?" her eyes filled with tears. "But I'll die, Pat,
;we sit brooding like two of Mr Chekhov's gloomiest mortals." I'll simply die. I can't imagine living without you."
"Darling-" Pat began. , "Nor I without you," he replied. ·:shan't we be two sorry·
"Yes?" Something in the tone of his voice made her in- looking ghosts?"
' 8o 42ND STREET
"I'm not going to permit it," she said firmly.

"Little Miss God!" he railed. "What can you do about it?"
She hesitated and bit her lip before answering. Pat eyed her
covertly. Some notion had taken root in her mind. He prayed
42ND STREET
necticut so that we might be alone without any fear of dis-

covery. But, never mind, my darling, I'll find time to make
it up to you."
81
He turned on the switch and pressed the starter. "As though

fervently that it might be the correct one. He turned away you hadn't already done that a thousandfold," he smiled. "Arc
and indulged himself in a profound sigh. you ready, Miss Brock?"
"Pat-if money is the only consideration •••" "Quite!" She opened her purse and found a powder puff.
"Then what, you angel?" The car described a half turn and headed toward the Boston
"I can help. I'd be glad to help!" Post Road. A few hundred yards away they saw the motor
"Nonsense. As though I could accept charity from you!" cars that moved in slow procession along the highway. They
"It needn't be charity. We could call it a loan-a loan pay- , were irresistibly drawn toward the lights which zigzagged
able whenever you found it convenient." past.
"And does Madame Shylock have her pound of flesh?" he "I know you're going to love Stamford," Dorothy whispered.
asked. "I can just see that early American soul of yours expanding in
"Pat! This is for-for the sake of our love." She was every an atmosphere of hooked rugs and Washington pitchers."
inch the self-sacrificing heroine of a first act finale. "Splendid! I'm a new man, already!"
"Sweet, you know I shouldn't dream of accepting," he "And, darling, about the money. Will five hundred more
protested. carry you?"
"Not if I wanted it so very much?" she insisted. "Well, I-to tell the truth-" Once more he eyed her
"But I'll feel so damn humiliated. No, Dorothy, it's no gof" shrewdly, wondering how great a sum he dared mention.
Her· voice was choked with sobs. "Pat, we've meant a lot to "We'll say six hundred then!"
each other. Why should I fail you now? Believe me, sweet- "You're an angel." She strained forward until her mouth
heart, I'd be the happiest girl in the world if I felt that my- found his.
my assistance could save you from taking this step." "Careful!" he warned. "These Connecticut cops are mean
He put his arms about her and their lips met. Suddenly she babies."
was crying. "What do we care?" She laughed recklessly. "We own the
"There, there, darling!" he soothed. "We'll talk it over later. sun, moon and stars!"
Come along-dry those eyes and on to Stamford." He maneuvered the car into the slow parade on the Post
Dorothy brightened. "Then you're not going?" she whis- Road.
pered. "Oh, Eat, I've led you such a miserable chase. Dinners "Silly, sensual little trollop!" he thought. "But not bad, at
.in cheap speakeasies where no one will find us-flights to Con- six hundred!"
' "'""' ... -··-· ·- ............... .. r • • • • .rf2ND STREET
that money over the Simmons time. That was break-in dough
1111' the office agreed to it. I got a production cost to meet an'
I don't take no more o' this stallin'. The Loew office wants the
8 net ~n' as fa~ a~ I'm concerned they can play it. Where the
h~ll 1s your big time, now, anyway?' And the guy never opened
Ills mouth. So we open at the Lincoln Square Thursday, all
act pretty, an' M~ Albee an' the booking office can kiss my-"
The final vulgarism was blotted out by a shrill laugh from a
h~xom b_londe lady of uncertain age who was being regaled
T
.
HE LOUNGE OF THE N. V. A. CLUB WAS CROWDED. DANNY
Moran searched in vain for a familiar face. "Small with a dirty story by a sharp-featured Jewish comedian.
"That goes in the act,'' she carolled. "You're a panic, Lou.
time hams!" he muttered as two gentlemen in striped suits
elbowed past, intent upon the familiar argument of salary. Say, what's this I hear about your signin' with the Shuberts?"
A song plugger from the Irving Berlin office called out a "Still a little uncertain, Maud," he responded importantly.
cheery "Hdlo." He had once served as a "plant" in Danny's "T~ey ';ant m~ but, hell, they don't pay no dough. I'm an
vaudeville act. Those were the halcyon days of variety when n~ust ~n I told em as much. When a guy can roll 'em in the
the line between big time and small time was definitely aisles m S~racuse he's wort~ somethin'. An' everybody knows
marked. Now one plays three and four shows every day, ll revue without comedy, stmksl An' I want billing, too, but
and likes it. Danny thanked God for the astute agent who ya gotta talk tough to these guys or they'll walk right over ya.
had rescued him from that morass and set him on his feet An' ,the~ Shubert contracts are a riot. Five years! Sure! But
in production. All vaudeville performers were floundering they 11 hke as. not shove ya in the Rocky Mountain company
now. The Albee regime was tottering to its disastrous close. of Blossom Tzme once the first season is over. I'm wise to 'em."
The sycophants who had won long routes by spying on their The cigar moved forward and back in his mouth like a baton
fellow artists blanched when they imagined a future unpro- marking out the tempo of his words. ' '
tected by the favor of Edward F. Albee. Danny saw one ''.Well',don't le~ 'em stick ya," advised Maud. "Do a Georgie
of them now, a bald-headed chap with a rasping voice and Pme an make em pay. Hey, Danny!" The urbane Maud
hawk-like nose who had played the finest houses in the coun- saw Moran and waved a genial "Hello." He sauntered in their
try, not because of merit, but in return for certain informa- direction, none too pleased that he must bandy words with
tion sent to the powers who sat in judgment in the Palace that cheap comic, Lou Sharpe.
Theatre building. . "All I gotta say about that guy,'' he once remarked, "Is that
Varied conversations floated through the air. 1t was a lucky day for him when Eddie Cantor was born."
"So I waltzes up to G. P. and I sez, 'Now, get this-just "So ya got in a production at last?" Maud greeted him.
because we took a cut at the Jefferson ain't sayin' we play for Danny stiffened. "They been after me for years but I wasn't
82
84 42ND STRE'BT, 42ND STREET 8s
takin' any," he explained. "But with vaudeville in such lousy·. reprise of the hit song, endin' on that falsetto note that used
shape a guy's gotta do something. What the hell, it ain't a to wow 'em in the act, but they're afraid to take the chance.
perfession now, it's a job." He nodded to Lou. "They tell me An' God knows ya gotta be a lip-reader to get what the
you been hangin' around the Shubert office." ingenue says."
"Sure," Lou assented, "After my two weeks at the Palace "Who's she?" Maud pursued.
they was on to me like a pack of wolves. I couldn't go no- . "Oh, some floozy named Brock. Gettin' kinda faded, if ya
where. Great date-that Palace-but, then, I forget, you played nsk me."
it once." "That bdle!" shrilled Maud. "Why, my God, she's got cal-
The shot went home. "They sure hold plenty of acts for a louses on her fingers from sewin' sweaters for the Rough
second week, now," mused Danny. "Talent's getting pretty Riders. I suppose ya got an Albertina Rasch ballet led by Flor-
scarce, I guess. All the big names are goin' into picture ence Reed." The two comedians bellowed in deference to
houses." Maud's humor.
"Got good stuff in the show?" Maud interpolated. "Well, she'd have to get on a stepladder. to kick higher
"Fair! Fair! But they can't kid me. It wasn't Harry Keene than her head," Danny declared. "An' the taps in the buck
wrote the book, it was Joe Miller. Boy, the cracks they give routine sound like a nineteen-eleven Ford on a San Francisco
me, my part'll roll right over in the footlights an' die! But hill! How these dames get away with it is more 'n I know!''
I'll fatten it up with some of the old sure fire gags an' paralyze ' "They's somebody back of her," Maud avowed. "Some
the outfit. The music's good but they sure need a low comic.'' · butter an' egg man put up plenty o' dough so she could waltz
"An' they got one," said Maud vigorously. "The best in her fanny through that show, you can bet your last dollar."
the business. How's the gang to work with? High hat?" Lou Sharpe moved away. "A coupla Feist men wanta run
"Aw, I don't bother much with 'em. Jealous, y'know. So · over a new number for me,'' he apologized. "I ain't got no
god damn legitimate they think vaudeville is a new kind o' peace now they hear I'm goin' with the Shuberts. Well, so long
car. Wait till they hear my laughs." folks, and lottsa luck.''
"Ya gonna get good billing?" Lou demanded. He disappeared in the throng. Maud glanced after his re-
"We don't feature no names," Danny replied. "Just call treating form. "The line o' bunk that baby's been handing
it an all star cast." me,'' she exclaimed. "An' I knew him when he worked on the
"Too bad!" Lou commiserated. "I get big type right under Gus Sun time for coffee an' cake."
the name o' the show with the Shuberts. An' next season the · Danny guffawed. "Prob'ly they need a good cheap funny
old monniker goes right on top, just like Jim Barton's I" man for the Passing Show of 1912," he gibed. "Well, how 's
"How's the tunes?" the avid Maud inquired of Danny. "Ya tricks, Maud? Gettin' much these days?"
got good numbers?"· "The boy friend's been hittin' the bottle," said Maud. "An'
."Yeah. Hot stuff. But no voices. I wabt 'em to give me a that means no dates for a month. Then they tell us we got
r
t
86 4:2ND STREET,'
the Butterfield time, so I'tn going back to my old ·job as the,1

Belle of Lake Michigan. But, say, I'm tickled to death to hear;.~
42ND STREET 87
up at the rostrum as he cut the crazy capers which eventually
won for him the soubriquet, "King of the Nut Comics."
about the show, Big Boy. I like to see a plugger like you;; "There ain't a dump this side o' hell that hasn't played
get a break. Too bad they couldn't use Daisy." Daisy Moran, Moran and Moran," Danny was wont to say.
was Danny's wife. Danny and Daisy were picturesque figures in the crazy
"Just between you an' me, Daisy's gotta lay off the feed. quilt pattern of vaudeville. Products of the most wretched
bag,'' Danny confided. "She looks like one of Fink's Mules.· atrcet in Brooklyn, stepping from a precocious childhood into
But you know Daisy-no judgment! She was sore as hell the toughening atmosphere of back stage, they were at once
when I come home with the contract an' was for movin' out· the hardest and most lovable couple to be encountered on the
an' leavin' me flat, but I pointed out that I earned as much . Keith circuit.
alone as we got on the Big Time together once you take out Daisy's grammatical flights were world famed. It was she
excess an' sleepers, and besides there's no lay offs. So she's up who inquired of a stranger at a restaurant where they dined
at the joint sulking, with a bag o' caramels in one hand an' a 11fter the show, "Would you mind passing me the sugar, if
picture of Buddy Rogers in the other." I'm not too inquisitive?" And it was Danny who glibly ex-
"How's Madame Marsh to work for?'' asked Maud. plained to his associates that he knew a certain picture was
"He's a pretty good guy, Maud; and, hell, these artisti~ .' good because he'd seen it run off in the "rejection" room.
fellers gotta be queer. That's why they're artistic, I guess!" · One effusive critic in South Bend referred to Danny as the
"I hear he's puttin' his boy friend in the show." "grease paint vagabond." His kind-heartedne~ was proverbial; .
"Billy Lawler? Yeah. Ritzy kid, too. Thinks he runs the his practical joking universally feared.
show. I'd just as leave tell him he can't boss me just because . They still chuckle over the story of Danny and the lady
he's Julian Marsh's mistress." billed as the Chinese Nightingale. This occurred in the days
"Well, kid, keep your knees together, an' any time you an' when Danny had hauled himself into the class of featured
Daisy feel lonesome, drop 'round to the Hotd Columbia. performers. In the neighborhood houses the names of "Moran
Dave'll be glad to see you an' we can tear a herring or I'll and Moran" headlined the bills, wherefore he and Daisy were
1tartled on arriving at the Riverside Theatre for orchestra
throw a salad together." Maud w~ved a flippant good-by and
rehearsal one fateful morning to discover the name of the
went to join the McGinnis Sisters, harmony singers, who al-
"Chinese Nightingale" above theirs on the marquee. War
ways thrilled her with their rendition of Swanee River Moon.
clouds gathered. The management was adamant; the Night-
Danny Moran was experiencing the thrill which comes to
ingale was a novdty act and the office wanted to build her
a self-made man who has achieved his goal. Many bitter years
up properly.
lay behind: week after week in the dreary, smoke-grimed "I'll say she's a novelty," growled Danny. "When she gets
towns of the middle west where frozen-faced audiences stared . through they pass 'round slips to the audience for them to
• ..
r 88 42ND STllEET'
guess what she's tryin' to do, an' the one who comes thci
42ND STREET 89
L.ark, and we'd run the water in the dressing room or recite
nearest gets an autographed photo of Albee." 'l'he Charge of the Light Brigade-anything to shut out the
No effort on the part of Moran and Moran succeeded in. noise.
dislodging the Nightingale's name from electric lights. · "Well, the first day Daisy didn't get the gag about the
"If she's so good then we walk out," Danny decided. , curpct. She thought a pipe had busted an' the Boor was wet,
The management was agreeable, for Danny had been drink-., or somethin' like that, so we was on right after the Madame
ing and at such times the quality of his turn was dubious~. un' down bounces Daisy, walkin' square on the carpet. Well,
Danny and Daisy descended the stairs, each carrying a bundle . Lhe Madame hit the chandelier. None was to walk on her
Qf soiled clothes. In her dressing room the Nightingale warbled damn carpet but Madame, by God, an' she looked at Daisy
in a voice which belied her name. Danny tapped on the door • IO hard through her trick lorgnette that Daisy says, 'I'm a
and the Nightingale answered his summons. Then Danny · 11111, thin blonde, Madame, jus' to save you the trouble.'
proffered the bundle of laundry. ' Madame gives a belch of indignation an' runs into her room.
"Have this back by Thursday," he said with a triumphant ' "Daisy didn't say nothin', but come time for the next show,
smile, and Moran and Moran passed through the portals of · we was almost on an' the stage manager was raisin' hell
the Riverside Theatre for the last time. 1
wonderin' what had become of Daisy. She was dressin' at
Then there was the incident of the stately prima donna / the head o' the stairs and I hollered to her to make it snappy
who topped the bill in some midwestern town. Danny's ' because the Madame was on her fifth encore and might get
account. of that episode belongs among the most cherished through any hour. Well, Daisy opens the door, lookin' like
anecdotes of theatredom. Queen Marie after she'd taken a dose of salts; an' quiet as
"I 'member one time me an' Daisy was playin' over the you please, just as the Madame is puttin' in an appearance;
Orpheum, in the days when it was a real circuit, an' we got ahc slings a roll of toilet paper down the stairs, waits till it
this Madame Duclos on the bill. The Madame was a colora- finishes unrollin' way down by the entrance in one, an' comes
tura soprano, which meant she could bellow like a stuck pig anilin' down the stairs, walkin' on her carpet, an' makes an
and the audience loved it, at least part of 'em. Well, the cntrance-givin' the Madame the horse laugh on the way."
Madame was a big shot, even though she looked like she , They were like that, Danny Moran and his wife.
rated the title, so in their quaint jolly way they headlined her Fifteen years of trouping had resulted in the offer of a
all over the circuit, and there couldn't nobody speak to her contract in the Julian Marsh production. The vaudeville
or she'd drop dead from the shock of havin' to talk to vulgar world is feverish and crowded with color. Daisy sighed that
troupers. At every performance they stretched a carpet from they would miss it all-the sleeper jumps-the bedlam of a
her dressin' room to the stage and Her Majesty dragged her .. company car en route to the coast, with its ukulele soloists,
three hundred and ninety pounds over this to her eag~rly ·, its men playing poker in shirt sleeves, and its quota of acro-
waitin' public. Then she'd start bellowin' Lo, Hear the G{!'ntle .~ bats with their worldly wise offspring. No more orchestra
"
•'
:1 42.ND STREET
9C> , 42ND STR'.IUtTt 91
rehearsals on those drab Mondays when they stumbled · ,L them is a simple matter of routine: arriving in a town, rehears-
half dead from a racking night spent in an upper berth; n~ ing the orchestra, playing the required number of shows,
more quarrels with refractory stage hands who refused tQ' and then a period of relaxation-time for a game of cards or
help in setting up the props; no more heated arguments ove' n visit to some neighboring speakeasy. Life stretches before
the spot on the bill. ' , them as a series of weeks and split weeks with a bungalow
"Hell, woman, you'll be a lady of leisure," Danny pointed on L~ng Island, free from mortgage, as the Alpha and Omega
out. ' of existence. They know the value of thrift and each season
"An' who wants to be parked in this god-forsaken dump finds the tidy bank account swelling. From time to time their
all evening?" Daisy demanded with asperity. "I tell ya thi$, circle of friends grows, an easy-going band of performers who
much, Danny, if you don't put a resin box in the front h ; murder the King's English, talk shop from morning to night,
I'll go nuts." , nnd who are cheerfully ignorant of the fact that such men as
"Aw, you can run around with Sue Wilson and the O'Brien:, Mencken, Freud, Kant and Pater exist. Eugene O'Neill they
sisters. They're layin' off till their Pan route starts in October," know becau~e Variety tells them that his plays are invariably
Danny argued. box office wmners. Now and then a comedian is cast out from
"Now who wants to spend ev'ry evenin' dishin' dirt with a vaudeville upon the Broadway shore, like a fish out of water;
lot o' gabby women. You just leave me stay in a speakeasy for the first week he gasps in the unfamiliar surroundings
an' drink beer, that's the only way I'll be satisfied," said nnd the~, wi.th the adaptability possessed by all show people,
Daisy with finality. he falls m with the newer mode of things.
"An' grow fat as a house," her husband jeered. But Daisy· But the unsung legions go on. About their performance is
compromised and afternoons when Danny was engaged in nn inescapable mediocrity. They lack sparkle and chic. Pre-
rehearsal found her seated at the window poring over the ;' sumably their turns will never reach the Palace. But they plod
cumbersome scrap book in which she had pasted every news-,:,: nlong, unenvious of their more lustrous confreres, content
paper notice of the act since the beginning of their alliance,,<, that the Long Island bungalow stands to welcome them at the
twenty years ago. end of an arduous trip over the Interstate Circuit.
One finds a simpler, more straightforward honesty among ·: So it might have been with Danny and Daisy Moran. "Ham
the people in vaudeville than in any other branch of the ;, nctors" they were stigmatized. "You can't see the Palace lobby
profession. The neurotics of the show world avoid it, looking • for the small timers hanging around it."
down the length of their noses at the humble folk of the two'.. .1:0 wh~ch Danny's response would be, "Just give me big
and three a day. There is true comradeship in this branch of' b11lmg an the next-to-closing spot an' they know where they
the profession, and its petty quarrels lack the virulence of '. can stick their damn Theatre Guild."
the frays in which the legitimate artists participate. Vaudevil-,; The sharp clash of personalities in this musical show be-
lians are the plodding humdrum folk of their calling. Life for ; wildered Danny. He rallied at the call to arms when some
9!J 4:2ND S1'1tEET 42ND STREET
93
"bit" of his was in danger of being slighted, but the miasma · mister,' I sez, 'them drops gets a line apiece or we don't open
of hatred and petty jealousy which lay over the production he today.' That kinda got him, see, 'cause we're the headline act
could not fathom. It was an atmosphere of constant vitupera· an' he's gotta take care of us, union or no union. So he says
tion, coals of fire heaped on the head of some luckless indi· come ahead, he'll see what he can do. Well-we hangs the
vidual the minute he or she had passed from earshot. There stuff, with that bunch o' gorillas growling like someone had
was the smouldering dislike of Dorothy Brock for the second fed 'em raw meat and Joe goes to rehearse the orchestra. They
leading lady; the amused contempt with which Harvey must've picked 'em up at a novelty contest, Danny; ya never
Mason, the second comedian, regarded the less polished seen such mugs. Didn't know soft shoe tempo from fast
Danny; the friction between Julian Marsh and Andy Lee; buck, an' the waltz for the sister team-Jeez it sounded like
the bickering of the chorus girls. Yankee Doodle played by George Bernard Shaw on the
Yes, musical comedy was a bed of roses, thorny side up. xylophone! So Joe, he says real sarcastic like, 'ya would play
Still, there was recompense in hearing the compliments of a flash act in vaudeville,' an' I comes back real wisecrackin',
less favored friends who dropped into the club house de- 'It's what the office is pinin' for, big boy, class an' color.'
pressed and wilted from a day of three and four performances "Then our comp'ny arrives with a coupla mothers we didn't
in the neighboring vaudeville houses. Two of these acquain- know existed, because it seems the sister team ain't sisters an' • I
tances were approaching now, the Rafferty brothers, harmony each one's got an old lady. Well, they start raisin' hell about
singers and comics. Mutual greetings ensued. dressing rooms, like they always do; you know the line, 'My
"Well, well, Danny, and how's Equity's newest darling?" daughter's an artist an' she ain't dressing up three flights of
Pat beamed and offered cigarettes. stairs for the best act in vaudeville,' which they goes at great
"Oh, he ain't so bad," he confided. "Course ya can't run length to hint we ain't. Joe hits the ceilin' an' says, 'Lissen,
the whole works like you do in vaudeville, but what the hell, them two harmony howlers is just a lotta hooey as far as
the dough's good, the show looks like it'll panic 'em and in I'm concerned, an' from what I heard o' their singin' they
these days it's a swell feeling to be set for the season." oughtta be dressin' in the animal room; we only stuck 'em in
The Rafferty brothers agreed. They were having their the act because the office wanted girls.' Well, one ma takes a
troubles. sock at him with the suitcase, an' we have to put her out of
Manny Rafferty launched out on their tale of woe. "Well, the joint. First the girls said they'd quit cold, but we talked
we get over to Jersey City with the new layout an' the first plenty V. M. P.A. and they come down to earth an' climbed
thing one o' them hard-boiled stage managers tells us he can't into their trick costumes. Boy, I seen funny dressin' in my
give us all the lines we want for to hang our stuff. Boy, we time, but if you'd shown me a blue print o' them gowns I'd 've
got more props than the Barnum an' Bailey circus; drops, give up guessing what it was. Then to make matters worse
clothes an' I don't know what the hell else. So I sez, 'Lissen they got midgets on the bill an' every time ya went on stage
94 42ND STREET
42ND STREET 9S
a midget hopped out of the water cooler or the telephone. of the National Vaudeville Artists' Club into the clamor of
No kiddin', they got in your hair. We go on Number Five,
Forty-Sixth Street.
see, swell spot an' all that, but it don't mean nothin' 'cause
they'd walk out on the Virgin Mary singin' St Louis Blues.
.,
Everything goes wrong; they pulled up the wrong drops,
the orchestra started playin' the sisters' waltz out for that
wow essence we held over from the old act, an' they blackout
just when one of the sister team is makin' a strip change. So
she hollers out, 'Where the hell's them lights, I'm up to my
fanny in midgets,' like the nice refined girl that she is. Y' see
9
the midgets followed us, an' they was all in the entrance in
one, real unprofessional like, watchin' us flop. So when we
come to take bows the ushers musta handed around ether,
E
L MIRADOR, ATOP THE ROOF OF ONE OF NEW YORK'S SWANKIER
the audience just looked up as much as to say, 'What a hell hostelries, was the sole night club to brave the scorching
of a way to earn a livin'.' So Joe an' me are through with blasts of midsummer. The cool breeze that eddies continually
class acts, the drops go back to Cain's and we dig out the about the summits of Manhattan skyscrapers made dining
big shoes an' go back to low comedy in one. They ain't no bearable, and fortified by an excellent cuisine and a superb
money in the flash racket.'' tango band this new rendezvous was the smart place for the
Danny agreed with them that the flash idea was "cold." stay-at-homes during July and August. The smart crowd liked
More than that, in a spasm of generosity he gave them a the various innovations, such as the sliding roof which was
couple of sure fire gags for the new act, "guaranteed to lay opened on fair nights permitting a view of the stars, and the
'em in the aisles." A gratifying sense of well being filled him. , glass dance floor with colored lights beneath it which threw
They looked up to Danny Moran now; Danny was a legit , a magic glow about the dancers as they swayed to the rhythm
comic, and as such subject to the envy and awe of his vaude- of the band. Despite the heat many couples were formally
ville contemporaries. dressed and they were waltzing sedately to the strains of the
"I'm lookin' at the world through rose-colored glasses," latest Continental hit when Julian Marsh entered with his
Danny hummed, jamming a tremendous cigar into the comer party. The head waiter welcomed him with much bowing and
of his mouth. Now for some coffee and waffies at the St Regis scraping and called sharply to a servile Greek who ushered
and then home to Daisy. He hoped to God laying off didn't the group to their ringside table. McDermott caught sight
make her too fat because they might have to do the old act of them and left the table in the rear of the room where he
once the show closed and Daisy sure had a nifty figure when was sitting with Polly Blair and her mother and went over
she kept in trim. Still humming he passed through the portals to join them.
A.$ soon as he was out of earshot, Mrs Blair's fingers "Ssh, someone'll hear you," hissed Mrs Blair. "All these
pinched the arm of her daughter in an agonizing grip. Polly waiters is stool pigeons for the boss. Ya gotta watch your step."
emitted a low whimper and was promptly shushed by her "Do I go on tonight without pay?" Polly demanded.
fond parent. "Yeah. It's kinda like an audition," said her mother. "I
"Now ya gotta be nice to Mr McDermott," explained Mrs couldn't help it. I screamed the place down in Dexter's office
Blair. "He's the big boss around this joint an' he owns plenty this afternoon but it didn't do no good. They don't buy
of night clubs. With the lousy salary you're pullin' down in nobody without a tryout these days. Why, even Cortez and
the show ya gotta double in club work in order to make both Marie had to do an audition and they was with Ziegfeld for
ends meet. God knows I slave myself to a shadow for that three years."
drunken bum of a father of yours an' it still ain't enough, so "I guess we're all set though," said Polly more confidently.
you gotta do your bit." "If Mr McDermott likes me he'll do the hiring, won't he?"
''Yes, Ma," said Polly obediently. "Sure. All you gotta do is limber up, see that the orchestra
"McDermott's nuts about kids so if yi;m watch your step we keeps a good tempo, and watch McDermott that he don't
oughtta collect plenty for this date," Mrs Blair rambled on. get too free an' easy with his hands."
"I knew he went for you the minute I set eyes on him. Meanwhile, Walter McDermott was playing the genial host
Those big, paunchy guys like to get their hands on somethin' to Julian Marsh and his friends. Oblivious alike to the bored
contempt of Billy Lawler and the freezing unresponsiveness
young. We'll just play along with him an' you trust your
of the Crosbys, he wedged his chair in between Marsh and
mother to get a lot out of him an' still make him keep his •
Mrs Crosby and launched into a glib recital of the woes of
distance. I didn't play ten years with the Golden Crook Girls
a night club manager. Billy Lawler toyed impatiently with
for nothin'." his glass. Crosby turned a fixed stare on the dancers. Julian
i'He 'tried to kiss me tonight," Polly whined. alone heeded the long and complicated tale with which
"Let him, a kiss don't do no harm, an' he won't try any McDermott was regaling them. He had no liking for the
funny business for a long time yet. You're still a minor," Mrs sleek well fed gentleman at his side, but policy dictated a
Blair reassured her. friendly mien. Walter McDermott could be a generous host
"But he's so sloppy," Polly complained. "I don't like to kiss f or a treacherous foe as the mood suited him. An unimportant
the old bastard." Polly's Elizabethan English was the result figure in the newly risen force of gangland, he managed to
of close companionship with her mother. Mrs Blair could retain the respect of the numerous public enemies by dint of
grow quite expansive when the situation demanded it. She much conniving and wire pulling. He knew the shady secrets
was not too careful about her daughter's vocabulary, indeed of local magistrates, the unmentioned vices of men high .in
many of Polly's slips _seemed quite right and proper to her public office, and wielded the bludgeon of exposure most
mother. ' effectively. His keen sense of scandal, extraordinarily devel-
42ND STREE'l' 4lND STREET
oped through years of association with the disreputable lights "Walt, I'm going to ask a little favor," said Julian. "I pre-
of the bar and politics, was now serving him in good stead. sume you'd be interested in helping our show to succeed."
Without this knowledge of the wrongdoing of the various McDermott lit a cigarette and said nothing. His eyes nar-
public employes he would have met short shrift with the rowed a trifle but otherwise his demeanor was unchanged.
new gangster regime, but they found him convenient as a Walt had sat in on too many poker parties not to know the
go-between who knew the exact moment to swing the tide danger of too mobile a countenance.
in their favor. He was hated by some, feared by a few and "We're in danger of going on the rocks and you wouldn't
trusted by no one, but he was always a sen:iceable ally. Al- like that, would you, Walt?" Julian continued persuasively.
though he possessed little actual power, with much contriving "Christ, no, I've got a piece of it myself!"
and plotting he managed to attain his end. He was just the Julian's eyebrows lifted. "Indeed? How much?"
sort of figure needed for the messy business Julian had in "Ten per cent. Abe talked me into it. What the hell, it's
mind. McDermott's course was often devious, and he could 1omething new. If you go floppo I ain't too much in the hole,"
promise no swift solution to the problem in hand, but even- 1aid McDermotL
tually he would achieve his purpose. "Then I think this proposition will appeal to you even
McDermott finished his story with a triumphant gesture, more strongly. We're going to have trouble with Brock."
failing to notice the inattention of Marsh's guests. When the "Oh, oh! Pushover Annie! Why do you get dames like
flow of words had ceased Julian found time to catch the her?"
racketeer's eye and signal the desire for a private conversation. "The dear public, Walt. You should know all about them,
He indicated the men's room with a slight nod of his head yourself."
and received a knowing wink from Walt. "Sure. I know my dear public all right. Funny how they go
The festivities were interrupted by the advent of Si Fried- for somebody like Brock. She an' her You an' Me and a Cup
man, quite melancholy in his dinner jacket. He bade a per- of Tea. The song shoulda been The Navy an' Me and a
functory good evening to McDermott, whom he feared, and Quart of Scotch."
squeezed into the remaining space left for him at the table. "Well, our darling Dorothy has worked up one of those
When the Crosbys rose to dance Billy signified that he was interesting triangle situations for herself. It seems that one
content to watch the activity on the floor, and so Marsh and of the Endicott clan has designs on her chastity and feels so
McDermott repaired to the men's room. Walt made a gesture xtrongly in the matter that he has been persuaded to take a
of dismissal to the wash room attendant who promptly fled Lwenty-five per cent interest in the production."
with a muttered, "Yes sir, yes sir, yes, Mr McDermott," leav- Walt whistled. "The Endicott kid?" he said. "He's up here
ing them alone among the white tiles and mirrors. most every night with a Sutton Place crowd. Brock's in the
"What's up?" queried McDermott by way of opening the money this time, all right. What's she been doing? Trying
conference. to bitch it all up?"
IOO 42ND ST.REET 42ND STREET IOI
"Yes. Dorothy can't withstand the lure of her gigolos. She her sun tan proudly, and conducted herself in the manner
has a new kept man on the string and not even the Endicott of one of society's daughters doing her bit of slumming.
millions can budge her from that particular bed." "Rather fine-looking chap," Marsh observed. "It's strange
"That's the pay off," declared Walt indignantly. "An' my he should be messed up with anyone so thoroughly common
cash tied up in her trick opera, too. She could stand a good os Brock."
· clip on the jaw, that one." "Don't kid yourself, boy," Walt derided him. "Mr Endicott
"It wouldn't help," Julian hastened to assure him. "There's has the manners down pat, but you want to get a load of him
a far better way. We must reach Dorothy through her boy ufter three drinks. Baby, does that language sizzle! Brock
friend." · prob'ly taught him a couple of good ones, at that!"
McDermott nodded grimly. "Sort of throw a little scare, They rejoined the Crosbys and young Lawler and shortly
into the hoy?" he said comprehendingly. after Walt made his excuses and withdrew. Mrs Blair saw
"Exactly. The difficulty is to locate the boy." him heading in the direction of their table and nudged Polly.
''That won't be hard. Brock don't cover her tracks. I'll have .1 Polly's tired face brightened, she assumed a smile of shy
all the dope I need pretty soon." McDermott threw his ciga- • coquetry and beamed upon Walt with the look of innocent
rette to the floor and crushed it. "Let's scram. Your friends'll childhood.
think there's something between us." "Better get into your things, kid," said McDermott. "It's
Two guests entered the room. They greeted McDermott ' time for the show. Just take things easy and don't get scared.
who gave each one a friendly clasp of the hand, and then he : They're high hat folks but they won't bite you. An' if they're
departed, followed by Julian Marsh. too stiff to applaud for your tricks, don't let it get you. lt'.s
The tango band was playing an insinuating melody and.' tough making 'em give in, but a Park Avenue crowd is
couples were stalking languidly about the floor in what they always like that."
fondly believed to be a correct version of the Argentine dance. ·: "Oh, Polly'll be all right," her mother stated. "She's a good
McDermott seized Julian's arm and gesticulated with his i trouper for a kid. Run in an' put on your waltz dr~, honey.
forefinger. : I'll come right in an' stretch your back for you in a few
"See the guy dancing with the girl in the white outfit? · minutes."
She's the dame with the swell sun tan." Polly trotted away accompanied by the smiles of her mother.
When she had vanished Mrs Blair turned on McDermott. "I
Julian nodded.
wouldn't do this for many people," she said. "My daughter's
"Well, that's Endicott. Nice-looking guy, isn't he?"
recognized as the best acrobatic dancer in show business, you
Julian caught a hurried glimpse of a tall, well set up young know. Just ask any agent along Broadway. She took it kinda
man who wore his clothes nicely and danced with a pleasing,; hard, you askin' her to go on like this without any pay, but
authority. His partner wore her hair back of her ears, sported;'. I explained that you only had her interest at heart an' you
102 4lND STREET 103
42ND STREET
"Yeah? Well, whaddya know. Feel like a drink, Mrs
wouldn't let her down. I seen you talk.in' to Mr Marsh. It's
funny he should be here tonight. You know, we're going in Blair?"
his show." "We-e-11, I don't mind if I do."
Mrs Blair said "we" in the manner of most stage mothers,
who ·assume the duties and responsibilities of their offspring
- -·-
to such an extent that they really feel themselves one being
rather than parent and child.
"Sure, I know. Nice fellow to work for, too," said McDer-
mott.
IO
"I noticed you were real chummy. He's a real gentleman,
Mr Marsh is, a real gentleman. I'm proud to have my daugh- '
ter work for him."
The tango was ended and the couples drifted back to their , A 1' THREE IN TIIE AFTERNOON NEW YORK SWELTERED UNDER
tables. Walt pointed out some of the notables to Mrs Blair. : ~ a blanket of intolerable heat. Living fire seemed to eddy
1
"That's Richard Endicott. You know, the old Endicott fam.- ; through the canyoned streets sending its blast into the farthest
ily. T?,ey tell me he goes for your leading lady, Dorothy ) corners. Overhead, languorous clouds moved along the edges
Brock, Walt confided. 1' uf skyscrapers as though rendered indolent by the heat which
Mrs Blair's lips compressed in a thin line. "Huh!" she said. · 1hriveled heaven and earth. Inside the Forty-Fifth Street
"~uppose I'm talkin' out of turn, but I must say he'll have Theatre the damp coolness of early morning had vanished,
the devil's own time with that lady." und although sheltered from the blasting sun the company
"Why, I never heard much about Brock," said Walt art- ,. 11ssembled there wilted under the breathlessness which hung
lessly. "The usual hooey they spread about any star, of course, ' heavily about their heads. Four or five principals had crowded
but I guess she's as straight as anybody else in this racket." f '. Into the narrow areaway giving onto the stage door and it
Mrs Blair assumed a pose of mystery. "Maybe so, maybe ' was to the accompaniment of newspapers used in lieu of fans
not," she declared. "I live over in the West Forties, you see." / that much speculation as to the future of the show was ban-
"Well, so what?" demanded the keenly interested McDer- '~ died back and forth. From the stage came the monotonous
mott. , clatter of buck dancing, punctuated by savage cursing from
"Nothin'--only there's an apartment house across the way2 Andy Lee, and from the orchestra pit Jerry Cole droned out
that's kinda funny if you ask me. Not ~t I'd talk, but I've \, his interminable accompaniment to Ticka Tack Toe over and
s~e? Miss ,Br~c~ c~min' out ~f th~re a c~wla times-an' it), over again. Andy Lee had set his pace and it behooved all
am t from a vmt with some girl fnend." · :; weaklings to keep step. The thought of his wrath loomed like
104 42ND STRE£ , 4l N D S TREE T ICJ5
a threatening spectre, and many an aching limb was goaded~ to Buffalo." It is held in derision by all good hoofers as the
into new activity by the fear of a stinging reprimand. , Nimplest step in the dancing category. Along the apron of
Rehearsal is a deadly grind enlivened at times by sundry;• the stage went Miss Fitzgerald performing her "off to Buf-
incidents, such as the episode of Helen Fitzgerald. Helen> falo'' with all the majesty of a Pavlowa. Andy Lee ground
strolled into the Forty-Fifth Street Theatre during one of' his teeth in disgust.
Andy Lee's outbursts and was assailed in vigorous terms by , "Lissen, girlie," he yelled. "That's lousy! That'll never get
that young man. you anywhere."
"And what do you want?" he demanded. All eyes stared. "It'll get me out of here," rejoined the imperturbable Miss
Miss Fitzgerald was unrufiled. "Oh, Mr Lee," she gushed, ; Fitzgerald, and continued her "off to Buffalo" across the
"I tried so hard to get here before, but you know what these 1lage and out the door into oblivion.
vacations are and I simply had to stay another week. I'm :, In revenge for this slight to his person Andy Lee kept the
afraid I'm awfully late, but I do want to get in your show." ,, chorus on their feet for a solid two hours. Blistered toes were
The weary choristers had thrown themsdves prostrate on ' treated to a quick alcohol rub and then the sufferers dashed
the floor, thankful for this interval. 1 back into line, fearful of incurring Lee's wrath. In the oppres-
"Well, can ya dance?" Andy Lee growled. 1ive heat two young ladies were overcome and an ambulance
"Oh, yes, Mr Lee," gurgled Miss Fitzgerald. "I'm a specialty ' was summoned to take them home. Needless to say there
dancer." ,,, was no reimbursement for those torturesome days they had
"Well, we only got chorus jobs, so you're outta luck,";' put in. At the whim of the producer any chorus girl may be
snapped Andy. i· worked until she drops in her tracks. The philosopher of
"Of course, I'd consider that," Helen Fitzgerald assured him/ ahow business opines that "it's just the breaks." You may
magnanimously. '.· aurvive and then there lies ahead a season of idleness save
"That's nice of you!" said Andy with broad sarcasm. "HavcV for the eight weekly performances stipulated in all contracts.
you got a routine?" , Peggy Sawyer found herself near to tears. Somehow the
"I'll just run through a few steps," Helen suggested. "Then~'.1 knack of the "time step" escaped her. It was exasperating to
you can judge for yourself. May I have some music, please?"~'
he able to count out the proper rhythm in her mind and yet
Jerry's fingers automatically sought the keyboard. They . ,
fail so dismally when she essayed the step with the other
would continue to do that for two more weeks, running over i'
girls. At the end of two hours when Andy Lee's voice had
and over the same chords until it seemed that the keys were~
worn thin from the pounding of his fingers. . grown hoarse from the continuous stream of abuse with which
Helen cocked an attentive ear to catch the tempo. Then, a~ he browbeat the chorus, a halt was called and Peggy stumbled
cherubic smile wreathing her face, she began to dance. The toward the stage door, numb with fatigue.
routine contained one figure, a step technically known as "off/ For two days Terry Neill had watched Peggy. She was
r 1o6 42ND
,!
4l N D S TR El!. T IO']
good-looking and she was an unknown quantity. The majority: to them. "Ambition personified. Breaking their necks to get
of the girls he ignored, but Peggy aroused his curiosity. She, n lousy buck break because they think maybe they'll be stars
might be worth cultivating. He had witnessed her frenzied:: some day. What a racket!"
struggles and as the crowd milled toward the alleyway he;· Billy, forced to recognize Cole's presence, nodded slightly
shoved his way through until he found himself at Peggy's·.~• nnd murmured, "Might as well give them credit for the idea,
side. ' ut any rate." He turned to stare at Peggy and her perspiring
"Lissen, sister,'' he said, seizing her h~nd, "I think I c'n, instructor. It was the first· time he had considered her as a
set you right about that time step if you ain't too tired." ·. separate entity. Heretofore she had been one of a conglomerate
"Oh, if you would!" gasped Peggy gratefully. "I'm worried , mass of be-rompered dancers. Now he saw an attractive young-
to death and I see Andy Lee giving me dirty looks." ster who bore herself with a certain distinction that the aver-
"He can't help the dirty look, he was born that way," Terry · uge chorus lady woefully lacked. Having no desire to be
jeered. "Come on-let's get back of the piano and I'll hold · present at the conversation between Marsh and Jerry, he
a demonstration." sauntered across stage to the spot where Terry was laboriously
Peggy made a hurried excuse to Ann and Flo and followed expounding the mysteries of the time step.
Terry. They found Jerry Cole about to take his leave. "It's a tough dance, all right," he smiled. "You deserve a
"My God, you kids are gluttons for punishment," he· great big hand for all that energy."
groaned. "Why don't you park your dogs for a coupla min- Peggy and Terry glanced up, startled. Terry colored with
utes? The old bastard's gonna start in hot an' heavy as soon unnoyance. He had never before addressed the unpopular
as he gets his second wind." juvenile and he was hard put to frame a civil reply. For-
"Mr-Mr"-Peggy sought to recall Terry's name. "This tunately, Peggy stepped into the breach.
boy's going to help me with the time step. You see, tap danc- "'I'm so stupid," she mourned. "Every one of the girls can
ing is all Greek to me!" . dance rings around me. Perhaps I'd better retire gracefully
"Go to it, folks," said Jerry. "An' may God bless you!" · to the plain sewing and stitching that's supposed to be part
He picked up his hat and strolled toward the stage door ) of a nice girl's life."
where Julian Marsh was waiting to confer with him. Billy 1: Billy Lawler shook his head. "Not with those dimples," he
Lawler stood at the producer's left, impatiently tapping his :f contradicted. "They're strictly a front row proposition. Broad-
foot. He had no wish to converse with Jerry, whom he re·) way would be losing a lot if it failed to see that smile."
garded as an upstart and a vulgarian, as well as the insti- ;. It was Peggy's turn to flush. Her confusion was very pret-
gator of the rumors which had been started about Marsh and 1 tily managed and both Terry and Billy were equally en-
himself. · lranced. At that moment Julian Marsh shouted to Lawler
"Get a load of those two kids," chuckled Jerry, coming up and indicated his impatience.
1o8 4lND 42ND STREET I09
"Right with you," called Billy. Then he grasped Peggy's want to stay with this management just report at five minutes
arm. "Lots of luck," he said. "I'll be cheering for that time ; after three."
step." ... With subdued shouts of thanksgiving the company made a
He waved a friendly good-by and rejoined Marsh. The two. rush for their various dressing rooms. During rehearsal period
quitted the theatre arm in arm, oblivious to the scrutiny o( the chorus are permitted to change their clothes in the quar·
the two chorus members. ·. 1 ters which are assigned to the leading players once the show
"That was awfully sweet of Mt Lawler," sighed Peggy. has opened. From all sides came the gay laughter of a crowd
"Huh!" scoffed Terry. "That-" he checked himself. ·•· released from imprisonment.
"I suppose you bdieve all those tiresome rumors," said 1 . Terry looked up inquiringly. "Guess we better eat," he sug·
Peggy. "I don't. Anyway, what business is it of ours?" ' gested. "Lee's gonna be the rest of the afternoon on this new
"None, except that that guy's mean. He's got Marsh right ! buck number an' you'll need plenty on your stomach. How-
where he wants him and the feller that don't talk pretty to if how about goin' with me for a bite?" He broached the subject.
Mr Lawler 'll find himself out of the show so quick he'll think.: diffidently, in a flash of inspiration. I ,,..
I·
he was never in it." · Peggy understood. "I'd love to," she answered. "But, of
"Oh, that's silly," remarked Peggy. "Let's get back to our:' course, it would have to be Dutch."
time step." He made a movement of refusal. "Otherwise I'll have to
"Right!" said Terry. "Watch me." run along with the girls," Peggy ended firmly. "I know how
His shoes tapped out the rhythm of the time step. Peggy· it is during rehearsal time. We need every red cent we can
lay hands on."
shook her head hopelessly. "You'll have to do it slower," she•..
Terry smiled. "I guess you're right," he admitted. "Only I
declared. "I simply can't follow." ,
hate to ask a dame-girl-out to eat an' then let her pay for
"Okay, babe. Watch!" Terry commanded. "Da da Jum
her own."
da Jum dum, da da Jum da da dum dum. One two thr~
"Everybody does it in show business," Peggy counselled.
one two three four. Come on. Gimme your hand. Da da dU'lii
"I'll get out of these clothes and be with you in a jiffy."
da da dum dum I ·No, no, kid, on your left. See, like this ,
"Don't hurry," Terry called after her. "I know a joint just
Da da Jum da da dum dum, one two three, one two thr 'round the corner where they have swdl blue plate specials."
four. Come on, count it out with me. Watch that left f~ Peggy waved assent and ran into the dressing room. She
That's it, you're gettin' it. Steady now, and for God's sak ·. found Ann and Flo grouped menacingly about her portion
watch that left foot." of the make-up shelf. ·
Andy Lee stepped from the stage box on to the apron. " "Are you eating with us?" Flo demanded.
right, everyone," he called. "It's two-ten now. Get your lun Peggy flung aside a shoe. "As a matter of fact, I've made a
and be back by three o'clock sharp. And anyone that don . date, girls," she confessed.
IIO 42ND STREET
42ND STREET III
"I knew it," mourned Ann.
plemented Ann, "or you'll think it's old home week. He'll
"With that wisecrackin' hoofer?,, Flo persisted.
want all the lay offs to know he's made a chorus girl."
"I-I don't know his name," Peggy admitted. "He's the
"He seems like a nice harmless boy," Peggy declared. "And
tall, good-looking boy with brown hair. He's an aWfull:y it was very nice of him to show me the time step. I've been
good dancer." scared to death that Lee would yell at me."
"That's the one," said Ann grimly. "Now, lissen, while the "He'll want to show you more than a time step," said Flo
Mother Superior opens up. Those guys aren't any good- significantly. "But if he suggests a party just tell him you're
they're only out for as much as they can get, an' they haven't N. V. A.-Never Very Anxious.''
a nickel in the world." "Hey, dumbbell," called Ann. "Stop gabbing and set your
"I'll bet he's makin' you pay for your share," snorted Ann. mind on food. We haven't got all day. His Majesty Lee awaits
Peggy giggled. "Well, I told him I wouldn't go unless I without.''
paid;' she explained. "I thought show people always went "Without common sense or decency," added Flo. The two
Dutch." girls stalked from the room.
"Get her," Flo moaned tragically. "Sure, we do; but we Peggy dashed some cold water over her face, pulled the
wouldn't be caught dead with one of those cheap hams. slip-on dress over shoulders and wriggled until it lay in becom-
Believe me, girlie, hoofers are no good. They get so used to '. ing lines about her body. Then she adjusted her hat at an
making every waitress they meet that once you're with 'em · attractive angle, added a speck more powder to her nose and
ten minutes they got hand trouble." was ready for the first rendezvous with Terry. He stood at
"If he gets fresh, sock him one for me," advised Ann. "An' 1
the stage door waiting. The sun loaned a blinding sheen to
don't make any more dates with him because Flo and I his hair, and the purple stripe in his Style-Fit suit sent its
know some nice Columbia boys that'll be back in town next wild cry of defiance into the summer air. Peggy gasped ap-
week. You don't want to be trailing around with a Bat tire prehensively. Terry was the Eighth Avenue sheik to perfec-
like that when there's real class to be had. Why, these boys tion. From underneath the voluminous cuffs of his trousers
got a Packard car." . peered patent leather shoes with cloth saddles.
"Much chance we'll have to use it working for Lee," Flo '1 "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long," she murmured.
supplemented. "Come on, Ann, I hear the buckwheat cakes "Oh, it always takes a dame a long time," he said genially.
serenading. Let little Peggy have her fling.'' 1 "How about it? All set?"
"Shut him up the minute he starts telling you how he · "Yes. We're not going far, are we? I'm nearly dead." She
stopped the show at the Jefferson," Flo warned. "They always · indicated her feet.
do-and it's always the Jefferson." "Naw. Just over on Eighth Avenue. It's a nice little dump.
"And don't walk past the Palace Theatre with him," sup- We'll see ·the gang there.''
Peggy had a presentiment of Ann's derisive laughter when
112 42ND 42 N D S TREE T 113
the splendor of Terry Neill met her eyes, but she straightened Look at Bill Robinson. He done more to help the staircase
her shoulders and merely said, "That'll be fine." business than all the house building booms combined."
Terry fell into step. "This your first show?" he inquired. They swung into the devastated area of Eighth A venue.
"Yes," she replied. That No Man's Land lay fuming under the afternoon sun,
"You're not a New York girl, are you?" he persisted. its up-flung trenches alive with the workmen who were
"No. I come from New England." laboring on the new subway. Their feet sounded hollowly on
"I thought so," Terry ejaculated. "I can spot that damn 'A' the temporary wooden plank that served as a sidewalk.
every time." "Ya heard the gag about the reason they was digging up
"Do you think New Englanders talk funny?" she ·de- Eighth Avenue? Because Albee's son lost his ball," said Terry,
manded. striving to add a note of levity to the conversation. ~
"A little. They sound like they was tryin' to be high hat, Peggy smiled vaguely. She was unfamiliar with Mr Albee's
but I guess it's just their way. You know, 'aunt' for 'ant' and reputation, having confined her attentions to the legitima~e
'dahnse' for 'dance'-like a limey." end of the show game. Ahead of them they discerned o~her
"But we're brought up that way," Peggy insisted. "I've ;. members of the company plodding toward the small restau-
always talked like that-with a broad 'a'." rant further down the A venue.
"I bet New York seemed funny after them little jerk water "I do hope they'll keep me after the tryout weeks," said
towns up north," said Terry. Peggy a bit worriedly.
"Oh, we have cities in New England .. New York isn't the: "Don't worry, kid; with your looks an' personality they'll
only place in the world, you know." i . be giving you 'bits' before the show opens," consoled Terry.
"Ain't it?" said Terry in a tone of disbelief. "Well, it sure "An' I know-I seen Marsh watching you."
is in this racket, anyway. You gotta hang 'round New York "I don't think Andy Lee likes me," argued Peggy. "His
if you wantta get a break in show business. Me an' my part· routines are so hard."
ner found that out. We tried all the cans around Chicago, "Lissen; what Marsh says, goes. An' if he likes you, you'll
booked all that western vaudeville time, but, hell, that don't be on that set if they have to wheel' you in. Andy Lee has
get you no place, an' they always want you to work for plenty o' guys kidded, but not me. Why, that bozo was a
coffee an' cake, so we come east and got in the merry merry." vaudeville hoofer just like me-only he happened to get a
"Oh, I c,iidn't know you'd done specialty dancing," cried lucky break."
. Peggy. They reached Ye Eate Shoppe, a small cubby hole wedged
"Well, I don't flash much o' my stuff 'round the theatre," in between two second-hand clothes shops. Inside a vociferous
Terry explained. "Too many birds willin' to cop it. Boy, you . mob was shouting for service. Peggy and Terry made an
work years gettin' a good routine an' then everybody uses it. } cliective entrance. The gathering stared up at them and a
II4 42ND STREET 42ND STREET
conspiracy of nudges ran through the room. Peggy affected "I told you this was a swell joint," grinned Terry. "She's
not to see this and they crowded into a space which was opti- so used to waitin' on Queen Marie that actors give her indi-
mistically called "Table for Two." gestion. They're such unimportant people."
"Now, lissen," Terry whispered. "You gimme the check an' "Huh!" came a distant voice. "Actors! Look out, or Equity'll
we won't settle this till we get outside. I'll pay the cashier for. be suin' you for libel!"
both. You know, saves your feelin's; makes a girl look cheap Terry disdained to answer the retort. "You know it's nice
to be seen payin' her own check." · , tQ meet a sweet girl like you for a change," he said earnestly.
Peggy nodded understandingly and they corralled the ·per-· "I knew you was regular the minute I saw you."
spiring waitress. She was inclined toward short answers, as ' "That clean mountain air look about me?" Peggy suggested.
the sudden descent of theatrical hordes had done nothing to "Don't try to kid me, sister, 'cause I wrote all the answers,"
improve her temper. Terry adjured her. "I mean what I say, you're like a breath
"Well, sister," said Terry genially, "what've we got?" , of spring air after some of these dames."
She flashed him a withering glance. "Did ya ever try read- ~! "If you're going to compliment me like this I'll simply have
ing?" she snapped and poked a grease-stained menu in front :i'
to know your name."
of his nose. ) "God damn, might know I'd forget it! I'm Terry Neill, used
"Nice lady-like little girl," Terry observed. "Just the thing 1{
to be Towne and Neill, or Neill and Towne, I should say."
to wrap up an' take home to that old-fashioned mother of 11,
"I'm Peggy Sawyer." They bowed gravely to one another.
yours." t~'
"Yeahl' Well, if you were chasin' around waitin' on a/ Then Peggy asked, "Did you like vaudeville? Some friends
bunch o' wise guys.maybe you'd look pretty snappy wrapped.,; of mine wanted me to go in an act but I preferred the chorus."
,~ourself," the lady assured him. "We ain't got pork, we 1,
"Well, Peggy, you're better off," said Terry. "No~ you're
' got roast beef, this is the last order of ~eef stew, ~haddyaJ set for the season, you can take buck lessons an' vocal lessons;
wa · ?" The sentences hurtled forth with machine gunf matter of fact I'll be glad to learn ya plenty 'bout tap dancin'
rapidity. Terry blinked and cast a wary eye on the menu. ::: 'cause me an' Harry had some real swell routines. Ya gotta
"I'll try corned beef hash," said Peggy weakly. The waitress':1 keep pluggin' in show business nowadays. The old stu~ don't
nodded her consent. go. Why, look at the kids in the chorus, clever as the devil.
"Gimme £~forts and beans," Terry commanded. "An' . Five years ago' any one of 'em could've been featured in the
we ain't got a lot o' time, either." .. best musical show on Broadway and gotten away with it.
The Amazon glared at him. "Say you, we didn't send ouf, Now they hoof in the merry merry. An' why? Because the
no engraved invitations askin' you to come here," she bawled.),i competition is too much; all these guys like Chester Hale an'
"We got feelings, too, so take it easy. Ya'll get your beans" Allan K. Foster an' Russell Markert come along an' they
when they're good ~n' ready," and with that she flounced off./ expect a whole chorus to do what one specialty dancer done
n6 · 42ND 42ND STREET 117
in the old days. An' so ya gotta keep practicin' an' learnin' "Givin' me the double 0, are ya, kid?" he jeered. c1Well, I
new stuff-an' you gotta get class, too, because dancin' don't;; guess I'm one o' those rough diamonds they talk about, but
mean nothin' if you ain't got the showmanship to sell it.:; h'lieve me, I can be okay with reg'lar folks."
Look at the kid we got in our show; prob'ly a lousy hundred'} "You've been awfully nice to me," said Peggy warmly.
a week is all she gets an' she can bend like a pretzel, while:\ "Aw, that ain't half," he replied with a grandiloquent ges-
there's girls like Evelyn Law can't do half the stuff, but they'' ture. "When we come back from the outta town break-in
pull down five hundred an' more 'cause they got the class. j I'm gain' to drag ya 'round to some real classy joints."
They can go out there, wear clothes, an' look like a million : "By that time you'll be rushing some other girl," she
dollars." taunted, with the time-honored instinct to flirt with this too
The waitress interrupted this flow of divine wisdom. "Here's willing male.
your beans," she snapped, and set the plate on the table. Terry . He leapt to the bait. "Any time, sister, any time," he scoffed.
saw immense frankfurters swimming in a tide of molasses,··~· "I don't mess around wit' ev'rybody, you know. I'm particu-
and from either side the beans swarming as though to anni· ' lar. Why, I could be goin' with a real vaudeville headlinet'
hilate the sausage by sheer force of numbers. Terry was not/ now if I wanted, but, hdl, I can't put up with these girls
assailed by any delicate promptings. He attacked the food} who gotta be babied ev'ry minute. I like 'em hard to get; you
with fork, knife and spaon. Peggy watched him, amused, and(~ know, real women-like-like-well, like you."
faintly disgusted. In New England, nicety of table manners "Anything else?" piped the waitress, eyeing him balefully.
was inborn. When Terry finished his plate was a morass of "We'd better hurry," said Peggy in a flutter of anxiety.
thickish brown syrup which he promptly mopped up with a "Most everyone's gone and I've got to have my practice
piece of bread. And yet there was something likeable about '; clothes on in twenty minutes. There isn't time for dessert."
the boy sitting oppasite her, an honesty that even the harden• ( "Leave me finish this cup o' coffee an' I'll be right with
ing years of pavement life could not entirdy bury. Under,, you," Terry agreed. "Give us our checks, will ya, sister?"
different circumstances he might have been a splendid chap; ' The waitress flung down the bits of pasteboard.
the ingredients were there, friendliness, charm, good looks and'! "An' I hope all your children are theme song writers,..
a pleasure in helping other people. She decided that Terry cried Terry. He gulped down the remaining partion of coffee
wouldn't be such bad company after all, Flo and Ann to the··. und swaggered to the cashier's desk. Peggy was close at his
contrary. Of course his manners were boorish and his taste in;, heels, consulting the watch on her wrist.
clothes pathetic, but these were surface faults and once rem· .,, "Now take it easy," he reminded Peggy. "You can settle
edied she felt that Terry would present a most admirable front., this with me later." He put the money down on the counter,
He was smiling at her now. She flushed slightly, as she: received his change, and, complete with toothpick, escorted
realized how absorbed she had been. Peggy from the restaurant.
-- --- - -- 4lND STREET II9
"Eighty-five dollars, Andy. It's a real bargain," Lorraine's

voice dripped honey.
"Take this hundred and beat it. I haven't got time to talk
][JI with you now," said Andy. "And, Lorraine, cut out gabbing
lo the girls, will you? I tell ya we gotta be careful."
Lorraine's eyes opened wide in protest. "Why, Andy, I
haven't said a word," she protested. "It must be one of those
11luts in the dressing room. They looked over my shoulder
when I was copying down your phone number in my note
T HE BRIEF INTERMISSION FOR LUNCH WAS HAILED GRATEFUU.Y:'
by the hard working principals of Pretty Lady. They a~: book. They haven't any sense of honor."
"~ou know if Amy gets wise there'll be hell to pay," Andy
well as the chorus had labored unflaggingly through the heat':
of the morning and a temporary respite was more than wd.o;~ cautioned her.
come. Andy Lee, who had been watching the progress of the' . "Do~'t ';'.orry. I'm used to handling wives," Lorraine prom-
book rehearsal after permitting the chorus to leave, hastened; ued him. Well, thanks for the money, old darling. It's just
back stage once more and found himself face to face with! I\ loan, you know. I'll pay it back as soon as we're on salary."
Lorraine Fleming. She had obviously been lying in wait, ea ' "Well, I won't hold my breath till I get it,'' said Andy.
to snare him. Lorraine stiffened. "I hope you don't think that I'm the
· Her hands fluttered reproachfully. "Hello, big boy," sh~· kind of a girl who takes money from men without paying it
whispered. "I thought you'd forgotten me." She laid her hea , back," she snapped. "I've always prided myself on never
against his shoulder. ( allowing a debt to stand."
Andy cast a swiftly apprehensive glance into the dark welf'I "Baby, just be good to me, and I'll be the one who owes
of the auditorium. "Take it easy, babe," he entreated. "Th·· money," whispered Andy.
wife said she might stop by this noon. We gotta cancel tha' She patted his hand. "Sweet boy," she cooed.
luncheon date." i From the back of the theatre a musical voice trilled, "Oh,
"Oh, and I didn't bring a cent downtown with me," poute . there you are, Andy, darling. I can't see a thing in this dark-
Lorraine. ness."
"Well, for God's sake take this," Andy urged, shoving a fiv , Lorraine slithered away and Andy scanned the darkened
dollar bill into her receptive palm. 1 reaches of the auditorium.
"And I simply must stop for that coat at Sak's. They sai '. "Hello, Amy,'' he called. "Wait out front. I'll be right with
they wouldn't hold it another day." you." He picked up his hat from the stage manager's table in
"How much is it?" groaned Andy, counting the sheaf a·· the wings and hastened through the small door which led
money in his wallet. r from back stage, past the boxes to the theatre.
118
•
120 42ND 42ND STREET 121
Amy looked charming; even her spouse unwillingly' named gentry-far from being the boisterous creatures of
granted that. She was attired in cool flowing green that set: their stage environment one finds them morose beings whose
off beautifully the red in her hair. Sometimes he apostrophized, lives have been blighted; the inevitable Pagliacci motif. It is
himself as a fool for yielding to the blandishments of other\ touching, this legend, and the publicity manager of any
women when the law bound him to one so attractive as Amy~l production forces it down the throat of the gullible press at
It was the curse of a fickle nature, and the material cost WU! least once during the existence of the show. As a matter of
high. . fact, no one is more unrelentingly humorous than the Broad-
Amy bestowed a wifely kiss on Andy's cheek. "I couldn'~ way comedian, particularly the younger of the species. Mel-
find you anywhere," she confessed. "And then I saw Lorraine' lower artists may be content to rest on their laurels, but the
Fleming so I knew you must be there." · youthful comic is in a perpetual lather, saying or doing that
Andy winced. "I was just explaining an entrance to Lor~' which will bring shrieks of merriment from his little circle.
raine," he said. :? Remove the comedian from behind the footlights and the
"I should think she'd need a good exit," Amy commented.'. only obvious change is a more bawdy trend in the stories he
"She's sort of dumb about picking up her cues," Andy co~ tells. But the wisecracks go on, maddeningly, eternally. Many
tinued, ignoring the last thrust. / n thespian of no particular literary aptitude has been discovered
"Yes, I noticed that," rejoined Amy. "You gave her the 'gel;~ perusing Gray's Elegy after a session with one of these Forty-
signal about five minutes before she had sense enough w1 Second Street pantaloons. And in the Forty-Sixth Street Chop
beat it. What was it you handed her?" House the loud and strident voices of the funny men drowned
"Oh, just the address of a hat shop," answered Andy guile.. all the lesser chatter.
lessly. "She liked the hat you were wearing last week wheri;J
Amy paused a moment at the door before entering. She
we met her on the avenue and I told her I'd find out the
had been considering her husband's voluble excuses and felt
name of the place."
"You must have looked in that crystal of yours, sweetheart,~ called upon to deliver a subtle warning. "I'm so glad it wasn't
murmured Amy, "for I'm sure I never told you where ~ money you gave Lorraine, dear," she smiled, "because I'll
bought it." .l
need lots this afternoon. Madame Frances is in a dither about
They crossed the deserted lobby and entered Forty-Fi£ .· that new evening dress and I've simply got to pay her."
Street. Automatically their feet turned toward the Forty-Six '. Andy experienced a chill of warning. "More gowns?" he
Street Chop House, where the more important members o cried. "Hell, Amy, you had two last week that set me back
the Pretty Lady company were gathered for luncheon. Her: five hundred bucks. I'm not the U. S. mint, you know."
were congregated the juveniles, prima donnas, ingenu "A girl has to do something for amusement when she's
specialty dancers of the vast machine-and, especially, . left alone all the time," sulked Amy. "And when you consider
comedians. There is a pretty legend concerning these last. how much I know you're getting off very cheap."
122 42ND STREJtT
42ND STREET 123
Andy lost his temper. "I'll be damned if I'll stand for this "Young," Amy mourned. "Do you realize that ten whole
blackmail," he shouted. months have passed since the last time we went out together,
"Ssh!" cautioned Amy. "People '11 hear you. There's not Dot? That was at your birthday party, you know; the time
much you can do about it. People are so nasty about the Mann Nomeone stuck thirty-two candles on the cake, just for a joke,
act. And, anyhow, you can't expect to run a harem without of course."
paying a luxury tax." The arrival of the waiter brought a cessation of hostilities.
They turned into the Chop House and all controversy Amy decided to try the chicken. "Although it might give you
ceased. Familiar voices greeted them from all sides and they ptomaine poisoning," said Dorothy.
were once more the ideal couple. The tables were filled, but '1 "No, dear, no such luck; my digestion's cast iron," Amy
Amy's keen eye caught· sight of two vacancies at the one comforted her. John Phillips began to look acutely uncom-
occupied by Dorothy Brock and John Phillips. fortable. Andy chose to disregard the little tiff entirely.
"Let's go sit with Dorothy," she suggested. Andy mistrusted
"How do you like the show so far?" asked Amy. "Andy
her Gioconda smile but suffered himself to be led in that
says you have a fine part."
direction.
"Oh, it's good enough," returned Dorothy. "Of course it
Phillips rose to his feet. "We thought we'd sit here if you \
didn't mind," gushed Amy. Phillips protested extravagantly<" will be better once I can get my own personality into it. You
that it was a most desirable arrangement. Dorothy merely ' don't know how lucky you were to marry a rich man, dear.
looked cool and rather triumphant. Andy, who sensed the.~ The things they expect you to do to be a star nowadays! It
antagonism between the two ladies, was at a loss to account'(! takes real genius."
for Dorothy's all-conquering air. From the way Amy's eyes
1
"Yes, you certainly have to give everything," Amy agreed.
narrowed he knew that she was raging inwardly. . "Isn't it terrible? That's why I say you folks who began years
"Try the chicken," Dorothy suggested when they had set·). ngo were fortunate, because you made your reputation before
tled themselves. "It's gorgeous. That's a lovely dress, Amy; f they started demanding so much from their stars."
goes so well with your red hair. It's funny, darling, I never:: "Oh, darling, you don't know the half of it," said Dorothy.
realized it was quite that shade." "You went to married life clean from the chorus without
"Oh, yes," responded Amy. "Don't you remember that time,~. experiencing any of the heartaches we artists go through.
you ha& yours dyed taffy color and wanted me to go with•I But at that you were wise. Any woman who realizes her
you and I said that this shade of auburn would do me quite':~ limitations will always get ahead."
nicely?" · "Don't you think we'd better get back early and run over
"I suppose the sun does touch it up a bit," Dorothy ad"'.; the duet, :Oorothy ?" interposed John Phillips. "The harmony
mitted~ "But, anyhow, the vacation's done you loads of good~.j_ in the last half of the chorus is pretty ragged."
I've never seen her looking so young before, Andy." 'l "Two more weeks for that, angel," said Dorothy. "And Mr
124 42ND STREET'. 42ND STREET 125
Lee will keep us hours too long as it is. You're the moilt:I nothing else. Not jealousy, but a feeling of relief smote Andy's
conscientious slave driver I've ever met, Andy." · breast. To get something on the chaste and circumspect Amy
"The thought of millinery bills is in front of my eyes," sai~' had been the dream of his life during the last few months. It
Andy spitefully. meant a considerable lessening of the bonds which chafed
"Amy, don't tell me you're extravagant!" cried Dorothy1 him. He could not shake off the yoke entirely, for the dam~
"And here's your poor husband struggling to bring ho , nable facts surrounding the case of the young girl were too
the bacori." . t\ sickening, but if Amy were confronted with unmistakable
"No, dear, not exactly," Amy corrected. "My money ju ,' proofs of her own guilt their roles might be reversed.
goes into the P. 0. N. W. fund-Protection of Neglecte Andy finished his meal in high spirits. Amy watched him
Wives. You see Andy comes home nights so seldom that with some misgiving. In the spiteful exchange of wit with
nearly shot him once thinking he was a burglar. And thin '. Dorothy she had failed to consider Andy's sharp ears. For
like that are apt to make a girl a widow so that she's got t the gratification of her own dislike she had endangered her
have a little laid by." little affair with Pat. Andy's smirk boded no good. She cursed
"You never know who will get shot nowadays," parri herself for a consummate ass and jabbed viciously at the
Dorothy. "I heard last evening that a certain married lad,· remaining portion of chicken on her plate.
may get pushed into oblivion any moment if she doesn't st ' "A meal sure does a fellow good," glowed Andy. "Hurry
trying to run around with another lady's boy friend." '), up with that demitasse, hon. I feel good-natured this after~
"Really!" said Amy. "How melodramatic! But then yo
noon. How about treating my little girl friend to a coupla
know how married ladies are these days, dear, always
tickets for the Follies matinee? You haven't seen the show
capable and able to take care of themselves. I'd place my
yet. You can take Desiree along."
on the married ones any time."
Amy fumed but saw that the wiser course lay in acquies-
The two ladies were becoming unwise. Both John Philli ,
and Andy felt the introduction of a personal note into cence. And Andy meant to pay for the dresses so she needn't
discussion. Imminent revelations were averted by the timel · trouble herself on that score. Dorothy opened her jewelled
advent of the chicken. In the breathing spell both Andy a powder compact and applied new lipstick. John Phillips, still
Dorothy recognized the wisdom of silence, now that mutu , harassed, picked up the checks, and they departed in a
threats had been exchanged. The talk turned to the music · barrage of sweet good~bys. In the confusion, poor Phillips was
the show and flowed along harmlessly enough. Only An . saddled with the entire bill.
was strangely distant. Dorothy's words renewed his perplexi. Amy faced her husband. "Andy, you're so sweet not to fuss
at Amy's unexplained absences. Somehow he hadn't giv about those dresses-I really need them," she cooed.
her credit for the nerve to undertake a clandestine roman "I guess I can afford to be generous," he replied. "Looks
but the sharp clash of words just passed could have mea like a good time ahead."
'
"You mean for the show?" she questioned with deliberate
<.,I
fairs. At the moment Pat was not interested, for the combined
obtuseness. support of Amy Lee and Dorothy Brock made his lot com-
"For the show, and other things," he replied. "It's funny fortable enough; but one should have an eye to the future
how women will ruin a perfectly good graft just to score a .. and so Pat agreed to present himself at Mr Clarges' offices
point on someone they don't like." within the hour. '
"But, sweet, when a woman holds the whip hand she can He dressed with meticulous care, squandered twenty-five
afford to be reckless," Amy indicated. cents on a carnation for his buttonhole, and presented a
"Well, one poison stops anot-her so I guess one adultery . • • radiant figure when, forty-five minutes later, he opened the
well, honors are even." door to Conway Clarges' outer office. It is one of the rules of
Amy rose. "Do get those seats," she begged. "I'm dying to show business to appear expensively clad no matter what one's
see the Follies!" financial standing is. Only the most independent performers
can afford to look dowdy. For the rest, producers demand
sartorial perfection of the actors they employ. One may deny
oneself diversion, but a modish wardrobe is de rigueur.
Pat lounged up to the wooden railing behind which a very
blonde young lady sat intent upon her typing.
"Mr Clarges?" he inquired.
The divinity glanced up with that haughty abstraction
which is reserved by stenographers for all job hunters. "Who's
calling?" she demanded.
"Tell him Mr Denning's here. Your office called me at my
A_ T TWO O'CLOCK ON THE SAME AFTERNOON AN UNFORESEEN ,/ home just about a half hour ago."
./"\.. event occurred in the life of Pat Denning. He lay J The lady thawed perceptibly. "Oh, yes, Mr Denning. Sit
stretched on the divan in his living room, perusing the theatri- !~i: down, won't you? Mr Clarges is in conference just now but
cal column of the World with little interest, when the tele- J he wants to see you. He won't be more than ten minutes."
phone bell rang. Yawning, he got to his feet and went. over ::. She indicated a chair and followed his tall figure with a
to the instrument. A worried and unmistakably Semitic voice '.;~ glance of unconcealed admiration. In this respect she had the
asked for Mr Pat Denning. On being reassured that this was 11 better of her sister Frieda, she reflected. Frieda was employed
the gentleman in person, the caller revealed himself as Conway 'l, by a vaudeville agency and had to put up with a succession
Clarges (ne Moe Blatt), theatrical representative. From time \ of ham actors whose loud clothes and unspeakable manners.
to time Mr Clarges-Blatt had proffered Pat engagements offended Frieda's delicate sensibilities. "And one thing, the
which were a financial prop in those lean weeks between af.. men that come in here have class," exulted Miss Elsie Levey.
128 42ND STltEEl,';:c; 42ND STREET 129
:I
Pat seated himself and studied the other occupants of Mr·) "Yes. Lionel Blake and Daisy Heming. And Bob Scar-
Clarges' office. He caught the suggestion of a smile on one ./ borough's directing."
face, looked closer, and recognized Geoffrey Waring, dressing. ·~" Pat whistled. "Morgan must be shufBing the horses," he
room companion of an ill-fated dramatic production which ; vowed. "Why, that's a combination to turn old Belasco green
had been launched two seasons ago. Waring crossed to Pat's· . .I;. with envy."
side and the two men shook hands. , "I hear there's plenty of smart talk. Some good old melo-
"Anything new?" Pat inquired. :~ <lrama gone Lonsdale. Morgan wouldn't touch a thing unless
Waring shook his head. "Same old story. They'll be charg· ,\'1 it had one murder.''
ing me rent in this office. It looks like a tough season." "~ "I wonder where he got the money," murmured Pat.
"It's the movies," said Pat, presenting the actor's familiar · "Don't know; but Equity says it's okay. I stopped in there
alibi. on my way down. Little precaution I always take with these
"I made a test for Famous Players the other day," Waring i! fly-by-night outfits."
observed. "Hope to God it comes out well because I'm sick ,1 "Did he settle up those checks for his last flop?" asked Pat.
of this racket. I prefer shame in Hollywood to artistic starva· "Every penny. They gave me a bright fatherly smile at
tion in the fast and furious Forties. Cigarette?" Equity and srud, 'Go to it,' " Waring declared.
"No smoking here, please," Miss Levey interrupted crisply. "Sounds good," Pat admitted. "And I've been laying off a
Waring retired his case. "Did Clarges send for you about · hell of a long time."
this new Morgan production?" he questioned. "How do you do it?" Waring demanded. "You look as
"I don't know," Pat replied. "I just got a call to come down well dressed as an Aarons and Freedley chorus boy."
here. What's the new piece? One-set melodrama, I suppose . "Technique, my boy, technique," Pat assured him grandly.
. That's about Morgan's speed.'' "How are all your women?"
"As a matter of fact he's going in for bigger and better "Well, the wife is raising hell because I can't dig up any
things," said Waring. r. alimony, but I'm officially bankrupt so there's nothing she
"Oh, a circus!" suggested Pat ironically. • can do about it. Meanwhile I got in with a Village gang and
"Nope. High class British drawing room drama. And at have two or three minor affairs on the fire at the present
least two settings are mentioned in the bond." moment."
"Good God! He must have something on Cain's ware· "The Village? God deliver me from those washouts," gri·
house!" cried Pat. "But how in the name of heaven did he·. maced Pat.
choke down all that British repartee?" "Oh, this is quite on the level. You won't find a starched-
"Some 'yes' man told him the story in one syllable words, . collar lady among them and every girl there thinks a bunch
explained Waring. of violets is the nicest present for a boy to bring his girl friend.
"Have they got anybody for it so far?" Pat inquired. These aren't sophisticates, young feller, they're naturalists."
130 4:2ND 4:2ND STREET I3~
"Meaning-?" Pat prompted. . ·;. think they're artistic and different. So leave 'em alone. They'll
"Home town folks-corn fed idealists. Nice people who f,; 1
learn soon enough."
want to express t hemselves." ·.·. ''l Miss Levey called, "Mr Denning, won't you go inside,
"It sounds different. How about inviting me down there?'''? please?"
"With your Park Avenue urbanity? Not a chance, Pat. l, "I'll meet you here in ten minutes," said Pat. "Don't go
want an unchallenged field." , 'way, because we'll slip over to my place and murder a couple
"You know I never mix business with pleasure. And at the; of cocktails. There's fire water just fresh and bubbling from
moment I have two propositions that are keeping pretty close'~: some old darling's private yacht."
tabs on me," Pat told him. "I'd relish a little bucolic diversion~;j Waring nodded assent.
Say when." , Pat passed through the gate and entered Clarges' office. He
"Come on down with me tonight then. And bring yoUJ!f?. \~.
found the jovial East Sider expansive in welcome. "Vell, vell,
own. We're all poor and haven't the price of a quart betweefl\ll Pat!" Mr Clarges exulted. "T'enk God, I found you. Look at
us so all contributions are most gratefully received." ;• dis-swellest part ever-and money!" His eyes sought the
"I'll bring two quarts as initiation fee," Pat promised. ceiling in rapture.
"Good enough. We can rustle up the tumblers and I'll';.' When Mr Clarges' exuberance had diminished somewhat
cadge cracked ice and ginger ale out of the Italian woman, Pat glanced over the script of the new play and found it
on the corner. But be prepared for the truth about things.!, vastly to his liking. He appreciated Clarges' subtle compli-
You know, 'Life is real, life is earnest,' and all that." . . > ment in showing him the piece. An agent extended that
"I understand. Art with a capital 'F'. Don't worry, I shan't;i courtesy only to his most valued players.
crack a smile," Pat assured him. "I may even indulge in Pat pursed his lips and mentioned a staggering salary. Mr
philosophy myself. I've been told there are the makings of :lj~ Clarges glared protest. Pat graciously listened to compromise
good soap box patriot in me." l and eventually the matter rested at one hundred and fifty dol-
"One girl plays marvellously. Strictly modern stuff, of;· lars a week. "An' only t'ree weeks of rehearsal,'' beamed Mr
course. She'll try to convince you Mr Gershwin copped hi~: Clarges. "Dis is soft! Dis is soft!"
Rhapsody from Debussy's Cathedral under the Sea, but one<., Pat emerged from Clarges' sanctuary well satisfied. Now
that's off her chest you're in for a real treat." "· he could view the temperamental rantings of his two lady
"Good music, good liquor-your little proposition is devel~'{ loves as inconsequential. If either proved too tyrannical he
oping," said Pat. · would bid a complacent adieu and retire to the dignity of
"You'll be entertained. And no wisecracks, mind you. There.;, his self-earned income.
are a couple of young kids who haven't been brought out ye~t Outside Waring still cooled his heds. "Any luck?" he
and far be it from me to tell them what's wrong. They jus~~ enquired.
42ND 42ND STREET 133
"All set," said Pat. "And there's a nice bit for you. Lots of';~ Pat nodded. He had been mixing drinks and now presented
luck." He gave Geoffrey a friendly pat on the shoulder. .;:' n glass to Waring. "Try this, old man," he said. "It's an old
Mr Waring was favored of the gods that afternoon, so half':·; Spanish recipe."
an hour later the two men left the Titus Building and ven-1~ Waring sipped the drink appreciatively and smacked his
tured into the afternoon tide of Broadway. , lips. "Nectar!" he cried ecstatically.
"I'm three blocks from here," said Pat. "Let's hike over and,! Pat nodded. "That's how I got it!" he replied. "Necked her
take up that option on the cocktails." u.' plenty and ye good old vintage was forthcoming."
Waring was agreeable and the two men set out at a briski Waring noted the complete absence of photographs in the
pace. Their progress was halted innumerable times by curiom·; 11partment and commented on the fact. "All under lock and
acquaintances who wanted to know what the hell theiri: key," Pat explained. "I file 'em away and when it's time for
smiling demeanor meant. When it was explained that both;~ nn appointment the right picture comes out-not before."
Pat and Geoffrey had secured engagements these acquaint-', Waring was impressed at his friend's shrewdness.
ances were properly awed and hastened away to share theit,,, "You know, this old dame was a sport," Pat continued.
envy with other friends while Pat and Geoffrey continued~. "Liquor like that set her back plenty! Have another?"
their triumphal stroll. 1
Waring's glass was proffered with alacrity.
They arrived at Pat's apartment a quarter of an hour later,:, In fifteen minutes they agreed they were charming fellows,
climbed the three Bights of stairs which were a constant source.' deserving of the finest gifts which life bestows. The gin
of embarrassment to Mr Denning and flung themselves into' diminished alarmingly. Pat waxed enthusiastic on the subject
the nearest easy chairs to cool off. of his newest amours, but stubbornly refused to reveal their
"I can't afford a man," Pat apologized, "so we'll do the\ names though submitted to an artful inquisition by his friend.
honors ourselves. That's the hell of being poor." He was a canny person who had learned the value of secrecy
Waring cast an envious eye about the apartment. "Poor?'.' Lhrough long and bitter years of servitude to women. So
You and Peggy Joyce," he sneered. "No kidding, Pat, you'.re'f engrossed were they in this little discussion they failed to
the marvel of the century. And the greatest wonder is how": hear the energetic peal of the doorbell. It shrilled again and
that old S. A. holds out indefinitely. The Heavenly Father:' again, cutting knife-like through the beautiful oblivion which
put the stuff in you all right." they had builded about themselves. Shrewish and nagging
"And how Adam's rib is taking it out," Pat moaned. "In the ringing continued until Pat shouted in exasperation,
three more seasons I'm retiring- to Persia and taking up the ; "What the hell is that?,,
old family job of Grand Eunuch." "Sounds like a bell," said Waring helpfully.
"I suppose you're still favoring the C. 0. D. method?", "Course it's a bell-front door bell, but damn it, why's
asked Waring, with a nod toward the lavish furnishings. "No f anybody wanna ring it now?"
checkee-no shirtee --" "Perhaps they want to get in," Waring suggested.
134 42ND 42 N D S TR E E :r 135
"Bright boy!" cheered Pat. "Per'aps they want to get in-~t lady rattling the door knob. "She'll tear something she can't
per'aps they want to get in," he mimicked Waring's voi i sew. Nobody's fooling me!"
"The question is-shall we or shall we not let them in. Ho
1
Pat shoved the frightened Geoffrey inside the bathroom and
'bout it?" turned the key on the outside. Then he hastily tidied the liv-
"It's your house," said Waring, disavowing all responsi ing room, lit a cigarette, assumed what he fervently prayed
ity. was an air of nonchalance and stumbled to the door which
They pondered a moment. "Who is it?" Waring asked. was being subjected to a shower of blows by his indignant
"My dear, dear chap, I'm not Princess Wahletka; I cann caller. He opened the door with an abrupt jerk and was
prognosticate without inquiring, and to inquire would rev .. nearly bowled over as Amy rushed in, screaming at the top
my presence hereabouts. Hereabouts!" he repeated, charm of her lungs.
at the sound of the word. "What in God's name got into you?" he shouted angrily.
"It might be a fire, an' they're firemen!" said Waring. "Don't take that tone to me, you big bully. Just because I
"Nope. We'd smell smoke. Mos' likely it's women." caught you in the act, you're trying to scare me."
"You damned old egotist," cried Waring. .1 "Amy, I swear-" He put his arms about her.
She gave him an energetic shove. "My God, what a breath.
"Course it's·women. Who else would call? One of my bi
You're cockeyed. And it smells like rotten liquor, too. I sup-
moments is doing a little checking up." ·. ·
pose she gave it to you."
Someone pounded on the panel of the door in front
"Amy-I give you my word there's no lady in this apart-
them. "Ssh," hissed Pat, raising an unsteady .finger to ment," said Pat, clutching at her sleeve.
lips. "The enemy are upon us." "Stop it! Save that story for the Uncle Wiggly hour. I
"Let me in!" screeched a woman's voice. "I know you' know what I know. That trollop's hiding in the bathroom
home, Pat Denning. If you don't, I'll kick the doar down." right now."
Pat was thoroughly alarmed. "You'll excuse me, old m "Darling, she isn't a trollop in there!" objected Pat. "She's
won't you? I'll have to settle this right away. Can't you n he."
take a shower or something?" "Don't lie to me," said Amy in tragic scorn. "I suppose she's
"I think I'd better leave through the back way," Wari struggling into her step-ins right now. Well, this is the show
declared, picking up his hat. "She might start flourishi down. Is it me or that creature in there?" She faced Pat
guns." defiantly.
"Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense! My women don't own su Pat fumed. "You're an undign'.fied and disgrace-disgrache-
weapons. Be a good chap and see me through." ful little baggage," he reproached her. "I tell you this apart-
"Right! But, my God, these women scare me!" , ment is untainted by femin-femin-by female presence."
"Tell that hussy to stop talking bass!" screamed the invisib~ Amy scurried across the room and assailed the bathroom
136 42ND STREET 137
door. "Come out, you rat," she challenged. "Come out . she glanced at the book and discarded it with a vindictive
I'll make a character actress outta ya."
"Won't you please try next door?" pleaded Waring fr
J
the bath. "The lady in here is very low and mus' have abs'lu•.
. --·
imort. It was entitled Old Greek Lays.
""' ,,,,,... ..... -. .. - .. -........ . .....
., ,,,,.., .,, ,,,,..,
quiet." · {
Amy staggered in amazement. "It's a man," she cried....
man!"
Pat swelled confidently. "Just as I said, m'dear," he
umphed. "A man!"
"What's a man doing locked in the bathroom?"
demanded.
a
"It's the one spot where a man has right to expect priva
Pat maintained.
Amy wavered. "Wdl-" she began. "I--" W HEN A FEW MOMENTS HAD PASSED PAT BEGAN TO REPENT
the spectacular interlude. It had been very fine stand-
ing up there telling Amy to go to the devil, but that meant a
But by now Pat Denning was aroused. Many words wh .
he had been saving for just such a scene welled in his th little more scrimping and hoarding, the sort of thing he abomi-
At that moment Amy was the most hated person on e nated. And it left his yearning for luxury to the tender
"You're n'evil, malicious female!" he barked, picking mercies of Dorothy Brock who stammered indecencies in his
a book from the table and pounding it against a chair car with all the shyness of a dewy~yed virgin. Amy, at least,
was forthright; she had her passion and put it away from her.
emphasize his words. "You're a lady wolf in cheap clot ·
While indulging she became the savage animal, but with sur-
Go 'way. Don't bother me. I'm through! G'wan back ,,
feit all the hardness of twenty-three New York summers re-
your husban'. And don't bring your homework to the P"
turned to her. Not so with Dorothy. She contrived to lend
Denning Finishing School for Young Ladies because, s' '
the flavor of seduction to each yielding so that she was able
as I'm concerned, you're graduated." to blush in pretty confusion and give to Pat the irritating im-
A sudden notion struck him. As Amy stiffened with ra pression of having violated a maiden.
and prepared to stamp her way out of his life he shout ' "It takes a certain kind of genius to face the ultimate mo-
"Furthermore, here's a graduation present from me to y . ment with a look of frozen wonderment when you've been
with much love." He flung the book at her back and stam ' at it ten years," Pat mused. "Oh, well; dear God make the
into the bedroom. new play a success so that I can lose those Seventh Cotnmand-
Sobbing, Amy bent down to pick up the volume. T ment Bloo-hoo-hoos." His voice rose in an eerie wail.
she ran down the stairs and out of the house. Once outsi Waring entered from the bath refreshed and a bit more
138 42ND STlt£JlJ' <flND STREET 139
:j
coherent now that he had been allowed to soak under the\. "You're still tight,'' yelled Pat. "Go munch soda crackers
shower. His glance was still a bit bleary, however, and und amuse yourself by spitting out apple seeds." He turned
was plainly in terror of the return of Amy, smiting o the nickel handle of the shower and a needle-like spray fell
vengeance. hissing into the bathtub. "God, that sounds good." He stripped
"I say," he gulped. "Now I know what they mean wh , off his clothes, left them in a tumbled heap on the floor and
they talk about the wages of sin. What pleasant little bir stepped into the tub. "This'll make a new man out of me."
of passage you attract to your nest, Sir Lancelot." ., "Three cheers for the new man," cheered Waring feebly.
"Shut up. I've got to bathe and shave if I'm going to yo·'. "Nice to meet strange people." He regarded the soda crackers
damned party," snarled Pat. "You'll find fruit and soda b'' with aversion, likewise the fruit. There remained nothing but
cuits on the table if you're hungry." the array of glasses on the sideboard. The faint shimmer of
"Hungry? Good God!" cried Waring with a snort of di, the glass held him in a vise. He saw such cool and lovely
gust. "I think I shall take my wreath of daisies and shepherd~ depths in which one could lose oneself. He investigated the
crook and hie me back to the flock." ' bottle, examined the cocktail shaker, and ended by mixing
"You'll jolly well stay here," Pat commanded him. "N himself another drink. This was weak-willed and he casti-
that you've crocked up my arrangement with the light of gated himself firmly, in fact so firmly that he felt sorry for
fading years at least have the decency. to see me through himself and had to take a second drink to cheer up.
party tonight." \ Pat stepped out of his bath and found Waring still linger-
"You don't suppose her husband would be inspired to pa'· ing among the cocktails. The stinging water had cleared his
a social call, do you?" Waring quavered. "Because if there:. head and he delivered to his dejected companion a ringing
any possibility of that I shall take the well known wings · lecture on the evils of drink. Waring vowed never again to
the morning." look upon the wine while it was red.
"Her husband is probably engaged in pursuits of his ow~ "And get in there and brush up," Pat finished. "You look
said Pat. "So there's nothing to do but eat soda biscuits like a refugee-or a Communist-or an actor-or something
pray that I don't cut my chin. You don't want to introduce.~. poisonous. You'll find a variety of combs and brushes on the
hacked and bloody man as the comrade of your drink· " shelf, also aspirin. I'll fix some black coffee because I see that
sprees." black coffee will play the role of ministering angel tonight."
"Can't you wear a beard and say you're in training Waring fairly blubbered his thanks and tumbled into the
Morris Gest?" said Waring. bathroom from which he returned polished and gleaming.
"A beard doesn't give me an aesthetic look. I look mer Pat eyed him with approval. "You're good-looking, you
poverty stricken, which is too damn near the truth of know," he asserted. "It's too bad you haven't the stamina for
matter to be comforting." my racket. We'd make a great team."
"Some girls like beards," Waring intoned. With the memory of Amy Lee still vivid, Waring shud-
140 42ND 42ND STREET
dered. "No thanks, Pat, I'll follow that still small voice their faces again," Waring breathed. "I'm damned sick of
conscience," he answered. "It's better than the wild yell the pictures that hang on the walls in the agents' offices."
vice that went surging around here this afternoon." r
"Be independent like me," Pat advised. "I let 'em come
Pat swallowed his coffee. "That was an exception," he ~· nf ter me. An agent hates to give employment to anyone who
plained. "If I hadn't been drunk the lady would still love , needs it. That goes against his grain. But cultivate an air of
But, to hell with her! It does a man good to be his own b indifference and he's on your neck in no time."
once in a while."
"Do you think we'll get out before the other one turns up?:; The taxi shot under the Sixth Avenue El. Crowds moved
asked Waring fearfully. ulong the pavement, their drabness accentuated by the yellow
"My second flame will not flare up this evening," said Pa hlear of light which came streaking from shop windows.
"Thank God for that, because I've got an uncontrollable y Warm sickly odors embraced the air and the heat of the day
to stroll through green fields and pick strawberries with a g' NI ill lingered over the city blocks. Cheapness, blatancy and
whose lips are cool as the dew and whose eyes shine in . glare melting into a gaudy kaleidoscope-that was Sixth Ave-
mine with the light of complete innocence." ;', nue. Overhead the elevated trains hurtled past, stabbing the
"Another good subtitle writer gone wrong," moaned War'. night with ominous thunder. Children cried, taxi drivers
ing. "You won't find the green fields or the strawberries · cursed, shop owners hawked their wares, throngs gathered
the Village, but there's just oodles and oodles of innocencei, hcfore the soft drink emporiums, leaning elbows on the sticky
"On to the oodles, then," cried Pat happily. "How m counters while they bellowed at the harassed clerks who
liquor do we want?" Ntrove to wait on them. The taxi sped along the gloomy
"Oh, enough to make the back yard palatable," Warin stretch of the avenue, past the caldron of Thirty-Fourth Street
hazarded. and into the shabby neighborhood south of the Macy-Gimbel
"Roughly three quarts," Pat decided. "Where's the Scotch?> line.
They left the apartment with bulging hip pockets an "I wish he'd taken Fifth Avenue," grumbled Pat. "This
summoned a cab. Waring gave the driver an address ne ' tlamn street is so depressing. Look at 'em, Jeff-the motley-
Sheridan Square and they rolled toward Fifth Avenue througK. the backbone of ye great American People grubbing among
a jam of theatre-bound vehicles. their reeking alleyways. Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."
"Your public and mine," Pat philosophized. "Damn the~ They lurched through the twisting labyrinth of Greenwich
lousy little souls! It's because they won't appreciate my a Village. From out the grime and squalor peered an occasional
that I am forced to turn into such shameful byways to ear doorway of great beauty, relic of the aristocracy which once
had walked about these streets. Their destination was a
a living."
).(loomy-appearing structure squeezed in betwen two ware-
"Just the same, it will seem good
houses which pressed hard on either side. Under their shadow
42ND 42ND STREET 1 43
the house seemed to be fighting for existence, gasping their shoulders," said Jeff. "Honestly, they make fair play and
though throttled by the bulk of its neighbors. ambition sound like the real stuff. Here we are!"
"Well, here we are," said Waring superfluously. He patlsed before a door which fronted the flight of stairs.
Pat looked about with misgivings. "Thank God we brou Pat heard overtones of conversation and piano playing.
that extra quart," he muttered. "Now I'm in for it," he thought. Jeff rapped loudly with
"It's not bad inside," Waring apologized. "The kids ha. his knuckles. There was no appreciable lessening of the din,
fixed things up rather nicely." · but presently the door opened and a girl of perhaps twenty-
They paid the driver and mounted the ancient staircase · three stood facing them. She was utterly commonplace; her
the front door. From far above the lights shone down i . clothes, her hair, even her good looks were damned by a
the stair wdl, lighting their path. The air was heavy •· certain lack of distinction that is achieved by so many whole-
the smell of recently cooked meals. _ .. some people. She gave Jeff a welcoming grin, stretched her
"It's an Alpine climb so you'd better start yodelling to~ hand in greeting to Pat and invited them both to enter. Pat
up your courage," Waring advised. found himself in a narrow~ box-like partition that was prob-
Pat groaned but set out following Geoffrey's lead. ably known as the front hall. The piano player's music
"Maida's an amazing youngster," Waring confided. " became distinguishable; she was playing the waltz motif of
lieve it or not she harks back to a ducking in the best Ba • Three Shades of Blue.
manner, to say nothing of numerous maiden aunts whose c · "Quite a gang," said Waring. "You'd better render thanks
exteriors must certainly have cloaked a multitude of sins.~ unto little Caesar here. I've brought beaucoup firewater."
"God, what a stink!" Pat groaned. "Wops, I suppose." The girl, Maida, patted his cheek. "Angel!"
"Don't be finicky, old son. What would the Village be wi "Not me," Jeff protested. They walked into the over-
out smells? Incidentally, Tony, on the next floor, brews··
.~~ crowded, smoke-enshrouded living room. "Hey, everyone,"
swell shot of hooch. Reasonable, too. If I weren't in s · Jeff shouted. "Come meet the Good Provider."
The merrymakers forsook their pursuits of the moment to
gilt-edged company I'd stop in for a few moments on my ·
crowd about . Pat and Waring. When explanations were
up. But not with private stock such as yours to be had."
achieved and introductions passed around Pat was hailed as
"Jeff, is this what virtue does for a guy?" asked Pat pl
a jolly sport and assigned the next dance with Millicent, a
tively, pausing on the third landing to catch his breath. pretty blonde who, Maida explained, was "the Edna St Vin-
They resumed the ascent, passed the fourth landing, cent Millay of our humble group." Most assuredly there was
impenetrable gloom still loomed above. From behind cl poetry in Millicent's feet; she trod the floor with moonbeam
doors issued the wailing of children or shrill morsels of lightness and, dancing with her, Pat discovered that the
versation mounting in truly Latin crescendo. chafing confines of the room were nonexistent, they were
"You'll be surprised to find how easily goodness rests · immortals blazing a pathway to the stars.
144 42ND STREET 145
"You're new," said Millicent. "I saw you come in dance, darn it, but we'll exchange toasts over the rims of our
Geoffrey Waring and guessed that Jeff had cornered m ' gl asses, won't we.?"
heavy sugar. Don't you like the sensation of feeding the m .. "And d~ce together many, many more fox trots," he
titude?" ·· promised.
"Th~t good old 'more blessed to give than to receive' sen·; New acquaintances surged about them. Millicent was herded
tion," laughed Pat. "I had no idea you were like this. I into a far corner and Pat found himself confronted by Maida
tured a glum-looking group, with scrawny necks and w ., and another young lady whom he had not previously en-
vocabularies, sitting in the candlelight while some pale yo countered.
man read poetry." , "Mr Denning, I want you to meet another member of your
"We're too intelligent for that," contradicted Millicent. " abominable profession," said Maida. "This is Peggy Sawyer."
course, you'll find a few tremendous minds peering o : Pat liked the eyes and the gentility of Peggy. "Let's sit
number thirteen collars but, thank goodness, they don't : down," he suggested when Maida left them. "It may be my
their wisdom interfere with their good time, so we man ' imagination, but you've got that rehearsal look under your
to keep pretty gay-for paupers." eyes."
"I'm in that genial state myself," Pat stated. "Flatterer!" she chided him. "Most men tell me I'm quite
"Not really!" she marvelled. "But there are lovely. Of course, they're all liars and you are absolutely cor-
oozing out all over you." , rect. I've been on my feet all day."
"Merely conceit," Pat informed her. "The church mice a i They searched for chairs. "It's pretty beastly," he sympa-
I are brothers under the skin." · thized. "Are you in musical comedy?"
"Yes. Just chorus." She smiled wryly. "My first experience
"I can tell by the way you talk you're an actor," Millie '.
averred. "Have I ever seen you?" ; on the stage."
"Don't tell me there were bathing suits and prize winning
"Not unless you attend first nights. My engagements ral"
cups back of your fatal step," cried Pat. ·
last longer than that."
"Not even a popularity contest," Peggy declared. "Just the
"You must have one of Jeff's qualifications, a nose for sm will to succeed. You've read about that, haven't you?"
ing out flops," said Millicent. "In some book, I believe. Well, I ought to congratulate you
"You've hit it. That's why I just keep two paces ahead but I can't. It's a rotten existence."
gaunt starvation. In days of affiuence I clothe myself regafl,l' "All you wise old people say that," Peggy complained. "Now
so the old monster's breath won't be too chill on my I'm just a raw down-easter and I like the excitement."
person. However, this is a time for joy. Jeff and I will soon "I wouldn't leave it for the world," Pat swore. "But it can
working." be pretty devastating."
1
"Splendid!" cried Millicent. "And that's the end of o ·· "Still, you'd take it in preference to dull and honorable mar·
/
42ND 42ND STREET
,.
riage in Paris, Maine, wouldn't you?" she pressed him. "Witl\" "I fought for years to destroy the likeness,'' he confessed.
a bucolic husband and the prospect of red-cheeked babies?". ·,( "Even a pseudo-Englishman has a better chance in the Land
"The red-cheeked babies sound delightful," he said. "But1 of the Free and the Home of the Brave. When I become more
I admit that the bucolic husband is a draw back. And Pari' definitely Oxford I shan't be in need of a job, I promise you.
Maine, doesn't exactly lure me. Is there really such a place?. The only thing casting directors fear is a real American.
"Why, of course. A thriving metropolis of good, honest- llroaden your A's and you are hired on the spot."
God Yankees." "But Maida tells me you and Mr Waring have an engage-
"Well, well. We do live and learn, don't we? Still, who ment now?"
I to assume the mantle of omnipotence? Have you ever heard! "Oh, yes, we are both going sensationally drawing-room.
of Tunis, Ohio?" Something was bound to turn up. I've been idle so long that
"Never," she confessed. . I was beginning to speak of my career in the past tense."
"That's my home," he smiled. "I should like a real play," mused Peggy. "In the chorus
"But you've become a New Yorker," Peggy pointed out. " , you are part of a machine, except for the fact that instead of
suave well-fed man of the world." 'h coils and wires you possess joints and muscles which ache
Pat made a fearful grimace. "I suppose you picture me a& ., when you exert them too much. No matter how high your
Michael Arlen sort of person who meets ladies in green hat standard you're still only a cog in the works; there's no chance
spills epigrams with that bored air which marks the perfe '. to be a definite personality; you must kick in time, bend in
dubman, and who will reach a deserved end by running ·. time, exit in time. I'll get fed up with that in quick order, I
Hispano Suiza off a cliff or drinking the poison concealed • . imagine."
a Borgia ring." · "No good complaining. We have to take what's offered here
"You fit the portrait admirably. And now do utter som.' in New York. If you drop out there are a thousand others
epigrams." cager to replace you. That's why there's no security. You
"My dear, the Hispano Suiza and the epigrams are no keep pounding .madly on your treadmill so some lesser person
extant. I struggle for a living like Geoffrey Waring; earn won't pass you; you're worn out maintaining the pace, and
few dollars every now and then; squander them on Sulka ti when all is said and done you haven't advanced an inch."
and Dobbs' hats and then haunt the agents' offices for anoth "But you've had fun trying," said Peggy. "Made lots of in-
engagement." teresting friends, filled your eyes to the brim with color, and
"Then you must be hiding your light under a bushetrf, when you get old you can readjust the plate of false teeth and
Peggy affirmed. "You have the English gentleman quality th~~ dream about the days when you struggled to keep step with
all Americans worship. There's a hint of feudal castles in th~. the millions."
background. I can't find anything of Tunis, Ohio, in yOW'l" The floor space was cleared and Maida once more raised a
well-kept self." ' silencing hand. "Gertrude is going to play," she announced.
k
1,.S 42.ND STRE•:. 42ND STREET 149
The group settled back in their ch.airs and applauded. numb. Pat could well believe it; the wonder was that such
small, dark-eyed Jewess got to her feet and walked over to power could dwell in the slight frame of the little Jewess. At
piano. ' his side Peggy remained motionless.
"What's it going to be?" she demanded. "God, to be able to play like that," Pat muttered. "What
There were scattered shouts for Scriabin, Debussy, Godel . the hell is this drawing room comedy? Why should I be
sky and Gershwin. One sentimentalist called for Thtiis, butt. pleased with myself? What have I done-ever? Isn't it dam-
others hissed scornfully, whereupon he left the room, offend·. . 1 nable how good music stirs up a sense of futility, Miss Sawyer?
and sought solace among the collection of bottles. Gertru ·. It's really very bad for the ego."
sat down and presently a strange jargon of notes began ' The feeling of emptiness which so often ensues from unwise
weave their tortured spell. Frenzied chords followed one · drinking laid hold upon Pat. Here he was, Pat Denning,
other, seeking out the core of all discontent and transmu ' twenty-eight years old, bound for perdition in a reckless sort
it into the flashing fingers of the pianist. Chords quiver' · of way, without even the excuse of grandeur to motivate his
with pain, conceived in labor, echoed into oblivion like ~ going. The way was cluttered with countless intrigues, parties
cry of protest. No melody, no form, just savagery ground o that lasted until dawn, sessions of talk with similarly placed
by white hands. Gertrude's face wore an enigmatic smile, friends; and while he busied himself achieving nothing men
though her playing answered some aching need. ·.~· wrote music that reverberated through the centuries. The de-
"I'll be damned if she doesn't like the stuff," thought P sire to build something worthwhile which stirs most of us at
The sound drained him of resistance; he became a part of ; odd moments began to rise in Pat Denning's breast. It may
nightmare pattern. Then abruptly Gertrude ended. Slowly . have been Gertrude's music or perhaps the friendship of the
room resumed its normal proportions. You could hear a gen girl beside him; difficult to say what spurs us on to the idea of
hiss, like a sigh of release. great endeavor. Before long the inspiration sputters to unwept
She swung into the sadness of a folk song. Pat thought death, hut for one short hour we are wrapped in the glory of
wind-swept fields and the grain swelling like a yellow · the clouds. Pat visioned a scornful parting with Dorothy
while far above clouds raced against their eternal backgr Brock; flinging her many presents to the ground and walking
and the sun burned steadfastly. Then came a fragment of away, destitute, but with a new feeling of cleanness enfolding
old Polish tune pregnant with sorrow and death; a m him. That was the worth-while way; the span of life was
tary lightening when the mood changed to a sprightly th short and he must hasten before the shadow of declining years
then once more, somberness. For more than a half hour fell upon him.
pianist remained seated. At last, like a paean of modernity "Let's have a drink," he suggested. The plan met instantane-
beauty of Gershwin's Rhapsody crashed through the room a ous approval and they crowded into the kitchen.
then the concert was over. They applauded wildly and Maida waved them all back. "Jeff and Mr Denning come
manded more, but Gertrude explained that her hands help mix things," she called. "The rest of you clear out. I can't
42ND 42ND STREET
have you bobbing about." They waited "Excellent I" he responded. "I was rather low until this
drinks were forthcoming. heaven-sent deliverance arrived. But, I say, do let me fill your
Millicent and Peggy got into conversation. glass."
"He's nice, isn't he?" Millicent probed. "Better not," warned Peggy. "The good folk of Paris, Maine,
"Awfully glib, though, like all legitimate actors," Peggy aren't educated to such rare liquor. It's apt to go to my head."
joined, avoiding the blonde young lady's snare. Millicent joined them. "You know you've excited contro-
"That's the nature of the beast. They always see a we, versy," she interrupted. "Greater distinction hath no man
turned out butler and hordes of Dukes and Duchesses in th'' than that."
background. It's that drawing-room training." ,, "Controversy? I? My dear, I'm such a simple person; you'll
"I can't believe that he'd be sincere for more than t find no complicating inhibitions. You see me as I am, person-
minutes at a stretch," said Peggy. "I'm sure the strain wo able, care free and extremely poor."
prove too much." "Peggy doubts your sincerity."
"Don't you believe it!" cried Millicent. "Even actors "Good God! That was unkind coming from you, Miss
be decent. You have to allow for a measure of conceit and Sawyer I"
tolerable lot of affectation, but dig deep under and these dra "Millicent shouldn't have mentioned it," Peggy deprecated.
ing-room dummies are surprisingly human." "I'm sorry."
"At least the quality of his liquor is unquestioned," Peg "But now that the subject's been raised, let's argue," Pat
compromised. "For once, you can really believe the labels." suggested, pulling Millicent into the vacant chair beside him.
Maida emerged from the kitchen bearing a tray full to over "I'd rather not. You're a false friend, Millicent." Peggy
flowing with good things. Pat followed close at her hee ·. glowered, attempting to withdraw. Pat restrained her.
Waring hovered about, wearing the rubicund smile of o "Sorry, darling," said Millicent, "but Mr Denning doesn't
who has found a god and shared his discovery with frien mind, really. It flatters him to think we care a hang whether
Rapturous exclamations greeted their arrival. he's sincere or not. Now look at poor Jeff Waring. Nobody
"Give me that lovely apricot-colored doo-hickey," called o , troubles to sound the depths of his soul; we take him at face
of the girls. · value. But you're intriguing, Pat Denning. You've aroused
"Bourbon! Shades of my ancestral chateaul" shouted feminine curiosity, and that is a real tribute."
other. "You know, Miss Sawyer, you're right-after a fashion,"
"Et voila la veuve Clicquot," chanted Waring. "Heave t confessed Pat. "I've been drifting in the mazes of pretense for
my hearties-heave to but not up!" so long I shouldn't know a real, honest-to-God sincere thought
Hilarity prevailed. Pat found his way back to the seat if it jumped up and bit me."
side Peggy. "The hail fellow well met," she mocked. "H ' "There you are, Peggy. You win, after all," said Millicent.
does it feel to be the dispenser of good cheer?" Peggy looked acutely uncomfortable. "You've overstated my
42ND STREET 153
152 42ND STRi ..('.
case, Millicent," she defended herself. "I'm a bit distru · · i Peggy smiled. "Very well, tomorrow;" she agreed.
of gentlemen whose replies to any question are a little too a: i "Fine. I shall be properly humble, a throwback to my Tunis,
· for human comfort, that's all." Ohio, days."
"In other words, you like an epigram in its proper plac · They were conscious of a sudden quiet which had taken
behind the footlights?" asked Pat. possession of the room. Gertrude was once more seated at the
"Yes. A stage setting gives a certain truthfulness to wit t . piano. They settled back to listen. Pat took in his surround-
is lacking when the same remark is made in every day st{ ings; a starved-looking room hung with bad water colors
roundings." which he guessed were the work of Maida. The grimness of
"In other words my conversation is a little too precious." · the light fixtures had been masked by painted shades, the in-
"Oh, not that. Rather the talk of a man on his mettle Npiration of some artist with fantastic inclinations. But here,
cause he hopes to get a good notice in the Times tomorro futility was not depressing, for underneath the gaiety lay a
morning." spark of hope. If one did not succeed today there was always
"I am chastened. Henceforth I shall talk about the wea a tomorrow bright with promise. That thought was most
and the latest styles." comforting to Pat.
"Please don't; I should loathe that. And we always have . "This is swell," he said to himself. "I like their racket. With
sneaking liking for the very thing of which we disapprov ·· someone like Peggy beside me I'd go for all this in a big way."
Peggy reminded him. ' .1. And the music of Gertrude imaged the longings that lay in
his own heart.
"But I want you to approve," he said. "I want that approb '
tion most terribly."
Millicent departed with that fifth-wheel-of-a-carriage 1
-·- -
and they were left to their discussion.
"I really do want her to like me," Pat was thinking. "
would mean a lot to have this girl care." :
"Perhaps you'll allow me to devote some time to provi t
my innate fineness," he said aloud. "It won't be dull and I
be having a grand time."
Peggy shook her head. She was far from averse to flirtatio
with this young man and yet-Pat Denning would be dan ..
AT TEN o'cLocK THEY SHUFFLED To THEm PLACES, THE BOYS
ous to any woman, no matter how level headed.
f i and girls of the Pretty Lady chorus. ·
"At least one luncheon," Pat begged.
"Get the suitcases under Andy Lee's eyes," whispered Ann
She surrendered. "Very well."
Lowell. "Bet he's been having a row with the ball and chain."
"Sometime this week?" he pursued. "Tomorrow?"
154
42ND STREET 1 55
"Snap into it! Snap into it!" yelled
glittering venomously. eyes, he simulated the slow writhing dance of the Harlem
"Ouch! Somebody throw him a hunk o' raw meat," . negro. The middle part of his body gyrated with effortless
suggested. "Jeez, my dogs are killing me. One more day/ ease, first one foot shuffiing back, then the other. His audience
this and it's back to the laundry for me." I:. was entranced. In the turmoil of rehearsal they had lost sight
Peggy ran out of the dressing room hooking her practi of the fact that Andy Lee was probably the greatest dancer
costume. "Late again, Miss Sawyer," bellowed Andy ' the Ghetto had produced. For the first time was revealed to
"You new girls haven't no sense of responsibility." them the boy who danced because a melody in his soul taught
Harry MacElroy darted about like an agitated hen. Alrea h'.m that means of expression; danced from the unsavory East
he was becoming convinced that the title of assistant sta' Side streets to the stages of vaudeville houses which were in
manager was an empty honor. their hey-dey a decade ago; danced before crowds which
A show girl stalked into view, a Pekinese dog trailing ; stretched over the three thousand miles of vaudeville circuits·
her heels. "Well, Queen Marie, an' where have you been' danced until the art became his God and, like a bountifui
snapped Lee. ' God, it was now repaying him.
"I simply had to have my hair waved," the beauteous , ~e~gy, gazing at him~ thoug_ht that here was artistry no less
explained, "Corrie, Dolores, mamma's gotta dress and da , thnllmg than Gertrude s music. It was an outpouring of joy
in a lousy rehearsal." which found its medium in Gertrude's fingers and in Andy
"Any time! Just take it easy!" called Andy Lee sarcastic Lee's feet. The slouch, the gaucherie of the Negro were repro-
"MacElroy, are they all here?" he demanded. .:i duced to perfection. Each gesture of body and arms was one
"All except three of the show girls," said Harry. !; of a series. of det~~ls which made the dance a masterpiece.
"Show girls! I'll be god damned if I use show girls aga•' Andy was improvmng now; all thought of the business of the
All they gotta do is walk downstairs in time to music ' day vanished, he surrendered to the lure of Jerry's music.
you'd think we was puttin' 'em out by makin' 'em rehearse,'' When he stopped they wanted to applaud, but because he im-
all. Lissen, MacElroy, tell those ladies we're not runnin' ';1 mediately resumed the part of taskmaster they resisted the im-
finishing school so they'd better drop their tea cups an' co pulse. For a fleeting moment Andy Lee had allowed them a
on down," Lee fumed. }',\, glimpse of his heart and now, furious at this weakness, he
"Hey, Jerry, try that Manhattan Madness number, will yo~ railed at them the more bitterly.
Now, lissen, folks; this has gotta be snappy stuff, so on y</ "Now, ~ry a_ little of that, you folks!" he cried. "Try an' get
toes ev'rybody, and put a little life in it. You've seen th· some feeling mto your work. Look as though you liked to
Harlem dinges-well, go to it-wiggle!" dance; take a lesson from me! I know my business, that's
Jerry was beating out the tom-tom rhythm of a new num why I'm up on this stage now, tryin' to put a little style into
"Watch me," Andy Lee commanded. Hat pushed far over you punks."
Their efforts seemed quite futile and he stormed across the
42ND 42ND STREET 157
'"1:1
apron, cursing them for a gang of arrant fools. They too :,1 that a fast-stepping chorus had been the salvation of many an
his invectives stolidly, because a chorus member is not allow ., entertainment and that from what he had seen of Mr Hart's
self respect. The temperament of his superiors demands outlet~ work the stronger the dancing the better, for all concerned.
In private he may damn them to perdition, but during r '. Mr Hart vowed he would not countenance the sneers of an
hearsal the chorus worker stands dumbly by, waiting for t , incompetent hoofer. Mr Lee informed him that instead of
curses to end. Two hours without surcease they tumble .1 wasting his time criticizing the dance direction he would be
through the intricate routine, rather like animals goaded (' better employed tightening his first act because at the present
the last measure of endurance. And this was only the thir " moment it was about as funny as Desz"re Under the Elms. In
week. between skirmishes the chorus essayed Manhattan Madness.
All life was concentrated in the endeavor to master that step,:, The principals continued their game of battledore and shuttle-
The world resolved itself about the tapping of Andy Lee ' cock, dashing out to devote a few minutes to Andy Lee and
feet. To the more experienced the ordeal was not so terrifyirl. ·: then h~rrying back to the lobby where the quest for laughs
but newcomers, like Peggy, grew sick with dread even aft was gomg on. Mr Hart was having the devil's own time with
three weeks, each time their clumsiness drew the fire of And~1 Danny Moran and Harvey Mason. Both complained that the
Lees ' gaze. 'tiii. division of fun-making opportunities was unfair, both glared
In the, foyer of the theatre the principals were rehearsin ,, when the other was assigned a particularly juicy line. The sit-
1
familiarizing themselves with lines that would be abrupd, uation was not improved with the advent of Julian Marsh,
torn out after the first night. This would continue for a fe ' bearing the news that the I Gotta Rhythm number was to be
days more, and then chorus and principals alike would sh dropped altogether in favor of a new tune.
the stage. The first three weeks are hectic, for it often happe ·' "Jeez," Andy Lee complained. "Here I spend my good hours
that the presence of a principal is required in two places at t ' teachin' these dumb clucks a swell routine an' then the num-
same time; when he fails to make an appearance the dan ,' ber's thrown out. I'm through-hell, I wouldn't mess around
director and the book director alternate in sessions of rage. 1: with an outfit like this. The show'll prob'ly flop anyway."
Dorothy Brock was summoned by MacElroy to rehearse t ' Mr Marsh's secretary exerted his influence; oil was spread
Manhattan Madness number. She could not leave the boo upon the troubled waters and the chorus went over to the
rehearsal as Mr Hart needed her. Andy Lee wanted to kn ,. piano to learn the lyric of a new song entitled Nobody Else.
whether he or Mr Hart was the more important. Mr H ' , Terry Neill slipped into the chair beside Peggy. "Hello, kid,"
retorted with equal heat that the dancing end was merel · he whispered. "How's the time step?"
mechanical, all attention should be focussed on the lines beJ "Coming along fine, thanks," she answered. "You're a good
cause it had been proved over and over again that a musi , .' teacher, Terry."
show stood or fell on its comedy merit. Mr Lee sent back wor4. "Hell, that's all right. Ya gonna eat with me this noon?"
}:';
1,58 · 42ND STREET 159
"Oh, Terry, I can't. I've made a date." ccedings. Their tongues were barbed. Polly Blair's mother
"Oh, I see!" he grumbled. "Well, how 'bout dinner turned to Mrs Wallace, whose daughter was the feminine
night?" half of the team of Walters and Wallace.
"All right, Terry; although Ann and Flo are coming alo "B'lieve me," said Mrs Blair, "they can fuss an' they can
I can't leave them again." fume, but when all's said an' done it'll take the specialty danc·
"God, can't we go alone? Them dames don't like me.'' crs to stop the show. That adagio your kids do is beautiful, Mrs
"Yes they do, Terry. Now don't be silly. We'll all Wallace, real beautiful. An' while I hate to talk about my own
Dutch." daughter, Polly ain't never failed to stop a show with them
"We will like hell. I'm payin' for this!" spotting tinsicas o' hers."
"Terry-did the well known rich uncle drop dead?" "I think you're right," said Mrs Wallace. She came from
"Never mind that. I got money. Can't you stall them girls. , California, paradise of all adagio dancers, and prided herself
"I'll try, but Ann might be offended. And she's been a,~ on being a lady. Privately she thought Mrs Blair a bit vulgar,
fully nice to me." hut there was no one else to talk to and the prospect of un-
"Tell her you gotta see folks from home. We won't told hours alone in her hotel room was so formidable that
into 'em." she acquired the habit of dropping into the theatre for a bit of
"All right, cut out the gabbin'-cut out the gabbin' a chat. "Of course, my little girl, Mona, had a terrible time
shouted Jerry Cole, banging his fist on the piano. "Take yq>, making a dancer out of her partner, but they do real well, if
lyrics an' try to get the tune. Jeez, this show business is · I do say it myself. He used to be a wrestler, you know.
one madhouse. C'mon!" Never took a lesson in his life, but Mona's smart as a whip.
In a far corner J ~Han Marsh argued with the costume Everybody tells me her name'll be up in lights some day."
signer; on the stage Andy Lee fought with the company m "Right along with my Polly," agreed Mrs Blair, forcing an
ager; in the lobby Mr Hart battled with the principals, amiable smile, although all the while she was of the secret
around the pia{lo the chorus shrilled lyrics time and time a .,: opinion that someone concerned with the Walters and Wal-
until they became a meaningless tangle of words. Jerry lace combination must know "where the body was buried."
perspired and swore; Harry MacElroy growled at the shirk A little to the right sat Daisy Moran and one of the
among the boys and girls who refused to sing; at the s McNeill sisters. On stage Danny Moran was "faking" the
door Pop was repelling further applicants for jobs. Otherw' comedy dance which was to top off the new Nobody Else
peace lay over the Pretty Lady production. This state of . number. Daisy watched him with admiring eyes. "B'lieve me,"
fairs would mount in frenzied crescendo until the openf. she said, "they can talk all they wantta but it's comedy puts
night. the show across. Ya can get singers an' dancers for a nickel
In the auditorium two or three mothers watched the pr a bunch, but where are your good comics? God, I was sick
42ND STREET 161
100 42ND STREt
I
when D~nny told me the price they signed him for. H:i phia opening might be ragged-if only they'd engaged Louis
worth twice that. Two good belly laughs is worth ten trou · Seymour in the first place I
o' ballet girls." A little world imbued with restlessness; most of the talk
"Ain't it the truth?" sympathized Glory MacNeill. was the harmless sputtering of nerve-wracked minds. Out of
. In a box were Susy Phillips, wife of John Phillips, and chaos would come the desired effort; producer, dance director,
sister and boon companion, Nellie. authors and costumer at last in complete accord. But the
"I wish you could hear John sing that gorgeous -numb heart aches before this was achieved! The many separate
Mrs Phillips enthused. "Course Brock's terrible, you ne~ •
1 egos, each drunk with the thought that upon him alone de-
know when she's goin' off key, but John sure sings it love'J pended the success of the undertaking. Not one soul con-
~fter all, ya can have comedy and dancin', but without a g · . '
nected with this enterprise but felt himself the superior of his
smger the show's lost. Look at plays like The Student Pri associates from the lowliest chorus boy to Julian Marsh,
and Blossom Time." himself.
Meantime-hammer, hammer, hammer! On your toes, boys
In the front row Marsh and the costumer continued th
and girls, we've got to have speed and action. Look alive! No
row. "You've got to spend money for clothes, Mr Marsh. N
matter if you have done the thing a thousand times, once
~atter how good the music is, or the comedy, or the danci :
more; and this time smile, use the old personality! Come on,
if your company doesn't look chic it's just too bad. The pub., girls! A little style; you're not working for Tiller. You can
will laugh it off the boards." afford to act human. Watch that break, little girl on the end
"My dear man," Marsh retorted, "the way I stage a sho. -hey, you, on the right, don't move like a cigar store Indian;
the costumes, the music or the people don't count. It's th' loosen up, swing your arms! Jerry, take that last chorus over
art_istry that goes t_o make for success. That's why Green an' again. All right, girls, back to your places. Come on, the letter
Friedman are paymg me my salary!" · formation-no, no, nol Jesus Christ, what's wrong with you
And o.n stage Je~ry Cole reiterated, "Now you gotta get t dumbbells! Like this! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
?ec~us~ 1f the music flops ya might as well send out engrav eight! Hey, you on the end, wait, wait! Oh, my God, go on,
mvitations to Joe Leblang." get out and sit down in the corner and watch the rest of
In their ornate office Green and Friedman were berati them. Hey, are you dancers or cripples? What the hell do I
one another. The cost was prohibitive. Brock was throug · care if your feet hurt? How about mine? Don't I stand on my
she'd had her day and no one but a "dumbkopf" would e 1·: feet all day? Come on, one, two, three, four, turn-turn, turn,
gage her as leading lady. And Marsh! Too autocratic-w . god damn you. All right, Jerry, cut it! Now, lissen, we're go-
he even orde~ed them to sta~ away from the theatre, talki ing to get this figure if it takes all night. On your feet every-
to the bosses like they were hued help. And, furthermore, Le"1 body; no stalling-take your original places and we'll go
wouldn't have the dances finished in two weeks. The PhiladeJ..41 through the dance. Come on-one, two, three, four-fivel
41ND STREET l~
topics; he could laugh or be serious at will. But Peggy recog,
nized all that as surface froth.
At lunch with Terry the conversation ran: "Well, Peggy,
whaddya think o' the new number? Lee may be a tough guy
hut he sure has ideas. Did ya notice that variation he got on
the old 'off to Buffalo'? Boy, that tickled me pink. Just goes
to show, a hoofer's gotta have brains just like anybody else
only they don't nobody give him credit. Why, that's gonna be
the prettiest little number in the show. Watch it panic 'em the
I N THE DAYS WHICH FOLLOWED PAT DENNING AND TERRY
waged war. From the moment of their first dinner t ' opening night. You know, ya get lots o' wise folks out front
on the openin'. All the lay offs, an' the critics, an' agents; God,
gether when Peggy Sawyer told Terry of the charming yo
actor with whom she'd lunched, Terry sensed a rival. ... ev'rybody! That's the time to sock it over. If ya stop the show
reckoned shrewdly that, while he had the advantage of seein the openin' night you're made. Look at Harriet Hoctor. They
Peggy constantly and assisting her through the fearful strai. '. yelled their heads off at her an' now she's with Ziegfeld.
of rehearsal, he lacked the glamour and polish of the better Course Marsh is clever, an' he sure knows class, but those
educated Denning. Peggy was grateful; she defended Ter., numbers are gonna do the trick. I give Lee credit. Ev'rybody
against the aspersions of Ann and Flo; yet the part of he!f~ hates his guts but he delivers."
which he could not reach lay defenseless before Pat's · "Yes, Terry."
courtship. Pat could converse, Terry merely talked. Pat sa "Ya know, Brock's lousy. Honest to God, I hate to pan
the world as a shining tapestry peopled with gay folk w anybody, but she oughtta do a nip-up and fade outta the pic-
moved through an atmosphere of make believe. Terry's wor ture. Didya ever hear anything like that duet with Phillips?
was the matter of fact domain of city streets and show busin The Cherry sisters in their best days never sang like that."
-especially the latter. Get Terry off the subject of the "pr ''Yes, Terry." A fork was brandished somewhat wildly by
fession" and he floundered like a fish out of water. Base the young orator.
he knew; but one didn't discuss baseball with girls like Peg "Name, that's what counts, nowadays. Don't matter how
so he must perforce talk shop. To Peggy, after weary hou hum you are as long as ya got the reputation. Why, Brock's
spent in the confines of the Forty-Fifth Street Theatre, it w all set for moth balls an' they're puttin' her out there to play
a relief io hear of things likes books and paintings. Terry 11 sixteen-year-old Happer."
hopelessly ignorant of those subjects. Reading held no cha "Yes, Terry."
for him and his knowledge of art was restricted to the co "Now, if I was runnin' this show I'd get a girl-well the
section. Yet in Terry she found a depth and sympathy whi Marilyn Miller type. Y'know-class, looks, personality. An'
Pat lacked. Pat rattled on amusingly about any number Brock's got two left feet when she dances. Didja get the way
162
I~ 42ND 42ND STREET 165
she points her heels when she kicks? Looks like Flat .fi probably die from the strain of listening for 'Fifteen minutes,
Annie! And, God, Peggy, the taps! To get away with please.' I was born to be favored of the gods, Peggy; all the
you'd have to be Hope Hampton." things I can't have mean so much. I want to grow old in some
"Yes, Terry." villa near Cannes, drinking side car cocktails with Scott Fitz..
"An' that finale's all wrong. Dancin' on the stairs! J gerald. I want to play baccarat at the Casino with the Dolly
W ayburn did that fifteen years ago. Honest to God, how sisters. But the problem is, what to use for money?"
o' these guys get to. be producers! An' then they got the n .,, "Yes, Pat."
to charge five bucks a throw. An' Moran's gags-he mu_ "Can't you see the two of us honking around Paris in one
copped 'em from the Aesop's Fables. That one about 'N' of those absurd little taxis; following the sunset beyond the
she's an officer's mess'! Every comic on the street has pu, Etoile and on into the Bois? And dining out there under the
that one. An' puttin' a love duet at the end of the show. ,, trees with wealthy and decadent young people? Or strolling
walk out sure-ya gotta hand 'em laughs, laughs an' n( in the grounds of Villa d'Este on Lake Como? We should
laughs. But can ya tell those guys anything? Naw-t,,. have been Rockefellers, Peggy-not chorus girl and rather bad
know-they're the big guys-they wrote show business! · juvenile lead respectively."
they ain't so wise. Didn't Ziegfeld put on Betsy an' the S,, "Yes, Pat."
berts The Merry World? Course I'm not sayin' it ain't a g · "Anyhow, I'm going to cherish the dream of clot,hing you
show; the music's a little weak, but they can stick in a cou in fine silks and laces and sitting you in the Grand Ecarte for
tunes an' they'll get by. Gee, honey, you ain't said a word." } all the world to see. Someday we'll move into the world of the
"Yes, T erry." J,/
Ritz bar, you and I, and stagger from cocktail to cocktail in
With Pat, this would be the course of conversation. ; a sort of rainbow haze ... And now I suppose you'd like
"Well, lady, wish this were cover for two at the Gr:'. to eat?"
Hotel in Capri. Then we'd finish our sweet and climb the "Yes, Pat."
to get a view of the Bay. Anacapri, Peggy-the most per£ "From Capri to blue plate specials. Oh, well, c'est la vie,
spot in the world." as I always say in my very best Roumanian. They do have
Pat had never visited Capri but he had read Nor good lamb chops here. How about it?"
Douglas. "Yes, Pat.''
"Yes, Pat," said Peggy obediently. "And in the dim distant future if we're very good children
"You know, dear, some day when I'm through grubbi 1 there might be the Taj Mahal. I don't know why I want to see
my way through tawdry drawing room sets that saw ~he lig,, that particularly unless it'~ because it sh~ne~ so in ph~togr:phs.
of day in the first production of Mrs Bumpstead Leigh, I\ rve picked out a merry little hell of w1shmg, haven t I.?
going to take the millions and millions of dollars earned fro "Yes, Pat.''
Mr Morgan and hie me to the Mediterranean, where I sh'. "But just watch your boy friend. Some of these days he'll
166 42ND STREET 167
capture a spinster of fifty with a Kansas accent and an oil '. will be so tough that there will be little chance for imagina-
and then see him burn up that royal road to romance, provi tion to break through," thought Peggy.
said spinster can be put back in the grab bag, or, as a" "You might as well laugh yourself to perdition," Pat
resort, treated to a nice prussic acid cocktail.'' summed it up. "No sense marking out the way in neat little
"Yes, Pat." packets labelled Orpheum Circuit, Interstate Route and Lay
"Well, here come your lamb chops. Sop them up like a g Off season. We'll all reach the same hell eventually so let's be
child, and then Pat'll walk back to the theatre with you. . "
gay about 1t.
the way, we start rehearsals tomorrow." Neither Pat nor Terry was the virginal young man whom
"That's fine, Pat." Peggy, in her most proper moments, conceived as ideal mate.
"The outlook isn't so bad for a legitimate show. The le~, Their sins were certainly of scarlet hue and she did not
are awfully good and I've quite a hankering for my own deceive herself that her love would wash either of them
So, here's wishing us Plenty.'' white as snow. On the contrary, both might wander off in
It was impossible to resist Pat's banter. His high spir search of further Elysian Fields once the humdrum of famil-
were irrepressible; poverty and failure, alike, could not da iarity threatened the union. Yet both were undeniably attrac-
him. She visioned Pat as the ideal playmate; a Richard H tive, and each held a certain fascination for her that she
burton sort of person with whom one might live under en found difficult to resist. One was so greatly the complement
less skies of blue and give the lie to all rumors of tra of the other. It was a unique situation.
and discontent which filled the world. Each young man was spurred on by the knowledge of his
To Terry, life was bounded on the north by Fiftieth S rival's existence. No names were mentioned, for to both the
on the south by Forty-Second Street. Straight through occupation of the other was an object of scorn. Motivated by
core of his being ran Forty-Seventh Street-and nearest to .·. . delicacy and more than a little caution Pat refused to put in
heart lay the lobby of the Palace Theatre. Travelling wi · an appearance at the theatre. One never knew when Dorothy
Terry would be a route, with Pat a shining adventure. ' Brock or Amy Lee might descend upon the tete-?i-tete. He
once the adventure palled, Pat's substance dissolved to shad saw Peggy to the door and then took to his heels with a
while Terry remained the solid, tangible companion. Im speed that achieved dignity only by virtue of his air of self
sible to think of married life with Terry; bad grammar-b assurance. If Terry witnessed the arrival of the two, he held
liquor-bad ideals. And Pat? Good grammar-good liquor : his peace and refused to discuss this new found menace with
and no ideals. Dreams, to be sure, bm dreams have an eva ,. Peggy.
cent quality and one wearies of sharing their transports. Dorothy continued to visit Pat. He bore these interludes
"I'll probably marry some downright Yankee farmer with stoicism because they provided pocket money to enter-
tain Peggy. His straitened circumstances allowed small leeway
retire to give birth to countless boy scouts whose moral fi
for extravagance, and many times the lavish presents of Dor-
168 42ND STREET 169
othy found their way to the pawnshop to procure r , ohstacles were lack of funds and a woeful conception of
money for dinner. Pat's sophistry inured him to any qu · business. And even cynicism balked at the prospect of an
he might have undergone for such double dealing. W .: income for two wrung from the pursuit of ladies like Dorothy.
one acquires Dorothy's years one cannot demand unremi ''.' "Thank heaven, I've not sunk that low," breathed Pat in
devotion. So it was that the elaborate cigarette case vanis •· his best Dion Boucicault manner. The problem was unanswer-
from the apartment, its absence glibly alibied by Pat sho , able. He could not marry Peggy and yet he desired it above
Dorothy press the point. 1111 else.
Fortunately these seances were rare, for the grind of Pat saw that harlotry had its limitations. He lived in con-
hearsal hampered Dorothy, and now that Pat was no lon 11tant dread of exposure, not by reason of its effect on his
a free agent, but subject to rehearsal himself, she found Ii 1mcial standing-that was secure against such a trifling shock
chance for trysting. ~ut because of Peggy's reaction. Pat cherished the ideal of
If the unpleasantness of his dilemma troubled Pat, mutual respect; on such rockbound principles was marital
denied himself too great mental stress. The time for et happiness established. He felt no shame but he dreaded
was past. The world owed one a living and to some thew Peggy's scorn. All this was very trying to a man when he
and means are abundantly provided. When one's viewpo. was in rehearsal. Moral problems are always irksome and to
is unmoral the straight and narrow path widens apprecia ., he confounded at a time like this was damnable.
so that one may walk at ease. Cynicism is an excellent · "Damn! I wish I'd never met the girl," he cursed.
for weakness. He discussed the matter with Waring. "Jeff, what sort of
Pat considered marriage. The idea tantalized him. . :, magnificent gesture do I make? Shall I be a gentleman of
dreaded old age, and the thought of loneliness appalled hi," the camellias and send Peggy packing to a virtuous and simple-
With dubious prospects he could not afford to take a w'.,, minded consort? Because I love her-hellishly-I guess that's
and surely life held forth no indication that his lot would ' the proper word for it. But a girl doesn't want a male whore
bettered. "Senility in an atmosphere of plush and gilt, tha( on her hands; she's bound to suffer a fracture of the ideal
the ticket," he once said. But plush and gilt were costly. ~ complex. And without said prostitution where does little
Pat, bank balances were unknown, although several ladi,. Patrick earn his daily bread?
had donated a checking account in a burst of ardor. !>' "Take yourself, Jeff. You're reasonably moral. You get tight
"Therefore the dot must be considerable," he mused. nnd you philander in a nice Baptist manner, but the flesh pots
Peggy fitted in with none of these theories. She was grad~ can't claim you for their own. Now in me you see one totally
and lovely, but impoverished. Pat had little faith in the "lo .• damned. I don't know which punishment will overtake me
in a cottage" idea. And since he lacked business instinct , first, death or impotence. In the event of the first the worst
must look to his spouse for the financial support. He oft · I have to fear is hell fire; if it's the second I shall grace the
toyed with the idea of playing the stock market, but the workhouse or the stage door of some Broadway theatre. And
42ND STREET 171
I~ 42ND
think of it, Geoffrey, my friend, love can come even to • point out any whimsy in a Ninth Avenue tenement-which
like me. I do love the wench-and on the surface I'll m" address would be the limit of my resources."
splendid husband. But I can'i: earn my keep and that's · "Then, my precious youngster, you've got to be big and
I refuse to slave; and the primrose path rather goes to·
1 brave and say good-by to the girl."
when there's a wife in the offing. How manage a rendez .
1 "The trouble is that I shouldn't survive, if I didn't say
when the flower of my heart is in the kitchen coo" good-by. I can't abide the threadbare carpets and the darned
spinach? We both know we're destined to go on, yeat~ socks. Might as well lay it to temperament, but I'd go mad
year out, fighting for an occasional part, letting seven ·.; in those surroundings. I'd have to use infidelity as an outlet-
of work represent our season, borrowing from friends, set( and then the whole game would be ruined. Jeff, I've come to
ing, starving, growing old, because we lack the geniu$:' the conclusion that I'm low down and rotten."
escape mediocrity. We'll never be good actors, you an· "I guess you are, Big Boy. Let's have a drink on it."
we're presentable clothing store dummies with a flair.·!.
Terry Neill and Harry Towne likewise held conference.
dialogue. In thirty years they'll relegate us to the part of ;_
"So you wanna get married?" sneered Harry. "Jeez, I
family retainers and Southern judges. I haven't the gli '
shouldn't 've let you outta the baby buggy."
of a talent for writing, my features photograph badly so th "Cut it, will ya, Harry? Can't you see I'm serious? God, I
no hope of Hollywood, and I want to take a wife. Oh, feel like hell, an' you go rubbin' it in. I know I'm a sap-but
frey, Geoffrey, loud laughter from the ballroom! The g · what can I do? I'm nuts about the kid. Don't suppose she'd
of all the happy shipping clerks in the world rise up to t ,, take me tied onto a five year contract with Dillingham, but,
me. They have their wives, their Fords, the little nests at ' hell, a guy can't help fallin' in love, can he?"
very mention of which Tin Pan Alley goes completely g~ "No-but he can fall out. Why don't ya lay the dame an'
. No, Jeff, I must marry a lady of means and-unlike get it over with?"
happy-ending story books-the princess of my heart is "She ain't that kind-besides I don't like her that way."
robed in gold. She'll wed some damned hoofer or insur . · "Aw, come out of it! You, the answer to the Chamber-
salesman or filling station clerk and have splendid bah• maid's Prayer. You're the first hoofer I ever met that wasn't
Cue for music, professor. Make it Broken Hearted, out for all he could get."
legato." "Can it, will ya, Harry? Jeez, a guy can't have decent
"I suggest a monastery, old timer," said Jeff Waring. t'oughts without one o' you bums razzin' him. I gotta have a
"Don't be an ass. I'd look frightful with my head shave.. wife an' family some day, ain't I?"
"Can't you grow very Barrie-esque and embrace the d "I don't see why."
and simple life?" "Well, ev'ry guy's gotta. Y'know, the world needs children-
"I haven't enough funds to be whimsical. I defy you an' all that."
Ij2 42ND 42ND STREET 173
"Sure I know. But why marry?" year, but how about the next, an' the one after that? You
"What the hell good are a lot o' bastards? Anyhow, it's ain't got no dough laid by."
proper thing to do. Didn't you ever go to church even 'Tm startin' in right now."
you was a kid?" "Well, go to it; but don't forget, you ain't Jolson or Harland
"Don't make me laff-1 gotta cracked lip. The nearest Dixon. An' it takes plenty money to live in New York. There's
ever got to a church is the Roxy Theatre. Why, if you about twenty weeks each year when ya won't get salaries,
I to go to confession the confession box would fall right ov which is okay unless you're sick-but then what?"
"Okay-okay-but now I wanna settle down. I gotta "Jeez, Harry. Me an' Peggy is both healthy."
sion in life." "Yeah? Well, I say a guy oughtn't ta marry in show busi-
"You copped that outta the lyrics-now don't try them t · ness till he's pullin' down two hundred smackers per because
dollar words on me because all that's wrong with you is t he don't get it steady an' he winds up at the end of the year
much sunburn." averagin' about fifty per week."
"Don't you think she's a swell-lookin' kid?" "We could get along. I'd live anywhere with Peggy."
"Who? Peggy? Sure. She's all right. Little meaty aho "An' how about her? An' if she's such a lady how does a
the pans, but that'll wear off when she's danced more." tough guy like you rate with her, anyhow? Ya may get by
"An' what a lady, Harry. I'm scared goofy when I eat wi. ' now, but that ole sex appeal can't hold out forever an' then
her." how's that vocabulary o' yours gonna stand the gaff? She'll
"Wel~ when in doubt don't use your knife. Thassall I gott: meet plenty o' snappy guys, all the janes in show business do
say." if they're lookers, an' when she compares them with you,
"I think she likes me. She sure plays 'round with me· you're jus' gonna be outta luck."
lot." :: "Sure-I know. She's got a guy like that playin' her now."
"Plays 'round, is right. Baby, how you waste time is nobody' ' "There y' are! If you're hookin' up with a kid like Peggy,
business." try a coupla months at night school. Because at present you
"I s'pose you made the whole chorus by now?" ain't got a thing in common except each other."
"Not yet, but gimme time. No marryin' for me-there airi ·
no novelty in it." . Hunched over their malted milks during the noon recess
"Well, I'm gonna ask her. There ain't no harm in that." . Ann and Flo took Peggy to task.
"Take it easy, kid. On fifty a week you think you're gonn~: "Say, what's the idea of dropping us for that £unny-looking
get by?" , hoofer?"
"Well, she's got her pay comin' in regular, an' we won~~~· "He isn't funny looking, Ann. He's an awfully nice boy. I
have no kids, for a while." '; don't see why you won't come along to eat with us. We'd love
"Sure-but how about layin' off? You'll get by easy thi~· to have you."
174 42ND 42ND STREET 1 75
"Sorry, but I'm not mixing with the breed. Now, lis your fanny in Childs when it'll rest so comfortably on a
here, Mary Miles Minter, you're not going to get ga-ga r' night club chair?"
fall for a chorus boy, are you?" · '.ii "An' if you're thinking of falling in love," added Flo, "for
"Can't I eat with him a few times without being accu ' God's sake pick out a guy who's seen a fingerbowl some place
of falling in love?" ~, besides the movies."
"You can not. Not with an actor. They don't take you "You act as though you thought I'd marry Terry."
to lunch just for the pleasure of watching you eat." "Stranger things have happened, little one. But take the
"We talk nothing but shop. Terry can't talk about advice of Hard-hearted Hannah-when the rent comes due
thing else, I'm convinced." all the triple taps in the world won't save you."
"Well, just hand him a bunch of lilies and sing "The idea is this," Ann continued. "Unless a girl's pretty
Good-Bye." clever she's stuck in the chorus till they wheel her out. At
"I can't hurt his feelings, Ann. Think how he's hel that, girls get a better break than boys, because there's more
me." call for women principals and if a manager is sympathetic
"Sweetheart-some of the kids are all right to play aro . you can twist him 'round your little finger. But even so you'll
with, but the minute you start going steady with them · · find a thousand kids for every part, so most of us hang on
just too bad. You crab your chances with real fellers an' w in the merry merry and like it. We know we've got to resign
do you get for it? Corned beef hash at Childs. Why, I some day, but it's fun, the work isn't so tough once you get
while you were smiling at your boy friend over a coffee .. through rehearsing, and you can spend most of your time in
in the St Regis Flo and I were dancing with our college k' New York. If your folks live here you can even save a little
1
on the St Regis roof. And between the two St Regises th , money. But a girl's got to marry and there's no point getting
are two avenues-so you better get wise to yourself and p''. into the chorus unless you've got your eyes open for some
the right one." · nice kid who comes rolling along oozing dough. It's easy
"College kids are stupid. They carry flasks and want enough to laugh off money, but what can you do without it?
neck." Actors never have any. Show people and sailors are always
"Let 'em. They won't give you hydrophobia. An' they broke. Suppose you go temporarily insane and marry a per-
use Listerine." former. Well, the first season he's got a good job, so you live
"It isn't that. I'm fed up with gay collegians. I like to t · on Park Avenue, buy a car and think the world's your little
tin horn. Then what? If he's got enough cash he puts on a
seriously."
show; it flops, and you're sunk. If he's only saved a little the
"Well, what a great help that hoofer must be! Now you'
next season's sure to be tough and the dough goes anyway.
good looking and you can dance. The boys at Columbia
If he gets wealthy on the stock market he decided a love nest
a kick out of trotting around with chorus girls so why p
with some Follies cutie would be just too snappy for words,
176 42ND
'(,
42ND STREET 1 77
and so there goes the money for mink coats on the back ·' :• "Ann knows," Flo explained. "She married the tenor in a
a show girl. And if he stays home he's temperamental· male quartet."
cranky. He's got to think about his art and if you don't '. "Sure-he was so sold on the idea of four-part harmony he
things just so he raises hell. So no matter how you look at,;J. thought he could keep two other girls happy besides his wife.
any girl who marries an actor is a fool. ~(~ But little Ann wasn't singing contralto to the best soprano
"Now take college boys. Their dads generally have lots'. on the Main Stem so I got my kiddie car and went home to
money, they're decent kids except for too m~ch boozing,• mamma."
when they get fat and middle-aged they'll be a credit to .· "I'm so sorry, Ann," said Peggy. "I didn't know you'd been
community. You can settle back an' have children because ' : disappointed in love."
know the old income arrives regularly every week. Yo.·.. "Disappointed, the devil. It was the best thing could happen
in a swell family and it's all hunky dory. To marry an a·" to me. From now on I spend my lonely hours with gentlemen
you've got to be nuts on the romantic idea and even ·,, · who do not wear red-rimmed collars."
you'll find he's all wet. Every actor carries his own little "We're going out with those kids tonight, so come along,"
of footlights around with him and he's always perform · Flo urged. "Nobody's dressing up; just a little jaunt to El
Mirador. The show's good and the boys don't mind ~ow
for somebody's benefit. Generally his wife has to be ·.
1 much you eat. Come on. Get your mind off this damn opera."
audience and help put over the laughs when things a
Peggy considered. "I told Terry I'd go to the midnight show
going so good. If you marry a legit you get Shakespeare . at the Strand," she said.
the grapefruit; marry an opera singer and it's Pagliacd :;
• ·'·! Ann shrugged hopelessly. "There y'are," she argued. "Mid-
the bathtub; and marry a dancer and you get a tune ~ night pictures at the Strand! What kind of a future for a
and break every time there's a pause in the conversation. 1¥· girl is that? Now there's one nice-looking boy named Standish
"He's bound to be conceited because ego was invented , you'll adore."
actors. They've got to be stuck-up; if they don't think they So Peggy agreed to accompany them. She saw Terry watch-
great nobody else will. And it's just as tough for the husha'.'.( ing her from across the stage and experienced a sudden pang.
He may be the jealous type, and every minute you're a · · But the girls were right. She needed noise and color to relieve
from him he pictures you carrying on with some other , the whirring days in the machine. Terry must understand.
You can't always be in the same show together, so wl:( He couldn't afford to take her to those places, but he mustn't
you're parked in Chicago he's fretting away his young 1.: be jealous if she went with other boys.
in Boston. Then one or the other goes off the handle, g(1 And Pat! She'd love an evening at El Mirador with Pat,
caught, and there's another divorce suit. Grab your hush .',' but that, too, was out of the question. Surely something was
get out of show business and you'll be happy. So I guess ' lacking in her make-up. She consistently picked boy friends
kinda washes up you and your two grease paint Romeos. whose financial status was so humble.
178 42ND STREI:
. ".~
42ND STREET 179
Harry Towne saw the two girls pleading with Peggy.~· to Louis, though. Whoever it was promised me faithfully he'd
nudged Terry. "Betcha two grand them dames are givin' y · have a ringside table."
the works, baby," he crowed. "They. ain't lettin' little P "I think we're booked up, Mr Standish," Louis regretted.
step out with a chorus boy. She's swell bait for college k "Perhaps I can fix you up, though. I always do my best for
and them broads know it. You better ask the dame up . you, Mr Standish."
your room to hear your radio, and then let nature take itt· "Don't I know, Louis, don't I know! And I certainly
course, because that's the only way you'll get a break!" ;'l appreciate the fact. So just this once more won't hurt. The
girls are from Marsh's new show so we want to treat 'em
right. How about that ringside table now, feller?"
Louis snapped his fingers and a waiter hurried over. "Take
Mr Standish and his party to Number Forty-two," Louis
commanded.
"Yes sir," said the waiter. "Good evening, Mr Standish.
Pretty hot night, isn't it?" The party walked down the narrow
lane between the tables and settled themselves at the places
indicated by the waiter.
From her vantage point Mrs Blair watched the proceedings.
Wim
T HE HEAD WAITER EYED TIIE INCOMING PARTY DISFAVOlt/(
College boys and chorus girls were a dangerous combin. ·
tion. The youngsters liked to get tight and show off, and
She nudged Polly, who was straining her eyes to finish a story
in True Confesrions magazine before time for her performance.
"Get those chorus girls!" muttered Mrs Blair contemptu-
girls egged them on. He had little hope of relegating th ously. "Not one bit of talent and they come to show off in a
to a corner table; those youngsters wanted a ringside locati joint like this while we have to sweat blood to make both
or nothing. One of the boys greeted him affably, with ends meet. Well, they better make the most of it because
touch of condescension which collegiate youth reserves f they can't last long."
anyone who is engaged in menial work. Polly nodded without looking up from her story. Her
"H'lo, Louis. Got our reservation?" demanded Warr mother tweaked her arm viciously. "You pay attention to me
Standish. when I'm talking to you, young lady, an' put that magazine
"Good evening, Mr Standish. Have you a reservation? away. I guess I'm entitled to a little respect after the years
didn't see it on the books." I've slaved and slaved so's you could have a decent bringin'
"Sure. Mark Ames called up about ten o'clock, didn't yo~fJ up."
Mark?'' ..~ "I was payin' attention, Ma," Polly whimpered. "This story's
"Uh huh," answered the boy thus appealed to. "I didn't t gettin' real exciting. The artist is just gain' to seduce the girl."
18o 42ND STJl 42ND STREET 181
"Fine stuff for a young girl to be readin','' Mrs Blair catalogued her as a cheap little gold digger who could be
"What'll Mr McDermott say if he finds you fillin' your had for a price and then discarded the moment someone more
with such truck ?" attractive came along. She made her conversation as formal
"Aw, nuts to Mr McDermott. He's always got hot pau( as possible, ignoring .the many innuendoes with which he
said the delightful child. "I wish he'd lay off me for a chan ·1 sprinkled his talk. If this was the life for which Ann and Flo
"Shut up! Mr McDermott's been very nice to both of:: were such rooters she was disappointed. These university Sir
Him an' me are real pals. Now, for God's sake, pull yo '" Oracles were not to her liking. She preferred the glittering
together. He's comin' over to the table right now. Act · insincerity of Pat or the well meant blundering of Terry to
you was glad to see him or I'll beat hell outta ya." this irritating combination of superiority and sensuality. When
Walt descended upon them, beaming. "Well, well, well, the number was over they retired to their table, flasks were
dies!" he ~horded. "I swear to God, Mother, you're get;,; opened and the hilarity increased.
younger ev ry day. Better watch your step, Polly, or your, · The lights overhead were dimmed and the floor show
be cuttin' in on your boy friends." He gave Polly's bare k began. They applauded the procession of torch singers, mas-
gentle slap. Polly favored him with a ghastly smile. ··~ ters of ceremony, and dancers, imbibing the contents of the
"Nice crowd tonight," said Mrs Blair conversationally.·~ many flasks all the while. Peggy rigorously limited herself
sure pull them in here at the dub. I was readin' in the N to one drink. She was chary of the gleam in Warren Stand-
Yorker that this is the swellest hangout in town. Polly, I ' ish's eye; it warned her of approaching trouble. Restraint was
there's Norma Shearer. Oh, an' Irene Rich. I hope y j forgotten and their shouts and boisterous laughter soon made
make 'em get up an' make a speech, Mr McDermott. I them the most unpapular group in the room. Peggy was
to hear them movie stars talk." miserable. She lowered her head in order not to see the
Peggy was dancing with the Standish chap. He was hol disgusted glances levelled at their table and prayed that the
her so tightly that she had difficulty in breathing. His £ ordeal might soon be over.
executed all sorts of maneuvers; he kept humming the me Standish bent down and whispered something undistin-
ody the band was playing, his hand stealing further guishable in her ear. Though she failed to make out the words
further down her back. his meaning was unmistakable as he accompanied the remark
"Get Standish!" Ann commented to her partner. "He t · with a stealthy move of his hand.
ev'ry girl is a pushover for him. You college guys kill me." "He's tight! Don't pay any attention!" implored Flo.
"Aw, don't mind us. We're just out for the hell of it," But the one drink had given Peggy sufficient courage to
soothed her. defy the pleadings of her friends. She faced Warren Standish,
Peggy resented Warren Standish's attitude. He seemed thoroughly outraged. "You cheap half-baked kid," she
hold her in contempt, and although he was willing enough stormed. "What makes you think I'd consider any propasi-
embrace her and attempt a few kisses, she knew he men tion you could make, for one minute? College boys! Your
.iJ:lND STll!f 42ND STRBE'l' 183
11
mothers ought to spank every last one of you. Is a flask ' The three boys staggered to their feet and unceremoniously
bad Scotch and an order of chicken ala king supposed to'>, bundled their companions out of the room.
.my fee? Do you want even your affairs with women "Sorry, Louis," Mark apologized on the way out.
bargain prices? You make me sick. Good-night!" "You better be," blazed the head waiter. "Some night you
She sprang to her feet, upsetting the glass at her el fresh guys are gonna be beat up.''
and fairly ran to the shelter of the ladies' retiring room.. i · "Who'll do that?" shouted Standish truculently.
burst of derisive laughter echoed in her ears and she H · "Aw, Warren, snap out of it," pleaded Mark. "We don't
herself down on the divan, burying her face in her han. want to make the can tonight. God, you can ruin any party!"
while the matron hovered anxiously above her, equi · Standish was chastened by the last remark and allowed
with smelling salts and a glass of water. himself to be led to the elevator. Flo and Ann, swaying on
"Well, the dirty little chiseller!" ground out Standish." their feet, made a half-hearted protest at this cavalier desertion
the hell bring a washout to a gay party like this? If of Peggy, but they were soon wheedled into an amiable frame
some of your good judgment, Ann, it rtinksl" ~j of mind. After all, Peggy was out of kindergarten.
"Who's a chiseller?" Ann menaced him. "Why, I'd like.: Unaware of their departure, Peggy was repairing the dam-
crown that funny-looking mugg of yours with the Standi age her little emotional spree had wrought. Her eyes were
1
coat of arms you're always yelping about. You lousy pu · swollen with weeping, and the tip of her nose had shaded to
with your cut whiskey and your bedroom manners. On t a most unbecoming pink. Someone had spilled a drink down
make for everything that earns a living. And you've prob'' the front of her dress, and there was a cigarette burn on her
got a lotta goddam tarts in your own family!" '. skirt. She eyed her reflection in the glass ruefully and took a
Standish raised his hand to slap Ann, but was forcibly hel vow that tonight was her final rendezvous with college boys.
back by the more level-headed Mark. Freshened and slightly calmed she felt in her purse for money
"Come on, let's get out of this," he begged. ''If this r ·.. with which to tip the matron and discovered, to 'her chagrin,
ever gets out we'll catch holy Ned from the dear home folk that she was entirely without funds. Not so much as a dime
Ann, pipe down. You're cockeyed! You know Warren's could be found in the tiny bag. The situation was ludicrous
good kid only that funny Sawyer kid riled him. Sure she's " and more than a little embarrassing. She would be forced to
chiseller. You all are, an' more power to you. I got the borrow cab fare from Ann or Flo in the presence of the
parked outside, let's get out before Louis throws us out." detested college boys!
"I won't go a step with that bum!" Ann wailed, poin · "Excuse me a minute," she mumbled and hastened out of
an uncertain finger at Standish. the room in quest of her two friends. An empty table greeted
"Now, now, be a nice child!" Mark was alarmed as t her eye. The full force of her plight dawned upon her.
prospect for an amusing evening dwindled. "Warren'll coo{~' "Damn Ann and Flo," she swore.
off-an' we can leave the kid here. She'll be all right." · :;t. She re-entered the ladies' room and sought a solution to the
d
,:l~
I~ 42ND 4lND STREET
dilemma. There was no possibility of locating Ann and P .'; . 1m<l one can't borrow cab fare from a stony-faced head
but by some remote chance she might reach Pat Denning.•. ' waiter. Oh, Pat, isn't it a crime?"
telephone. It was a gamble at best, for Pat spent very few h · "Not too bad. You might have been put on the spot and
in his apartment while the hot spell was at its peak. S found yourself faced with a long hike home. Sure-I'll be the
there remained only an ignominious confession to the man hero of the occasion."
who would probably handle her without gloves as the "Thanks loads. I'll go back to the ladies' room and wait
petrator of a most annoying scene. there. Our party was rather noisy so I'm not exactly a member
"I-I wonder if you could loan me a nickei" she said in good standing. I'll be in there making myself scarce when
tatingly to the matron. "I want to make a phone call wi ; you arrive. Have them send a page boy to call me. You're a
disturbing any of the members of my party and I have · ' darling to do this for a little simpleton like me.''
change in my purse." "You know I'd come to the ends of the earth, darling. Just
The matron accepted this carefully worded explanation take your heaving bosom back to the matron and I'll arrive
face value, and, digging into an enormous black pocketbool pronto. Shall I wear that blue tie you like so much?''
fished up a handful of change. She held out the coin. Peg · "You can appear in a bathrobe if you like.''
selected a nickel, murmured her thanks and fled to the fo "Miss Sawyer! What can you think of me?"
of the club where the public telephones were to be foun' "I think you're swell. Bye. And do hurryl And Pat, give
Fortunately she remembered the number and called "B " the page boy a quarter. I'll have to tip the matron.''
4537" into the mouthpiece. There was a series of buz · "Right-o. And, listen, dear lady. I'll hold the cab because
and finally the click of a receiver being removed from ; it's a tough job locating fifteen and five cabs in the neighbor-
hook. She almost sobbed so thankful was she that Pat ha ' hood of El Mirador. So be ready to dash like mad. You know
pened to be at home. how those meters get going. Bye.''
"Hello. Pat?" she called. Peggy left the oven-like interior of the telephone booth and
"Yes. Who's this?" for the third time retraced her steps. The matron looked up
"Peggy Sawyer. I know it's beastly of me to get you o in a disinterested manner at her entrance. She was wondering
at this hour, but I'm in a dreadful predicament." when the tip would be forthcoming. Peggy believed her ap-
"Not really. What's our little New Englander gone an pearance was less distrait, and sank onto the lounge to collect
done?" her thoughts. Ann and Flo would be furious, no doubt; she
"Taken the advice of her worldly wise sisters and steppe~· had let her sponsors down badly. But she found it impossible
out with college boys. Oh, Pat, it was awful!" · to convince herself that the two girls really liked this sort of
"Where on earth are you?" . thing. Surely life held more for them than a succession of
"At El Mirador. It's very chic and I'm very miserable. Won parties with callow, empty-headed school boys. An hour's
you please come and rescue me? I haven't a cent to my nam'' ride in a Rolls Royce did little to atone for the drinking
186 42ND 4 2 ND S TREE T 187
and leering conversation that followed. Peggy was rea . :: tcred, stabbing at the air with her forefinger. Walt, who had
subscribe to the philosophy of the gay nineties torch si ' given little heed to her talk, nodded.
who warbled that "rags is royal raiment when worn "Well, that's the guy-that's him. You know, the one
virtue's sake." Dorothy Brock used to be callin' on all the time when he
A knock at the door distracted her thoughts. The ma · lived across the way from me on Forty-Sixth Street."
got up and answered the summons. She returned to inf McDermott was galvanized into action. "You're sure of
Peggy that Mr Denning was waiting. Peggy saw her pock ·. that, Mother?" he demanded. "You'd know the guy any-
the tip the page-boy had brought as she fled from her · · where?"
tuary and hurried to meet Pat. "I certainly would. That's him, all right!"
"Pat, you're the most unbelievable darling." Walt snapped his fingers. The page boy hurried over to
"Why, angel, you look like the surrender at Yorktown..~( him.
"I feel much worse. Let's get out of here." ;j; "Get Scotty in here, right away, kid," he said. The boy
"Right! On the way down how about a speck more po ;·, scurried into the main room of the club.
on that nose. It's sort of a beacon for weary travellers ri The globe over the elevator door glowed red. There was no
now. " time to be lost. "We've gotta stall here a minute," said Walt.
"Oh, dear! I thought I was my dazzling self once m,: "I gotta special reason for doin' it-you help me out an'
Where is that elevator?" She jabbed hysterically at the bu· , ev'rything will be peaches for you an' Polly from now on."
marked "Down." · Mrs Blair nodded vigorously. "Then what time will we
At that juncture there came an interruption. Walt Mc have rehearsal tomorrow?" she said loudly to Walt.
mott and the voluble Mrs Blair sauntered through the "Oh, I don't know. How's four o'clock?"
trance to the dining room, little Polly trailing disconsola , Peggy and Pat were inside the lift awaiting their departure
in the rear. with ill-concealed impatience. Through the curtained door·
"My God! Get Mother," whispered Pat. Mrs Blair way Walt saw the gangster, Scotty, hurrying toward him.
afoam with chiffon and tulle, giving somewhat the effect~ "Or will that be too early?" he stalled.
an exploding milk bottle. A large picture hat flopped ab , "Well-" Mrs Blair temporized.
her face, serving as a welcome mask to the multitudin ·· Scotty barged into the foyer and went up to McDermott.
wrinkles which veined her cheeks. "Yeah, boss?" he asked.
Peggy giggled nervously and the sound attracted , McDermott glanced swiftly at Peggy and Denning, saw
Blair's attention. She looked up incuriously and then q~ that they were unaware of his scrutiny and gave instructions
suddenly her expression altered to one of mixed amazem .' to his henchman in a subdued voice.
and disbelief. . "I want you to follow the guy that's takin' the little chorus
"Y'see that feller over there near the elevator?" she ~ moll home. He's the feller we been lookin' for in this Brock
188 42ND STREB 42ND STREET 18g
mix-up. Find out where he lives an' then phone me fro~. '" "Huh! Leave that old battle axe take care of herself," mut-
drug store or some place handy. Nothin' rough, y'know, j ';' tered Danny. "She can hold the fort against the navy an'
take it easy till we know where we're at." marines. Jesus, I wish that mob would pipe down. Lot o'
"Okay," said Scotty. drunken bums."
Mrs Blair and Polly stepped into the lift with Scotty at th Daisy stared at him more closely. "Seems to me you're kinda
heels. Peggy breathed a sigh of relief. , gettin' up on your tin ear these days," she remarked. "Always
"It's about time," she commented, bestowing an unfrien · crabbin' 'bout small timers an' hams! Y'know, the Theatre
stare upon Mrs Blair. Mrs Blair did not deign to notice her~';i, Guild ain't sent no ambassador over here to our joint to request
As he turned to face the metal gate of the elevator S , . the honor of your services next season."
gave Walt McDermott an understanding wink. Then the d;' "Can the wisecrackin', will ya?'' shouted Danny irritably.
closed and the car shot down to the street level. 1\\ "God, here I come home from a tough day at the theatre an'
I got to lissen to the wife beefin' at me far into the night.
It's killin' me!"
"Well, it's a cinch you won't die of good nature," rejoined
Daisy. "I think a good shot o' gin'd kinda calm you down,
s'matter o' fact!"
"I ain't drinkin' with a bunch like that. No brains! No
class! No distinction! They'll be strictly Loew time to the
end o' their days."
"Well, baby, seems to me I remember a few seasons when
you hurled your pink an' white body 'round that circuit,"
was Daisy's comment.
D ANNY MORAN STARED DOWN INTO THE GRIMY COURTYA
From across the way came the shouting of drunk "Okay. Rub it in! Anyhow, I progressed. God, Daisy, I
revellers. Through the opened window he saw a room · sure rate with the gang at the theatre. They think I'm aces."
of besotted performers, high balls in hand, going throu "Yeah? Well, watch that head or you'll have t' be wearin'
the paces of the usual evening brawl. the Grand Central Station for a hat."
"Lousy small timers!" he branded them. "I get it. Just because I got the brains to realize I ain't used
Daisy looked up from her novel. "I think the MacNei , my full possibilities you folks with your small time minds
sisters are over there lost in the excitement. How 'bout you 'ti start razzin' me. I sh'ld think you'd wanna stick by me,
me draggin' the bodies over an' rescuin' 'em? Glory swcm: insteada yelpin' your head off."
to God she meant to get cockeyed an' pass out tonight a~.' "Who's yelping? My God, you're actin' crummy tonight. Y'
you know that gal when she makes up her mind." · better go in an' sleep it off."
I9<) 42ND 42ND STREET
"Sleep it off, hell. I'm goin' out for a walk. Maybe 111 "What'll you do, Mr Endicott. Burn it?"
some real people if I can get far enough from the Palace." 1, "Burn it, helll I'm buying the damn thing."
He started toward the door. "Get a load of who's tryin' · "Buying it?"
pull the Ritz," jeered Daisy. "Y'better watch your st "Sure. Didn't you know? Technically I'm your boss. No
You've propped up the wall outside the Bond Buildin, · 'yes,' no feather curtain. Now what answer are we giving?"
long the whole place'll cave in if you decide to quit "Dick_." She kissed him once more.
portin' it."
"Says you," retorted Danny ineffectually, escaping to ,, For the second time that night the bedroom door slammed.
comparative safety of the hotel corridor. )' Amy hammered at the panels until her knuckles bled, but
"Give my regards to Lady Plushbottom," screamed D ':,, there was no reply.
after him. He ran through the hot corridor toward the "I know you were with that bitch last night! I know you
vator. were! It's gonna cost you your job, that's what it's gonna
cost you. I won't have any trick chorus girl makin' a fool
Dorothy Brock favored Endicott with an ecstatic hug. outta me. An' you have the nerve to accuse me of cheatin'.
"A star sapphire! How did you know?" she gurgled. Being married to you is the most humiliating, exasperating,
"I'm psychic. Read it in the stars. Evangeline Adams alwa degrading experience a girl could have. I'll fix you, though!
consults me in her important cases." · I'll fix you. You'll be sorry you tried to pull a fast one on me.
"Dick, it's silly just to say 'thanks.' You're so darned swe When I get through with you Lorraine Fleming wouldn't
Look at the boy, blushing through that perfectly swell Sou ·,. look at you if you was God and the Marx Brothers rolled
ampton tan." . :; together." Andy Lee rolled to his left side, snoring lustily.
"There are lots of sapphires where that one came from, 1'
peck of diamonds, handfuls of rubies. Lord, kissing you Pat didn't like the looks of the strangers who accosted him
like doing your bit of kicking the gong around." near the door of his house. They were nicely dressed and
"Does this beauty stand for anything in particular?" obviously had no intention of panhandling, but the deter-
"I wish you'd call it an engagement ring,'' Endicott plead mined manner in which they blocked his path made him
"Dick! What a grand way to propose!" uneasy.
"Come on, sweet. Join the clan. \Ve're snobbish as hell b "Can you tell us where a party name of Denning lives?''
we Endicott men have a weakness for ladies like you." the shorter of the two asked, shoving his face uncomfortably
"Darling! Not till all this rehearsing is over and do close to Pat's nose.
with!" "Why, of course, I-" caution prompted him not to finish
"Better say 'yes.' Else there'll be no feather curtain the sentence.
opening night!" "Go on," said the larger man. "You-what?"
192
"Nothing! I don't know many people

hood."
"The idea is this. This Denning's kind of a wise guy
he's playin' 'round with a dame who don't want him. W,
thought we might tip him off what a lousy jolt he'd get 1
he didn't let the dame be." :;,

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Pat. "I'm on my wayl:~
"Oh, no, Mr Denning. Whatcha think 'bout what we said~
"I'd say it was none of your god damn business." :'~
"Oh, yeah! Well, how's this for a sample?" A heavy f(, BOOK II
crashed into his face. He dropped to the sidewalk. One · . •·
the two men ground his heel into Pat's unprotected forehea OPENING
Then the two vanished into the gloom of the night. }
And while these events were taking place, Pretty Lady w ,

being shaped into acceptable form. Nothing must stand i
the way of the show. Success or failure waited and there .. ·
no man who could say which it would be. But beyond th
petty squabblings of the Morans and the Lees, the cunnin '
avarice of Billy Lawler, the madness of Dorothy Brock, t '
hopes and fears of a hundred others, the Show strode towar
its fulfillment.
I
T HE SWELTERING DOG DAYS OF AUGUST RELINQUISHED THEIR

hold. Winds from the Atlantic swept through the sun-
scorched streets. Life, which had lain torpid beneath the
shrivelling heat, stirred again. At the Forty-Fifth Street
Theatre the pace of rehearsal was geared to a higher pitch.
From nine in the morning until long after midnight the
Pretty Lady company went through their strenuous routine.
To produce a musical comedy in five weeks is a heart-rend-
ing task. In five more days the company would entrain for
Philadelphia where the opening was scheduled for the fol-
lowing Tuesday. Everything looked ragged, producers and
cast alike were disheartened. Only the trite saying, "A bad
rehearsal makes a good performance," buoyed them. They
fought doggedly on against the disappointments of a mediocre
score and a book that, but for the inventiveness of Danny
Moran ana Harvey Mason, would have plunged any intelli-
gent audience into the depths of despondency.
Chaos reigned. Green and Friedman quarrelled with Marsh,
Si bewailed the heavy cost of production; the very sight of
the shimmering stuffs which would be fashioned into the
curtains required by Julian Marsh appalled him. With Phila-
delphia in the offing a ragged confused piece dragged its way
:icross the Forty-Fifth Street stage night after night. Impos-
sible to lay a finger on what was wrong-the first night
195
196 42ND STRE , 42ND STREET
audience must tell them that. It seemed inevitable that t . pleasing she joins the ranks of the chorus; if not she returns
bits and numbers chosen by the cast for success should . to Sioux Falls. But they all fight on in the hope that some
flat at the opening. Time and time again the truth of t . <lay someone will recognize that still small spark of talent
phenomenon has been proven. Naturally the chorus refl :· and present the sought after opportunity.
the disgust of the others. In some uncanny manner the Ql •. P~ggy spent these last few days in town alternating between
guarded secrets find their way into chorus dressing roo . the costumers and the theatre. Each night after rehearsal had
Some chorus girl always knows the closing date of a s .: ended, a list of the names of girls whose clothes must be
before anyone else. If, after the opening night, you want:; fitted was read off, together with the hour of their appoint-
know who will receive his two weeks' notice, ask the cho . ments. At eight-thirty Peggy stood before the glass at the
They have had it, confidentially, that this or that will occ ; La Belle Studios while a perspiring seamstress tucked and
and it generally does. . \; pinned-at nine-thirty she dashed into the dressing-room at
So, as is often the case when a management is flounder . the Forty-Fifth Street Theatre, threw aside her street clothes
the chorus were drilled and re-drilled. An unoccupied st donned her practice rompers and presented herself for the'
during the last week of rehearsal looks bad to any cha . long siege of dancing under Andy Lee's supervision.
visitor; he might circulate the report along Broadway . Dance routines over which weary days had been spent were
the management has a flop on their hands and it is diffic.· ruthlessly torn out because they overshadowed the work of
to fight these reports once they gain headway. Sometime Dorothy Brock. A duet between the second juvenile leads,
sheer manual and mental labor calamity is avoided-as in two up-and-coming youngsters, was eliminated on Dorothy
case of George White's Manhattan Mary, which caused . Brock's request.
direst predictions when opening in Atlantic City and return" "Why don't they cut out the whole show an' just bill it
to New York to give them the lie. :, Mi.ss ?orothy Brock in an evening of Songs, Sayings and
Life was consecrated to the effort of seeking relief Im1tatlons," growled Danny Moran. "The imitations being
aching feet. Andy Lee had outdone himself and it was f ' · that of a dancer. It wouldn't be very good but they might
ordained that the chorus would be acclaimed on the ope · ,· laugh."
night-if they survived. The dancing standard is raised ' Little Polly's high-kicking routine was removed because
season, and newer and more difficult steps must be fo Dorothy Brock wished to bolster the Lady, What of Love
The average chorus girl has to combine tap dancing, bal · number~ Polly's mother, screaming imprecations, was forcibly
dancing, acrobatic dancing and singing with the paramo . ejected from the theatre.
qualification of good looks. She may come from Sioux F "Wait till you get a load of Brock's snappy little waist-high
with high hopes, bearing in her hand the diploma from kicks," murmured Ann Lowell.
Reade's School of the Dance, only to find that a thous "After she gets through that dance she'd better take Lind-
others can equal or excel her efforts. If her appearance bergh out for a bow," added Flo.
42ND S 42ND STREET
Green and Friedman were content; Dorothy Brock , Fleming informed them. This information had been pried
their featured player and all talent must be molded to fifi from Andy Lee during one of many drinking bouts. "He's on
with her performance. the stock exchange, you know-big polo player, golf wizard,
Jimmy Allen, eccentric dancer, was informed that his d , one o' them big putter an' brag men. He used to sit in the
must go unless he cared to teach Dorothy the routine front row ev'ry night to hear her sing You an' Me and a Cup
perform it with her. Rather than decline and run the d of Tea in the last show, but it wasn't till he connected with
of two weeks' notice after the premiere, Jimmy assented. , , General Motors that she tumbled like a ton o' bricks. He's
Discontent smouldered dangerously near the surf., . invested securities in her name, gave her that swell sapphire
Through it all Dorothy Brock retained her blithe and L she keeps flashing-and that belle's all set for life. An' the
genueish disposition. She had faced countless situations joke of it is I hear she's keeping some ham actor that doesn't
this and the grumbling of a few supporting players left own a pair o' pants to his name."
undeterred. She meant to be the shining light of Pretty "Look at that dance! Are you screaming? Get those pins
no matter how great the pressure was brought to bear. in the air, Annie. Dancers may come and dancers may go,
combined weight of her prestige and Richard End' . but there'll never be another like our Dot," jeered Flo and
financial interest forced all lesser considerations to the w,- added devoutly, "Thank God."
"Lissen to her s~ngin' that reprise," hissed Flo. "She's "An' her kicking about the Flying High number. I hope
enough blue notes to find the Lost Chord by now. An' I h . you're well! Said the number was too strenuous for her to
you noticed the wrinkles under the chin. She'd better ;, sing right after all that hoofing. She could be all out o' breath
stand still or the ivy's liable to climb right up her." ;~
an' start singing and the audience would never know the
"That dance with Phillips looks like the chariot race fi · difference."
Ben Hur," commented Ann Lowell scathingly. "You .
But lack of popularity failed to impair Dorothy's high
put on a tall hat an' walk under that split Brock qoes for :;
spirits.
finish. I suggest they get the show girls to form a tabl '•
under the split an' call it the Rainbow of Love. Somethi · She knew her Broadway. No grumbling actors paid her
gotta be done to save the number." · . salary. Let them curse. Her name in lights over the theatre
"An' wait till you get a load of her clothes," said Flo~. was ample recompense for any hatred her tactics might arouse.
thought the maternity gowns they wished on us were ;. Every chorus girl vowed then and there that once she rose
enough, but I'd give ten bucks to know what that fur on · ' from the ranks and found herself a featured player she would
evening cloak was when it was walking around. An', G,, show a little sympathy to the other players. All embryo per-
those picture hatsl That belle trying to get away with pi ·." formers suffer from this altruistic complex. Luckily for their
hats an' curls! Why, she heard Lincoln free the slaves!" '.:, careers a more hard-boiled philosophy is formulated ere many
"Her boy friend's the heavy sugar for the outfit," Lom( months have passed and the erstwhile Good Samaritan, once
200 42ND STlt. 42ND STREET 20I
she has gained a foothold, learns to guard her position alluring as show business. Millions of dollars are swept away;
ously. reputations flame high and then die to ashes in a season or
At six o'clock 'the company was two, and still performers strain forward. The glamour of the
. dismissed for dinner. · ~
had mentioned an engagement for the evening, an ex "' footlights is ir:e_sistible an~ even those to whom steady failure
that Peggy was willing to accept, as the battered condition''1 has brought discouragement find themselves lingering on the
his face made him a somewhat conspicuous cornpanion.:': fringe-hoping against hope that at this late day luck may
turn.
Flo, Ann and Peggy went to a nearby Chinese restaul' '
and consumed portions of chop suey. The conversation '·
loud and caustic. They were three chorus girls "on the p
....... ............... ,,,,
..,,,. --·-
"Well, Brock's got everything except the mortgage/.
now," Flo commented.
"Don't it give you a P.ain?" said Ann. "Here we got .
artists in the show and that dizzy belle grabs everything/ 2
sight. She'd better wear a Benda mask in the last act; ·
audience is going to get sick of the sight of her face."
"That's what it means to have influence," Flo grow:
"B'lieve me, the guy who cracked about the wages of .
AT DENNING LIGHTED A CIGARETI'E AND STRETCHED HIS LEAN
being death didn't know his New York. Y' see, all she haax
do is start a rumpus that they're not giving her enough to~ P frame in a prolonged yawn. Sitting there in his apartment
with the silk dressing gown which had been Dorothy's latest
and the boy friend tightens up on the purse strings. And I(
Green and Friedman need that money!" (1, gift draped about him, he felt content. In retrospect he saw
Peggy was quiet. For the first time the fascination and· his life as a dalliance along purple paths which led to unfruit-
tragedy of this existence broke upon her with full force. ful valleys. But now a new impulse had laid hold on him.
were over one hundred souls concentrating all thought i The soft linens of the sinner were to be exchanged for the
energy upon a musical play which, when brought before .. monk's coarse raiment. Instead of fine liquor more humble
public eye, might be totally lacking in popular appeal and;t. refreshment would grace his dinner table. The day of atone-
the labor of many weeks would go for naught. Among ··· ment had arrived.
chorus girls they were speculating already what to do if ' The cause of this ecstasy of the spirit was not far to seek. It
piece failed. Money was scarce and the season for produ spread tentative wings soon after his recovery from the blow
was past. If Pretty Lady closed, they would be left high delivered by gangland's representative that felled him and
dry until word of a new show was noised about and for a few days threatened to mar his pleasing features perma-
maddening round would begin again. There is no gamble: nently. It soared high into the heavens of good intention when
202 42ND 42ND STREET 203
Peggy Sawyer shyly admitted her affection for him. Now ... of much economy he might continue his courtship unaided
the time for a good man to co~e to the aid of his better ~ .• by the monetary assistance of la Brock. But the parting must
He, like Paul of old, had seen the light and was willing .: come. He poured himself a third <lrink which served to
forsake the sins of the world. He had little faith in his po , bolster his waning resolution. He wondered if Dorothy would
to hold Peggy once the true facts were known, so it behoov play the hell cat. Hitherto she had been pettish or yielding,
him to sever those ties which bound him to the chariot wh as the mood prompted, but now, faced with this ultimatum,
of Dorothy Brock. )i she might ~ into a tantrum and create a scene that was cer·
Unseen forces were at work; the termination of his a .: tain to ca. him to be ousted from the apartment. Then
with the musical comedy actress was necessary to the peace:· caution reminded him that the robe he wore came from
mind of several individuals. Very well, then, he was not Dorothy and that this moment of renunciation might be deliv-
to question the power of these adversaries, he would abdi ·· ered in an atmosphere of greater sincerity were he to choose
most cheerfully and leave the shadows of illicit love for garments of his own purchase. He rummaged through nu-
bright sunlight of Peggy's companionship. He fingered merous closets and brought to light a suit of subdued blue
jaw tenderly. The fist of his assailant had left its mark; which seemed somber enough for the occasion. One does not
wonder was that his nose retained its shapely contout bury' an old love in the finery of happier days and the problem
that the fine line of his chin had not been battered int' of selecting the proper cravat presented itself. To locate a
shapeless pulp. A vivid Italian sunset effect still graced ·.· . suitable necktie required persistent search; Pat was a young
region directly beneath his eyes. He remedied this as wel~ man who could, and did, wear loud colors with impunity.
possible by the application of healing ointment and .· The necktie, dark gray in shade, was lifted from among jJ:s
powder. More, he was careful to be seen only in subd entangled fellows. Then he considered the problem of liquor.
lights, seated where the left half of his face was but ·,. Suppose Dorothy were to wax dramatic and want to drink a
visible. Fortunately the interior of the theatre where he '. toast to the dear departed days. He thought this unlikely, but
rehearsing was dark and he managed to linger within · the vagaries of womankind are many. Perhaps a chaste de-
the majority of the players had departed. Peggy and Geo i< canter of wine would not mar the pathos of the interview.
alone were aware of his plight, and the former had been e ". Dorothy might faint and require a stimulant. He checked
pacified with a stock alibi. Geoffrey wisely enough askedi~ over a list of his acquaintances who had abandoned mistresses
questions. He was sure that the battering ram which · in the hope that one of them might give him pointers on the
connected with his friend's face was manned by those f handling of such a contretemps, but he reflected that all
of darkness from whom Pat drained his living. these gentlemen had supported their amours, whi,le with him
His new play bore the earmarks of a hit. This was a str." the situation was unhappily reversed.
of good fortune for Pat. A kind destiny was granting It must be unique in the annals of sin, the gigolo turning in
financial independence for a short space of time, and by fine scorn upon his protector. He wished Dorothy would
' '• -,•
204 42ND 42ND STREET 2CJ5"· .,. ,,
1
hurry. Those damnable rehearsals were apt to delay her:· no spectacular heroics. Above all things she wanted to live.\:;,,,, .
hours nowadays. One never knew when the whim of a He heard her footstep upon the landing. For an agonized
headed director would chain the cast to the theatre for second he considered retreat; an abject surrender to the tit\holy
unnecessary hours. power of Dorothy.
He began to pace the floor and wished he dared risk . But no, Peggy had shown him the braver way. A left hook
other nip, but that might prove fatal. One does not hid a ~ to the jaw had aided this resignation of the spirit, but it was
coughing farewdl to one's demi-mondaine existence; it is ·, Peggy who was leading him toward the light. He must think
ter to go forward with the clean light of sacrifice in ti L of Peggy. Her happiness was at stake. The separation should
eyes. He wished that he might be granted so~e mannct;: come tonight,.
sign, even as Paul, but nothing disturbed his meditation , He felt quite ill when he heard Dorothy's knock, but braced
the screeching of a neighbor's radio. It was past six and he himself and called, "Yes, darling, I'll be there in a moment."
engaged a table for dinner at seven. It was shameful to h Darling! Words of endearment fell so easily from his lips.
through this ordeal. He must allow his prond and sinful : She would expect to be cajoled and kissed. He flung open the
to be humbled under the wrath of Dorothy, for the pathi door with what he hoped was a stern uncomprising glare in
renunciation is hard. Damn the woman, anyhow I If she f . his eyes. Actually he looked a little dazed. Dorothy thought
to appear within the next quarter of an hour he would 1,,,, he had been drinking and began to reproach him. An air of
a note. No, that wasn't the proper move; letters were . , restraint shadowed their meeting. Dorothy walked inside,
nahle things, ghosts that loomed alarmingly when one beli ; sank into her chair and fidgeted. Pat tarried near the door,
them long dead. summoning from far corners the courage which her entrance
But where was Dorothy? He ran through the speech he seemed to have dissipated. Ridiculous to comment on the
prepared, pausing appreciatively over several savory mo small gossip of the day. There were graver issues to he met.
If only his tongue did not play him false when the c , "I thought you'd never get here," he began.
point arrived. From somewhere came the pealing of a ,,. "Lee kept us overtime. I'm terribly sorry, Pat."
He sprang to the buzzer, every nerve alert. To his horror "It doesn't matter. You look rather tired."
saw an ill-concealed tremor take possession of his hands. , "I am. Rehearsals are hellish. Can't I have a drink?"
longing glance was flung at the decanter hut he found stre · · "There's wine. Shall I pour it for you?"
to resist. "Wine, Pat? Can't you scrimmage up a whiskey and soda?"
Dorothy was coming up the stairs. His heart grew "Dorothy-Dorothy-there isn't time for that--"
within him. Tales of women who avenged themselves ·.. "Time? But, my dear, we've got hours. I want to talk to
fancied slights assailed him. He remembered Dido, roas '•., you."
on the funeral pyre whose embrace she chose when the a ·, "And I want to talk with you, Dorothy."
of Aeneas were denied her. Surely Dorothy would att · "Indeed? Who's the creditor now ? F inchley or Dobbs?"
..
..
4:.tND 42ND STREET 20'J
Jt--" :.; ,
'• ,1.: ':,,;
"It isn't that exactly, .· man you may know, Pat; a fine upstanding Wall Street busi-
"I'm glad to hear it. • an extravagant whim for il(j: ness man who has been very kind. Naturally he makes certain
lady, Pat." ·Jt demands of me which I can't decently refuse. And it would be
"I've always tried to give value received." /.' shameful to deceive him any longer. For a time I was satisfied
"I'm not complaining. But Pat-I-it's difficult for me ~.~ because I knew you needed me and I've always felt tenderly
say this-" She fingered her handkerchief uneasily. 1;· toward you. But today Richard found certain letters and asked
"Then don't try, Dorothy. I think I understand," he soothe4:\ me questions. Things came to light that I preferred to keep
her. "Yqu must hear me." .t hidden, We had a stormy time of it and he t9}d me that I
"pt~ I can't let you keep on talking under a false im ,;, must part with you. Of course I hate the idea, Pat, darling;
pression." don't suffer so-please, my dear! You're breaking my heart!
"My dear, I'm not. Won't you listen?" But Richard is so good to me. He has an interest in our show
"The lady's privilege, Pat? And I will take and I can't turn him down. You understand, don't you, Pat?"
It looks very inviting." ,~ Pat's mouth t;wisted into a bitter smile. "I understand, Dor-
He filled a glass and handed it to her. He saw that she W othy," he said meaningly. "I think I've understood all along.
trembling and guessed that once again an uncontrollable Io;i From the first moment I allowed you to give me money I
ing for his kisses had seized her. The heart of a woman ts knew this time would come. You were not content with tak-
bottomless well from which she can draw unnumbere ing my pride and my self respect, you must rob me of the love
bucketfuls of emotion. After man is exhausted and satiety h,
I consider my due. Of course, I can't stop you. I don't pretend
laid hold upon him woman can still summon the forces .'
to be a millionaire-my financial status will always be the
love to her side in undimished strength. He prayed that Do,
othy would free him without tears. He would ap~al to h.' same. But I did give you one sincere thing-my love-and
pride. Vanity has checked hysteria far more effecti~ely t you've rejected it. I wish you all the luck in the world, my
all the logic in the world. He began to rearrange h1s spe dear, but I can't help feeling that little happiness can be
only half listening to the words which stumbled from D , granted to the woman who betrays her lover. \fou took so
othy's throat. greedily the little I had to offer and now in return you strike
"Pat, you know how tremendously happy our lit:le-frietl: !' with the cruellest weapon known to your kind. What have I
ship has made me. You're a dear and I could heartily end · dont; to deserve this? Why should anotJ:ier man hold you in
your-well-merits. But, dear boy, this thing must :nd so.. > his a,nns?"
time and I thought the break should come now. Im gom There were tears in Dorothy's eyes. A strangled sob escaped
out of town in a few days. We shan't be able to see one a " her and for a moment she was wordless under the sting of
other for three weeks and in that time the wound may hea; Pat's accusation. Then she smiled up at him. "Pat, I deserve
For I can't go on, Pat. It wouldn't be honorable. There is your hatred, I know. But we women are weak and we have to
.......
_y:.!'!'<·'·"·
- ,? 42ND STRE 42ND STREET
consider ourselves." She twisted the star sapphire abstractedly~ thrust into his palm. He let the bit of paper fall to the ground
Pat's keen eye noted the newness and expensiveness of t · ''. as though its very touch seared his fingers. _
latest bauble. \ "I can't accept that," he said with dignity. "You mustn't
"With you there would be no future," Dorothy continued/ mar the good-by with such a gift. Please take your check
. "Just going on in the same fashion until we tired of o · i back." At the same time he made out the word "thousand"
another and dislike· would smother all our nobler instincts.1l written in Dorothy's flourishing penmanship. He bent closer
1
"You think I could ever dislike you?,, cried her heart/ to distinguish what number preceded the thousand.
broken swain. "Oh, my dear, how you misjudge mel" · Dorothy shook her head. "It's little enough, Pat. I wanted
"But, Pat, you are strong and able to bear these things. I' ...· to buy you something very beautiful but there wasn't time.
not worthy of the affection you want to give me. Richard ~ I've made the check out to bearer for obvious reasons. Please,
gross, materialistic. I shall miss your sensitiveness, my deat~ Pat, I want you to have it."
1
but I cannot feel that I should sacrifice myself utterly. S · "I shall burn every penny-or every bill, rather," he cried
if you wish--" passionately.
Pat's eyes softened. "I've been too harsh," he whisper · · She blew him a kiss. "I hope not, Pat, for it ·comes to you
"What a selfish brute I was to seek to hold your love when; with much love. Good-by, my dear." The door dosed, shutting
could give you absolutely nothing in return." off his view.
"I think you're the sweetest man I've ever known, Pat." The irony of what had come to pass failed to amuse him.
"No. I'm a rotter-I'm a cad, but according to my ligh . He was still shaken by the pseudo anguish he had worked up
I have loved you. Please believe that!" · for Dorothy's benefit. But now that she was gone his more
"Then we can say good-by without bitterness?" . practical self intervened. He stooped to pick up the check.
"Without bitterness, sweetheart. I really meant what I sa·" Then he dressed for dinner.
about wishing you good luck. And permit me to add that
consider this Richard of yours a very fortunate young man~ At seven o'clock Pat, seated across the table from Peggy,
~'Pat, I can't find words to thank you." reached over to squeeze her hand. Her lack of resistance was
"May he make you very happy, Dorothy. I could not ha encouraging. He looked into her eyes, still careful to keep the
done that." damaged part of his face hidden in the shadow.
She held out her hand. "Good-by, Pat," she said trem "So you're leaving me, young lady. And what does the
lously. · desolate gentleman do?"
He grasped it and raised it to his lips. "Good-by, carissim "Bear up with sundry stimulants and go about the busi·
and for the love you gave me, many thanks." ness of life," she replied promptly. "After all, Philadelphia
She fumbled in her purse, and produced a check which s isn't the end of the earth."
210 42ND 42ND STREET .2II
"How little feeling you grant me," he sighed. "That's just it, Pat; everything about you is so easy-going.
"I can't agree that you've been dealt a death blow," Especially your cash." .
retorted. "Peggy, you're a mercenary trollop. Those candid gray eyes
"But you know that I'm going to miss you frightfully.'' have deceived me!"
"Certainly. That's only right and proper. But, we're s "Pat, I'm nothing of the sort. I simply wish to save you a
to meet again." racking sense of responsibility. If I were disabled you'd feel
"In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" he questioned. bound to support me. And suppose you were quite incapable
She patted his arm. "The man is desperate when he's of the burden? Then wouldn't my husband damn me to
duced to quoting Shakespeare," she said. f perdition?"
"Hang it all, Peggy, don't I get one encouraging glance?; "I'd do no such thing. Please don't have those sordid ideas.
"Pat, you wouldn't do such an old-fashioned thing as ' Peggy. I'll manage well enough. This new play's going to be
pose marriage?" a winner.''
"My darling, I haven't the capacity for such daring. 0 "It can't run forever. And then what would Mr and Mrs
an adventurer would broach that subject if his financial Cassius do about their lean and hungry look?"
fairs were like mine." "We'll take tin cups and go blind together. At least we'll
"I'm disappointed. I'd hoped to hear the love-in-a-cot have each other."
theme."
"No, Patrick, baby. I shall stick to my life of shame for
"Don't make fun of me, Peggy. I'm being serious."
a while longer."
"And so am I. Look at my consomme. It's growing co
"Am I to consider myself dismissed?" he demanded.
"The devil take your consomme. I'll order some fr
"No, just temporarily suppressed. I imagine you'll burst
Peggy, do you love me?"
"Perhaps. Not enough to take you seriously at any rat" forth again in no time."
"Then you won't say 'yes' and make a good man of me1 "You're right about that. I intend to wed you, woman."
"You're not abject, Pat. There's too much of the arrog "Let's talk about our respective shows. We're on much com-
male about you." moner ground occupied that way."
"Damn it, I can't go on my knees." "Very well. Eat your consomme and shut up. I think I
"Pat, darling, concentrate on food. You have an ailing , shall remain a bachelor."
I refuse to be hurried into matrimony. What about this car · "Do! I can picture you sitting silver-haired and alone before
that I've wished upon myself?" a pine fire."
"Peggy, I'll allow you all the freedom in the world as lo . "The way you worry me there won't be any silver hairs. I
as our addresses coincide. You'll find me the blue rib shall sit alone, all right, but the flames will make flickering
winner among easy-going husbands." shadows on my bald dome.''
212 42ND STRE., 42ND. STREET 213
,\'~r
"Then I'll be the meager little spinster who drops in ~ trunk again. Nine o'clock! Where in the world was Pat? He
sionally to give you a scalp treatment. We'll set our brid r knew she wanted to be at the station by nine-thirty at the
work firmly in our mouths and chat about old times!" latest. Let's see now. Anything else? Good Lord, yes, all her
"You won't be living then," he vowed. "Some exasperat toilet articles! Stupid idiot! Dumbbell! There wasn't a square
young man will have shot you." inch of space left-she'd have to stick the tooth brush and
"Oh, Pat, how lovely to go out that way, with one's pi the bottle of perfume in the pocket of her coat. That would
on the &ont page of the Graphic for an obituary notice. look pretty-marching through the station, pockets all bulged
I count on your salt tears being shed over my grave?" out with tooth paste and 4711 toilet water! Where was Pat?
"You can count on nothing. I shall say it served you jo ,;. She had half a mind to go on without him. It was most
well right." '.;,I inconsiderate to keep her waiting like this. Too bad she'd
"Beast! Is Chateaubriand steak really as good as you say~f refused Terry's services. He at least respected her desire for
Patrick?" · ample time. But careless, scatter-brained Pat-God love him!
"Yes, damn you. And I hope it gives you ptomaine!" Never would she let this happen to her again. Ten after nine.
Oh, damn you, Pat, damn you!
The telephone rang and she hastened to answer. Mr Den-
ning is downstairs-well, it's about time, ask him to come up,
thank you. Click! Now to get all these bags together. Wasn't
packing a mess? One more hasty inspection bringing to light
3 a pair of discarded slippers that might come in handy on
rainy days. A knock on the door. Pat? Yes! Good! I shan't
be a minute.
------------------------\' He really was good-looking in his gray summer-weight
·"i
lf ET'S CHECK THEM OVER ONCE MORE, FOR GOOD LUCK! STOCKING#ii
clothes and panama hat. Thank heaven for tall men! She gave
L -shoes-underwear-hats-rubbers-Peggy supposed it1;.!. him a perfunctory kiss and pointed to the luggage. He gri-
was foolish to cart all this stuff along but Lord knows what ,r:. maced wryly but picked up the suitcase, the handbag and the
kind of weather to expect in Philadelphia; and, anyhow, she+, portable typewriter without a word of complaint and mo-
couldn't burden Maida with too many things. All these booksf tioned her toward the door.
-they certainly took up a lot of room, she'd no idea the way'(~ "You're awfully late. I was so worried!"
things collected. Nothing in the top drawer, second drawer. \' "Late? Nonsense! You've got hours! I'd never dream of
third drawer, oh, damn it!-her new blue dress, well, that · leaving before a quarter to ten," he scoffed. "You New Eng-
must be crammed in the suitcase, she just couldn't open that land women!"
· 42ND 42ND STREET :215
"At least we're reliable," she answered sharply. ~, 1iJ. , . "Cheer up, sweet child. Perhaps, some of these days--!"
The elevator was crowded but they wormed their way in.. ;·:: , "Pat, are we going to be rich-ever? Ouch!"
side and waited in constrained silence until the ground floor<<:{ Another bump that tumbled her into Pat's embrace. This
was reached. Instantly they were faced with an onslaught of~1 , time he kissed her. She looked up half resentfully, decided she
bell boys. Baggage, sir! Carry your bags, mister? Taxi, mister ?i\·1;ll) liked the feeling of his lips against her mouth and subsided
Yes, sir, I'll take them! ·•.;~ in abject femininity.
"Go 'way," Pat laughed. "This is my picnic." ':f "You're the most ridiculous person. Here we are five
The boys retired, discomfited, and she and Pat sped to the") blocks from the station, you've twenty minutes at least and
side entrance of the hotel. The taxi starter caught sight of:;\; you're trembling like a deer-or is it doe?"
them and rushed forward. Pat surrendered the luggage and~~ "I'm trembling at the thrill of your kiss," she jeered.
stowed Peggy inside the first cab. Pennsylvania Station! And,:, "You aren't the first to do so," he reminded her.
driver, hurry please-the lady is nervous! Off with a grindi The taxi swung down the enclosed slope that led to the
of brakes and a lurch that threw her into Pat's waiting arm .. station. Soon porters were shrilling in their ears, dragging
On for half a block and then a wait for traffic. She w them from the interior of the cab, snatching the luggage be-
tremendously excited. The clock on the Paramount towe fore there was time to protest. Pat tipped the chauffeur gener-
pointed to nine twenty-five. Taxis swarmed over the street ously, seized Peggy's arm and guided her through the maze
each playing the well known Manhattan game called beatin of travellers to the barrier before which the majority of the
the lights. The red glow changed to green and they starte company were assembled.
again. It was a scene of uproarious confusion. Tearful mothers
"I suppose it's useless to suggest that you write clung to their dancing daughters and warned them by all that
Pat said. was sacred and holy to ignore the voice of temptation if it
"Not at all. I'm a very good correspondent." went whispering through the narrow streets of Philadelphia.
"What hotel are you going to?" Glamorous show girls, sprouting orchids and silver fox furs,
"I don't know yet. I'm leaving that to Flo."
bade languid good-by to the college students and brokers who
"You and your chorus girl friends."
were keeping them. Musicians trudged through the gate to
"Well! Oh, Pat, tell him to hurry. It's half"past nine."
the lower level where the train awaited them, their instru-
Another red light, as effective as the shining sword tha,
ments tucked firmly under their arms. Peggy caught sight of
barred the two sinners from Eden. Cabs on either side o
them. Pedestrians hurrying· along the sidewalk. The sun beat. Terry clowning boisterously with Harry Towne and another
ing down on the roofs of tall buildings. . · chorus boy. Flo was running along the concourse to the news-
"I wish I could drive all the way by car, like Doroth stand in belated quest of a magazine. Ann was calling shrilly
Brock." after her. The company manager stood at the gate, perspiring
216 42ND STREET 217
copiously as he checked each member of the company wh him, pushing Peggy before her toward the harder. Peggy
passed him and went down the steps to the train. There turned to wave a last good-by, then she and Flo ran down the
an air of hysterical excitement. They were one and all almo steps to the train platform. Pat tipped the porter and bade
frantic with expectation. Pat signalled the porter to wait a him follow the girls, then turned on his heel and walked away.
pulled Peggy closer. '. A number of the principals wete promenading along the
"I won't go any farther, darling," he said. "From this, poin stone, walk beside the coaches. Peggy, her eyes on the jacket
on you are at the mercy of the musical comedy world. Ma of the book Pat had given her, stumbled and found herself
God have pity on you!" , gazing. into Billy Lawler's face.
"Oh, Pat, it's so exciting!" she gasped. • .• . "Whoa, there, child," he called gaily. "Too much traffic for
"Isn't it? Promise me one thing, sweet. Promisd!\tie light''Jhding!"
same nice child will return from Philadelphia. No quic "Oh, hello," she said. "I'm in such a daze."
changes to a hard-boiled chorine." "May you always be in one,'' he responded. "It's most be-
"No quick changes, Pat I" coming." ·
"Oh, hello," said Flo, coming up to them. "Huh!" snorted Flo when they were out of earshot. "That
"Hello, you," Pat greeted her. "Take good care of one!"
infant!" The day coach which had been reserved for the chorus
"Don't worry. She'll be parked in a twin bed right n was already crowded. The two girls deposited themselves in
to her old Aunt Jessie, here. No roaming about for the nearest available seat. Behind them a JX>rtable victrola
youngster." ground out the latest fox: trot hit while from ahead came the
"Stout feller!" Pat thanked her. "Oh, Peggy, here's a litt twanging of a ukulele. Chorus boys, stripped of their outdoor
something." He produced a novel with a bright yellow jack garments, raced up and down the aisles, badgering the girls,
"Bad reading for good little girls," he explained. shouting to one another, making wild holiday of the trip.
Terry was approaching them. Somehow she didn't wa Someone produced a flask of gin. There were noisy shouts
Terry and Pat to meet. She grasped Pat'.s hand. "Good-b and demands fo{ a nip. Peggy snuggled far down in the
darling. Wash behind your ears and don't forget to chan · plush seat and let contentment sweep over her. This was the
your undies!" first step. The victrola played on and on, the ukulele shrilled in
He bent down and kissed her. Flo obligingly looked awaJ'.. nasal protest, the chorus boys rioted through the car. Presently
From out the comer of her eye she could see Terry's flush , a voice called, "All aboard." They were on the way. Dress
displeasure. .··.~ rehearsal tomorrow night-and then! She closed her eyes and
t'·:~
"Good-by, angel. Remember what the good little girls do.~ surr~ndered to the overwhelming happiness that JX>SSessed
"Don't worry-if she hasn't got one, I have!" Flo assur her.
" .- . ...... ---- ..... • "".... -- olll'W# 42 N D S T ll EE T 219
footlights to inquire how long before the rehearsal started.

The company had been summoned at seven-thirty and, as is
customary with all dress rehearsals, things bade fair to get
4 into movement by midnight. The strictest orders had been
given out that all members of the cast, principals and chorus
alike, must be made up and dressed by eight o'clock at the
very latest.
They were all in their dressing rooms now, opening long-
disused cans of powder, applying grease paint to their cheeks,
D
RESS REHEARSAL NIGHT! THE LONG VACANT THEATRE QUICK•.•
ened to the stir of new activity within its walls. lo' searching through their make-up boxes for eye liners, lip
the orchestra pit the leader waved his baton. He had stripped ' rouge, rabbit-foot brushes and boxes of dry rouge. In the back
to his shirt and wore no collar, for the heat from the stage·• of the theatre Julian Marsh, Green and Friedman and the
was unbearable. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead ,: company manager went over the running order of the show.
and trickled onto his neck. The thirty musicians focussed · Because of the elastic nature of the musical comedy it is pos-
their eyes on the score for the thousandth time. It was now sible to switch a number from one act to another, or to insert
past eight and they had been playing steadily since three a new interlude at a moment's notice. Nothing is more sub-
o'clock with an interval of thirty minutes for supper. Julius,· ject to change without notice than the running. order of a
the leader, was hoarse and croaked his orders in a rasping· musical show during the formative weeks of its existence.
whisper that hurt the throats of all who listened to him. Hi&. There were the usual slip-ups. Curtains and costumes had
eyes were glassy with weariness and pain battered against\ failed to arrive; one scene proved to be so ponderous that
the walls of his head. · twenty minutes would be required to set it; the chorus ward-
"We'll take that just once more, boys. It's pretty tricky. Re·' robe was complicated by so many hooks that the wardrobe
member, four in a bar and a hold over on that 'E' in the final · mistress swore they'd never be able to make their changes. All
measure. Right!" this is part and parcel of an opening. Since time immemorial,
The baton described an arc in the air, the woodwinds found· costumers, scenic designers and artists, meeting on common
life, the horns struck up their strident clamor. On the stage a ground for the first time, find that the efforts of each hinder
tangle of silken drop curtains and the battens on which they rather than help the other.
were hung met the eye. Various properties used in the differ- In the chorus room bedlam reigned supreme. They were
ent scenes were piled together in what seemed to be a hope- installed in quarters directly underneath the stage; thirty
less disarray. girls, each with her little portion of make-up shelf which must
Occasionally a forlorn individual wearing a dressing gown, " remain inviolate. And there were those who, like the virgins
face partially smeared with make-up, would wander to thcr of old, had arrived without many necessities. Borrowing was
::n8
( •
::220 42ND 42ND STREET 22I
frequent, and the acrid comment caused thereby more fre-, .•\ to have reached a blank wall. The production, with· all sails
quent. Overhead sounded the ceaseless tread of the stage} set, was momentarily becalmed.
hands hauling scenery into place. There came shouts of/( Flo sighed. "We're in for the night all right," she moaned.
1
"Watch that line!-You ain't clear yet!-Hey, take it easyl Slowly the rest of the chorus filed into the auditorium and
You're gonna get tangledl-My God, will a coupla you eggt;, seated themselves. Julian Marsh, roused by the slamming of
get some sense?" ·, many seats, came charging down the aisle.
Through the din they distinguished the tapping of some "Girls! Girls!" he yelled. "No one's allowed in'. front of the
buck dancer. "I would get in a show with hoofers," Flo· house tonight. If you're all dressed go back to your dressing
groaned. "Give 'em two square feet of space an' they'll go into:, rooms and wait till you're called."
their time step and break. They've found the secret of per.. They trouped back sullenly. The dressing rooms were
petual motion all right." She shook her fist at the unseen· stuffy and overcrowded and the constant glare of lights hurt
dancer. their eyes. In the auditorium there was darkness and a breath
When the girls were made up they went into a curtaine of air. They would be on their feet for seven or eight hours
section of the cellar where the wardrobe mistress had u and wanted to conserve as much energy as possible. No one
packed the costumes and laid them out in the order indicate . has yet devised a systematic manner of running a dress re-
by the running schedule. Harry MacElroy, nearly burstin~ hearsal. It seems to consist of a minimum of actual work and
with anxiety, ran by shouting, "Only ten minutes more, girlsl a maximum of standing about waiting for something to hap-
Only ten minutes more!" He would continue to do that fot pen. Too often the dress rehearsal is the parade ground for the
another hour and a half. vaunting egos of the moguls in charge. So much authority has
Those ladies who were ready for the opening chorus went to be asserted that there is little time for the show. The prin-
upstairs pursued by shrill warnings by Mrs Packard not to· cipals stalk to and fro in front of their rooms exchanging curt
sit down and rumple the dresses. No one ever obeys this order nods and frequent questions as to what is happening. Dress
and no wardrobe lady can hope for a season free from con· rehearsal is far more strain than the premiere which follows it.
stant panic lest the dresses in her charge be torn or dirtied. :. The theatre was a seething caldron of nerves pitched to the
They were constructing the flight of stairs for the first ad breaking point. Even Dorothy Brock was imbued with the
finale. A few of the girls dodged through the entrance to the general restlessness and sought to quiet her rasping nerves
boxes into the front of the house and sat down to watch the by tuning in the radio installed in her room. Its squawking
proceedings. Sweating men bustled about, armed with ha:n- \. lent a nightmare touch to the reigning confusion. Doors were
mers and saws. And still the unknown buck dancer, like :;:, slammed in an abortive attempt to shut out this new menace.
Poe's Raven, continued his tapping. ·,~~ Miss Brock disregarded the mutters of anger. As featured
In the orchestra pit Julius was exhorting his men to new]' player she was immune to criticism. John Phillips knocked at
endeavors. In back, the conference of the managers seemed ~;. ·. her door with an urgent request that they run over the new
'l
I
harmony arrangement for their duet. With a sigh she turned everyone stand by, please, and give as much assistance as pos-
the dials, muffied the blare of the jazz band and instructed her. sible. There's a lot to be done-we're handling a top-heavy
maid to admit the tenor. 1P production-and it requires the cooperation of each and every
One hour crawled by; the stage hands continued to per- ,\ one of you to get this show in shape for tomorrow night.
spire; the managers were still seeking to evade that imp~se<r: Please be ready for your cues-stay back stage and don't come
in the running order; Julius swore at a clumsy bass viol ri to the front of the house-and, above all, keep quiet. No talk-
player; and the tap dancer exerted his energy in devising new i:· ing or singing-don't speak above a whisperf Thank you.
breaks. Y Overture, Julius!"
"If they ever hang that guy he'll do a time step on the end {~ The most ironic statement ever made in the history of the
of a rope," said Flo. The shower of taps rained pitilessly down. '" theatre is the one in which the promise is made to run through
There were thuds and imprecations. Still the company /1 the dress rehearsal performance without interruption. If in
waited. Principals began to look like prowling beasts. They i~ any musical comedy they were allowed to finish the opening
stalked to the footlights, and with hands held before their .•~ chorus without a storm of protest, the entire company would
faces, to shield them from the glare of the lights, peered into!;' be prostrate in amazement. Consequently no one is able to
the front of the theatre. Most faces were grotesque masks of···~ gauge the length of the piece until after opening night.
white where powder had been applied to keep the grease Cf "Everything set?" Julian Marsh demanded of the stage
paint from losing its freshness. . manager.
Finally at ten-thirty came the tocsin. Once more Harry :!, "Well, Mr Marsh, I think we'll be all right, but it's a tough
MacElroy was stirred to frantic life. He sped along the cord· ;. job for the boys to handle. We're gonna need lottsa stalling
dors bellowing, "Overture-everybody-overture!" ·} in one."
They came crowding to the stage with sighs of relief. { "That's why we've engaged our comedians," said Marsh.
"Everybody on stage," shouted the stage manager, and the ;
"Very well then, if that's the only difficulty let's start at once."
company ranged themselves along the apron. X The overture thundered forth. There is nothing quite like
Julian Marsh stood in the aisle, near the cornet player. Be- 'l
hind him were grouped Green and Friedman and Forrest, the i;, the thrill of hearing the songs, which for weeks have been
company manager. Company managers arrange transporta.. · pounded on a tinny piano, suddenly finding new beauty in
tion, give out passes when business is slack and carry the the orchestrations which the composers have devised. Tunes
woes of their employers on their shoulders. They are worried- so hackneyed by repetition that the very mention of their
looking men who must be fated to die in their early fifties. names brings forth groans, surprisingly become singable. The
"Everybody's attention!" called Marsh impressively. "Now company listens with cocked ears and approving smiles. Some-
we are going to run straight through the show tonight with- · how a full orchestra lends an encouraging note to the under-
out stopping, because we want to see how long it runs. So taking. From it the performers take new heart. Weariness is
forgotten-they only know that the very numbers which tried with sandwiches and coffee, gratis. The interval lasts half an
their patience sound enchanting and toe tickling. hour and then the matter of rehe~rsal is resumed.
The asbestos curtain was quickly lowered and then raised. Complications arose. Comedians were rushed into the breach
The .curtain of blue silk which masked the opening set was and instructed to deliver ad lib comedy if the stage crew
lowered into place. The chorus assembled in their given places. should fail to set the next scene in time. Behind the curtains
The rehearsal commenced at ten-thirty. At midnight they were tears and anguish because costume changes were impos-
were still wrangling over the exit made by the girls after the sible in the prescribed space of time. The dresses for the acro-
opening chorus. When the dispute was amicably disposed of batic dance number were long trailing affairs which made any
Julian Marsh received a sudden inspiration to try a new light- terpsichorean feats perilous. Green and Friedman stormed and
ing scheme. So they posed for another hour amidst a tuniuh raved. Julian Marsh shouted invectives. There were individual
of such cryptic orders as: and collective tantrums. Temperamental principals sought
"Kill your reds and dim down your blues!" fountain pens with which to write out their two weeks' notice,
"All right, floods! And watch the bunches!" then and there. For the thirtieth time the wardrobe mistress
"Now bring your reds up slowly! Right! That's better!" threatened to leave.
"All set then! Full up! Opening chorus again, everybody!" The majority of the company bore these incidents with stoic
The first act crawled on at a snail's pace. At two o'clock in calm. After all, such frenzies come under the heading of nec-
the morning, after sundry delays, they reached the finale of essary evils. They were beyond fatigue, now, and number
the first act. A temporary recess was granted and the informa- after number was executed with machine-like precision. Occa-
tion given out that coffee and sandwiches were to be found sionally a leg faltered or a tired arm refused to swing at the
correct angle, but the fear of sharp reprimand exalted them far
in the lobby.
above the complaints of the flesh. At three-thirty the chorus
This is a time-honored custom of dress rehearsal night. At ·
performed the whirlwind maneuvers of the recently restored
about two-thirty in the morning a company whose gleaming
Manhattan Madness episode in flawless style. Even Andy Lee
finery belies the red-rimmed, sleep-heavy eyes, hurries into the was moved to compliment.
theatre lobby where coffee is poured from huge containers and Peggy Sawyer sank onto the bench which was used as a
sandwiches of ham and cheese handed to every member. Let prop in the rose garden scene, and began to cry softly. It
it go on record as the sole instance of generosity from a man- seemed as though a thousand demons were hammering at
agement. Some day some enterprising person is going to re· her temples and forcing her very eyes from their sockets.
mark that there is no reason why actors should be fed for Terry Neill, practicing an intricate wing nearby, saw her and
nothing and regular prices will be asked for this early morn- hastened to her side.
ing meal. But until then it is the unhappy lot of a manage- "It sure is tough, kid," he sympathized. "But they gotta let
ment to be forced to revive the drooping spirits of its players us go in three more hours."
"Three hours! Oh, Terry, I don't think I can stand it. "What spot you putting Polly's dance?" she demanded.
These shoes are altogether too small and now my feet are a "We've got to figure that out, Mother. Don't get yourself
mass of blisters." in an uproar. Everything's gonna be okay."
"Sure, I know-I know!" he soothed, "But all the kids are;,,. "Okay, hell. That Brock woman had one o' Polly's special-
like that-nearly dead. It can't last forever. You better change (* ties cut out an' now she's tryin' to queer the waltz with the
into your rose dress. They ain't stallin' as much as they was ;~ fan."
and the show 'll move quicker'n' you think." .(J "Now, Mother--"
She smiled gratefully. "You're a de9r to bother about me, · It "Don't 'now, Mother' me. I get the idea, all right. Well, so
Terry," she said. help me God, I'll fix that dame if it's the last thing I ever do."
"I'd like to be bothered about you the rest of my life," he Andy Lee shrugged and went his way. Rampaging mothers
assured her earnestly. were no novelty to him. Mrs Blair ran to the dressing room,
She was moved to feeble banter. "Terry,-love making in bristling with rage.
the midst of this uproar?" A stage hand informed Danny Moran that his wife was·
"Damn it, Peggy, you've gotta give a guy a break one o' waiting at the stage door. Danny snorted impatiently and left
these days. Why not pick on me?" the set to find what mission had rooted Daisy out of bed at
"The way I feel now there won't be anything left of me to such an hour.
say 'yes'. Oh, Terry, why didn't I choose some nice quiet pro- He found her leaning wearily against the brick wall of the
fession like ditch digging?" alley. At his approach she brightened and put out her hands
"I dunno. I'm glad you picked the chorus. Make it snappy to welcome him.
now. This scene is almost over." "H'llo, baby. My God, ain't you done yet?"
She threw him a kiss and ran down the stairs to the base- "No, we got a lot more. What's the big idea?"
ment. He sighed. These pangs of unrequited love could only "Big idea of what, hon?"
be vented in a buck dance. He resumed his hoofing. "Disturbin' me like this. I gotta get back to the rehearsal.
Turmoil in the dressing rooms-turmoil on stage where the ·· You don't seem to realize we gotta opening scheduled for
"lines" supporting curtains had fouled, and setting the scene tomorrow night."
was temporarily at a standstill. This meant another three "Sure, I know. Don't get your bowels in an uproar. If I'd
quarters of an hour wasted. The girls freshened their make-ups known you was gonna turn on me like this I'd a' stayed in
and went upstairs. Here they lurked among a confusion of bed. I s'pose this is the thanks I get for worryin' about you."
coiled ropes and discarded properties, awaiting their next "Aw, drop it, Daisy. I'm too damn tired to argue with you.
entrance. I'll be seein' you some time this mornin'."
Mrs Blair cornered Andy Lee just as he ducked out of sight "All right, hon," she said hopelessly and turned away.
behind the shadow of the proscenium arch. He was ashamed of himself but made no move to remedy
r 228 42ND STREE.1'
his blundering. Daisy made him feel a bit sheepish, of late,

hanging around him the way she did. He wished she'd get the. ·
idea of a little "class" under her hat.
42ND STREET
The body lay prone, giving a macabre note to the gay scene
of the rose garden. Green was frantic.
"If he dies here they gotta call the coroner. We won't be
At four o'clock came the tragedy. The rose scene was able to open tomorrow night. He's gotta be taken away. Oh,
over and Danny Moran was reading a scene of comic patter. my God, my God!"
with Lionel Crane, an old man past seventy, who played the "He was a Catholic! Why don't they call a priest for him?"
role of a deputy sheriff. Danny gave the old gentleman a re- shrieked a chorus girl. "You can't just leave him layin' there."
sounding whack on the back and started into the house which . "Sure, they gotta treat him decent," assented another.
was erected at the rear of the stage. Suddenly, with a choking There was a moment's diversion when Ann Lowell fainted.
cry Crane stumbled forward. A convulsive shudder twisted his Willing hands carried her to the dressing room while the as-
gaunt body-he pitched headlong to the floor and lay still. sistant stage manager went searching for restoratives. They
The spectators were petrified. Then various men, more , were found in astounding quantity in the dressing room of
alert to the dire neces.sity of action than others, shouted orders. one of the principals.
The stage manager rushed forward and knelt at Crane's side. No one knew what to do. On the stage was a dead man-
The chorus crowded in the wings. The musicians laid down ; a member of their cast who had departed with appalling
their instruments and peered over the footlights. Two or. swiftness. Someone said that a Catholic church was nearby
three girls began to cry hysterically until they were hissed · and the priest's home was next door to it. Si Friedman
into silence. offered to rout him out and left the theatre.
"What's wrong?" demanded Marsh, horrified. Minutes dragged by. The awful immobility of Crane's
"I think Mr Crane's dead," said the stage manager. body began to unnerve them. An agonizing quiet descended
Someone screamed. There were agitated whisperings from over the entire theatre. From time to time someone would
all corners. The managers were stunned. tip toe across the stage, eyes averted from the shrouded form
"We've got to call a doctor," said Andy Lee. "Props!" stretched there like an ugly blight on all that was living and
A grimy giant shoved his way to the front of the stage. "I beautiful. There were mumbled prayers. The sight of the
can call Doc Levering," he volunteered. "He's the house phy· dead man moved some of them to repentance. Others turned
sidan. It'll take him a half hour to get here." . away and went in quest of a "shot" to soothe their jangling
"You're sure he's gone?" Friedman demanded of the stage nerves.
manager. His features were rigid with fright. . Friedman returned with the priest. The Catholics in the
"Yes sir. Felt his pulse. There's not a flutter. I know a little company greeted the reverend father with cries of relief and
about these things. Been through the war. Musta been the old crossed themselves fervently. Father Reilly mounted to the
heart that gave way, is how I dope it out." stage and assured himself. that the man was dead. At this
"Yeah," seconded Andy Lee, "he was a pretty old guy." juncture the doctor came upon the scene and made his exami-
''
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230 42ND STREE1~} ' 42ND STREET 231
nation which was purely perfunctory as the little spark thJi{ learned a thousand times over that phrase, "The Show Must
might have flickered a short while was stilled forever. OJd..'f Go On." Marsh began to speculate as to Crane's successor.
Man Crane belonged to the forces of eternity. n The thought came mechanically, welling above the sorrow
The heat from the footlights made them perspire. Overh which had risen in his heart. A man has duties; an investment
the floodlights beat down. Marsh requested that the comp of one hundred thousand dollars cannot wait upon the
assemble on stage. They surged forward in the anachron· passing of one human being.
finery of the rose scene. Little girls wore wide-brimmed pi· The services were ended. Slowly, in a dazed fashion, they
ture hats and dresses whose stiff folds were covered with retired to the wings. Two stage hands covered the body and
flowered patterns. Chorus boys awkwardly clutched their · carried it through the door into the alleyway. An ambulance
ver-colored top hats and tried to step lightly so that the m had been summoned and the white-coated internes relieved the
cleats nailed to their dancing shoes would make as little. no' two men of their burden. The priest bade Mr Friedman
as possible. Show girls moved in yards of billowing chiff good night and quitted the place. The doctor assured Abe
and ballet girls in short starched skirts resembling rose pe Green that he could hush the matter successfully. None of the
Danny Moran appeared in the absurd plus fours that w city officials would know that Lionel Crane had died in the
sure to be greeted with unrestrained hilarity at any theatre. It was a risky procedure, but with such vast sums of
formance. All hovered over the prostrate figure of a man money involved one must be prepared to take chances. He
seventy who had answered his last cue. The priest lifted was promised an ample fee and left, after a few parting words
hands in prayer. They fell to their knees, some crying softf of instruction. The rehearsal continued.
others dry eyed but frightened. ' Now new problems encompassed them. A successor to the
Green and Friedman removed their hats. Julian Marsh co. part which Crane had so suddenly vacated must be found.
lapsed into one of the turned down seats. The voice of th. Regardless of the distrait feeling which troubled the entire
priest rose in power as he commended the soul of this pod. company, the second act must be readied before they left the
player to Almighty God the Father. An electrician dimm~ theatre.
the glare of lights until the harshness was banished and ~· It was an incident in a life filled to overflowing with the
softer glow pervaded the theatre. At one side stood the doctot'tijl~ bizarre. They went on, not through an indecent haste to
grave and ~or~ied. It ~a~ his task .to dog th~ swift moving'.~~: make up for lost time, but rather because the very rehearsing
wheels of JUSt1ce by g1vmg a certificate which swore that.~ provided an outlet for pent up nerves. Lines were fumbled,
Crane died in the ambulance. If it were known that the death·,~ • lyrics forgotten, dancing routines lost all semblance of unison.
IV
occurred on the stage an inquest would be demanded and th~:1. Julian Marsh got to his feet.
opening night would have to be postponed. In such a crisis/i~ "Ladies and gentlemen," he begged, "we have all pased
deception seemed the wisest course. The doctor knew h' through a terrible experience. No one grieves for that poor
show world. Its members were not calloused, but they ha man more than I do. But we must leave the dead to Provi-
+',
'I
;.';1/"~I
232 42ND STB.E1'~~t 42ND STREET 233
dence. They are beyond our jurisdiction forever. It is only hi} bling. There were many familiar faces, for Philadelphia is
carrying on this good work that we can hope to show ho'V(;;' only two hours distant from New York and theatrical people
deeply we feel our loss. Mr Crane was a gentleman and ~'1'.; make the journey when some particularly important premiere
trouper. He wanted this play to succeed. Heart and soul 1'11! is announced. It gives one a sense of importance to return to
was for the production. Don't fail him now. It is a fittitil~; Broadway and impart the knowledge that such and such a
tribute to a great man that we can bear up under calami ' piece is destined for success or failure, as the case may be.
and finish the work which he had hoped to see completed. Abe nodded to one or two agents who had placed people with
Thus appealed to they forgot all despair. Old Crane mig , .··., the show, talked with the star of his last season's production
be watching them even now, urging them to go ahead. Thqf;-~ 1 who was "resting" at the present moment, chatted with an
had lost a well loved friend and in death he must not her··.., influential millionaire of the city, and kept an anxious eye
betrayed. Their efforts should stand as a monument to l)im. ,.,::t. on the quantities of unfilled seats.
At eight o'clock a group of tired performers entered Childs'.\ i The box office reported a fairly good advance sale, but
restaurant for breakfast. They had been rehearsing con"',Jcl\ Philadelphia buys cautiously nowadays. For too many years
tinuously through the night save for the episode of Crane~lf,jti; ! it has submitted to the indignity of being known as a "dog
passing. Now they were dismissed until noontime for thr l' town." Producers doubtful of the merit of their plays rent a •
hours of sleep if aching limbs permitted; and then on house in Philadelphia and proceed to offer half-readied shows
again they would go to their dressing rooms, put on grea ' to the theatrical public of that town. A succession of mediocre
paint and hurry through the second act. Tonight was presentations has left Philadelphia distinctly hostile to new
opening. enterprises and only the magnet of a cast plentifully studded
with "names" can coax dollars away from the thrifty burghers
of that metropolis. Now the good town folk wait until the
morning following the premiere, when their favorite critic
will tell them whether the latest attempt is worth seeing or
whether it is but another flash in the pan. The wisest among
5 them delay until the closing day of the engagement, for by
that time everything is in readiness for the New York open-
ing. Hence a first night out of Manhattan attracts a hetero-
geneous collection of New Yorkers and local first nighters
who feel that their presence is a social requirement rather
.0 PEN ING NIGHT IN PHILADELPHIA! ABE GREEN
savagely on an unlighted cigar. He stood against the
CHEWED , than a mental relaxation.
There was a profusion of white shirt fronts and decollete
wall at the rear of the house and watched the audience assem- gowns this evening. These Philadelphia matrons were not
234 42ND STREET
235
above displaying an heirloom to the vulgar gaze of the motley•. , pening is foreordained your Broadway expert likes to be in at
1
The orchestra were filing to their places. That tension which. \ the death. Some of the most envied men on Forty-Second
hangs over such events seemed rampant. A speculative mood '.'\ Street are those who once attended a dramatic premiere in
laid hold upon the audience. Advance reports had seeped out;,Y which the star, a loved and respected lady whose many por~
despite all the care exercised by the management. Green and' I trayals have added glory to the history of the American
Friedman were doubtful about this opus. Dorothy Brock was >i theatr~ was i:itoxicated and stumbled through her role in
slipping-they might have to replace her before a New York?. s~ockmg fashion. !he New York newspaper critics main·
run was attempted. The music wasn't up to the composer's.',}!, tamed a decent reticence, although one gathered from their
standard-in a few days numbers from industrious Tin Pan>;~: veiled allusions that something had gone awry, but along the
Alley tunesmiths would be interpolated. Green listened to. 'l· Street the tale flew from mouth to mouth, gathering momen-
the hum of conversation with a sickly grin. An iron hand had )1 tum with each telling. So it was that Abe Green feared the
laid hold on his stomach and was rending the muscles with.; [ · ridicule of the first night gathering in the theatre.
out mercy. . , A bulb over the leader's stand Bashed. It was the signal for
A patter of applause greeted the entrance of Julius into the;·J the overture. The audience settled back with a murmur of
pit. He was an established hand at the game-his baton had ·1; contentment. The thumping minor chords which were so
controlled the scores of countless operettas. Since the days off char~cteristic of Conroy swelled to a fury of syncopation. Out
The Merry Widow the name of Julius was one to conjurei' of this tumult of notes was born a melody-an eerie wail that
with. There followed an agonizing pause while the orchestral shivered through the house. The brasses yelled brazenly-a
awaited the signal from the stage manager. Green vision . , muted. cornet shot out its defiant boast-while the strings whis-
all sorts of mishaps. The crew were still unfamiliar with theU::1 pered m mute apology for this strange torturesome thing that
work. The props were unwieldy and more men were needed-t• was called music. The wild crescendo of notes came to an
There had been mutterings from union officials. The stage'. abrupt stop and the orchestra segued into a more conven-
manager was on the verge of collapse. : tional strain.
Green recalled the frightful calamity of the preceding year1' "Swell dance number," murmured someone.
when an offstage gun, firing a salute on what represented theJr. Well trained ears recognized the cloying melody of the
deck of a battleship, caused the entire setting to collapse and · theme song. A hum of approbation stirred the air. This was
fall like the temple of the Philistines about the players' heads. fine, easy-going stuff. The dancers in the audience thought
That was another shot heard round the world. The story was what a splendid soft shoe dance that would make. The band
a byword along Broadway, for who does not experience a leaders realized how its tune could be adapted to that crooning
thrill of satisfaction when a theatrical magnate bites the dust? style so popular now. Abe Green, chewing at his cigar, knew
Years of yeoman service will not serve to blot out the memory that two potential song hits were developing. So much for
of Ziegfeld's Smiles or Carroll's Fioretta, and if such a hap- their fears about the score!
2_36 42ND 42ND STREET 237
The overture came to an end with a shout of trumpets. ~. bounds only by a stern effort of the will. Green knew that
far all was well. There was scattered applause, enough to · · •. · Andy wanted to chuck his hat in the air and yell for sheer
cate that those out front were genuinely impressed. Then dl joy. A good boy, Andy; he deserved the laurels. Andy was an
blue curtain especially designed by one of the higher-pri East Sider; so was Abe. There was something about the
studios parted semaphore-fashion, revealing the first sc stored up bitterness of those early years that made them great.
The effect was pleasing and received another ripple of Abe felt a wave of brotherly affection sweep over him. He
plause. On the stage was massed the chorus in the expensi began to beat his palms at the same time grinning genially in
silks which parodied the conventional calicoes that are w Andy's direction. But Andy was oblivious to everything save
by village maidens in all respectable musical plays.. The git ', the riotous demonstration that filled the air. Wait till they
advanced to the footlights and chanted the strains of . , heard about that in New York.
opening chorus. Then they were off in a tumult of kicking{~ Quiet was restored. The play went on and now came those
The first nighters clapped rapturously. Abe Green stole ~} dull stretches of dialogue which every manager dreads. Abe
glance at Andy Lee standing a few paces off. Lee's hands weqt\\. Green cursed himself for a fool. Why hadn't he noticed how
clenching and unclenching spasmodically. His body. was ta~y dreary and meaningless those lines were? They would be
wjth suspense. Only his eyes lived. They roamed s~iftly froJ¥f.· busy with the blue pencil tonight. Different players entered
one end of the line of dancers to the other searchmg out t:bf, to varying receptions. Dorothy Brock was halted a full half
errors in rhythm and movement. Green saw his jaw de. minute, the loudest noise coming from a young woman in
and knew that some luckless chorister was due for a bawh the front row who heartily detested her. That same young
out. woman would fill the ears of eager listeners with stories· of
The music shrilled, the dancers abandoned themselves how many layers of make-up had failed to hide the wrinkles
the spirit of the number and between ~tage. an? audi~ori under Brock's chin.
ran that electric current of approval which signifies tnum
Abe began to lose the thread of plot which bound the spec-
Breathless, laughing hysterically, the dancers tumbled in
tacular incidents together. He heard a snatch of dialogue
the wings. A storm of applause broke. Word flew backsta,
between a lustrous show girl and Danny Moran as the
The opening chorus had stopped the show! The opemn
country boy eager for his first encounter with the Broadway
chorus had stopped the show! Some girls wept from sh. ·..
excitement. Others, half fainting from the strenuous ordeal; wise ladies. The show girl rejected Danny's proposal with a
leaned against the wall. The players strove to make thc:W haughty, "You know I couldn't stand a little moron," and
dialogue heard above the noise, but their efforts were unava1l. Danny's retort, "You could stand a lot more on." The audience
ing. The audience was not to be denied. ( laughed. That must be a good one. They'd keep that line in.
Abe Green caught Andy Lee's eye. There was fev~ri~lt; But thank God the numbers were good, because the book
excitement mirrored there; an exultation that was kept w1th1B,~1 was terrible. Words, words, words! Dorothy Brock and John
1;r~
<~
1
Phillips were singing. An amber spotlight blended into their paused to scream a hearty "good luck" at Dorothy Brock's
sentimental mood. ' door. The two girls despised one another and yet that ex-
change of good will was sincere. Life holds no more philan-
I found my rai-ai-nbow the day that I found you. ·«J 1i
\i
thropic instant than the zero hour of an opening night. In a
·;:,,1
'l, 1'~~
dim corner two chorus boys were hoofing to relieve the strain.
They loved that. No question but that the honors went toj\ Others scraped their patent leather shoes in the resin box.
Conroy and Andy Lee. Encore after encore was demandecL. {1: Two or three girls were crowded around a peek hole in the
. bl e-f ootedl,'.1 1
Green marvelled at Dorothy Brock. He saw a mm · .·ii'." curtain, spying out well known personages. The stage manager
girl of eighteen smiling into the face of a man she detested, ,' was shouting:
coquetting archly with him the while she muttered curs~ · "In your places, girls. They're finishing the overture. Now,
under her breath. She was just shy enough. As the lady m : then! On your toes, everyone, and give the best show you ever
the front row remarked, "That jaded old trollop certainly . gave in your life. Come on! Lots of laughs! Talk it up!
can look dewy when she puts her mind to it." The role of j Look alive! Don't let 'em see you're nearly dead! All right!
shrinking violet suited Dorothy. Her light voice caught the:,}' Here we go!"
proper note of romance and held it. She had "gotten over." ·. ·~~ I The overture had ended. The burst of applause sounded
,.,, l
faintly through the curtains. One girl clapped her hands glee-
That opening night would live in Peggy's memory. The;.:;; ' fully.
arrival at the theatre after passing the throngs who crowde~:\ . "They like us!" she rejoiced.
the lobby at that early hour. The sound of movement out:;l1 The stage manager signalled the fly man. Slowly the great
there beyond the asbestos curtain. Making up with hand~ ' curtain parted and the show was on.
which trembled so it required painful concentration to app1'1i~ No, Peggy would never forget the breathless wonder of
the mascara correctly. A room full of girls speculating on thcf, that night. It seemed that a part of her was numbed and
evening's outcome-success or failure. Renewed groans when:11-: unresponsive and the person who danced the energetic paces
feet were s~ueezed into ~adly made _shoes. A wardrobe mi~.!•.''. of Andy Lee's routines was some stranger. She had become a
tress cluckmg at them hke a warned hen. And then the'~ ·. robot, incapable of thought or feeling. And always Terry was
swelling notes of the overture. They scrambled upstairs shout-;;; . at her side goading her on. If she tripped he whispered encour-
ing out wishes for good luck to everyone. The thrice familiat'.:i'': agement.
tunes grew strange. This was a dream, and waking woul~} .' "Smile, baby! They're looking at you! They say you're
1
bring Jerry Cole drumming at his piano once more. }1 ' swell-lookin', sweetheart!"
The border lights beat down. The baby spots made pool~1 She wanted to throw her arms around him then and there,
of color upon the ground cloth. Behind the set the principal~1y;: but she mustn't think of that or she'd forget the steps. Flying
were busy buoying one another's spirits. A minor ingenu~~ figures knocked her left and right. She was borne downstairs
.'~)
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240 42ND STREET 24J:
on the crest of an irresistible wave. Someone snatched the eosw · nights. Here the pseudo critics gather and jmpart wisdom
tume from her shoulders and substituted another. They werec through the smoke that curls from their cigarettes. In a
all talking and laughing at once, paying no heed to the shrill bluish haze they consign productions to the counters of Mr
admonitions of the wardrobe lady. From time to time there Tyson or Mr Leblang. Abe Green wanted to linger and
came reports. eavesdrop a bit, but his heart . misgave him and he hurried
"Brock and Phillips stopped the show." backstage. Time enough to find out -what was wrong when
"The Ryan Brothers weren't so hot." he read the notices the following morning. He squeezed
"The boys' number flopped. It'll be out after tonight." through the tiny door connecting the auditorium with the
"Brock got a reception on her second entrance." stage and ran into the customary bedlam attendant upon
"The old girl's still going strong." intermission. He scampered out of this hectic atmosphere to
"Moran isn't as hot as they thought he'd be." the dressing room where Dorothy Brock sat screaming at her
"Harvey Mason stinks. They won't laugh at him out there.'' maid. He hesitated before knocking because the stream of
"Didja get a load of Phillips' wife in the box, with all the oaths seemed unusually ferocious; but, after all, he was the
Woolworth jewelry hung on her?" boss. He rapped on the panel.
"Sure. Everything but her gallstones!" "Who the hell is that?" snapped Dorothy.
"Girls! Girls! Number's on~ For God's ''It's me-Abe. Can 1 come in?"
snappy!" "Jesus, Abe, not now. I'm not decent. Can't you let me
"Harry MacElroy-we'll never get this change. It's too< alone till afterwards?"
hard!" "Sure, kid. You're cloin' great! They love you out front."
"Where's my hat? Where in hell's my hat? 1 bet that Oliver "Thanks, Abe. 1 need encouragement with the bunch of
girl's got it on!" yokels you picked to support me."
Then stampeding up the staircase just in time for their "Everything's going well. Dialogue's slow-but we'll fix
second entrance. There were collisions and flare ups. Leading that up.''
players restorted to tears. Stage hands rushed about coming
"Thals your cheap comic, Moran. I've always told you
within an ace of crushing out the life of anyone unlucky
that these burlesquers were no good."
enough to cross their paths. The stage manager was frantic.
"Oh, Danny's okay. He done fine in the drunk bit. Don't
Light cues were being muffed. The spotlight was entirely
off. The orchestra leader's temPoS were terrible. He, too, worry. Danny's in!"
threatened to succumb to the overwhelming tide of misfor.. "You sure wished some trick outfit on me, Abe. This mas-
tune. · querade mess-what is it? I'll bite!"
Eventually the curtain fell. There was a concerted rush "Now, Dorothy, it's very smart. All the clothes is very
toward the exits. Lobby talk is always a feature of opening sm~."
242 42ND STREET. 42ND STREET 243
"Smart-hell! I won't go on in it after tonight!" There were several in the S box and presently her search was
"Why do you raise a row, Dorothy, when you're set so rewarded. She tore it open and read:
pretty?" "Hope you will be the most famous belle in town. The
"I can't afford to look cheap, Abe. After all, I am the starl" · 1 other one is cracked, anyhow. Love, Pat."
From some quarter there came an abysmal laugh and a . She laughed appreciatively and tucked it into her bosom.
shrill comment, "I hope the ceiling stays up after that crack." . Pat was a dear to remember. The orchestra was blasting forth,
"Second act! Second act!" called Harry MacElroy, speeding the entr'acte had ended. She hurried to her place in the line.
through the corridors. Once more the chorus was assembled. In the melee Terry
"Do run along and leave me in peace," Dorothy begged. squeezed closer to Peggy.
"I'm all nerves tonight." "You standin' it all right, kid?" he whispered.
"Well-jus' keep up the good work. That's all I gotta say," "Fine! Oh, Terry, I love this! It's worth all the rest!"
Abe beamed. "Yeah! Sure! It's swell! Didn't they tear loose for our first
People ran about aimlessly. He saw Polly Blair, whose num- number? I bet ole Lee's higher 'n a kite about that!"
ber had at the last moment been shoved into the final scene "To think the first chorus that I danced in stopped the
of the show, huddled on a stool in the entrance, with her show," Peggy exulted. She forgot burning soles and twisted
mother fluttering ineffectually nearby. Polly had been there, ligaments. It is for ·moments like these that every performer
fully made up, since seven-thirty, the first one on stage that lives. The grind is heart-rending but the reward dwarfs all
evening. Abe gave her a friendly chuck under the chin and pain into insignificance.
A thousand plans, a million hopes all pointed toward to-
passed on.
night. The dreams of many, the despair of a few, finding
"Dizzy kid," he chuckled, hastening back to his vantage
answer at the curtain's fall. Peggy listened to the hubbub of
point.
whispering. They were harking to the reception of every
number now. It meant so much if people liked them. It
Now it was the second act. The audience settled back more meant a season free from the haunting spectre of poverty. It
comfortably. The verdict was still in abeyance. The time had meant pocket money with which to pursue favorite studies.
passed when dancing and song "hits" could "make" a show. The new chorus girl devotes a great part of her day to danc-
The crying need was for comedy and the laughs were not ing and vocal lessons. When not employed in that fashion she
there. Danny Moran and Harvey Mason labored heroically garners a few extra dollars modelling clothes for dressmaking
but their material was threadbare. The first nighters shook shops. Then there is "extra" work at the motion picture
their heads. studios, posing for artists, and advertisements. But all these
Peggy, on her way to the stage, stopped at the letter box hang on the possibility of a New York engagement. It is
near the stage door in the hope of finding a belated telegram. vitally important that the show succeed.
244 42ND STREE'j'>::i 42ND STREET
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Sometimes they wondered how an audience could be so '.,, taxis halting before the hotel, street cars rumbling by, con-
heartless. Lines which had caused tears of merriment were' .; versations drifting upward.
coolly received. Once, when a nervous principal collided so ,
forcibly with a door that the entire setting shook, Danny She's got eyes of blue-I never cared for eyes of blue
Moran cried, on the spur of the moment, "They don't build, »; ' But she's got eyes of blue-so that's my weakness now.
these houses the way they used to," and the biggest laugh of ,j '
the evening was registered. So many personalities going to ', :! Harry raised a hand and surveyed it critically. That shaking
make up the machine. Billy Lawler striding disdainfully by, was pretty bad. He'd have to lay off the booze. Still, the dirty
disliked by principals and chorus alike. Dorothy Brocks bellow.:. work was done-they'd opened and it looked like a hit.
ing profanity at the defenseless stage manager. The adagio He began to hum. The telephone rang. He reached out
and grasped the receiver, pulling the phone over to him.
dancers warming up for their specialty. And the inevitable
"H'lo! Oh, H'lo kid! Sure-the party's on. Terry's out
buck dancers at their work. Without laughter and applause
gettin' the liquor now. Come on up! Yeah, bring her along;
for fuel, the machine would stop and these cogs would be no, no-it's okay-we'll have a lotta laughs. Okay, baby. In
separated and lost. What it takes a hundred brains threcr ten minutes. Yeah-that's right-807. S'long!"
months to conceive, one audience can tear down in a night. The clans were gathering. Directly after the premiere post-
Therein is the romance of show business, the eternal wish tQ. mortems are held by the members of the company, many of
tilt at windmills. No wonder Abe Green stood in the rear of which begin as critiques on the evening's performance and
the orchestra, tearing at his fingernails. end as drinking bouts.
Harry heard someone fumbling at the door.
"Hey, bozo, open up, will ya?" called Terry, kicking lustily
at the panels.
"Aw, for God's sake," groaned Harry. He struggled upright
and went over to admit his roommate.
6 "What's the matter? Forget your key?" he demanded.
"How the hell can I reach it with my arms full o' bottles,"
snorted Terry. "Use your head!" He sidled over to the table
and deposited his burden.
. J "Well, how much did they soak ya?" Har!)' asked.
ARRY TOWNE LAY SPRAWLED ON TIIE BED, DRAGGING AT A';~ "Plenty!" Terry assured him. "These wop bootleggers ain't
H cigarette. A phonograph placed on the window seat '.~i what they used to be. They got wise to the racket by now."
was droning a jazz melody. From below came street noises-';~· He sank into a convenient chair.
I
"I hope ya got good stuff,'' Harry ventured. "Jerry Cole's · "I got the works," Terry replied. "Boy, I'm all set to get
gonna drop by." · stinkin'."
"Lissen," said Terry. "Cole'll drink this an' like it. Who "Me, too. What an openin' that was!"
the hell does he think he is? Nothin' but a lousy piano player! "Marsh is a bohunk. What the hell does he know about
Where's the glasses?" show business? An' they oughtta give Brock a kick in the
"We can phone down for 'em when the gang gets here," pants!"
Harry suggested. "She sure is ritzy," Harry agreed. "An' that voice! They
"Boy, you sure work yourself to death,'' grunted Terry sar· musta run it through a meat chopper. Still-the audience
castically. "At the rate you're goin' you can't last more'n eighty likes it."
or ninety years." "Who couldn't be popular when she gets the stuff handed
"Yeah?" Harry returned. "Who got the liquor th' last to her on a silver platter? Boy, that society guy sure fell hard
time?" and she socked him for plenty dough. I'll be damned if any
"When it was right next door, wise guy,'' said Terry; woman'll get me like that!"
"Who's comin' up?" "Says you," chuckled Harry derisively. "How about this
"I dunno," Harry shrugged. "This joint's a madhouse. Sawyer dame?"
Anybody's liable to drop in." "Now, lissen; cut out the kiddin' when she gets here,"
"Oh yeah?" grumbled Terry. "An' we stand drinks for a Terry admonished. "That kid's regular and I don't want none
gang o' muzzlers that're too cheap to buy their own? Jeez, o' your wise talk."
you're sure a fall guy." "K. 0., kid. I'm off the spindles myself for a while."
"Aw, what the hell?" Harry expostulated. "We'll be on '· "Famous words of famous men,'' jeered Terry. "Why, a
plenty o' parties this week. What are ya crabbin' about? blonde looks at you an' you go so cold you could hire out for
How much do I owe you?" a Frigidaire."
Terry lit a cigarette. "Four bucks," he said casually. "At least I don't go off my nut over a broad who says 'It's
"Four bucks?" I.' When they start handin' me that I jus' leave 'em to the
"You heard me. I told ya the stuff ain't so cheap as it intellectual guys."
uster be." "Why don't ya quit ridin' her?" Terry demanded. "She's
"Give it to ya tomorrow. I loaned Matty Rogers ten an' it gotta talk like that. Besides, I like 'em wit' class an' educa-
cleaned me out." tion."
"If I don't sha~e till I get it I'll have a beard down to my "Class an' education!" sneered Harry. "Baby-if they know
knees,'' Terry gibed. their stuff they can talk polack, s'far as I'm concerned."
"Got ginger ale an' white rock?" "You 're that way," sa1'd T erry. "O ut f or a11 you can get."
248 42ND STR1i.U",. 42ND STREET 249
"What the hell would I be after? Their immortals souls ot · cheap ones," Terry replied. He gathered up the quantity of
somethin'?" bottles and carried them into the bathroom.
"I want the love of a good woman," proclaimed Terry. "It's gorgeous!" Winslow agreed fervently. "The way I
"Don't gimme that. Think o' my incision," Harry guffawed. could drape my body around this place is nobody's business!"
Terry moved restlessly. "I thought there was a party on;" Harry picked up the telephone. "Hello, operator,'' he called.
"Sophie Gluck phoned before you come in," said Harry. , "Will you send up a boy?"
"She's draggin' that wisecrackin' Morton dame with her." "Lovely," screamed Winslow. "I'm glad I came. Please tell
"Why don't you lay off Gluck? She always pals around them to make it a blonde."
with Morton and as long as you're off the spindles why not ,· "I hope they cut out that Manhattan Madness number,''
give Soph the gate?" Terry suggested. Peggy sighed. "My knees are so stiff I can hardly walk."
"Well, they say she's passin' it 'round so I might as well ': Winslow shuddered. "My dear, another week of this and
step up an' treat myself. I ain't no cripple," Harry philoso- ·1 I'll go back to the Shuberts even if they put me on the
phized. : Living Curtain," he vowed.
This profound conversation was interrupted by a second "The numbers are tough all right,'' Terry admitted. "They
knock. Terry sprang to his feet. "Bet that's Peggy," he mur- gotta be! Look at the show."
mured and hurried to admit the newcomers. "Show? When that Brock belle let out a couple o' notes I
Two figures stood on the threshold-Peggy, wan and tired thought I was back in the stockyards. She gave a swell imi-
looking, and the pale slim Jack Winslow who drifted inside tation of a stuck pig. And that fannyl It looks like a blue
with a languid "Hello." print of the Rock o' Gibraltar."
"Hi, Jack!" Harry grunted. "Glad ya dropped in." "How that back of hers detours below the waistline," snick-
Terry was none too pleased to see Winslow. "Nuts!" he ered Harry. "Boy, it sure has been the butt of many jokes.
growled.
One time the Brock floozy was playin' a vaudeville tour with
"I met Jack downstairs-" Peggy began.
a pal o' mine, Johnny King. Johnny's a wise egg and lottsa
"So I says, 'Lissen, kid, they're throwing a brawl up to
guys hate his guts, but whether he knows where the body's
the joint so let's drag the hips up there,'" Jack Winslow
finished. buried or not he keeps on gettin' the breaks so I say give him
"And here I am!" said Peggy. credit. Anyhow, he an' Brock were co-featured on this certain
"An' welcome as the flowers in spring!" Terry flattered her. bill, an' a pal o' Johnny's, comic name o' Jack Lenny, came
"Put it there,'' he added, indicating an easy chair by the over from Oakland to catch the show. It happened to be the
window. openin' performance an' Brock missed it for some reason or
"This is a nice room,'' said Peggy. other. Lenny comes back afterwards and asks Johnny why
"Sure! I always like to be in swell joints. I can't stand tho Dot wasn't on the bill, see, an' Johnny wisecracks, 'Well, I'll
,;lr:'
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250 42ND STllEEoi,

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tell ya, she ships her fanny by freight an' got in this morning:}1 1 "but Mae ran into that trick sax player an' o' course she's
ahead of it an' couldn't open.' How's that?" ;'s; fallen like a ton o' bricks. Boy, what a collegiate orchestra
1
"Don't worry," Winslow maintained. "That one's coming :1~ ~ can do to a chorus troupe is nobody's business!"
across with plenty to hold this job down!" · "He's a sweet boy,'' said Mae Morton staunchly. "I don't
"Can that, will ya?" '.ferry pleaded. "Peggy don't like that:· , care what you say about him, he knows his stuff."
kinda talk." '·;, "Yeah," Sophie deprecated. "But no money. An' you can't
"Dearie, the woman that don't like dirt, don't live!" stated ii' blow your way through life."
Winslow. "I've kept my lips sealed long enough. I'm just a .:;'., "Who says so?" Jack Winslow wanted to know.
girl that has to dish!" .:~! Sophie glanced about her. "Do they give you a rate here,
"Yeah?" Terry menaced him. "Well, ya won't do it here!" f~:· Harry?" she asked.
"Gorgeous! Do you think he'll beat me up, Harry?" Wins·.1·~1 "Sure, eighteen a week, double," Towne replied. "Not bad."
low cried. [\1 "Anything extra for cockroaches?" Mae Morton inquired.
"Don't be silly, Terry!" Peggy insisted. "I'm over eighteen."·\ , "Lissen, wisecracker, this is a swell dump,'' Harry snapped.
"I don't think a nice girl should have to lissen to that kind Jf "Yeah, but I'll bet you still get your stationery in the Ritz
o' talk,' Terry sulked. "It's stuff like that gives show businessjt lobby,'' shot back Mae.
a bad name." W Sophie went over to Peggy and sat on the arm of her
"Aimee McPherson, get back to your kitchen!" railed'J! chair. "Been holdin' off these gorillas, kid?" she asked.
Winslow. :A "They're a couple of yesmen that want yeswomen."
"Aw, shut up! Where's that bell boy?" ):~ "Sophie only said 'no' once an' then she didn't understand
"If I don't like him can he be exchanged?" inquired.!,!, what the man asked her," interrupted Jack Winslow.
Winslow. "I brought my discount card." / 1 "'No' is the first word in my vocabulary," Peggy assured
"Any more of your nance comedy and you go out the door,"\~ them sweetly.
Terry threatened him. .'~ "Aw-Sophi" begged Terry. "Peggy might not realize you
"Well-I'm just a great big gorgeous camp and I don't care>;' was kiddin'!"
who knows it,'' shrilled Winslow. 3
Shouts and alarums sounded from outside the door. Winslo.-1;l' The bell boy returned with an assortment of glasses. They
sat bolt upright. ,4' were capacious if hardly ornamental. Terry kept an anxious
"That's Gluck and Morton," he said. "I knew those belles::) eye on Peggy. These were his friends and he wanted to know
would be along the minute they smelled liquor.'' how she would react to them. After tonight she had but to
Terry opened the door. Two young ladies with predatory,:, say the word and he would quit all this forever. He hated the
eyes and coarse manners burst in with a frenzy of greeting. 7;t thought. Peggy was swell, but there would be many lonesome
"We'd of been here hours ago," Sophie Gluck declared/<r nights when he'd want to sneak out for a talk with the gang.
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2~ 42ND 42ND STREET 253
But if Peggy were shocked she kept that fact to herself like a:,{. give him credit for an honest affection. Even Peggy regarded
true lady. . } his advances with scepticism.
They fell to dissecting the show, arguing the merits and 'i' Peggy began to speak very slowly. "You know you're a nice
defects of the cast. Admittedly the chorus numbers had,~~' boy, Terry," she reflected. "I wonder why you're satisfied
scored. Resounding applause had greeted their every effort.!~· with all this; drinking-gossiping-gambling; that's how
But comedy, the bugaboo of every producer, was wanting. ,;;:, you fill your spare time, isn't it?"
Harry retired to the bathroom to mix the drinks. "Hey, you,;~· "I ain't much different from all these wealthy folks that
dames," he called. "Wanna help me fi x up a, coupla shots.?" d~~: you read about," Terry protested.
Jack Winslow pounded Sophie. "Come on, Kate! He wants]· "But don't you want to get anywhere? Haven't you any
barmaids." '< ideals?"
When they had gone and Mae had retired to a distanq,·; "Ideals? What's the good of 'em? Two years in show
corner where she scanned the pages of a motion picture ~\ business knocked that bunk outta me," scoffed Terry.
magazine, Terry went over to the perch which Sophie had f She shook her head. "I think Marsh still has them," she
vacated. · ,', said. "Fifteen years haven't destroyed his."
"Won't they need your services as expert barman?" asked~·
'(
"Marsh!" sneered Terry. "Keepin' a young punk like Billy
Peggy. ,
Lawler! I hope you don't think a guy's worth while because
"Not me. I always leave that to Harry. That's the only '.·
he's queer an' don't chase women!"
reason I room with him, really-he's so handy at fixing things J
up. Of course he ain't refined, exactly, but, what the h:ll, ee'd i Peggy winced. "But don't you see," she endeavored to clarify
her viewpoint, "Marsh has found something beyond the matter
feel pretty bad if I was to take a run-out powder ~n him! . )<
"I can understand that," commented Peggy with a shade; of fact world he lives in. He isn't satisfied to grumble through
of irony. ·;. his job and then spend his nights getting tight. There must
"You know, Peggy, until I met you I never saw a girl that\ be thousands like him in show business. The successes of the
I thought could really understand me. I played 'round lots-i1 world weren't mad~ by loafers!"
you sorta have to, you know-the women figure if you can , "So you think I'm no good?" complained Terry. "You
dance an' ain't bad lookin' they gotta haye you around. But 1 think I'm just a lousy hoofer that can't do nothin' but dance
I'll say one thing for myself, no matter how much they chased~f an' drink likker."
me, I never let myself get spoilt!" ) "You've wasted so many years of your life, Terry."
"Still the same modest home town boy," Peggy gibed. :;, "Well, what· else is there to do? I'm a good hoofer but I
"Don't kid me, Peggy. Gee, I'm nuts about yo~!" Hel don't get the breaks. Why, I got the swellest Fred Stone imi-
wanted to put his arms about her but felt that a different1~ tation you ever seen, but they don't appreciate that over the
technique was required. He loved her, but no one would,'.~ Gus Sun time, so I gotta take my fifty bucks a week in die
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254 42ND STREE'l' 42ND STREET 255

chorus and hope that someday I'll get a break like the rest o' "Miss Sawyer is the cool collected type," drawled Mae, from
these guys." · over the top of her "fan" magazine.
"I'm not trying to reform you," Peggy reassured him. "I "I heard that any girl who was cool collected plenty," said
hate the Reverend Davidsons of this world just as much as Peggy, turning a serene stare on the lady.
you do; but I will say this, show business gets a bad name •·. ·. "Wisecrack! I'll spot you that one!" answered Mae cheer-
from the no-accounts who clutter up the ranks of the chorul.j(' fully.
What's the use in sticking with them? How about the others. /?: "I get it," said Sophie. "The chorus maiden. Made in New
who use the chorus as a stepping stone? You'll see the names · / York and all points west."
of lots of them in lights, Terry. They didn't forget their !t~' J~c~ Winslow f?,ll~wed. dose on Sophie's heels, bearing
dreams and they hadn't lost the knack of plugging. The J.· add1t1onal glasses. Gm high balls, or why girls go wrong,"
wasters in any profession ant the ones who make the most i;'''•:!" he gurgled. "My dear, that gin would make Mrs Fiske do
noise. Look at Harry Towne; he'll be satisfied to go on this :'1; rolling splits."
way until he's too old for the chorus, and then what future · '/ Harry accepted a glass. "I got a toast,'' he announced, "To
has he? Why don't you stop?" woman's greatest possession and man's greatest obsession-
Terry scowled gloomily. Here he was all set for a little may it remain the same!" ·
petting party and all he got was a lecture. Asa wife Peggy They drank the concoction. "Ouchi" Mae yelped, shaken
might prove a terrible nagger. The bright future faded. He with a spasm of coughing. "Any of you boys see a loose
tonsil around here?"
didn't want a woman who was constantly prompting him to
"One more drink and we'll give our right names,'' called
better his lot. Peggy was a sweet well meaning kid, but he
Jack. "Mine's G,ertrudel"
couldn't be bothered with the banana oil she tried to stuff
There was further pounding on the door. "Who's there?"
down his throat. Look at Andy Lee. He married .a dame who
shouted Harry above the din.
wanted to be his little helpmate and now they were like cat
"The Ryan brothers,'' came the answer.
and dog. The cynics must be right. This marriage game was "My God, hoofersl" shrieked Mae. "Into your time step,
applesauce. Harry's method was best, after all. And yet, if ,i everyone!"
you could get to Broadway it would be worth all the. "Come in!" Harry invited. Two dapper youths made their
sacrifice. appearance. They bestowed a genial grin on the gathering.
"Aw, hell, I need a drink!" he decided. "Ta-da-chord in 'G'I''.. sang Sophie-brandishing her glass.
Sophie appeared juggling thre.sses filled to the brim.· "Tho~ two, boys are • best speakeasy sniffers in town,''
with amber-colored liquid. "My G~l" she gasped. "Haven't opined Mae.
you two warmed up by now? I thought I'd find you in "Well-we was invited-wasn't we, Freddy?" one· Ryan
huddle that Red Grange couldn't break through!" exclaimed.
4lND STREET 42ND STREET 257
"Sure we was," the other substantiated him. those outfits I thought I was back in Floradora." He swallowed
"You'll find plenty o' stuff in the bathroom," Harry di- the remainder of his drink and continued, "An' furthermore,
rected. when you get through with those straw hats you might just
"Thanks, kid," they acknowledged simultaneously and made as well give 'em back to the horse!"
a prompt exit. "Lissen, you," Tony advised. "First thing you know some-
"What'd Marsh want to see you about?" Harry body's gonna hand you a pot o' lilies an' you won't be able
yelled after them. to smell 'em!"
Fortified with drinks the Ryan brothers stood in their. "The next time you do a split I hope you tear your New
midst again. "Dorothy Brock kicked, so the tap black bot- Year's resolution," hissed Winslow.
tom goes out," Fred Ryan sighed. "Aw, don't quarrel with him, Tony; he can't fight back,"
"Sure-the biggest hand in the show," seconded Tony· said Harry.
Ryan. "Who says I can't fight back?" shrilled Winslow. "111 lay
"The dance that Variety said should land us in production," him to rest in forty shades of lavender."
Fred added. The wrangling continued. Other guests arrived and were
"I hate these damn coffee an' cake managements," snarled invited to partake. The room writhed with fantastic patterns
Tony. "D'ye know what's the matter with this show?" of cigarette smoke. Eyes grew fixed and glassy; words dropped
"Sure," asserted Sophie. "The Ryan Brothers aren't starred." incoherently.
"Did ya get a load of the hand we got on them wings?" A horrible feeling of nausea overcame Peggy. It was more
Fred demanded. than the vile air and the burning liquor; it was some inner
"That was the Mayor entering his hex, you poor sap," jeeretl{.: rebellion at the character of this gathering.
·~
Terry. . l "Like hogs swilling up all they can hold," she thought.
"Aw-you guys don't know good taps when you hear 'em!" J Terry was fairly sober in deference to her wishes, but she
"I s'pose if you boys ever get to heaven you'll ask to be · knew that once her presence was removed he would make up
billed, 'God and the Ryan Brothers'," conjectured Sophie. ¥' for past abstinence. The majority of them had been existing
"Nope," Mae corrected. "It'll be the Ryan Brothers and~ in this fashion for four or five years. During periods of idle-
God." :, ness they practiced stringent economy, but once the promise
"You think our stuff's easy," Tony argued. "Well-ask any't of a long engagement seemed certain they fell into old habits.
guy in front of the Palace about the Ryan brothers. Just ask•· This would be her life with Terry; he was not strong enough
'em." . to resist its appeal. He might not surrender so completely as
"What I want to k'now is, where'd you get those trick Harry Towne, but the atmosphere ·of tonight's party was
tuxedos?" inquired Jack Winslow. "When I got a load necessary to Terry's happiness. She got up, hoping that her
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258 4:2ND STREET 4:.ZND STREET :259
departure might pass unnoticed, but Terry saw her and vol- they're all alike. After a show we gotta have our liquor an'
unteered to escort her to her room. She called a half-hearted all the pro'bition in the world won't change that. It's snobs
good night which went by unheard in the confusion, and like you that make trouble for people in show business. They
then gained the cool of the corridor. see us take a ·coupla drinks an' then spread the word that
"I s'pose you're disgusted," said Terry sullenly. we're no good. Well-we're jus' as good as any o' your damn
"I ::tm," she admitted. "But please don't tell the others;. New Englanders. An' the bigger the artist the bigger the
They'd daim I was high-hat." drunkard."
"You'd like the crowd if you'd only be yourself," he pro They stopped before the door of Peggy's room. Terry
tested. turned on his heel and started back toward his own room.
"I left because I was afraid I would be myself, and "Good night, Terry," Peggy said, contritely.
a scene." He was instantly penitent. "You're a good kid," he mum-
"You know you'll never be popular in show business unless · bled, "I guess we weren't meant to mix, but I'm nuts about
you act regular, Peggy." you jus' the same. I'm sorry for what I said comin' down the
"You'd better go back there, Terry. A party is rather stupid corridor. You know a guy takes a shot--"
without its host. I shan't want your company. I'm going to "It's all right, Terry. I wish you'd promise me you won't
bed." · drink any more tonight."
He caught her arm. "Won't you give me €!- break?" he "I'll try. But you gotta keep up with the gang," he said.
pleaded. "You'll feel terrible tomorrow," she reminded him.
"After tonight? Terry, I couldn't marry you, now, even if I ·. "Who the hell cares about tomorrow?" he demanded irri-
tably.
loved you. I have too much self respect. Now let me go,.
"You ought to," said Peggy. "This isn't going to be the end
please."
for you here. I want to see your name in lights, Terry."
The liquor emboldened him. "Now lissen," he said. "I ain't
"An' watch me turn into a louse like Brock?" he taunted.
ever been fresh with you. I treated you like the lady you Wa.S;'
"You can keep your head," Peggy answered shortly. "Good
but you might as well get wise to this; they don't want. night!"
Puritans in show business an' if you think we're a lot of bums She gained the sanctuary of her room and threw herself
just because we get tight once in a while you'd better scram: wearily on the nearest chair. Presently she was asleep.
for New England. I'll treat ya decent but I'll be damned if l
can understand your attitude." ·
They were nearing Peggy's room. From various suites came
loud laughter and sounds of revelry.
· "There y'are," Terry pointed out. "Princ'pals an' chorus--
-....... .,,.... . 1111 - - - - - · - • -·- • 4lND STREET 261
poser of the show, Richard Endicott, and Mary Brock, a <
fragile, rather pretty child, who aped the manners of her

more succ~ssful sister in the hope that some Broadway man-
7 ager might find her suitable for a role in his new production.
She traded heavily on the family name, and on the strength of
billing herself as Dorothy Brock's sister obtained engagements
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - " : ; · : 1 1.·,:-~f
; in several second rate night clubs. But, despite the fact that
she was on friendly tenµs with the most influential men on
AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SEEMED TO HAVE CROWl>l!lh!~ Forty-Second Street, the "Great Chance" still eluded her.
/'\.. into Dorothy's suite at the Ritz Lenox. It was one of~, Prettier than Dorothy, she lacked the charm and pseudo
those parties which act as a liaison between festivities just'~~· sweetness which Dorothy radiated over the footlights.
ended and o:hers yet to be encountered. Show folk dropped inj Dorothy was talking loudly. Too many cocktails had gone
for a cocktail, exchanged a greeting and a bit of gossip and to her head and the little coterie was in a constant panic for
then drifted into the hallway in quest of the next stopping
. fear that she might say or do something indiscreet.
<
~~ Dorothy's gaze took in the horde of guests and she began

In vain did the clerk at the desk telephone Dorothy and<i;
to mutter, "Jeez' Chris', the way these bastards come in and
beg for quiet; there were moments of surcease from revelry
and then they were at it again, more boisterously than ever. lap up my gin is nobody's business. An' poor Dick risking
The clerk sighed. Theatrical people were certainly a trial. ~· his neck to get it off the boat for me. Aw, you're 'n old
They demanded the finest accommodations at "professional t sweetheart, Dick, you're a love. I'm glad I decided to sleep
rate," meaning a generous paring of the room's established/; with you for a change."
price, and then, once .installed, proceeded to make the nig~ · The scion of New York's oldest family gurgled incoherently
hideous with never-ending parties. No wonder some of th and put a handkerchief to his flushed face. "Not so loud,
hotels had cunailed their hospitality to the Forty-Seco honey, not so loud!" he spluttered with a furtive look into
Street crowd. It added nothing to the prestige of a hotel Conroy's smiling eyes.
have a_cont~ual round of brawls and drunken singing echoingi "S'alright, Big Boy, s'alright. I'm not ashamed of it, an'
from its wmdows. He cursed Dorothy Brock soundly and,il you're not ashamed of it, so what the hell we care what the
devoted his attention to other matters. ·<< others think? Are y' gonna give me a teeny weeny kiss,
About the ever shifting guests in Dorothy's suite one littl Dick?"
group stood firm as a rock planted midstream in a ragin "For God's sake, pull yourself together," snarled her pro-
torrent. Here Dorothy held sway. In devoted attendance; tector.
could be found John Phillips, Abe Green, Conroy, the com.. , "Oh, so that's the way it is. Well, nuts to you, Big Boyl
200
262 42ND STREE:~ I 42ND STREET
I'm independent, I've got money in the bank. I don't necJ)i choicest tid-bits for their approval. They shouted for still
you and your lousy bonds!" l(ir more. Russ Conroy was their favorite playboy of the hour
Mary Brock gave vent to several worried little noises aruj,i; and everything he wrote was met with rapturous acclaim.
~rod~ed ~onroy. "Go play the piano!" she hissed. "Everyon~j/< A slight disturbance at the farther end of the room caused
listenmg ! ; ~i Dorothy to turn. Harvey Mason and three of the show girls
Conroy nodded and forced his way through a group tha~{ staggered inside with loud whoops of merriment and made
swarmed about the gesticulating Dorothy. Someone rec~~~ themselves at home with that equable assurance which fortifies
nized him and shouted: <tr, the most timid soul after three or four drinks.
"Attay boy, Russi How 'bout a little number?" 1.'i "Ev'rybody's here but Lawler," sang out Mason. "Dor'thy,
He grinned. "Okay, folks. What'll it be?" A; you should be ashamed of yourself for not including our
"Sing the Warner Brothers theme song, 'Rin Tin Tin, Yo.fi1j han'some juvenile."
Little Son of a Bitch, I love you'," suggested one besotted wag. "Who the hell wants that bitch?" muttered someone.
"Here's a new one. And mind you all shut up. My artist«: Conroy sprang to his feet. "Give the guy a break," he
temperament demands quiet!" .. shouted. "Billy's all right. He did the same thing most any
Mary pinched her sister's arm. "Ssh! Conroy's going ~ chap would have done in the same circumstances. How about
sing." 71 ~ it, Dorothy? Shall I ring him?"
Dorothy shook herself free of the restraining hand. "Thell! ' "All right by me," shrugged the leading lady.
with him. I have a few words to say to this Turtle BayJ: Conroy went over to the telephone. "Give me Mr William
gentleman." ~!,,
Lawler's room, please," he called.
"Not now! Not now! Don't you spoil the party, dear!" J'i There was a moment's silence, and then the crisp voice of
"Oh, alright, but you just wait, you rotten little bum!" >?
the operator answered, "Sorry, sir, but Mr Lawler is very ill
Conroy had tied a silk handkerchief about his head an .~
and Mr Julian Marsh has given orders that no one is to
was singing a comic ditty. They harkened attentively '1
disturb him."
rewarded his effort with cheers. ,11
Conroy glared and his face grew purplish. Then he gath-
"More! More!" they yelled, pounding on the floor. Conr'
ered his wits together for a stinging reply. "Will you please
grinned appreciatively. This was what he liked, having t
bunch of hams recognize his God-given talent. What we , tell Mr Billy Lawler for me that the Ladies of Turkey declared
they hut a gang of mummers without a drop of original( ··~ their independence six years ago?" he said slowly and
in their veins? Why, if he didn't write decent tunes the whol ,
1 slammed the instrument down on its hook.
kit and boodle of them would go plumb to hell! Doroth~,, "So Miss Lawler won't be over?" snickered Dorothy Brock.
Brock as well as the rest of them! He mentally catalogued tlfi "Well, I'll hand the kid this much. He knows which side his
numbers he had written for private occasions and offered h~,\ bread's buttered on. He's taking no chances."
:}~~~~:
<) i
264 42ND STREflt' 42ND STREET
: ~;
"Oh," Mary contradicted, "Billy's a lad who'll risk a h He backed away startled-the blood trickling from a scratch
-in short, he'll take a chance." on his cheek. .
In another corner the jovial Harvey Mason was regalia "You lousy little hell cat," he snarled.
his little clique with a' somewhat Rabelaisian account of · "Who're you to keep ordering me around like this?" Doro-
misfortunes of an older actress. Between drinks his h .J thy berated him. "I'm my own boss-anyone 'd think you
laughed uproariously. ~~~ owned me-body and soul. Not for this little girl. I'm going
"Well-so the old bat went out in the show for a road to~1· on my own merry way to hell."
1 .·
It was The Pekin Movement, you know. She's ten yea.rs ol~eF,·····.
1 She raced into the bedroom-gave her sister a shove that
.•
than God as it is, so when I asked a pal of mine how co · sent her spinning into a corner, picked up the wrap that the
I said to him, 'Jim-how the hell does Julia Winters .zl astounded girl dropped from her grasp and bolted out of the
through the part without collapsing? And where does she find!~ suite before Endicott recovered his wits.
wind to run up those stairs in the big scene of the third act?... , There was no one in the corridor. The entire building
So Jim says, 'Well, I tell you, Harvey, it's this way-we did'a· seemed shrouded in night quiet. She followed the twisted
bit of re-staging and when it was time for old Winters to route to the elevator and rang a forceful summons.
plough up the stairs we all gathered 'round her and the "Come on! Come on!" she exhorted the unseen operator
minute she was supposed to start somebody goosed her and·, impatiently.
the old girl flew up like a bat out of hell!'" .~· One thought was fixed in her mind. She needed Pat. She
The din and confusion ran its course. Posturing drunkar~~· was sick of Endicott and his cavilling. Endicott with his well
were removed by more level-headed companions and graduall ·'- bred sensuality and nerve-wracking jealousy! Pat was the
the room cleared. · stimulant necessary to bring her to herself.
Harvey Mason threaded a precarious route to Dorothy' The elevator reached her floor and she stormed inside,
side and whispered, "Didya hear that the depression : lashing the boy with a string of oaths. So concerned was she
Turkey was so bad that the eunuchs 've agreed to take , with her passionate denunciation of the Ritz Lenox system
second?" and toppled from the room. and its operatives that she failed to see the figure huddled in
"We're going on to Abe's place," called Mary Brock fr a corner of the cage. Mrs Blair eyed the intoxicated star with
the bedroom where she was selecting Dorothy's best-look'· a venom that she was hard put to control. Here was the
wrap for her own use. instigator of all her woes. But for Dorothy Brock her Polly
"Be right with you," Dorothy screeched. A glass slippe
would have been the outstanding sensation of the show rather
from her hand and shivered to pieces on the floor. Endico
than the recipient of a mild pattering of applause. She'd get
grasped her shoulders.
even with Brock all right! Probably the trollop was up to
"You've had enough for tonight. You're going to bed," h
instructed sternly. She struck his face with her clenched fi some mischief this very minute!
266 42ND STREET. 42ND STREET
They reached the ground floor and Dorothy hastened across,:)'. desperately in need of funds, all of them, but they faced this
the lobby to the desk where the clerk was dozing. Mrs ~l.aii'~fii debacle with equanimity. Many had borrowed money with
followed at a discreet distance. Dorothy pou~ded on. the :Ught'.(~[· the assurance that once the play was in swing the debt would
bell and the startled clerk came out of his reverie with ·ah:: b~ promptly repaid. Others had faced long days of rigid
convulsive start. ·:l} dietmg spurred by the thought of the prosperity that was sure
"I want to put a phone call through to New York," said,1 ~ to. come. And now the grim September sky poured down its
Dorothy. :~~. gnef and the stone walls of the buildings loomed menacingly
"Certainly, Miss Brock. But wouldn't it be more convenient:'.1~. in the half light.
to make the call from your room? There might be a dday·}·;.~·.·.• Pat lit a cigarette and extended the case to Geoffrey Waring.
at this hour." ~ "And here endeth the ninety~ninth lesson on why all good
"No, no, no, nol To hell with that. Too many people UP"!r. men and true should stay out of show business," he said.
there. This is a private call, understan'? I must have sttic' ' "Take my lighter, Jeff, if the damn thing will work."
. "
privacy. The two friends made an exit, with the good wishes of
"Yes, Miss Brock. What is the number please?" fellow actors ringing in their ears.
"Make this a party to party call. It doesn't mean anything "God help the legits on a night like this," Jeff muttered.
if I can't get the person I want. Get roe Mr Patrick Dennin "And now what to do?" Pat inquired.
"Agents, my boy. Who knows? They may have decided
Bryant 8551."
to inaugurate stock in Walla Walla."
A little band of actors huddled disconsolately before th "Where you supply your own wardrobe with a complete
change every week?" scoffed Pat. "Rejected with thanks. Do
stage door. Rain dripped from the eaves of neighboring buil ·
your suppose one does vaudeville in September?"
ings and fell with a monotonous patter about them. The
" "O~e does. whatever ~ne jolly well can," Waring reflected.
overhead was no more leaden than their outlook on r My immediate task will be to convince my landlady that
After repeated knockings the elderly gentleman nearest money from home is expected any day."
door shrugged. "Good Lord, why speak of that?" Pat groaned. "And the
"Guess Meehan was right," he said. "The play is shot." first of the month is just near enough to let its chill breath
They fell to murmuring, but no one suggested any lik of warning .be felt." .
move. Morgan had vanished, leaving behind a trail of wo "Pat, lad," Waring intoned solemnly, "we're in a bad way.
less checks, among them the one which had been posted How about the river?"
bond with the Actor's Equity Association. With the produ . "I'm damn near drowned now," Pat objected. "Besides, I
went the "high class drawing~room drama" that promised · hat.e the thoug~t of my water~!ogged corpse being dragged
long engagement to this group of performers. They w to its final restmg place. We might become sandwich men."
42ND STREET 42ND STREET '
"Weak arches," Waring grieved. "That's out for me. It's a crash roused numerous occupants of the house to protest, but
pity you gave la Brock the merry ozone." .. Pat heeded not. He was apathetically devising ways and means
"Mistaken nobility of character," Pat explained. "The p<>S".....·.· for enticing the steady flow of dollars in his direction once
1
sibilities of riches earned by my own talent rendered me' l more.
unwise. Moral-never embrace decency until you're sure your The loud ringing of the telephone disconcerted him. He
manager has a hit." was tempted to ignore the summons, but suspected that it
"And not even two weeks' pay!" Waring regretted. "God might be a friend who wanted to oiler consolation and stimu-
damn Morgan and his lousy rubber checks. Pat, instruct me lant, the latter of which he particularly craved now that his
in the gentle art of harlotry, like a good fellow." own store was exhausted. He reentered the living room and
"Let's get tight," Pat suggested. "Then we'll find rainbows took up the telephone receiver.
around our shoulders." · , "Long distance-Philadelphia," cried a sing-song voice.
They repaired to Pat's apartment and divested themselves{ Wondering if Peggy had been moved to talk with him, he
of clothes which were in a pathetic staty. Then Warin :1 braced himself for a brief and cheering conversation.
wrapped himself in a huge woolen bathrobe and Pat remov "Pat?" shouted Dorothy Brock.
a half dozen bottles from the cache. They fell to with a ven"f . He backed away, alarmed. Those blurred tones meant that
geance and in no time were beautifully tight-having achiev his former inamorata was drunk and hot on the trail of his
that state when it is impossible to do other than lie gl affections once more.
eyed, watching the walls and ceilings move in chaotic pa. "Yes-who is this?" he answered warily.
"You know damn well who it is. Lissen, I'm fed up with
terns. the whole crowd. I want you here, Pat, you're the only boy
Hours later they emerged from this oblivion and faced th
who can do me any good."
world in a mood of bitter disillusionment. Gone were
"But-" prudence cautioned him to remember the gentle-
roseate fancies of the afternoon, vanished into limbo alon man of gangland whose touch would be far less gentle the
with quantities of really excellent Bourbon. Bottles, t second time.
earthly shell of that divine essence, cluttered the ltearthr "We heard about your show," Dorothy rambled on. "Too
but the soul had flown and only a wry taste remained as mu~ •..•. bad, but, you know, an ill wind and all that sort of thing.
tribute to the glory that had passed beyond human ken. The!';, How about it?"
sky was thick with darkness and there were no stars. Waring~:'} "But, my darling, I'm stripped-flat broke!"
with his wrinkled coat lending him an air of shrunkenn~ :,!. "I'll wire you the money. Be here tomorrow morning."
and dejection, bade Pat farewell and sallied forth. Pat pick~;; "Do you think it's wise? How about the noble mind that
up the bottles and carried them to the bathroom ~ind?W' thinks of the star sapphire? Won't he be upset, to put it
where he dropped them into the courtyard. The splmtenng mildly?"
2']0 42 N D S T R EE T
42ND STREET
271
"To hell with him. Listen, are you coming or not?"
"Sweetheart-to put it bluntly, what's in it for me?" "I'll take the responsibility," Mrs Blair promised. 'Y ou
4
"Have I ever let you down?" · gotta do this for me. It's a matter of life and death."
"There's always a first time. I don't move from this flat' 1:1e operator looked incredulous. From oft-repeated ex-
unless there are four figures on your Western Union money per~ences. she k~ew that people were capable of any device
order." which might brmg them into communication with the in-
"My God, the man's a chiseller." fluential persons concerned with a new production.
"Yes, dear. So what?" . "You needn't be afraid," Mrs Blair coaxed. "My daughter
"So, all right. Your Dorothy feels generous tonight. Pack .· is one of the leading principals in the show. He won't mind
up your tooth brush and roller skates and check in at the me callin' him at this hour."
Ritz Lenox." The operator debated. This was ticklish business. Both
"Lafayette, we come." ... parties concerned were guests of the establishment. True,
A click warned him that they had been disconnected. Marsh occupied the largest suite of rooms in the hotel while
Mrs Blair and her daughter had been shoved into a narrow
Mrs Blair in the telephone booth adjoining the one wheri::l ill-ventilated little cubby hole in the cheaper section of the
Dorothy was making her excited appeal to Pat felt that at:J1 ?uilding, but Ritz Lenox training is thorough and painstak-
last here was something tangible which might be used as a1~ mg an? one of its chief tenets is that the guest is always right.
weapon against her enemy. From the fragments of conversa-:.:J! The grrl wavered and finally plugged the connection which
tion which were audible she pieced together the situation.;~ rang Julian Marsh's telephone.
Obviously Dorothy was seeking to renew an affair which for;~~ Mrs Blair sought to word her revelations in a manner that
some unknown reason spelled danger to the show. Her he would immediately arouse Marsh to action. She knew he had
seethed with righteous wrath. This Brock hussy was a mena little use for her, but he guarded his production zealously
whose influence for evil must be checked. She remained · and anyone who gave succor in the hour of danger should be
the booth until long after Dorothy had made her agita in line for a sizable reward.
flight to the upper floor and then emerged with a cas "Hello," called the operator, "Mr Marsh?"
demeanor which cloaked a mind almost beside itself at th "Well, what the devil is this?" shouted an irascible voice.
realization of the power she could wield if she chose. "Sorry, sir, but there is a lady here who says she must
It was after two in the morning and the sleepy telephon speak to you on an urgent matter," apologized the girl.
operator looked startled when Mrs Blair requested her t "Tell him it's Mrs Blair," whispered that lady.
ring Mr Marsh's room. ''The name is Mrs Blair," said the operator.
"I'm afraid I ought not to disturb him so late," the gir
"Oh, good God!" groaned Marsh. "Ask ~er to wait till
apologized. ·~ : morning."
"She says she can't do that, sir. She's most emphatic." .· •.· other twin bed. By morning the forces which sought to keep
"More bloody trouble!" fumed Marsh. "Well, put her on." .,I; the Pretty Lady production from jeopardy would be at work.
"First booth, Mrs Blair," instructed the operator. , ~·1
"Thanks so much, dear," Mrs Blair strode triumphantly to ; ·' Billy Lawler opened the door connecting his bedroom with
the booth and went inside. "Mr Marsh~" she asked. Julian Marsh's and stood there idly tying and untying the
"My dear lady this is most irregular. Of course I'm sorry 1 silken cord of his dressing gown. Half recumbent on the bed,
about your little girl's dance, but all that will be remedied in. ,1, Marsh was endeavoring to stem Mrs Blair's flow of talk.
time. Remember, this is just a tryout. Philadelphia means ;'.f "What's up?" Lawler inquired.
nothing. It's New York we're thinking.of." ;,; Julian motioned him to be quiet and terminated the con-
"But, Mr Marsh, I'm not calling about Polly. It's something.;. versation with Polly's mother. When he had .finished Billy
else or I wouldn't 'a' dreamed of disturbin' you so late." ·~fl'·· sauntered to the side of the bed and sat down.
, ~I'
"Oh?" puzzled Marsh. , );'i "Funny time of night for anyone to call," he remarked.
"I s'pase you'll think I got my nerve buttin' in like this,j.{~' "It's some more trouble with our beloved star. Billy, that
Mr Marsh, but I figured this is somethin' you ought to know:;~! woman will ruin our chances. We've got to play deus ex
about." machina once more."
"Well-well-go on, my dear lady!" Marsh exhorted her~ "Brock's a trollop," yawned Billy. "Why don't you get some
"Dorothy Brock just called that boy friend o' hers long( sleep, Julian. This can be straightened out in the morning."
distance. He's comin' on here to be with her," stated Mrs "No, boy, we can't afford to run any risks. Do you remem-
. '!".
Bl ~. '..~.·.
~cl
ber Walt McDermott's private telephone number?"
Silence at the other end of the wire. For one chilling>:/~1. "My God-are things that serious?"
moment Mrs Blair feared she had overstepped her bound~:~% "Indeed, yes. Let's see, it's Wickersham exchange, I believe."
and Marsh had hung up. ,:l;,11 "That's right. 8770."
"I don't know why that should concern you, Mrs Blair,".>'' Marsh picked up the telephone once more. "It seems strange
said Marsh finally. "I'm sure Miss Brock's affairs are none!: to be allying ourselves with the public enemies," he said.
of ours." "They do it in the best of families," Lawler consoled him.
"Certainly not, certainly not," Mrs Blair agreed hastily. "I. · "Hello, operator. I'm calling New York, long distance,
just thought you might like to know-that's all." · 1' please. Wickersham 8770."
"I see! Well-good night, Mrs Blair."
"Good night, Mr Marsh. The show was real lovely tonight.", ·,,v I Tomorrow would bring their first press notices. The Phila-
"Th an k .you'. goo d mg
. ht"
. . . ;·~·n1, delphia critics, smarting under the indignity of being used as
Mrs Blair retired for the mght well pleased. She kissed the0:;:: j "dog town" reviewers, would have some tart words at the
forehead of her sleeping daughter and then crawled into th~~'.;:1'.f expense of the show. Rough edges must be smoothed off,
'::'.\f }:
274 4:2ND STREET· 42ND STREET
tedious interludes eliminated. The dramatic editors, accus- · the chastely decorated corridors of the hotel, the gentleman.at
tomed to the uneven performances and slow pace of the , the desk never batted an eye. Truth to tell, he was bored with
average tryout, would heap invective on the luckless heads, . ' the long procession of business men, stenographers, actors and
of Green and Friedman. They must disregard these whips \J;, moneyed nonenities who sought gratification of the well
and scorpions and sweep away the minor deficiencies so that ; . known cosmic urge under the cloak of false registration. He
the enterprise might be revealed in its full pristine splendor.·•. accepted ;without comment Dorothy Brock's dictum that a
Julian Marsh, alone, could do this. The others had given of< certain incoming guest, Mr Peter La Verne, be assigned to
their best, his now the task to weave the threads of many '~ the suite adjoining hers "for business reasons." That Mr
minds into one lustrous pattern. Again his likeness to a 1,~:; : La Verne was tall and well made, was no concern of his. That
mighty god struck Marsh forcibly. The others could sing their'J~{,
1
the gentleman was obviously a bit distressed at some mistake
songs, and dance their petty measures; he and only he co ·' he had made in signing the register brought not a shadow of
breathe life into the creature of his own making. From str consternation to the clerk's unwrinkled brow. He called
and devious sources he found the strength to accomplish thiaf.: 11' ' "front" in his well modulated voice, favored "Mr La Verne"
feat. The spider web of the production enmeshed men fro · with a knowing smile and ordered the gentleman's bags
totally different walks of life. But through it all he sat i transferred to his room.
the very hub of the web while such different beings as Bill Pat glanced uneasily about the lobby on his way to the ele-
Lawler and Walt McDermott were caught up and held fa vator. Lurking behind one of the many newspapers might be
in the net his mind was weaving. Above all-the show m some emissary of those forces who had so battered him physi-
be saved. cally and mentally a few weeks ago. He had no desire for an-
other encounter. If he had not squandered her last contribu-
tion in a fit of drunken jubilation he would have ignored
Dorothy's summons gladly, but now he must run the risk
and hope to high heaven that no word of this escapade would
reach the ears of the men who made it their business to
8 frustrate the yearnings of Miss Brock.
The magnificence of the elevator impressed him. The bro-
caded walls with the pattern that somehow suggested the
palace at Versailles were the last word in costliness and 'ele-
gance. The operator was a good-looking youngster who bore
T HE ROOM CLERK AT mE RITZ LENOX WAS A FOREBEAR

chap, accustomed to viewing the adulteries of his clicn
with a tolerant eye. Though lust stalked ever so boldly throu
his Roxyesque splendor with ease. This was the existence for
which Pat had been destined--only the absence of funds de·
prived him of the surroundings which were his birthright. He
-u·
heartily damned the social scheme which had flung him "I warned you-of course, I didn't have the presence of
among struggling thespians and depressing failures. 'i mind to lock the bathroom door, either."
The elevator halted at one of the higher floors and the bdl ::\ "Splendid! Just keep humming! I've a good bump of
hop courteously bowed him out. His feet sank gratefully into , ,:~; locality."
1
the thick carpet and he hesitated until the boy indicated the .,· ;: "I seem to recall that bump. It was well developed."
direction of his rooms. Not so bad, for a young man who two "Always at sight of you-my sweet. Bye."
short days ago had been in the throes of despondency. Had "Don't be long. My bath is just the right temperature. I
the play gone on he might have resigned himself to his meager shall be furious if it grows too cool."
salary and the hope of a pleasant existence with Peggy. That
source of income denied him, he must perforce rely again on Peggy was half afraid to open the letter. A sort of premoni-
the unfailing resourcefulness of his wits. tion that things had gone awry assailed her. After all, there
The suite of rooms was sun-filled and expensive. A tip of was nothing ominous in a communication from Pat. It should
half a dollar endeared him to the bell hop. He stood in the serve as added proof of his devotion. But there lay the very
center of his domain and surveyed it with an approving eye. core of her distrust. For the mercurial Pat to wax suddenly
What a background for the renewal of his liaison with the constant gave the lie to all those characteristics which she
star of Pretty Lady. He was not allowed to pander the situa- had grown to know and tolerate. She went to her room with
tion for long. The telephone bell pealed insistently. He looked the letter still unopened.
about the place, located the instrument on its stand and hur- Flo lay stretched full length on one of the twin beds. She
ried over to answer.
wakened at Peggy's entrance and struggled to a sitting
"Hello, lover," cooed Dorothy at the other end of the wire.
position.
"Hello, sweet. You see I'm prompt."
"My God, am I late?" she demanded. "I heard the alarm
"The four figures?" Dorothy insinuated.
"Five. The four on the money order, and the one in the and turned over on my other side. What time is it?"
next room," he answered tactfully. "When am I going to see "Eleven o'clock. You've got an hour yet."
you?" "What's that?" asked Flo, indicating the letter.
"I'm in my bath right now. Of course, it's hardly the proper "From Pat."
moment-but if you were to try the door which connects our "My God, what frightened him?"
rooms you might find it open." "I've been wondering the same thing myself. I'm half afraid
"Dare I?" to open it. You know-sudden death or sudden marriage-
"You've never been called 'coward'-! hope." something like that."
"Gauntlet flung down by young woman eagerly snatched "More likely sudden need of funds," Flo sniffed.
up by adoring young man. I shall be there presently." "How you love my little Patrick!" laughed Peggy.
4·2ND STREET
42ND STREET
"I hate all actors," Flo declared, slumping back on the ' decency and taken up my life of sin again. It's not hard to
pillows. .·; do when you're this particular breed of cad. Not too particu-
lar, of course-cads can't afford to be. When you receive this
The remark went unheeded. Peggy slit open the envelope. ~ I shall be en route to Philadelphia to join a lady who shall
"Looks like ~ood stationery,'' ve?tured Flo. "What lobby/l" be nameless. I'm sorry things have happened this way, but a
does h~, patromze? Good night, s1x months for talking to i H trip to Philadelphia was named in the bond. If you happen
myself! She rolled over on her left side and resumed the to guess the identity of said lady do me the very great favor
interrupted business of sleeping. of keeping that thought to yourself. We may run into one
Peggy read. another, but that is unlikely as I am using a reasonable
amount of discretion about my little liaison. I suppose the
Darling-
whole dirty business might have been accomplished without
This is the rottenest thing I've ever done. Please don't {'1
your being any the wiser, but I hate the idea of subjecting
t?ink I have the consu~ate nerve to ask your forgiveness. ;~{1
you to any misery-and if fortune failed me this would
I l~ deserve _hatred, cursmg and whatever torture your little tt~'
~mnd conceives for me once you know the truth. Perhaps. t; occur again. So best to say good-by now while there are no
regrets.
m your heart of hearts, you suspected long since. If not--:-\~\
hearken to a kept man's confession.
1
'':j' Will you believe this, Peggy? It's empty as hell coming
For that's what I am, sweet, just a lousy little gigolo danc· ~p from me, but I should feel a small measure of comfort in
ing on the end of a lady's purse strings. Don't tell me that ;.~ knowing that you understand. For once in all my dishonor-
you haven't heard rumors. We're not pretty, we kept boys,\~ able years, I fell in love. I thought we two might make a go
but we do manage to get about in our quaint way and then:,cJ,". of it. But, so what? At the first puff of wind I was bowled
people begin to talk. f:~ over. I'm funny that way. You haven't lost a damned thing,
There is no need to mention names. Why kiss and tdl? ·*~ sweetheart. You'll be a far happier girl-I shan't be present
!h~s must suffice as explanation, my dear. I'm being terribly ''.~i~ to inflict my presence upon you. But I do love you. I'll carry
md1screet, but you are a swell person and I know all this ·~, the dream of you in my heart forever and ever. Take that
scribbling will find its way to the waste basket once you've .1\) on faith, please, old girl. You're grand, you're noble, you're
finish_ed. I hope y~u c:m ch~ck any emotio~ you've felt. for if{ swell, and my worst punishment is that I couldn't come up
to snuff.
me nght along with it. Stripped of apologies and evasions ";
the idea is this. A not too nice lady has rented my affectfons 4'. So long, sweet, keep on being a good little girl and God,
for a certain space of time and I can't afford to refuse. All .,,,hf~f. or whoever it is, will probably bless you. We'll meet one
those nice thoughts about the honorable state of marriage >l A! another, you and I, say 'How've you been' in our best party
turn out to be just so much hooey when the bank balance manner and then drift apart. Strangers, you see, complete
shows a flock of zeros. My newest play went on the rocks.·. strangers. I don't want to fed guilty of having aroused love
Rents have a way of coming due-and here am I, "reaching'. in you. But for now good-by and the best of luck. I'll be
for the moon." So I've just said au revoir to sentiment and }. cheering for you all the time except in those moments when
42ND t ~REET
1
4:2ND 281
;,
I'm cockeyed drunk. Come to think of it, that'll be most; ' her. Good-by Pat. Good-by Terry. Peggy Sawyer can take
every hour of the day. care of herself. A career-that's all that matters. When you
And that's that. have money and fame people respect you. They play the
Love, ,~ clown if, by doing so, they can attract your attention. Julian
Pa.t. .a;
~l Marsh approved of her. He might give her some part to under-
She folded the letter into neat squares. Flo mustn't know! study. She was learning to be shrewd; there are politics in all
Ann mustn't know. This, then, was what you got. No matter professions. Billy Lawler was her friend-she'd coax Billy
what you had been taught to believe about love, this was the : to put in a good word for her. One never knew when some
way things happened. What were all those dusty phrases about' principal would drop out. Temperament and outraged nerves
decency, and fair play, and integrity? The very sound of them~ sometimes boiled over and then there was room for a new-
was strained and laughable. People had no use for those quali ' comer. That would be the beginning of the uphill climb.
ties. They were labels for tiresome, out-of-date ideals that She was tearing Pat's letter into shreds. Where was the
previous generation had seen fa to cram down present da• w~ste basket? There-under the desk. The fragments of paper
throats. You were a fool and you built a gleaming struc · slipped out of her hands, one or two falling on the carpet.
No, you couldn't have built this palace for there were no t She retrieved them mechanically. Good-by, Pat. The best of
with which to work. Very well, then, perhaps it was a mira luck to you. You'll need it!
or it was done with mirrors. The tragedy lay in the fa She shook Flo roughly. The time was now eleven-fifteen
that you dared believe in this colossal fake. You were actua and the company had been warned, with due impressiveness,
taken in-and when the trick was exposed in all its shah that they must assemble on the stage of the theatre not later
ness you felt hurt. Why be hurt? Why care? What was than eleven-thirty.
precious about the thing you lost? She saw more dearly no Flo, thus shocked out of her pleasant slumber, scampered
Pat, as an ideal, a hope, a person to be loved, was dead. madly about the room picking up a stocking here, a shoe
Denning from now on would be a name. Two words. Ra there, until presently she was dressed. Peggy shoved a hat
musical sound they had, a pleasant ring, but that was all. into her chum's hand and pulled her forcibly out of the room
And now what? Terry? How greatly Terry would fail her and toward the elevator.
too. She remembered last night's party with a shudder. S . "Wait and see-they won't start things moving for hours
had wakened at five in the morning to hear them stumbling'?' yet," Flo prophesied. "I've ruined more good pairs of stock-
through the hall, shouting at the top of their lungs, blind ings in mad dashes like this only to find out that I was the
drunk on bootleg gin. Terry and his friends! There was a , first dumbbell to arrive."
pretty future. ,, . "Do you think there'll be many changes?" questioned Peggy
No, life must be lived without compromise. She must go on.. ·: as they rode to the ground floor.
ward, alone, without the necessity of a man's love to hinder,\ "Plenty. Our troubles are only half over. From now on you
)t'
,#\·
282 . 42Nfrs.)rREET
4.2ND ''lf\REET
can plan to be only two blocks ahead of a panic for a week, tJ "Old Brock better pray she never meets Ma in a dark alley
~~ least. They'll, switch everything around the way they think) , after getting little Polly's solo cut out of the first act. Stage
it ll ~o over an then .send Harry MacElroy tearing into tht;~t mothers and elephants never forget."
dressmg room ~~e mmutes before overture to tell us to play~j "Bend, Polly! Bend, Polly!" chanted Mrs Blair. Secure in
the show the ongmal way, after all. And try to remember what .:J her belief that Polly's time would be occupied for some time
~he original way was after Lee's been hollering and scream- t to come, Mother strolled across stage to the bench where the
mg all day! You'll find yourself out on the stage doing The ' circle of chorus girls was grouped.
Dying Swan in the middle of a hot buck number." "Funny they don't start somethin' around here" she re-
The hands of the clock on the tower of City Hall pointed to . marked. "From what the papers say they's plenty t~ be done
eleven forty-five as they sped down the side street leading to . ·. on the show."
the stage door. They arrived at the theatre breathless and some> "We're waiting for Dorothy Brock," chimed Lorraine
what alarmed, to be casually welcomed by Harry MacElroy Fleming.
who was sunning himself in the alley. ·.· Mrs Blair's eyes narrowed. "Huh! Then we might as well
"Plenty of time, kids," he assured them. "Brock has go . home right now,'' she declared. "Dorothy Brock ain't
shown up yet an' they're waiting to start on her numbers; worryin' about us. She's got a show of her own to attend to."
"What did I tell you?" Flo demanded. "So help me, "Why? What's up?" asked Flo, scenting gossip in the air.
morrow I get my beauty sleep if the Pope in person tells "Nothin'l I s'pose I'm talkin' outta turn, but a little bird
to get here at noon." whispered in my ear that Miss Brock ain't as concerned as she
They ambled inside and sat down on one of the lo might be with puttin' this musical comedy ov~."
benches where eight or ten girls were grumbling about "Know any dirt?" inquired Ann bluntly.
chaotic state of affairs. "Well-don't say I told you-but the boy friend's supposed
"Maybe we're in the wrong theatre," said Lorraine Flemin to be in town-and with him around we don't rate no atten·
sarcastically. "Nobody here seems to recognize us." tion."
"I wish Brock would hop on her bicycle and come on over "Endicott? He's been here all the time!" cried Lorraine.
grumbled Flo. "From parking around this joint for hours at: "l don't mean Endicott," said Mrs Blair. "Everything 'Id
a time I'm getting callouses where no lady should." · he okay if it was him. This is another guy who has the lead-
"Get a load of mother and daughter," Ann nudged her•.. · ing lady in an uproar."
Polly. Blair and her mother had taken possession of the: "I don't believe it," stated Ann emphatically. "Brock's no
temporarily deserted stage. Polly, arrayed in dirty practice fool. She's not dropped Endicott. for any outside interest."
rompers, began to bend industriously while Mother's eagle· "Oh, ain't she? Well, you just don't happen to know, dear.
eye studied every curve of her supple body. .· . Some feller arrived from New York this mornin'-and from
"Polly the Pretzel making both ends meet," Flo commented:·· what I hear it's a feller who's gonna wish he hadn't!"
284 42Nl> ·~tTREET 285
"What do you mean?" questioned Peggy. trotted to her daughter's side, leaving Peggy to ponder the
"Well-it ain't policy to go mixing up with· the leading full import of her revelation.
lady of a big show like this. Too many guys got dough . Brock was the woman in the case. Cherchez la femme! All
invested and they'd do anything to stop the leading lady :,~ right, here she was. Dorothy Brock! And because he had
from makin' a fool of herself. From what I hear, this guy's {' dared to court Brock they might kill him. She found small
apt to wake up in the hospital with a broken jaw or some- 1 ' room for doubting the truth of Mrs Blair's statement. It
thin'." fitted too neatly with the letter she had just read. For the
She eyed Peggy shrewdly. The episode at El Mirador was moment she forgot her anger and was concerned only with
recalled vividly to her mind. Once again she saw the ornate sparing Pat the fury of Marsh's hired thugs. She wondered
lobby, heard the light-hearted conversation between Peggy if her absence would be noted. The chorus girls were chatting
and her escort, re-lived her own emotions as she recognized . unconcernedly. At the hack of the theatre Green and Fried-
the man. man were engaging Andy Lee in heated argument. In various
"Dearie," she said, bending over Peggy and endeavoring to corners the specialty dancers stretched and limbered. The tap-
keep the tremor of excitement from her voice. "It ain't none ping of the Ryan Brothers droned rhythmically above the
o' my business, but I hate to see any wise guy put it over a. low-pitched voices of the choristers. Jerry Cole was humped
sweet kid like you so I might as well tell you the truth." · over the piano in the pit, playing aimlessly. ·
Peggy's heart was pounding madly. The letter from Pat This state of inactivity promised to hold sway for another
this morning. The ill-concealed look of malice in the eyes , hour. The Ritz Lenox was not far; she could easily slip away
Mrs Blair. She looked away, half afraid that she might fain· for half an hour and none would be the wiser. She edged past
Mrs Blair's voice went on. The other girls had been at.; the knot of chorus girls, made her way unobtrusively toward
tracted by the noise of an altercation between two chorus boys. the stage door and gained the freedom of the street.
The sidewalks were thronged with crowds of perspiring
She alone was listening to old Blair.
shoppers. She pushed through them, winning many an indig-
"That feller you was with up at the Mirador-remember?
nant glance by her haste, and soon found herself on the main
'Bout a coupla weeks ago, on a real hot night? Well, that's
thoroughfare. The pavement was hot underfoot as the after-
one. I seen him with Brock lottsa times. Him an' her has been ·. noon sun beat down. Philadelphia was still in her summer
raisin' hell together for a long time, now, an' that's what the doldrums. Damp haggard women dragged along, clutching
management is sore about. You better forget that feller, at the parcels they had bought in the downtown department
dearie. He's a no good egg. A guy that'll play 'round with a stores, and hampered her progress. She was like the swimmer
dame like Brock ain't worth botherin' about." By this time who struggles to breast an incoming tide. Anxiety urged her
Polly had finished her bending and glanced appealingly in on, careless of the shrill complaints that were voiced by tired
her mother's direction. That good lady excused herself and women with whom she collided.
I
286 42ND STREEWi.f 42ND STREET
ci,:1
The clerk at the Ritz Lenox was polite but noncommittal. './·~ adjoining suites. She hesitated no longer but rapped on the
No Mr Denning was registered among the day's arrivals. On. :l','. door.
a sudden inspiration Peggy asked the number of Dorothy · "Who's there?" called Pat.
Brock's suite. She knocked again, hoping that he would answer her
"Fifteen-o-six," the clerk informed her. "House phones on summons without demanding to know the identity of his
the right-over on the other side of the lobby." caller.
She thanked him and, disregarding the hint to announce "Who's there?" shouted Pat again.
her visit, hurried into the waiting elevator. The operator "Maybe a bell hop," she heard Dorothy Brock remark. "We
noticed her extreme agitation and wondered if it were wise ' 1 sent down for cracked ice about an hour ago."
to take this woman upstairs. Her manner was that of an out- · . Pat Bung open the door and stood aghast, facing Peggy.
raged wife stalking her prey. The starter signalled him, he•),
1
"Peggy!"
shut the gate, turned to his sole passenger,and inquired the'i;ji~ "Listen, Pat. Don't think I'm a rotten sport-or a spy-or
floor. j~· anything like that, but I must see you."
"Fifteen, please." Peggy's voice was a harsh whisper. He~~. "Good Lord, sweet, not now-I-I-this is hellishly embar-
shook his head. Hysterical women boded ill for the dignity ofi rassing. Let me call at your hotel later today."
. Lenox.
the Ritz .:::·'·~1,. "What's all the excitement?" shrilled Dorothy Brock. Peggy
realized that she was quite drunk.
The fifteenth floor seemed in ~he grip of a s~rene late sum~~t
"Nothing, dear. Just a mistake in room numbers!"
mer afternoon. One or two maids walked qmetly along the;;;. . ;
"Really?" Dorothy's voice was sharp with indignation.
corridors, but no sounds of revelry issued from behind closed''·~ht', 1''
"Well, I'll tell the interfering fool a thing or two."
doors. She followed a winding course, guided by numerous·Y/;
She thrust Pat aside and peered into the corridor. "Oh!"
signs, and presently read the numbers on the doors, "15o:z-- · · ·
Peggy was scarlet. The sight of Dorothy with her clouded
1504." eyes and disordered hair infuriated her. For this, Pat had
She paused, half ashamed of her mission. Suppose Mrs been willing to deny himself a lifetime of happiness. She
Blair had been talking idly and there was no immediate squared her shoulders and decided to risk her chances with
danger for Pat. That was the only excuse for her mission, Pretty Lady in an effort to make these two intoxicated idiots
otherwise she would never have approached him again. She cognizant of their peril.
waited in an agony of uncertainty, her ears straining to catch "Pat-you've got to get out of here," she said.
the murmur of voices. Dorothy Brock grasped her roughly by the shoulders. "Who
"Here's mud in all their faces," sang out Dorothy Brock. the hell are you to come barging in like this?" she shrieked.
The cry came from the suite marked 1504. In a flash Peggy "What is this? A frame up? Don't tell me we have an out·
understood the situation. Dorothy. and Pat were occupying raged wife on our hands, Pat."
Pat was speechless. He could only motion hopelessly to But Pat was sufficiently roused to turn on Dorothy. "You
Peggy. shut up," he commanded. "I've taken one beating because of
"I'm a friend of Pat's," Peggy explained briefly. "He's in you and I'll be damned if I'll stand for another. Your sweet
danger. There are men in this city who'll do anything to impresario doesn't mind going to any lengths so long as he
break up your-your little arrangement." can keep us apart. Well, I'm through being the fall guy. From
Dorothy was stung to action. "I don't believe it," she de- now on find your own gigolos. You're not worth the risk of a
clared. "You're a clever little tart all right, but I've been in broken jaw. Get out of my room."
the game too long. It's just a question of mixed dates, that's Dorothy shrilled oaths. The vile words rained about his
what it is. So you're still at your old tricks, Pat! I should have head, but Pat was immovable. He seized her arms and dragged
known! And a chorus girl in my own show! Why you cheap her toward the door.
little chiseller! I'll get even with you-making me look like , "They won't find you here," he declared. "I'm taking no
a goddam idiot." more chances. Get out!" Pat was thoroughly frightened.
Pat's restraining arm was of no avail. Dorothy was beside. "I don't believe it-I don't believe it!" wailed Dorothy.
herself with fury. Her eyes blazed hatred, her body shook "You're trying to put something over on me-you two! I'll
with the force of her emotion. see that you get yours-both of you!"
"Well, girlie, here's your kept man for what he's worth. l She found herself in the corridor-looking up at a tightly
give him back to you cheerfully. There are too many fish in, closed door. Fury rendered her almost demented.
the sea to worry about a lousy two-timing legitimate actor. "I'll have you put out! I'll shame you so you won't dare
Legitimate! He's never done a straight thing in his life! So. face anybody!" she screamed. "When I'm through with you
I'm financing a little spree for you two angels, am I? Not on they'll be laughing from one end of Broadway to the other."
your life! I've played the game too long. Now-you-get the, Blind with rage she staggered toward the elevator. A petri-
hell back to your rehearsal while I settle with Mr Denning fied maid saw her lurching drunkenly along, half intelligible
here and now." . words spewing from her mouth. She was an appalling figure
Peggy stepped inside the room and closed the door. "Pat- as, mad with jealousy, she stumbled, caught at a door knob
make her keep quiet. Those men-they may be on their way and saved herself. As she neared the well of the staircase a
up here right now." treacherous gap in the carpet ensnared her foot. Plunging
"What men? Who's telling me to keep quiet?" raged along, heedless of danger, she fell forward. The maid gave
' Dorothy. "Of all the lousy frame ups!" She snatched up her
glass from the table. "You beat it, see? . Beat it! One more
a frightened cry. And then Dorothy was tumbling down the
stairs, the thick carpet muffling the sound of her fall. She
crack and I'll see to it that you lose your job. The idea, inter- covered her head with one arm to ward off the inevitable
fering like this! At that, I'm glad you gave the show away blow. A dreadful darkness engulfed her. The frightened
or I might have gone on believing in this ham actor!" " sh•uts of the maid vanished in an all enveloping pall of
_____________________________ ______________ .._ ~--- -·--·---··-·-·------·---···----·-

2gc> 42 N D S TR E E 'l, , , 42ND STREET 2gl
blackness. One shoe described an arc in the air and spiralled there's always the show to consider. Dorothy's a real trouper;
to the landing far below. Her face hit the balustrade and her she won't let me down like this. She knows how much I done
body twisted into a grotesque heap at the foot of the stairs. for her. Why, I give her the best parts she ever had in her
life. Made a star out of her. And now, just because she gets
in some goddam mess you say she can't go on. But it ain't
sol It ain't so, I tell ya! She's gotta go on. Look at my cast.
Look at my investment. You don't want to ruin me, do you,
doctor? Help her get well so's she can play tonight. Tomorrow
9 night, then-I can make a refund for tonight an' spend the
night rehearsing. We need it, God knows! But, tomorrow
night, sure! That ain't so much to ask. She ain't got any
broken bones. Concussion-strain-what's a strain? I've seen
guys go out on that stage half dead, but they pulled through.
' ·:'
Jesus, doctor, one hundred thousand dollars in these days-
T
HE DOCTOR CLOSED THE DOOR TO THE SICKROOM. ABE GREEN S. '.
fingers wound tightly about the lapel of his coat and he.' and you'll let it get shot to hell for a strained back. All right!
said in a voice hoarse with the anguish of several hours' .·• So it's a bad one! We'll cut out her dance in the second act.
waiting, "Well, doctor, is she gonna pull through?" , I'll have a nurse in the dressing room all through the show.
The doctor nodded. "Nerves are shot. That makes it a bit · Come on, doctor. That's your jolr-making people well. It
more complicated. My God, what a pace she must have been can't be so awful tough. Nerves! What the hell are nerves?
hitting! You don't need to worry, though. All that's necessary Show people can't afford to have nerves during a tryout!"
is a few months of complete rest. There are no internal com· The little man brushed past him. "I have an appointment,
plications, fortunately, but concussion is a tricky thing to Mr Green," he said. "I'm sorry-but Miss Brock must be
handle-and her back has been pretty badly strained." quiet. That's imperative and I shan't be responsible for the
Green made a despairing gesture. "A few months rest? consequences if you disturb her in any manner whatsoever."
Good Christ, doctor, don't you understand? She's gotta go He took his hat and left the suite.
on the stage tonight! She's gotta play a leading part! There's Abe Green stood in the center of the carpet staring after
a hundred thousand dollar production depending on her. him.
A few months!" "That guy's ·nuts," he muttered. "I'll get her out of bed.
He talked on, as though the tumult of words might some- She ain't sick. He can't kid me. I know she ain't sick."
how marshal the frayed nerves of Dorothy Brock into their He wheeled abruptly and went into the bedroom. In the
normal functioning .. "Don't you see, doctor, we show people gloom he could distinguish the outlines of the bed, but from
ain't like you folks? We can't be sick, we can't die, because it there came no sound. Dorothy was sleeping. A wave of
r 292 42ND STREET
hopelessness swept over him. The inert shape lying quietly ..

beneath the bed covers was so unlike the vibrant Dorothy>
42ND STREET
see. To him there was something sickening and unholy in

this alliance.
293
Brock he knew. About her was the disturbing immobility of.·. As usual, Billy tossed him a cool and urbane greeting. Young
death. He withdrew from the room, stumbling in his haste . Lawler was at all times the master of the situation. Abe won-
to escape. dered how much responsibility for unwarranted changes in
Let her sleep, let her sleep, poor kid. God knows she'd the production lay on Billy's slight shoulders. That ~ood
proved herself a hell cat many times but he loved her, loved . looking blond chorus boy who had been so unceremoniously
her with all his heart and soul. If she got well-'to hell with discharged, for instance. Looked like a bit of meddling on
the hundred thousand dollars. Well, not exactly that. The · the part of Mr Lawler. Green knew Billy'_s hatred for ~ny
showman in him playing tricks even at a time like this! person or circumstance that might lessen his hold on Juhan
Cheating at solitaire! Playing the eternal game of bull and Marsh. He concluded that the removal of Mr Lawler from
blarney with himself! the cast might have its beneficent effect. But that could be
He called the maid. "Don't let anybody come in," he . • accomplished through divine intervention only. On the ques-
warned. "Reporters especially. They have their orders down-,·· tion of his protege Julian Marsh was a doddering, fatuous
stairs, but some of these guys from the tabloids might sneak old man.
up. They'd murder their own mothers for an extra headline. But this was no time for Marsh's private troubles. A hun-
The doctor says Miss Brock is very ill." dred thousand dollar investment hung in abeyance.
The girl nodded. "I'll take care of her,'' she promised. "The "Brock can't go on tonight," he blurted out.
poor, poor lady. She is almos' like one dead." . Marsh sat bolt upright. "Accident or temperament?"
Abe Green patted her shoulder. ''You're a good kid, "No temperament, Julian. It's the real thing! I guess we
Therese,'' he said. "You've got the idea, all right. I can trust done a little too much meddling for our own good. This is
you." on the leve~ all right. Concussion and a bad strain and the
He was satisfied. With Therese guarding the portals he . doctor said somethin' about her nerves, but that don't sound
feared no intruders. She was as effectual as an angel with a so important to me. Dorothy's out as far as this show's con-
shining sword. He bade her good-by and went to consult with cerned. Do you get that? She's out?"
Julian Marsh. "And what about the chap? Wasn't his name Denning?"
He found Marsh lounging full length on a chaise longue, "He checked out right after she took her fall. Notified the
a book rather ostentatiously propped up beside him. On a desk an' then paid his bill an' skipped. ~cDerm?t; can loc~te
nearby chair sat Billy Lawler. The scene gave the effect of a him, I s'pose, but-what the hell-we ain t worrym about him
hastily devised stage setting. Green mumbled an apology. He now! We got the show on our hands!"
sensed that he had interrupted some sort of tete-a-tete. Julian's "Meaning we must find a new leading lady," snapped
eyes were clouded with an emotion that Abe preferred not to Julian.
,,,,
:');
294 42ND STREE'l'.f 42ND STREET 295
t.·'
"A new leading lady is right! But, my God, where?. The)~ is she lousy! Her showmanship hasn't advanced a day since
movies have got 'em all. Carroll an' Ziegfeld have the beautiful;;¥ Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm!"
girls an' now the movies grab the principals. How the hell',\' "You'd be better off with some kid from the chorus," de-
can I put on shows? I gotta retire!" clared Billy Lawler.
"Marilyn Eaton," suggested Marsh. .1. Abe Green eyed him with disfavor. "I suppose we're gonna
"Tied up with contracts for five years. I couldn't pay her, ' get a little lesson in show business from the juvenile," he
anyway. She wants five per cent of the weekly gi;oss. Can you' sneered.
imagine that?" "Quite possible," rejoined Billy imperturbably.
"Mary Groody." Marsh was enumerating with his fingers.; "Ahl You're still wet behind the ears! Chorus girl. What do
"Impossible! She's in Europe. Couldn't get her back in you think this is? A Paramount Picture, bring the kiddies an'
time even if she'd take the job." let 'em hear about Cinderella? This ain't a movie. Not one
The four or five possibilities Julian named were soon ex"'. of those chisellin' gold diggers knows the first thing about
hausted. That left the theatrical agents. showmanship."
"I better get busy sending wires," decided Abe Gree "Very well. Forget it. It was only a suggestion," pouted
"Somebody's gotta go on tonight! My God, don't nobody real. Billy.
ize we're givin' a show tonight? An' not even an understudy! "Yeah. An' a lousy one!" grumbled Abe.
We gotta full house comin' an' you know what it'll be like in Billy retired to his corner with a disgruntled shrug. But out
Philadelphia once we have to start refundin' dough. They'll, of the verbal tilt an idea was born. Abe Green was so damn
say the show stinks an' business will be shot for the rest of sure of himself, so positive he knew each and every angle of
the run. My God, Julian, do something will ya? Why ain't: show business. Well, obviously he didn't! No human being
there an understudy? Who can we get? That goddam second~ could be so omniscient.
ingenue sings like a goat-they'd laugh her off the stage..· "Have you two reached a truce?" drawled Julian. "All this
There ain't a woman principal in the whole outfit can handle·· bickering is a great help. Out of such encounters great ideas
the job." are born."
Julian Marsh held up a detaining hand. "Wait a minute! "Aw, that guy gives me a pain, sometimes," Abe growled.
How about Mary Brock, dear Dorothy's sister and faithful · "The guy in question could drop a few hints about man-
imitator? She's played at being an ingenue for the past fifteen agement that might surprise you," retorted Billy. "What was
years. Do you suppose we could beat a little sense and show• wrong with my idea, Julian? Green doesn't like it-he hates
manship into that stupid brain? She's your logical successor · me. If I were Gershwin he'd tell me I wrote bad music. But I
until a name player can be located." say you can pick any kid from that chorus and groom her to
"Mary's restin' up from an operation for appendicitis. If she do Brock's work. What's Brock? The musical comedy ingenue
went out there she'd tear somethin' she can't sew. And, God, , our mothers loved!"
'~,','
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2¢ 42ND STREE'l'~:· 42ND STREET 297
"You'd like to pull down half the dough Brock's gettin',"!n "Without a grain of showmanship. Pretty figure, nice voice,
shouted Abe. "Go ahead. Pan her! Razz the livin' daylights1:~'.l' ingratiating smile. It won't go, Billy. We need more than
outta her. She's a greater artist than you are when she's~!,;" that."
asleep." "Julian-her voice is lovely. You remarked as much your-
Julian ignored him. "You honestly think we have a girl:, self at the dress rehearsal. Above all, she's distinctive. She's
capable of filling Brock's shoes?" he asked Lawler. ;,( easily the outstanding girl in the line. A little more poise,
"I don't know about her shoes. Those suit cases would take)' some intensive coaching and think what might happen. Julian
a bit of filling. But I'll guarantee one thing. I've seen the logi ,· Marsh would have discovered a new star."
cal choice for Brock's successor. She's under your'very nos "Abe was right. Your brain's gone Hollywood," laughed
if you'll take the trouble to look." Julian.
"Abe, leave us for a half hour or so. I can't accomplish: Billy frowned and got up abruptly. "What do you think
anything while you stand there moaning and wheezing,, you'd be doing?" he snapped. "Establishing a precedent? It's
said Julian. happened before!"
"I s'pose you're gonna lissen to your juvenile. Well, it' "But, Billy, the girl's an amateur! Brock's such an easy per-
killin' me. Let him learn to do his own job right before former she's fooled you. That sort of artlessness isn't developed
starts givin' lessons to others." overnight. It took years of training to perfect the coyness that
"All right, Abe, all right!" Julian placated him. "But plea dear Dorothy's public is so mad about."
do as I ask. We're in a bad way, you know, and quarrellin "And which Peggy Sawyer possesses naturally," Billy main-
won'thl" e p. iii' tained.
"Oke! I'll get a bite of supper an' come back. God knows Ir~k: "It's impossible. Do you realize the number of sides she
need air or somepin'." He stamped out of the room, favoring'.!'.~:, must learn?"
Billy with a hard look. ;~) "All right! Cut the part down. Let your comedians have
Billy stared at the closed door. "My pal!" he laughed. ,·'.-''' more to do. God knows we need laughs. Give me another
Julian motioned him to sit down. "See here, hoy, what's thi• number. I haven't a decent chance in the whole show."
great notion of yours? Is there such a girl in our chorus or~ "I'm beginning to see the light. This championing of the
were you merely pulling Abe's leg?" i,·~: company's Cinderella isn't entirely unselfish."
Billy lit a cigarette and sprawled on the divan at Julian's'!} Billy stormed over to the window. "Very well-if you will
side. "Certainly there's a girl, chief. You've been too busy or:, misunderstand me. I tell you, from the first time I met Sawyer,
you'd have noticed her yourself. The Sawyer kid!" , that day when some chorus boy was teaching her a time step,
"Sawyer? Sawyer? Oh, I remember, now. Little Miss Bos.-),, I've watched her. She's decent, she's civilized, she's no more a
ton."
I , ;'" chorus girl at heart than I am. If you don't discover her,
)
"She's the one, chief!" someone else will. I've talked with her now and then in a
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42ND STREET 299

42ND
I want the dance I do with the girls put in the second act. I
'How do you do, nice day, isn't it?' sort of way. She's .
deserve that much consideration, don't I?"
only girl in the show I'd bother with," He shuddered as ht
Marsh shook his head. "It can't be done."
I'
remembered the long weeks of snubbing and innuendoes h•
"Why not?" Lawler demanded. "Brock's out, so there's
had endured. Peggy Sawyer alone had disregarded the hatre4
nobody else to raise a stink. Julian-please, old feller, I need
and contempt of the others and greeted him pleasantly.
more building up. If you put Sawyer in you'll have to
his heart of hearts he was not convinced of her great abili
strengthen the show here and there. Do this for me, chief!
but he felt that her treatment of him should be rewarded an
Now I'm nothing but a glorified chorus boy."
here was the opportunity. Those other trollops would regr
"I'll see about it tomorrow," Julian conceded.
the fact that they hadn't shown him the proper respect~
Billy placed an arm about the older man's shoulder.
"I wonder!" mused Julian. "You've an eye for details I
"Thanks, chief. You can be a swell guy, can't you?"
this, Billy. Let's work the thing out together." He indicat
the place on the chaise longue at his side. Billy hung back. "I can be anything you want," said Julian. "You know it-
"I'm glad to see you appreciate my idea,'' he whined. "G damn your little soul!"
knows I get little er,iough attention." , . .i "You're telling me!" thought Billy sardonically.
"Good Lord, boy, what's wrong? Arent you the JUVe ,, A half hour later Abe Green pounded nervously on the
of a Broadway production? Haven't you been called in at door. Billy admitted him, a superior smile masking the dislike
consultation of the powers that be?" . in his heart. Abe grunted a "hello" and crossed the room to
"I'm in a lousy spot, Julian. Abe Green doesn't like mel,. · the chaise longue where Julian still lounged at ease.
"Abe Green has to like you," declared Julian grimly. "Well?" he demanded. "What's the word?"
Billy went to him. "You're rotten to me, Juli.an," ~e co "Sit down, Abe. You're far too explosive. It's bad for the
plained. "I risk losing the respect of everyone m this da nerves, mine as well as yours."
game just to be with you, and what thanks do I get?" Abe flopped into a chair and lit a cigarette with trembling
"You're wrong, Billy," Marsh extended his hand. "Yo fingers. "The story's all over town," he said. "They're sayin'
know my life means nothing to me if I can't make you happy: we've got a flop on our hands an' Brock is just an alibi."
Billy drew back. "For Christ's sake, stop acting like an ol Julian smiled. "They'll change their tune before tomorrow
auntie" he snarled. "You talk like this when we're alone, b
' . . night," he asserted. "Will you promise not to rave and tear
it's a different story if I try to get a better opportumty m your hair at my suggestions? They're a bit wild, I promise
show." you, but-they're feasible!"
"You're set to good advantage now," Marsh. protested. · ~" "What the hell is feasible? We're all goin' nuts an' you
"Set to good advantage-hell! Two lousy little numbers ~~'~ spring words like that on me! Anything, anything, Julian but
the first act. At the end of the show they ve forgotten I Wat~;i
we gotta give a show tonight!"
ever among those present. Julian, if we put this deal through,
300 42ND 42ND STREET JOI
"My dear man," Marsh cut in, "you can't do that in anyhJ;;i doctor, an' our leadin' lady '11 be about as much of a jazz
ca~;;ell, spring i:. I .know it'll be, rotten-but spri~g it!" /:~fi:; J baby as Lady Macbeth was."
"Abe, see here. The girl I'm thinking of is Sawyer. Know
"There's one girl m Andy Lees chorus who might fit the ; ' ·, 1 her? Probably not. She's hardly the sort to catch your eye.
part." .'~ '
Nevertheless, Sawyer· has appearance, a voice and a charm

"Don't make me laugh! Not out of that gang o' leg lifters!'', that is natural and unspoiled. Furthermore, she carries herself
"Oh, not for tonight. I grant you that. But how does thi& well, she's intelligent and she'll respond to coaching. The part
strike you? We refund all money paid for tonight's per":; must be cut down, of course. All those light comedy sequences
formance. The town must be flooded with publicity regarding will have to go; you can't depend upon a comparative amateur
our dear prima donna's accident. If necessary, we'll have Mary/: ..· 1
to handle that kind of stuff, but the girl will look beautiful in
Brock ready to go on tomorrow, but I think this can be acco~} ·~ that straw spotlight, standing in the manly embrace of Mr
plished without getting another Brock into the mess. We'll,\it John Phillips. Don't take my word alone, Abe. Jerry Cole
take care of all emergencies. Wire every agent in New York.:~W11 '.I will vouch for her voice. It's sweet and true. She's naturally
to have some 'name' lead standing by in the event my plan<:~!~; 1.1 limber and Andy can re-routine Dorothy's specialty, making
won't work. But-we concentrate on a certain little lady from;~~ .~~ it a soft shoe high kicking number instead of a tap dance.
the chor~s, groon: her for the part-and acc~;d ourselves the. 1;~~ ' :j The double dance with Jimmy Allen goes out. Give Allen
honor of mtroducmg a new star to Broadway. . ).\ii;.· . back his solo, Lord knows he deserves the chance. I'll have
"Don't make me laugh. We gotta sell 'em names, nowadays-,k.e;' Sawyer on in the part by tomorrow night. We'll keep Mary
Half that audience was cornin' to see Dorothy Brock tonight.J~t· Brock standing by, but I don't think you'll need her."
What a razzing we'll get when another actress is shoved into :f{\'. . "But who the hell knows Sawyer?" fumed Abe. "I don't
her part-a chorus girl, at that. It won't go, Julian. The even know her myself. I'm selling personalities. You've gotta
notices in the paper ain't strong enough to carry us without do it these days. Maybe Brock ain't no daisy any longer but
Brock's name. Jesus, she's got a public." they fall for her stuff. Then I shove in some trick under-
"Moran will carry it. Moran was a sensation last night." study and, Hooey goes a hundred thousand dollars."
"Who the hell knows Moran?" "I think Peggy Sawyer would fit," interjected Billy Lawler.
"Change your ads in the paper tomorrow. Plug him as Abe glared at him. "So that was your idea I I might've
new sensation. Build him up the way Bert Lahr was buil~ known."
up.'' Billy returned the stare with innocent candor. He was
"Sure-I'll let Mary Brock go on. I can't help myself; but, daring Abe to growl at ,him. Billy felt secure in his domain.
lissen, the public ain't interested in understudies an' flop sis- Marsh got to his feet. Unaccountably Abe•s opposition made
ters. We gotta lightweight show an' I ain't takin' chances. But him confident of Peggy's success. Perhaps Billy was right, after
Mary can't dance-she's still taking treatments from some all. Of such raw materials stars are made. His voice waxed
42ND STREET
302 42ND STREET 303
silken, persuasive. "We've got to face facts about this ~ho':, as though every blonde phenomenon hadn't slept with the
Abe. It's no sensation. The settings are fine; the production 1S · manager the night before."
the sort of thing I always turn out, the music's not bad-but Billy Lawler coughed indignantly and took his golden
they're not laughing. That's fatal. Yo~ kno~ your ~r~adway head from the room. Marsh was too intent on furthering
well enough to understand the point I m trymg to dnve ~ome. Peggy's cause to notice his blunder.
For six years I staged revues that were the most beautifully Green listened attentively. After all, this was more attuned
conceived productions an audience ever looked on. I captured to his ears. He understood an argument concerning the rela-
poetry and symmetry and transla~~d them into :he terms of . tive value of male and female names at the box office.
an ordinary musical show, no cntlc has ever failed to com- .· "Mr. Ziegfeld does it," Julian said. "He paired off a Marilyn
ment on that, but one and all they harped on the leanness of Miller with a Jack Donahue so that the disgustingly glum
my comedy. I paid out thousands of dollars fo~ three or four chap who refuses to fall for golden curls and toothy smiles
chuckles from my audience. Every producer in New York may be snared through his weakness for just another laugh."
has done the same thing. Sheer loveliness won't carry the "D'ye think I can get Hughes?" asked Abe doubtfully.
day. We can't permit our sho': to be beautiful .an~ dun;-b. "He just closed in June Night, so I think you'll be able to
Here's my propasition. Moran is excellent. They 11 hke hu~ bring him to terms. And don't swoon when he mentions his
in New York and work themselves into a lather over the1c salary because good laughs come high. I'll attend to Harvey
new find. But he needs backing up and Mason doesn't pass Mason. It's a dirty job at best."
muster. He's a fine road show performer, totally lacking in Abe was silent for several minutes. He had been swayed by
inspiration. You're paying. him. four hundre.d dollar~ a week Julian's logic, but not so completely as to forget the numerous
to deliver machine-made Imes m a mechanical fashion. You obstacles which lay in his path. It was all very well to talk
pay Brock one thousand dollars to draw patrons to the box · one comedian out of his berth with a few fine flashes of
office. We can't have Brock and we need a name. Very well. rhetoric, but how could one be certain that all these plots
then-give little Sawyer the Brock r&le. She'll be competent, I · and plans would make for an easy and successful solution?
promise you. Then turn the Mason part over to Andrew He, himself, held a sneaking admiration for Harvey Mason's
Hughes. He and Moran will make a grand team of f~n · work. Julian was right, though. The Great American Public
makers. Hughes earns four figures weekly. He really earns it, wouldn't laugh. Mason would be a swell comic for Shubert
Abe. Take Brock's name off the three sheets and substitute revivals and stock company presentations of Gilbert and
Hughes'. Then send out a lot of blah from the press depart- Sullivan, but he was neither subtle nor modern enough to
ment about the thousands of young girls who have been earn Broadway's acclaim. Too bad, but, what the hell, that's
hiding their light under a bushel. Cite Sa':Yer as. an example. show business!
The .dear public always falls for that particular line of bunk, "Who's Hughes' agent?" he asked.
.· !.•
"Max Baum. You'd better send a wire immediately," Julian of time troublesome elements have been disposed of, loose
advised. joints are tightened and the machine achieves its long hoped
"Will you call Sawyer to rehearsal? And talk things over for stride. The evening papers carried front page stories of
with Mary Brock?" pleaded Abe. "My God, I'm near dead the tragic misfortune that had befallen Broadway's "well
already and the trouble ain't half over. Somebody must've put loved star." There were glowing accounts of Dorothy Brock's
the curse on me. We'll prob'ly lose our shirts befdre it's over." popularity with her fellow players-pictures of her West-
"Indeed we won't, Abe. I've never disappointed you yet. chester home-her first three husbands--her sister, who was
Run along and sell your papers. I'll have Peggy Sawyer up in devoted attendance at the sickbed-a list of the various
in the part by tomorrow night. Your immediate concern is musical shows in which the well loved star had glittered. In
disposing of tonight's audience. Give the papers the customary the column devoted to theatrical advertisements appeared a
allotment of slop. That should help." notice, in heavy black type, "Due to the illness of Miss Dorothy
"My God, I hope we can do it. I get goose pimples when I Brock no performance tonight-watch this paper for further
think of a chorus girl in that part! Julian, so help me, this is announcements." In a surprisingly short space of time a long
my last show. I wouldn't go through this again to save my line curved from the box office half way around the block as
dyin' mother. Show business! Aaahl What do they mean, patrons sought the refund promised on the tickets they had
business? It ain't even a racket! It's just an off moment in purchased. The performers in rival attractions were in a fever
somebody's brain. God give me back my cloaks and suits and of speculation. Was this just a stall? Had the opening per-
those good old bargain sales when I was happy!" formance been so ragged that Green and Friedman recognized
.. .,..,,,. ...... 41' . . ...,._ .......... ._. • ................ . the wisdom of not continuing without further rehearsal? The
members of the Pretty Lady company clustered in little
groups about the stage door. Wild rumors filled the air. There
was an atmosphere of fearfulness and uncertainty. Everyone
wondered what the next move would be. For hours, while
IO Green and Friedman were closeted in secrecy, the tide of
doubt surged ever higher.
Harry MacElroy, hurrying across stage in· quest of Peggy
Sawyer, stopped for a moment before the garden bench where
Harvey Mason was stretched full length.
T HERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE WHEELS MOVE SWIFTLY-MO-

ments when that cumbersome machine, the modern musi-
cal comedy, hums in a mad, almost frantic haste. One hour is
"Message for you, Mr Mason," he said.
Mason straightened up and accepted the envelope. A swift
misgiving shot through him. He dreaded to read the contents
sufficient to undo the labor of several days. In that short space of the message; instinct warned him that some cold-blooded
>1,~.f''''
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306 42ND STREE'J.: ;{ _'','. 42ND STREET 30']
fate was about to trick him out of the glory he had hoped to ):' '·. J telegram to his agent. "Out of show. Wire me earliest date
attain. He glanced warily about. No one was watching him.<!{;~;, to open old act." He got up wearily-not because there was
N.ervously he slit open the envelope and removed the enclosed··.'.'/f ~ any place to go, but simply because he felt the need of move-
s~1 • U ment. A chorus girl eyed his white face curiously. She whis-
For a moment it seemed as though his heart must have' l pered to her friend and pointed at the slip of paper which
ceased beating. There were the unbelievable words neatly, :J ~ was clenched tightly in his hand. The whisper went from
typed on the sheet of paper before him. Two brief senten~,; iI group to group. Mason stumbled into the alleyway unheeding.
The whisper grew to a shout. In fifteen minutes the entire
that terminated his Broadway career in as businesslike a man,;., i .i
1
ner as one could wish. No explanation-no apology-a mere chorus knew that Harvey Mason had received his notice.
statement to the effect that his services would no longer Blackout for Mr Mason! Finis! The king is dead-he was a
required two weeks from date. He looked up suddenly. I lousy king, anyway! Long live the king!
credibly enough no one guessed the truth. The buzz of co
versation seethed about him-the piano continued to p Peggy picked her way along the sloping path that led from
out the melody of Manhattan Madness-the tap dancers wcr the stage to the rear of the orchestra. She was puzzled at
at their buck and winging. It was over for him. The decad Harry MacElroy's summons.
of service in vaudeville-the slow, sure progress toward tha~ "The boss wants to see you in the office."
ultimate goal and now-nothing. A slip of paper, "This is b;J' What could that mean? Surely not dismissal. Such details
inform you .••'' Impossible! It might be some ghastly jok were attended to without this fuss and ceremony. An envelope
That fool Moran was up to his practical joking again. with a slip inside-and the execution was performed. The
paragraph from one of the morning papers struck him wi bosses never intruded into such a matter. She walked cau-
disquieting force. "Mason labored in an uninspired manner. tiously through the darkened theatre and came to the small
Hack! Small timer! Back to the three-a-day for you, littl. door under the stairs leading to the balcony. It stood ajar and
feller! Let the South Bends and the Sioux Citys have y glancing inside the room she saw Julian Marsh tilting back
What the hell would you mean on Broadway? You were · in the swivel chair before the desk. The green shaded light
vaudeville ten years? So what? This was the dream of yo beat down upon his head throwing his tired face into relief.
life? So what? You're through now, baby, washed up! They' She thought with a throb of pity how this new obstacle must
let you play your little part a few more times and every sho have wrenched his heart. She knocked timidly, afraid of dis-
there'll be some guy in the audience watching your ever turbing his reverie.
move, pitying you, thinking how he can improve on yo Marsh started. "Yes? Who's there?"
performance, the boy that's going to take your place! He'll "Peggy Sawyer. Harry said you wanted to talk to me."
there on Broadway-the "dear public" will laugh with · "Oh, yes, Miss Sawyer. Come inl"
and to hell with Harvey Mason. Mechanically he worded a,, He rose and bowed as she entered. "Won't you sit over
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _£..._ __:._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.____________ _

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3o8 42 ND STREET 42ND STREET 309
there?" With a nod he indicated the arm chair beside the That's a bit of home town glee club I suppose. Technically
desk. you're a bad dancer, of course, but you handle yourself well.
"Thank you." She slid into the chair and lapsed into si- · The main thing is people like to look at you. Don't think
lence. Her fingers were kneading the handkerchief she carried · these are just idle compliments, Miss Sawyer. I'm merely
into a hard lump. thinking aloud. You see-there must be a successor to Dorothy
"Miss Sawyer-this is your first show, I believe?" Brock and-we've chosen you."
"Yes, Mr Marsh." What was coming? Perhaps out of the The blood thundered through her veins. There was a buzz-
kindness of his heart he felt that the blow should not be dealt ing in her ears. All at once Julian Marsh's voice was faint and
without some word' of explanation. That was it. Julian Marsh far away. A mist swam before her eyes.
was sorry for her. She slumped into the chair, her eyes "Oh-oh, be carefu~ Miss Sawyer. Too much emotion is a
haunted with misery. bad thing for a leading lady." The warning brought her back
Incredibly, he smiled. "Cinderella!" to earth.
"I beg your pardon?" "But, Mr Marsh, 1-1-" and she was crying.
"We've been pleased with your work, Miss Sawyer. You He felt absurdly pleased with himself. There is no grander
make your place in the line outstanding. I heard many favor~ sensation than the abject gratitude of some lesser being.
able comments last night." "I'll do it, Mr Marsh! I feel so ridiculous going on like this
"Oh, thank you." Words of gratitude rushed to her lips. · but-you've no idea. Why, if someone were to promise me
Unless-unless-this was kindly preparation for the sad news heaven on a gold platter I couldn't be happier. I-I-oh, dear,
to follow. there's so much to learn."
"Miss Sawyer-have you played any parts?" "Exactly-we must start at once. I have a copy of your
"Well-one or two amateur shows and four months in the 'sides' here. Mr Lee will spend three hours with you on
local stock company. Of course, I realize that means less than dance routines. You know the songs, I believe. Tomorrow
nothing." morning we'll call Phillips and run through the harmony on
"Mm! I shouldn't say that. The point is-have you sufficient those duets. You're going to be splendid, Miss Sawyer! Billy
confidence to go before an audience and deliver lines without Lawler prophesied as much-and Billy has good judgment,
an attack of stage fright or something stupid like that?" you know! The best of luck!"
Her eyes lightened. A small part, perhaps. A reward for Somehow she found her way out of the office-the manu-
persistent endeavor. Her voice shook a trifle as she answered. script clutched in her hand.
"Oh, yes, indeed, Mr Marsh. In fact, I wanted to talk to you In the New York office of Max Baum a secretary was calling
about some understudy work-later on, when things got more the Lambs Club to ascertain the present address of Andrew
settled. 1-1 know I'm capable." Hughes. The first afternoon train westbound from Pennsyl-
"You've a lovely voice. It stands out clearly above the others. vania Station numbered Hughes among its passengers. Ac-
••
'.}}?
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STREJt'(:~ I!.
I
310 42ND 42ND STREET
~ompanying him ~as the astute Mr Baum, himself. Such an·ild~ mourned Lorraine. "Here I been liftin' my legs in the merry-
merry for five years now an' what do I get but strained liga-
important transaction could not be left to the judgment of an~;J:di '
assistant. Mr Baum in person would superintend the for.;;j;;: 1 · ments and flat feet? Maybe mother was right when she told me
.. ' ·YI!• to be a good girl." ·
ma1ities. ,',:~!.
While Dorothy Brock lay helpless the concentrated forces of~;/: "They coulda done worse," Ann declared. "The kid troups
Pretty Lady strove to eradicate all signs of her presence i~:r '·' like a thoroughbred. And did you get the way she's makin'
the show. Men armed with brushes and buckets of paste wer~ Phillips step? I'm expecting him to lay her to filth any minute.
sent to remove her name from the billboards in front of the. You know, that egg ain't as young as he useter be and when
theatre. The publi~ity department invaded the sacrosanct cot~<~·.· the arteries start to harden the old kicks don't go up so forte."
~er~ where a bewildered Peggy was going through the pre- t~~ "Well, we'll all be gettin' free feels from the new comic, I
hmmarr paces o~ D?rothy Brock's da.nce, t~ demand pictures.~~ can promise you that-so things'll seem natural even though
and ~ life story m time for the mornmg editions. ·.t.~•) old Mason has taken the count," remarked Sophie. "When
Wires were sent to the New York dailies informing thef ·•.•. Hughes gets with any girl he thinks he's Columbus an' starts
dramatic editors of drastic changes being made in the new!!,/ out to discover new land."
production. . :·1~1~ "Boy, how_ those funny guys like to chase!" exclaimed Lor-
raine. "I hear old Lily Lowbottom, Andy Lee's girl friend, ran
. C:r~en and Fned~an ?<>th. as a .business firm and as private7~
mdividuals tore their hair, bit their fingernails and wondered/··~ around with Hughes for a while."
Soon the rumors of this state of affairs reached the ears of\, ( "Yeah? When was this?"
an ever alert chorus girl. She spread the report. In a few hours,fJ1' ,, "Oh, about five abortions ago."
the entire company knew of Peggy's luck. ' :/1,: "My God, what they're doin' to this opera is nobody's
The girls were betting on the likelihood of her success. It is;\&!'~ business," complained Ann Lowell. "Takin' out a swell num-
easy to belittle a more fortunate comrade. Even Ann Lowell;'.~ ber like Hot off the Griddle an' stickin' in that lousy reprise
experienced sharp misgivings. ;,~;. Phillips sings. That boy's falsetto note is all cluttered up with
"Well, if you ask me, it's beginner's luck," snapped Sophie;;~\' adenoids."
Gluck. "A punk like that gettin' such a swell break." ·,~\ "Somebody told me he wears a toupee," ventured Sophie.
"D'ye mean to tell me there ain't dirt there?" demanded ,, 1 ; "That's the bunk. I yanked his hair the other day just to
Lorraine Fleming. ' find out for my own satisfaction an' he yelled bloody murder.
"Din-hell! That kid don't know how to handle the big', Nope-he an' the old wool aren't parting company yet awhile,"
guys yet," scoffed Ann. "Marsh liked her work and-zowie- · volunteered Ann.
she gets the part." ,:d, "I hear the agencies are coming all the way from New
"Score one for the virgins," said Sophie. '*'. York to okay us," Lorraine Fleming put in.
"Well, I'm through. I'm washed up with show business," '>[,·.
....
"Baby, I hope so," sighed Ann. "It'll be my first break in
r l
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____:.JL__ _ _ ___L _ _ _ _ _ --
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312 42ND STREET, I,(~ 42ND STREET

,•) ,'f'i'
three seasons. The minute word gets 'round I'm gonna break' . A prob'ly be okay for Broadway in a couple more seasons, but
out in a new show Cain starts feeding his horses." '·; !.' just now he ain't got finesse. That's why they're bringin' this
"Me, too," sympathized Lorraine. "I'm gonna look me up:,\,· \.~ ~ughes guy .on to support me. Hughes is good too, but he's
a nice quiet nook like salad girl on the Leviathan this season.~'.):.:.':~ kmda had his day and they know he'd take it on the chin
"They say our number with Lawler's gonna be stuck in th¢{::\~. ~nless I. was right back of him to help put a sock into the
second act." •<,. 11 lmes. Didya see the papers? Ev'ry one raved about me."
"Yeah-the little tin soldier gets anything h~ hollers fot•\~~.: ,1 ,
1 "It's swell, all right, Danny, only--"
Well, as far as I'm concerned his mother went to that doctor!,1 ~J, "Only what? For God's sake-are you gonna start crabbin'
" ·'·~?,, again?"
three months too 1ate. · 1\l\~· l
.<.:;~i Ii: "No, Danny. Bye. I'll see you at dinner tonight."
In a sheltered nook Mrs Blair and Polly were devoting theit·f.' ' Danny shifted uneasily. "Well, hon, don't wait too long.
time to a bit of gloating over the unfortunate Dorothy. ii; ~ou know how these things is apt to keep on far into the
"I knew she'd get what was comin' to her," exulted Mothet\\; 1 t;, night. I may have to just run next door to that lunch room
Blair. "The trollop,! Now yo~ be very nic: an' .sw~et to Mt-,)lt~,.· and grab me a sandwich. Maybe you hadn't better figure on
eatin' with me tonight at all."
Marsh, dear, and I m sure we 11 get your high kickmg dan~.<J.'\t.!
put back in the first act. He knows he owes me a debt O~f'.\il!:' "Oh, Danny.': Despite her efforts at self control, Daisy felt
gratitude for warning him about the way that hussy w~·,~;j ; her eyes fill with tears. "I'm so damn lonely in this town.
carryiri' on." ·: (:~~I No?ody to talk to-nobody to eat with. I might jus' as well
'?es, Ma. I sPoke to hi~ alr:ady bu~ h~ said he. was bu~~ii1:! 1: be m a convent."
an for me not to bother him with details like that iust now~~l;.!i;.J,. "Sure, girlie, I know how it is," Danny assented, too eagerly.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I'll make Mr Julian Marsh talk turkey4\1~'.J "Thass why I was thinkin'-mebbe you better run back to
I happen to know a thing or two about the goin's on in ·<i'\,· New York. You got all your girl friends there an' I'm so tied
opera and we'll have that dance put back in or_ else--" · up with all these rehearsals I can't spend no time with yuh.
Maybe you'd be happier back on the Main Drag, huh?"
Danny Moran leaned against the grimy wall of the all.. Y... ,., ,,,: 111. . ~aisy eyed. him ?ist~stfully. Danny strove to look guileless.
and explained the situation to his wife. A cigar protruded frofii.'<i;.· No-I thmk I 11 stick around," she decided. "Y' might
his mouth at a jaunty angle.• The new gray fedora hat wa$\ need me."
cocked at an alarming slant over one eye. . Danny shrugged. "Y' can do whatcha wanta about that " he
"Y' see, Daisy, they fin'lly got wise to themselves they gotta) said. "But remember-I ain't to blame if yuh have a bum
have comedy. All your Brocks an' pretty chorus numbers'.·. time."
don't mean a damn thing. It's the comics who bring the;,1: :; "I won't blame, you, Danny," murmured Daisy.
dough into the box office. Now Harvey's a nice kid an' he'll:); They stood there for several minutes in uncomfortable
11,
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w;.'i
'i#:I,
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:Y
'·. 'ij
·.~.r~.
~I
!
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314 42ND STREET,;; 42ND STREET

·n an i"mproved and smoothly running
silence. Danny had suddenly discovered that he couldn't talk:·~t: newed confidence i
to Daisy. He was getting up in the world while Daisy's affec· ?:1 production.
tions tied her to the small time existence she had always .:~e.:
known. He gave her a perfunctory kiss and went inside the
1
ji
theatre. She lingered at the door just long enough to see him i;~j
put an arm about the waist of Lorraine Fleming and drag' ,1 ;·
her with him, laughing and protesting, until both were lost ·J:~ :
from sight. Her heart filled with an almost insupportable!,,' .
II
pain, Daisy stumbled blindly out of the alley into the hot ;'.f· ·
afternoon sunlight. ''
(,~.:
But the machine could not pause to brood over the desti~ie$)~f NCE AGAIN PAT DENNING RESORTED TO THE CONS?UNG POWERS
of the human beings that were caught up in its motion.,.'.~· Q of Bourbon. His drinking mate had long since departed
Machines are impersonal things not given to introspect and) '. • on unsteady legs, leaving Pat to po?der darkly on a f~tu~e
retrospect. All that driving force was pounding relentlessly~ 1 1
bereft of the three feminine compamons who had grace t e
toward one goal-a successful premiere on Forty-Second Street~(~:· \i da s of his affluence. Now Peggy, Dorothy, and J:my w:re
The unwanted cogs, like Harvey Mason, were cast asid~'.'::~ ,!I ba~ished from his life. There remained only_ an alliance with
Th~ machine would not wait to. c_onsider the unhappiness of!~~!\ a utin Park Avenue dowager whose bumoned feet he had
Daisy Moran, the thwarted ambitions of Dorothy Brock, th~~~,1 ) pikted !ver the dance floor at the Ambassador Hotel. a ~ew
connivings of Billy Lawler. The machine which they had t)i weeks revious. Since that afternoon he had remqi~e a
built with infinite care was now their master. From the low.. ;~, ;,1 memor~ble spark in the ashes of her life and she was ~ireless
liest chorus girl to the resplendent new star, Danny Moran,{ '! in her solicitations for his continued "friendship." _Dnul now
trifling intrigues and jealousies must be put aside-each cog;~'. he had ignored her pitiful entreaties, but faced wi_th the los~
had to function in its proper place. .:.,.. of Dorothy's patronage once more, he made a motion ~owar f
Over all ·presided Julian Marsh-shouting, gesticulating,> the address book which housed the telephone num ers o
coercing. The chorus and principals were the groundlings the various ladies who had proven themselves angels of mercy
whose vision was limited, but the mind of Julian Marsh on previous occasions. . f h
could take wings and view from above, as a panorama, the,' Fortunately the ring of the door bell saved him . rom t .e
consummation of this dire destiny. He wondered which of hi~
musical comedy as a whole. The revisions and excisions went '
ac uaintances was aware of his return from ~he fleshpots o
on ceaselessly throughout the day and night. By the following.
PJladelphia. He pushed the buzzer and awaited events not
evening they would be ready to face their audience with re- ·
42Nn mm;;
without a few qualms, as the recollection of the hard~iled l i !
l
gentlemen who had dogged his steps on two former occaswn~_':' .i1,·'
1
42ND STREET
Amy giggled. "You certainly caught me right on my dig-

nity," she confessed.
was unpleasantly keen. The apartment looked as though ~ ;}f · : He motioned her to a chair and then dropped onto the
cyclone had struck it, but he was beyond caring. Let Fate do ~n;. sofa. He was watching her narrowly, wondering what her
its worst-he had resisted long enough, now he would accept ..~l .; game could be. The old predatory instinct reasserted itself.
all buffetings without complaint. l .. Here was woman motivated by desire and, as such, fair prey
The visitor knocked, and something reminiscent in that.~ ' for·him.
summons stirred hope in Pat Denning's breast. He made haste.·'.~· But this time the terms must be exacting. Anyone who
to open the door and staggered back, dumbfounded, when he t~ acted so abominably as Amy had done must be made to realize
saw Amy Lee confronting him. She stood there, irresolute, as,;:~ . her dependence on the whims of the male.
though uncertain of his greeting. He noted that she was ad. ": ; "I've missed you, Amy," he began. "What a pity our little
mirably gowned in a new and expensive-looking outfit, doubt- di • affair is ended."
less the gift of her beleaguered husband. . "You're just pumping me," she retorted coolly. "You know
"Hello, Amy," said Pat. He stood aside doubtfully, wondet"" you'll jump through the ring the minute I say 'allez oop.'
ing whether she had come to kiss or kill him. Though her Money talks!"
heart was filled with trepidation Amy successfully concealed . He shook his head. "Not this time, dear. I'm a little better
the fact and Pat found it impossible to guess from her de- •· · fixed with worldly goods."
meanor what her errand might be. She was disconcerted. "They told me your show was closed,"
"You're all alone?" she asked, fixing her eye on the bath- . she snapped. "Besides, I heard rumors about shady carryings-
on in Philadelphia. I don't suppose you know a thing about
room door.
"My last visitor has wrung himself out and left," responded : · this Dorothy Brock mess."
"Dorothy Brock? I've not seen her in ages."
Pat. "I get it, Mr La Verne," she baited him.
She gave a satisfied nod and crossed the threshold. The
"La Verne?" he responded equably.
appalling Jitter met her eye and she shuddered. Pat must have "Oh, drop it. Let's get to the point. I had very good reason
been reduced to a pitiable state. .. to believe you were flat once more, what with the show-and
"I thought you'd never come back," said Pat, following her. all that.''
"You don't deserve to see me," she pouted. "You acted like "There were certain investments of mine," he murmured.
a beast." "Ridiculous. You couldn't play the stock market no more 'n
He granted the misdemeanor. "But I was terribly tight," he a new born babe," she sneered. "Try another one!"
apologized. "And you've got such a damnable temper. I hope He did not deign to answer. The next move must be hers.
I didn't hurt you." Amy opened her vanity case and selected a cigarette. Pat
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318 42 ND S TR EE't ,;\' 42ND STREET
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made no attempt to offer her a light. She closed the case with: ~1:: looked badly in the daylight and he knew that whatever
a vindictive snap and demanded matches. He struggled to his' .:i,L attraction she might have held for him was definitely finished.
feet and produced a battered lighter from the drawer of the i ..r He lacked the resolution to tell her so, but if she persisted in
desk. : these coy grimacings he'd be tempted to step out of character.
"You're so very gallant," she remarked acidly. "How'd you like a trip to Paris?" she asked.
"You give me no reason to be," Pat replied. . ''Fine! How'd you like to marry Charles Farrell?" he
She gave a petulant shrug. "I don't see why you treat rne rejoined.
this way. God knows I was good to you. That's my robe: "Don't be such a killjoy, Pat. I really mean it."
you're wearing
~ now." "No thanks. I don't fancy myself stripped to the waist,
He bowed. "I was too drunk to notice what I'd put on," stoking coal."
explained. "With your kind permission I'll retire and tak She fished in her pocketbook and retrieved a crumpled
it off." envelope. "Look at those," she invited.
She lifted her hand. "Don't be silly, Pat. It's foolish to l Pat wondered what sickening plan she had devised this
one little quarrel come between us. We're going to hit it time. He wished she wouldn't use that particular perfume. Its
again, I know." scent was revolting. Amy was tingling with impatience. Oh,
"You broke off yourself," he reminded her. "I'm not chas· well, he'd better get this over with. He slit open the envelope
any women. From now on they're poison to me." and inspected its contents. Instantly a startling conviction
She got up from her chair and squeezed onto the s · overtook him.
beside him. "Darling, can't we let bygones be bygones? I "For Paris?" he inquired. "You and Andy sailing?"
admit I was a bad girl." She shook her head. "Not Andy. I'm through with that
"Don't act like a child, Amy. There's nothing to forgive. bum." ·
don't want to start the rumpus all over again so let's shak "Well, I give up," he sighed. "Don't tell me it's an aged
hands and part good friends." and decrepit mother."
She patted his head. "You can't get away that easy," sh She chuckled. "If the show's closed you won't be doing any~
~d ' thing," she remarked. "How would you like to chaperon little
"Can't I? I know every move in your game, Amy. Yol.l: Amy on her first European jaqnt?"
couldn't fool me-not even if the cards were stacked!" It was his turn to grimace. "No thanks. The strain of shut-
"I've got an ace in the hole, big boy," she boast~. ting my eyes to your more flagrant sins would he too great.
He eyed her cynically. "After the degree of intimacy we As chaperon I would suggest the entire vice squad."
achieved it isn't possible," he murmured. "I'm not as bad as all that," Amy fussed. "And with you
She paused for a moment as though contemplating the sur· along I'd promise to come home every evening before mid-
prise that she was about to spring. He waxed impatient. Amyr, J night."
H
,.!:
r
,
;
.
.
'~·.
'~
He snorted. "What's the game, Amy?" he demanded. disposed of one mate and gained another in a single bold
"We're too wise for pretense." stroke. Doubtless she had cornered the market with charac-
"Just this," she replied. "I'm fed up with Andy. He was a teristic level-headedness and now regarded him as the spoils
pretty good scout but he's gone sour, and I'm not figuring on ·belonging to the victor.
standing by while he carries on with every chorus girl on Well, he'd be damned if he bowed to such a humiliating
Broadway. I'm no dumbbell and I knew a time would come arrangement. Man was still the master and no auburn-haired
when the two of us would have to call it quits. Well, he's in devil could tempt him to forego the upper hand. He knew
Philly now, raising cain with some new jane and I've got how completely at her mercy he would be once the union
plenty on him. Boy, how my detective's report would sell in was consummated. Amy was a fierce and jealous mistress-he
Boston until the censors got hold of it. So little Amy is off trembled at the thought of seeing her robed in the dignity of
for Paris and a divorce. I've got Andy so dazzled he won't wifehood. Terrible to follow the call of her rasping voice, for
know whether he's coming or going, and by the time I get that way madness lay.
through he'll be willing to pay any alimony I want. Besides, She was leaning back against the cushions watching his
I gotta pile of dough speculating on the market. A few of my reaction to her proposal. She was by no means certain of
boy friends wised me up on a coupla good deals an' I'm right success. Pat had deft ways of dealing with feminine capricious-
up in the money. Now I've cleaned up, the coin is rolling in ··· ness. But this time. she would brook no half measures. He
an' it's high time I try to do something about my bright an' must be hers completely, her property, safe from the despoil-
sparklin' future. I want a few laughs out of life. And that's ing hand of treacherous women like Dorothy Brock. They
where you come in. I don't know why, but I've got a weakness · · faced one another like shrewd opponents in the game of barter.
for you. God knows you aren't any prize package and I'll Neither would budge an inch until the other laid his every
probably have to keep an eye on the charge account if I want card on the table. Both were busy with their own thoughts.
you to stay faithful, but it can't be helped. I like you too much' Amy visioned a Paris where the atmosphere loaned a dream
to say good-by without a struggle, so here's the proposition. quality to sin. She was wholly reconciled to the Gallic view-
We head for Paris on the same boat, but occupying different point of morals. Once or twice Pat might slip the leash and
staterooms so it won't look too funny. Then I rush the divorce she would be disposed to condone. But the best fruits of his
through and when the final decree is made I'm thinking very amorous labor must be reserved for her. She was well aware
seriously of becoming the honorable Mrs Patrick Denning." that he was long past his spring blooming and that the ardors
Pat gasped. Shades of the Victorian ladies who pined away he offered would be the result of long practice rather than true
iQ,tO pale spinsterhood if the men of their choice did not deign passion, but she preferred that to the stammering emotion ~
to woo them. The modern woman has her passion regulated the youngsters who desired her. The old adage that pro-
with all the acumen of an efficiency expert, he reflected. It claimed one man supremely desirable to one woman held good
was difficult to believe that this brash young creatu1ftltad ·: in this particular case. Never had she been so stirred as in
the embrace of Pat. If his love making lacked sincerity, it him might have been strong and enduring. More the pity
held a quality of rapture that she found unattainable else- that it was wasted because his feet were so definitely clay.
where. For her it was Pat or the easy promiscuity that prom- Her love necessitated courage and persistence, and he pos-
ised relief from boredom. As far as she was concerned, Andy sessed neither.
was dead. Neither his tears nor his curses could move her. The flagellating truth unnerved him. If he had been born
She realized that he had been nothing more than escape, wealthy-but why waste time with such useless conjectures.
escape from the bondage of the chorus, a means toward the Paris-London-Berlin-the rainbow world which until now
accomplishing of those ends which her determined little mind had been shrouded in the mists of poverty. If one were to
had fixed upon early in life. And once the break was made mourn it was wiser to choose a background of Mediterranean
Andy would be converted to a career of perpetual seduction. skies rather than the mean walls of a Forty-Second Street
There are many, many show girls in the world who are rooming house. If he were tempted to philosophize, he might
eager to listen to the blandishments of those who wield power. remark that his removal from the scene was a stroke of luck
Andy would mourn nothing but the inconvenience of ali- for Peggy. Any happiness that they might find together would
mony. be microscopic. They loved, but Pat was made of the stuff
Pat considered her with the cold, shrewd intellect which which demands far more than affection. Though he might
he had brought to bear on all his affairs. He saw that Amy love deeply, he would inflict bun-better that Peggy forget
possessed the hard perfection of a flawless stone. There was him. He would go away without a word, perhaps a brief
brightness, and beauty, and monetary value. But always the note, nothing more. The episode in Philadelphia would safely
blatant voice would intrude and the sensual mouth would · cauterize the wound caused by his desertion. He looked .into
command surrender to each trifling wish. Amy's eyes. They were bent upon him with an urgent desire.·
And Peggy? A sudden pain contracted his heart. That once He smiled slightly. At least Amy was forthright in her
he had loved sincerely. The bitter remembrance of her de-
bargaining. She did not attempt to cloak her purpose with
parture from his rooms in Philadelphia lay heavily upon him.
shrinking glances. He hoped that he was made of sterner clay
He thought of the promises he had made in the early stages
than Andy, else she would destroy him.
of their friendship. With what nobility he had thrust aside
the shame of his youth. It was so easy to do when hopes beat Amy was beooming impatient. She knew he would accept,
high and the promise of financial freedom rode beside the ultimately, unless some other woman had preceded her with
pleasure of Peggy's companionship. Each dear moment to-
gether came before his eyes and he wondered if the sacrifice
I a more tempting arrangement. This she doubted for she had
acted at the instant news was wired to her of his return from
of that joy would be recompensed by the life Amy proffered. Philadelphia. Private detectiv~s were a valuable source of
j information, all right. It was a dubious manner of approach,
He believed that Peggy had loved him .. This was neither
arrogance nor self deception. He felt thai ;her affection for but she had no notion to let him slip through her_ fingers
I
. ~(
because of false modesty. They were both children of Forty- "Shut up, Flo. This is hard enough without any remarks
Second Street and understood one another. from the gallery."
Despair smote Pat when he viewed the years of atrophy "Sure, babe, I know. An' don't think your old Aunt Jessie
and decay that hovered like so many menacing forms over the isn't proud of her little girl. Once more Old Flo, the pride of
future. By that time Amy might be well content to rid herself the Varicose Brigade, has a chance to say 'I knew her when.'
of him and he must ascertain that the faltering days of his Sure you won't go Hollywood on us, Peggy? Sure you won't
life were well provided for. He would ge~ her to make some dr:g th~ Bosto!1 accent outta mothballs and ritz the old gang?"
allowance which even divorce was powerless to stop. Al- Don t be silly! Read these cues for me like a darling. I'm
ready he knew that he would accept. He marvelled that she ... the world.'s worst actress when ·it comes to remembering
lines."
could face the prospect of those joyless years, but if that wa(·:;,
" ~lC: ac_c~pted the battered script with a sigh of resignation.
her make.up he was content to string along. But what woul<l{
G1rhe, 1t 11 take a shot of adrenaline to get you on that stage
Amy do when the parade of life passed her by, leaving her~~
tonight. You're a nervous wreck. How the hell does Marsh
desolate among the shadows? , J think you're gonna waltz your form through this opera at
He took her in his arms. "But those tickets are for next } su~h short notice? These guys ain't human. If you flop they'll
Tuesday," he protested. "And I've heard it's a hellish job to',;Y raise hell. an' say you ain't, got a spark of genius in you. If
get one's passport." . ,,: ! you put 1t over they say, Not so bad, but it's too bad we
... , ......... ,. · - - ...... t t ; . haven't got our darling Dorothy Brock.' "
"Now! Nowf Mother's little helper. Get over there and
help me put over the big resignation scene at the end of the
first act.''
. "Right!. I can see the tears of your dear public flooding the
I.2 ~isles, wh~le ushers paddle back and forth in gondolas bring-
mg smellmg salts to weak.minded women who have gone
nutty over your emoting."
"One more remark like that, darling, and there won't be
any little Flo to help her girl friend catch the bouquets and
T'S ALL RIGHT, DON. DON T WORRY ABOUT ME, I'LL GET ALONG.~;'
1
Ifaltered.
A career is the main thing. A career-a career-." Peggy ·
tin cans opening night," remarked Peggy.
. me on then. 'Why, l.r-
"Co m.ananne
· . . .' " F Io produced a
bleatmg note that approximated the injured tones of John
"That's three careers the guy has had already," Flo com• Phillips rather well.
mented. "Some baby!" The telephone blasted shrilly. Flo slapped the manuscript
42ND STREE.'11: 42ND STREET
: ':I
against the bureau with a snort of indignation. "Wouldn't ',:j'; "Oh-all right. But if I'm a miserable flop tonight I'll kill
someone call?" she demanded. ·:;' ; you!"
"Perhaps I'd better not answer," said Peggy. "It might be} ; "You couldn't flop, gorgeous. You' re the elect of the gods l"
one of the kids and we haven't any time for a dishing party at' "Be careful! This is a very old hotel. That last remark of
this late date." yours probably cracked the ceiling!"
"Uh-uh," contr~dicted Flo. "Better see who it is. Mayb "How long will you be? And no wisecracks like 'Five foot
Mr Godalmighty Marsh has a few more suggestions for · four!'"
pet protege." , "There's not a wisecrack in my being today. Give me five
Peggy nodded and went over to the telephone which rested.~ minutes I"
on a small table between the twin beds. "Hello," she called. J "My, what a lot of powder your nose needs!"
"Hello, Barrymore!" answered a cheery voice. "Brother: "There are other things that need attention, little boy I"
John and all the kiddies send their very best." "Pardon I'm. Very well, I'll possess my soul in patience.
"Who's this?" demanded Peggy. 4, But have a heart. My digestion is just raring to meet a hunk
"I told you. Brother John. Just at present I'm making a per~? of French pastry.''
sonal appearance under the name of Lawler!" ·· "Right!" She replaced the instrument and danced over to
"Why, Billy! I-I didn't recognize your voice." '~ the window where Flo had been avidly drinking in the con- .
"I'm giving it that well known microphone touch. How doi versation.
you like these juveniles who croon in your ear? Well enough~ "Flo! It's Billy Lawler. He wants me to have tea with him."
"My God-these juveniles with their Oxford complexes!"
to step out for a cup of tea?"
"Aren't you thrilled. Little Peggy's getting up in the world!"
"I couldn't, Billy, even though the microphone touch isz
"Yeah-well, it's no balloon ascension as far as I'm con-
swelll"
cerned. More like an undersea voyage!"
"Why not?"
Peggy drew back offended. "Still harping on Billy's sins,
"I'm up to my--" aren't you?" she snapped. "After all, if it hadn't been for him
"Uh uh! Mustn't say the naughty word!" I'd stiH be kicking my, beds in the merry merry."
"Silly! I was just going to explain that I'm up to my ears "Just like me! I get itl" Flo returned.
.m cues." "Darling, darling, you know I didn't mean that! I just get
"Well, bring the darn part along. I'm a swell coach!" so terribly annoyed at the· attitude everyone in this company
"The boss would kill us both!" takes toward Billy Lawler. He's human like the rest of us,
"Not a chance. Come on. Be a good feller! I'm downstairs isn't he? He's flesh and blood-not a motion picture!"
in your lousy lobby this very minute. Throw on a few ermines "Sometimes I wonder!" vouchsafed Flo. "Anyhow, he's a
and join me." mean baby. I hope you're not going to tell me that he didn't
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328 42 ND STRE&T
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329
get poor Ray Hall fired-and didn't mess things up for Bobby . Ritz Lenox?" he suggested. "It's fairly cool in the Palm Coun
Lynton. Your new friend is death on blondes-male blondes, and it's the only place in Philly where you can get a decent
at any rate. He'll stand for no competition-and if that isn't cup of teal"
low down and 1ousy I don't know what isl" They walked along the street which was baking in the hot
"Well, you're going to do your darndest to be nice to him: afternoon sun.
for my sake," pleaded Peggy. "He's been such a good friend.": "Shouldn't I be highly honored?" teased Peggy.
"Don't worry. I'll be nice for my own sake. Little Flo isn't "On the contrary. After tonight, our roles are reversed. You
dreaming of speaking out of turn and losing her job. She'~ ~; will have become the glamorous leading lady while I remain
girl as knows on what side her bread gathers no moss!" the also-ran juvenile."
"Then help me get beautiful for my grand entrance," Pc "I don't believe it. Everyone thinks you're splendid in the
begged. "I look a fright. Loan me your new ?lue ens part!"
like a good scout?" "Behave yourself! The chorus down to the last hoofer thinks
"Okay-but spill any tea on it and you'll be past tense that I stink! I know-my ears have been wired for sound."
this day forth and even forevermore." "That might be jealousy, you know."
The two girls scurried about the room, opening draw '.'Perhaps: At any rate, I'm not worried about the opinion
spilling the contents on the floor, selecting a stocking her of a gang like that. Thank God, you're getting out of it. You
handkerchief there, until the outfit was complete. Pe ~ever belonged in the chorus, Peggy. I could tell that the .first
stepped up to the mirror and surveyed the effect. She smoot ~1me I spoke to you."
her hair, tucked in a few loose strands at the back of her n "Don't le~ the Boston accent fool you. I'm a pretty hopeless
and turned to Flo. person at times. W~~· if you hadn't dropped into my life I
"Beautiful, Miss America! You get the tin cup!" said should be one of mill10ns of colorless young ladies who hope
Peggy found young Lawler sprawled in an easy chair to land a chorus job from season to season!"
the elevator. He sprang to his feet as she appro~ched, a "You'd never have stayed there. You were bound to rise"
of welcome on his face. · "Thank s,; Mr Alger!" ' .
"Not bad for a novice. When yt>u've been a principal a £ They entered the lobby of the Ritz Lenox. Peggy was im-
months longer you'll learn how to keep expectant mal . , pressed at the self-conscious gentility which bore down upon
waiting for at least an hour." . ('. her from every side. The appointments of the lounge fairly
"I'll never do that," Peggy protested. "But you should have.\ s~rieked expensiveness. The well groomed women moved
seen me. The wrath of God would be a mild burst of temper leisurely as they went their way to various rendezvous. The
compared to what I looked like when you called. This mem~ smartly tailored men talked in tones that fdl gratefully on
orizing of lines has me a nervous wreck!" · her ears after the weeks of association with the Pretty Lady
Billy escorted her from the hotel. "Shall we drop over to the ensemble. She gazed about her entranced. For the first time in
42ND STRltBT 42ND STREET 331
33°
her life she felt that she was definitely a part of these sur- "It's the proper setting for you," Billy retorted. "Look here,
roundings. Hitherto she had scuttled through the foyers of Papa Lawler has a bit of advice to broadcast. You won't be
fashionable hotels, head down, face red with embarrassment offended?"
because she was sure that the flocks of well-dressed men and "Of course not. I'm the world's best listener!"
women must immediately recognize her as an interloper. But "This girl you're rooming with-what's her name?"
now she was privileged to join the gay pageant. She might "Flo Perry. She's a grand scout. We have a million laughs." )
assume the r8le of woman of the world. It made her a little "Yes, I know her. She's been in the merry merry for about
heady with excitement. six years. Never will get any further. You can't afford to be
She clasped Billy's hand. "Oh, Billy! You're such a darling. too friendly with people like that."
Pray for me tonight, won't you? You do think I'll get over?" "Billy-you're not trying to make a snob out of me?"
Her appeal reached him. He was conscious of a definite lik- "Far from it. I'm merely advising you to look out for num-
ing for this young person who was so grateful for his inter- ber one."
vention on her behalf, so appreciative of his talents. It is 1lO "But Flo's been marvellous. I'd have been lost without her."
easy thing to endure the scorn of an entire company, and "Naturally. All this was new to you. But now you've gained
although Billy, aided by ah unimpaired ego, had managed tb a footing and it's time to strike out for yourself. You don't
weather the storm, it had not left him unscathed. He turned need the Flo Perrys of this world. From now on that little
to Peggy as the one human being who seemed to respect him. address of yours should contain only Wickersham phone
None of the others dared defy him openly, but he could not numbers."
hdp but notice their thinly veiled contempt. Peggy was worth "Does yours?" she parried.
cultivating. She might possess the requisite spark and then "Of course," he answered simply.
he would shine in the r8le of her discoverer. Shrewdness an<J "You're by way of being a rather hardened young man,
gratitude for her sincere friendship combined to make Billy aren't you?" she said. ·
Lawler a staunch ally of the fledgling star. Henceforth Peggy~. "If you're not tough, they'll lick you after a few seasons.
would be safe from the caustic tongue of Andy Lee and ~ There's no such thing as sentiment in our business. It's dollars
other dissenters who considered her unfit for the part. Wil~ and sex!"
fully or not, Peggy had gained an important friend. Flattery "And the more sex the more dollars?" she asked.
is the most potent weapon known to show business. "Right. Now, another thing. This chorus boy, you know,
The head waiter favored them with a deferential bow and the one who taught you the time step-what about him?"
ushered them to a table near the fountain. The water £ell "Terry? Well, I've been thinking a lot about Terry. He's
softly into a marble basin and spread out in tiny ripples that a nice boy, but I'd already decided that we weren't the
lapped the sides of the pool. sort who make bosom companions. I'm grateful to Terry and
"This is lovely!" breathed Peggy. for a while I was-well, I hate the word but it certainly ex-
332 42ND STRllT 42ND STREET
333
presses my condition, I was infatuated. He was so darned with Julian Marsh. She knew that Lawler was incapable of
different, Billy. You've no idea how fascinating a young genuine admiration for her. He could never be so completely
roughneck like that can be to a sheltered young lady." selfless as to admire another before himself. But it served his
"I'm glad to hear he's definitely side-tracked. One other- purpose to be seen about town with a comely young woman
that chap I've seen you with once or twice. Tall good-looking who was a figure on the Broadway scene and he was not
fellow who looks like the tailor's delight. Wasn't there some- averse to taking that means of stopping gossip. Well, two
thing a bit phoney abbut that one?" could play that game. There were no Wickersham phone
Peggy flushed. "Oh, Pat Denning!" she replied with forced numbers in her address book, and Sutton Place meant no
lightness. "Just an acquaintance. I-went to dinner with him more to her than a block of apartment houses on the east
a few times and we played around. He's good fun, but I'd side, but Billy would change all that. She would string along
never dream of seriously considering him." with him, and it would be to the mutual benefit of both.
Billy eyed her keenly. "Um! Perhaps not! I hope not, any- Good-by Pat! Good-by Terry! Nice to have known you!
how. Tailor's dummies don't have much future." Pardon me while I climb a few rungs on my ladder! Don't
Peggy remembered the many evenings in the British Tea worry-I shan't tumble! My hands have a firm grip. I know
Room, dining in secluded corners, watching the smoke curl what I'in doing and great heights won't frighten me! It
from the tip of Pat's cigarette, listening to his half tender, flashed through her mind that these were the plottings of a
half mocking love talk. That had been glamour and romance, selfish shallow mind. Her every action might be construed as
No matter how falsely grounded were her hopes for a tlml a deliberate attempt to further her own career at the expense
she had been happy. It was not easy to forget Pat Dennln1. of fatuous admirers. But wasn't that the Forty-Second Street
Billy was speaking. "And that leads quite naturally to the code? What matter if she summarily dismissed Terry from
subject of a new heart interest. How about me?" he~ mind? Another girl would come along and Terry's cup
"You?" Peggy gasped. of JOY would be overflowing once again. She seriously doubted
"Why not? A presentable Broadway juvenile with a 811r for the lasting qualities of Terry's love. Good hearted, well mean-
dancing. Don't I fill the bill? I promise to fulfill my obllp- ing, he was too much a son of the Broadway pavement to
tions to the utmost. Your nights will be filled with the • allow one love to hold his attention indefinitely. Most as-
mosphere of Sutton Place and the Mayfair!" suredly there would be others. For all his boorishness Terry
"What sort of proposal is this?" Peggy demanded. was an attractive boy. Deep rooted in his none too clever
"The usual kind. I'm staking my claim before tht Plrk mind there was a desire to emulate Casanova. That Peggy had
A venue playboys get their chance. You're on the brink of held him decently in check could be accounted for only on
fame, young lady. Snap out of itl" the ground~ that her unfamiliar manner overawed him. If
Peggy considered. Obviously Billy felt that 1uch I _ . Peggy had spoken Terry's language it would have been a
panionship would serve as a smoke screen for hl1 nl•t'- question of here today and gone tomorrow. No, she was w~ll
334 42ND "STllBIT
42ND STREET 335
rid of that entanglement. Terry might fancy himself the
"Lissen, girlie," he said with startling distinctiveness. "Don't
owner of a broken heart for a few weeks, but in the end he'd
think you're fooling anybody just because you've got hair on
find consolation. Pat was definitely out of the picture. That
your chest. Every time you get a lump in your throat you start
once she had been hurt-she was willing to confess that. Pat
sewing baby clothes!" He sailed on, leaving two discomfited
was the sophisticated Prince Charming~e silver screen
hoodlums in his wake.
idol-the dream lover come true. There had been a touch of
Billy nodded in Winslow's direction. "That's what you want
the school-girl-matinee-idol business in their affair. She had
to get away from," he said. "Cheapness! Nastiness! Never
saved him from the consequences of his ill-advised liaison with
mind what people do so long as it's?,ccomplished with an air.
Dorothy Brock and quite unexpectedly profited thereby. They
But a boy like that-! And I'll wager my last dime that you've
were quits. No tears! No regrets! Pat had the right idea. He
been on parties with him, had to laugh with him and treat
knew it all along. Good luck, Pat, but you've chosen a tough
him as an equal."
road. Remained Billy Lawler.
"Oh, Jack means well," said Peggy rather feebly.
"When do we start the rounds?" she asked Billy.
"Means well! Meahs well!" stormed Billy. "What of it?
"The minute we're back in God's country. I'm going to the
opening dance at the Mayfair with friends and of course you'll People like that can't get you a thing. If you must know
come along." , immoral folks get those who have graduated with honors,
"Should I find myself some broker with a penchant for sup- ·V not dirty little failures who are bound straight for perdition!"
parting unprotected ingenues ?" she asked. Billy's counsel ended as they reached the steps of the hotel.
"And have you live in 'Wicker-shame'? Heaven forbid!" he He had forgotten his irritation by then and turned to Peggy
answered. with a disarming smile.
They left the Palm Court and strolled along Broad Street to "Thanks for the company, girl friend," he said. "As an
the street where Peggy's hotel was situated. Peggy noticed a inaugural party it was a great success. Many .happy returns
languid figure walking ahead of them, his hips swaying in 1 of the day."
sort of rhythmic undulation. Two sidewalk hangers-on. "Billy, it's been grand. I loved every minute of it-and now
lounging in front of a cigar store, sighted this person in U.. as penance for being too happy I'll run upstairs and study that
same moment. One of them emitted a derisive laugh and the damned part."
other called, "Don't let it faze you, child. No one expects the impossible
"Whoops, dearie, mind all the bad men or they11 change tonight. Just stand out there, smile for all you're worth and
your name to Brown!" nature will take its course. They're bound to love you-they
The figure turned regally. Peggy gasped. It was Jack won't be able to help themselves. I think you're a knockout
Winslow. He drew up haughtily and turned a withering and I'm a lousy bum. If you don't believe it, ask your
glance on the hecklers. roommate."
4:2ND STREIT 42ND STREET 337
He waved good-by and hurried down the street. She stood unhappiness. Vale Terry! Vale Pat! Long live Billy! No--
looking after him for a long while, unconscious of the scru· that was wrong-long live Peggy Sawyer!
tiny of passersby. Billy was great! Let the rest of the world
rail against him, she'd take him on good faith. She ran quickly
up the steps and collided with Terry Neill.
"Hello, kid," he said. "Just called your room. Flo said you
was out-havin' tea with Lawler or some bunk like that.
What's that dame tryin' to do? Take me for a buggy ride~"
"No, Terry. We've been to the Ritz Lenox together. He'1
awfully nice."
"God, yes, he's just too ducky for words!" Terry grunted,
"Oh, well-" her eyes flashed displeasure. She shook hereelf
free of Terry's grasp and went into the lobby. He followed her,
"Can I see you for a few minutes?" he inquired.
"Not now, Terry. I'm terribly busy. I've three whole ecena
0 NCE AGAIN ABE GREEN STOOD AT THE REAR OF THE ORCHESTRA,
Once again the surcharged atmosphere of opening night
on Broadway enveloped him.
to study." In they came, this gay, glittering collection of amusement
"Just as you say. You had time for Lawler though!" seekers, heedless of the shabby little man who crouched against
"That's different!" the staircase leading to the first balcony. He swept them with
"Oh? Well, pardon my broken elbow. I'll be seeing youl" his avid gaze.
He started away. The florid countenance of a leading financier and self-ap-
"Terry," she called. Pointed patron of the arts. Close behind, Beatrice Lawrence,
He turned, eagerly, and she knew it must be now. She trailing her languid English self down the sloping aisle to a
braced herself. front row seat. Abe Green smiled grimly as he thought of the
"Terry, I don't think there'll be much chance for playlq feud which had existed between Lawrence and Dorothy Brock.
around after this. I've got so darned much to learn," 1he bc11n, Dorothy had occupied a chair in Row A at the premiere of
He silenced her. "Save the actin' for upstairs," he advllld, Lawrence's first American musical comedy. There she sat,
"Don't worry, I get it. I guess I really caught the idea the ruffiing the pages of her program, an ermine wrap draped
night of the party. Well, good luck, baby, and don't think you loosely about her shoulders. Whenever la Lawrence bounded
can make me sore!" upon the scene Dorothy's gaze dropped and she became intent
He strode away, shoulders squared truculently. She wanted upon her program. Lawrence was furious; Dorothy's dis-
to feel sorry for him, but there was no room in her he&&rt fur courtesy was so glaringly obvious. She made her exit cursing
fiercely, and then was moved to comment bitterly, "Oh, well, himself, hadn't the nerve for that sort of thing. The girl had
she'll have to take the coat back in the morning, anyway." come through like a thoroughbred in her Philadelphia show-
Now it was Lawrence who occupied that choice location . ing. Night after night brought a sureness, a quality to her
of the exhibitionist, the front row seat on the aisle, but Dorothf/' playing. She lost the novice's timidity without sacrificing that
Brock would be missing. He wondered what Lawrence freshness and spontaneity which had first commended her to
thought of this latest turn in the fortunes of her rival. Intense Julian Marsh. But this was an unheard of stunt! If they
as their competition had been, Green knew that hatred soon pulled it off, well and good. If not, how Forty-Second Street
vanishes when the foe is crushed. No doubt Beatrice Lawrence would howl.
could find it in her heart to feel sorry for Dorothy Brock. The chattering of a belated group distracted him. He saw a
The overture had ended; the marvellous blue curtain, pet theatrical agent, looking like a bloated vulture, escorting his
extravagance of Julian Marsh, parted and the thrice familiar latest blonde protege to her seat. Someone had described Louis
setting greeted Abe's gaze. Cold, shuddering nausea gripped Hearn, rather aptly, as an abortion that lived. Hearn was the
him. He and hfr partner had the temerity to launch a new partner of Pete Dexter, but although he had played second
star on Forty-Second Street. Here in the spot hallowed by the fiddle to Dexter for years his natural astuteness had asserted
Millers, the Eatons and the Astaires of the show world, he itself and now his was the guiding hand in the office of Pete
was robing a newcomer in the finery of stardom. The tabloid Dexter and Louis Hearn. He was a little man who wore
newspapers had made known Peggy's name to their hosts of exaggerated heels to lend height to his short, misshapen
readers, the heraldings of the press agent had stirred up a body. He fancied himself a Casanova and wooed one by one
modicum of interest among the Broadway wise folk, but the the younger ladies of the Broadway musicals. They accepted
attitude of the general public remained on the knees of the his dinner invitations because he was the Open, Sesame to
gods. In these days of motion picture presentation and the ,. many a closed door, but they did so with a quiet laugh at the
novelty of the talkies it was a brave firm that dared present expense of his vaulting ego. Hearn's face resembled nothing
an untasted morsel to the Broadway palate. If they rejected so much as a cartoon marvellously endowed with flesh and
Peggy it meant the end. One hundred thousand dollars gone blood. His unfortunate nose was the subject of much sotto
to smash. Marsh must have been mad to suggest a simpering voce kidding. "Any time anything is lost they look in Louis
tyro as the leading lady for his production. Hearn's nose for it," one humorist had remarked. "And once
And the fifteen hundred that went every week to Andrew they found a Belasco stage setting there."
Hughes! Good comedians certainly came high. Hughes was Rival managers and their mistresses were coming in. Unem-
known while Harvey Mason had been merely a competent ployed hoofers crowded to the orchestra rail, jealously guard-
journeyman. That cost the organization one thousand dollars ing their allotments of standing room.
more a week. He knew that Si Friedman would be fluttering A crashing thunder of applause startled Abe Green. That
about Peggy's dressing room, encouraging and cajoling. He, opening chorus again. Four nights in succession had witnessed
340 42ND STRllT 42ND STREET
just such a demonstration. Even Philadelphia had recognized of her low comedians. The crasser their manners and the
the number as a masterpiece of adroit footwork. Now Forty• more shocking their deportment in real life the better liked
Second Street had set the final seal of approval upon Andy they are by a vast public. It was too bad about Danny and
Lee's footwork. Abe glanced at the indistinct figure lounging Daisy-but that was the way things happen. Abe had noticed
near the door. The man looked up, caught his gaze, and a her a quarter of an hour before, a forlorn figure in her gaudy
smile passed between them. evening clothes. Poor Daisy, utterly lacking in taste and
"Great stuff, kid," whispered Green, and although Andy finesse, left high and dry on the shoals of mediocrity while
could not understand the words he knew that the boss waa Danny sailed past her-into the realm of the favored of
beaming. Broadway. There were rumors of separation and divorce.
"He'd better grin," thought Andy, aggressively. "Ziegfeld'll They were no longer living together. The hour of Danny's
be calling me after tonight and then Green an' Friedman 've triumph must have seemed peculiarly empty to Daisy. Abe
gotta dig up a new dance director. I'm through with them remembered that Danny was the latest recipient of Lorraine
two tightwads." Fleming's smiles. Danny was caught in the maelstrom all
He wished Amy might have been present. Funny how right!
lonely a guy felt when someone he thought he hated walked He was conscious of someone nearby pounding his palms
out on him. It must be his pride, for he and Amy had been together in a frenzy of acclaim. Harvey Mason I He wanted
washed up for months. He knew there was another man, to slink guiltily away when he thought how terribly he had
though no definite proof existed. Amy was a wise child. blasted Mason',s hopes. Dear Christ, don't let that fellow turn
She'd eaten her cake and still intended to keep it. Andy Lee's around and see me now! I'd feel so cheap!
money was welcome either as an allowance or alimony. It was Billy Lawler bounced on in a veritable frenzy of youth.
all the same to her. She didn't give a damn. Andy wished he There was a smattering of applause from a few oversexed
felt easier about the mess. Why couldn't he dismiss her with
matrons and three or four Park A venue homosexuals. "The
a casual good riddance? The way he figured, we're funny
belles stick together on a night like this," thought Abe.
guys, we human beings; never satisfied, just natural hogs
A slight figure was moving in the yellow. circle of the spot-
who gave happiness a swift kick in the ribs and then went
light. Slim legs kicked far above the head with its mass of
around yelling because they'd lost the thing they kicked.
The moment of Peggy's entrance drew near. Green was in tossing curls. Abe chuckled. Polly in her glory. With the seces~
acute agony. For one dreadful second he prayed for some sion of Brock, the Blairs had come into their own. Every
miracle by which Dorothy Brock might be substituted for this evening had witnessed a complete "show stop" for the little
new uncertain quantity. specialty dancer. Each night must have found Mrs Blair
Listen to that reception for Danny Moran! They were deter- down on her knees thanking God for the effect her treachery
mined to like him. Forty-Second Street so often makes fetishes to Dorothy Brock had produced.
And more and more imminent was the entrance of Peggy was staring up at her with an admiriJg grin. Out there, they
Sawyer. were quiet. "Please, God, don't let me down now!"
Oh, dear God, please make them like her, please make She sang:
them like her!
In the wings Peggy shivered. So must the Christian martyrs Beyond the far horizon lies
have suffered as they waited outside the Roman arena. But A lovely sort of paradise
those weren't lions out there beyond the footlights; they were Which some men call the rainbow's end.
human beings like herself, anxious to give a newcomer en-
couragement. She braced herself, patted the wave in her hair, The notes poured forth sweetly and with assurance. She
placed her hands on her hips and stretched the muscles in took new heart.
her back; and then-the cue.
She heard a whisper, "Sock 'em, kid," and saw Terry, his It's where the winds are lulled to rest
face almost obscured in the sudden mist which swam before Not to the East-not to the West
her eyes. Of fact and fancy it's a blend.
She emerged, molelike, from the blackness of back stage,
into the all-revealing glow of the spotlight. A dull murmur "You've even got Beatrice Lawrence jealous," whispered
that swelled into tumult-a many-colored blur out there in Phillips.
the distance that swayed and murmured.
She stood uncertain for a moment and then began to speak. Of such a spot logicians are derisive
Her voice sounded strained and unnatural to her own ears. Deny that it exists, in tones incisive
Oh God, don't let my voice go back on me; make them love But you and I are dreamers-and dreamers always go
me, love me, love mel To Lands of Milk and Honey that wise men never know.
She was gaining confidence; objects which had been shad-
owy outlines were now clarified and became the well remem- . "One-two-three-four-chorus," said John Phillips, laugh-
bered set pieces of these past eight weeks. Why, this was easy! 10g at her.
Exultation throbbed warmly through her being. This was like "Bless him for being a good sport," she thought.
taking candy from a baby.
The quaver departed from her throat-she smiled confi- There's not a cloud in the sky
dently into the eyes of John Phillips. And the days will drift by
"You're a knock out," he told her softly. In the Land Where My Dreams Come True.
It was the hour for the fateful duet. She sat beside Phillips I'll hear a song on the breeze
on the garden bench. The leader's baton poised nervously; he As it moves through the trees
344 42ND' STREET
42N D STREET 345
In the Land Where My Dreams Come True. and louder. She whirled across the apron, landed safely in
I'll find the air as sweet as honey · Phillips' arms, and it was over.
Won't have to give a care for money The beating of palms was like the roar of the sea. Th~y
My laugh will ring long and loud took their bows. On, on, insistent as a tidal wave, not to be
Far away from the crowd denied stormed the applause. They counted the bows-six of
In the Land Where My Dreams Come True. them-and Peggy knew that she had tasted triumph.
~Well, kid, you did the trick," shouted Harry MacElroy.
She stopped. Yes, they applauded again; not riotously, but ·"Wasn't it wonderfull" she cried. "And, Harry, tell
with appreciation. She turned toward John Phillips. Now Phillips not to start the second verse so soon, will you? Who
they were no longer Peggy Sawyer and John Phillips, these the hell does he think he is?"
two, they were lovers. She nestled close in his arms, while he
poured out his heart in melody.
Some segment of her brain was noting the reaction of
Beatrice Lawrence to all this. Lawrence, who hated all lead-
ing ladies on general principle, and American leading ladies
in particular. Yes, Lawrence had forgotten her air of bore-
dom; she was actually looking up.
And now the dance-fleetly their feet traversed the ground
cloth, then down to the apron where the metal cleats on their
shoes marked out a sharp rhythm. A burst of hand clapping
interrupted the routine, from time to time, and that murmur /~ I
of approval which any performer hopes to hear stole over the

house.
In the wings she saw the beaming faces of the chorus-out
there the slight smile on the mouth of Beatrice Lawrence.
This was living-this was achievement-this was the star of
Peggy .Sawyer in the ascendant. She flung a smile to John
Phillips and executed the complicated "break" that Andy
Lee had taught her.
The music swelled as the end of the dance drew near. The
saxophones blared, the tom tom of the drum thudded louder

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BOOK I

. ...... ·--· .............. . 42ND STREET 7

16 4:2ND STREET 4:2ND STREET

18 42ND STB.E!'l'' 42ND STREET

22 42ND STREET 42ND STREET 23

torn out, to be replaced by others even more difficult.

"Puppies on the bum?" she asked.

"The lady with the dog," suggested Julian Marsh.

o'clock but there's nothing ~ do until then except to drop

times. If you. have supper with a man you're his mistress;

pavement relentless as a tide. The theatre signs seemed to in-

But something had been phoney. God knows he didn't fool

with a muttered apology and Friedman stood his grourid and

"I'm not going to permit it," she said firmly.

necticut so that we might be alone without any fear of dis-

He turned on the switch and pressed the starter. "As though

the Butterfield time, so I'tn going back to my old ·job as the,1

"Eighty-five dollars, Andy. It's a real bargain," Lorraine's

"Nothing! I don't know many people

he didn't let the dame be." :;,

And while these events were taking place, Pretty Lady w ,

T HE SWELTERING DOG DAYS OF AUGUST RELINQUISHED THEIR

footlights to inquire how long before the rehearsal started.

::220 42ND 42ND STREET 22I

222 42ND STREET 42ND STREET

his blundering. Daisy made him feel a bit sheepish, of late,

250 42ND STllEEoi,

254 42ND STREE'l' 42ND STREET 255

poser of the show, Richard Endicott, and Mary Brock, a <

fragile, rather pretty child, who aped the manners of her

~~ Dorothy's gaze took in the horde of guests and she began

T HE ROOM CLERK AT mE RITZ LENOX WAS A FOREBEAR

_____________________________ ______________ .._ ~--- -·--·---··-·-·------·---···----·-

hopelessness swept over him. The inert shape lying quietly ..

see. To him there was something sickening and unholy in

42ND STREET 299

Nevertheless, Sawyer· has appearance, a voice and a charm

T HERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE WHEELS MOVE SWIFTLY-MO-

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _£..._ __:._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.____________ _

310 42ND 42ND STREET

312 42ND STREET, I,(~ 42ND STREET

314 42ND STREET,;; 42ND STREET

Amy giggled. "You certainly caught me right on my dig-

of approval which any performer hopes to hear stole over the

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_______________ .._ ~--- -·--·---··-·-·------·---···----·-