Hollywood Studio Magazine (November 1970)

making me an instant fan. At that first meeting, two individualities of Cohan's were obvious. In a bewitching way, he spoke every word from the left corner of his mouth. And after you'd shaken hands with him, a delightful fragrance lingered on your palm for hours. Cohan bathed his hands in cologne several times a day. I still have a collection of hand-written material of Cohans, and for years, they have carried that fragrance. One of these is a note to me from George M. asking if I would get an enclosed check cashed, so he would have spending money on his return from a day's location. The check, made out simply to "cash", sent me into chilly jitters. It was for $1000, then more than Recommended Auto Services SPECIAL CONSIDERATION TO STUDIO PERSONNEL Specialists on Imported Cars Telephone 877-0226 984-3500 NOW . . . ONE STOP . SERVICE BARRI AUTO WORKS All Mechanical Repairs and Body Work in One Stop 11481 Ventura Blvd., - Studio City foreign car specialists CONTINENTAL AUTO REPAIR DINO SERAGUSA 762-9320 TONY ESPOSITO 4355 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, Calif. 91602 Now TWO Stop Stations DICK and HANK'S . UNIVERSAL CITY SERVICE GARAGE AND GAS STATIONS CHEVRON STATION - STANDARD OIL PRODUCTS Serving Universal City and Surrounding Area for 17 Years WE GIVE BLUE CHIP STAMPS FRONT END. ALIGNMENT \/ BRAKES" yS AIR CONDITIONING TUNE-UP Cars picked-up, •ervicad. washed or polished and delivered while you wprk 3780 Cahuenga Blvd. North Hollywood Telephone PO 6-9606 10600 Ventura Blvd. _ 7 66 -17 7 0 10 weeks salary Tor me. That evening, when my shaking hands delivered the bills, he handed it all to Mike, the valet, who paid for everything, always, because Cohan disliked carrying money. Mike also walked with Cohan. In those days, before the jogging fad, Hollywood stars usually drove from dressing room to sound stage — maybe 200 yards away. One afternoon, before production started, Cohan and Mike hoofed it all the way from Paramount Studios to their bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The walk took three hours, - and they liked it. The promotion geniuses in our New York office sent me a must. Cohan was to write an original song, ''The Country Needs a Man”, (part of the plot, too), for which I was to get publicity as sung by Cohan. Hopefully, one of the political parties would adopt it as a campaign song (neither did) and, once published, it would rival the popularity of "Over There” (they were real dreamers in those days!) Cohan told me he would carry out the request if the studio brought a sliding keyboard piano into his dressing room. (He didn't read music and couldn't transpose.) The music department "bright lads” nearly threw up, but one did show up and Cohan wrote words and music. It wasn't bad. Now to get it introduced. My orders were to effect a public blast off, not just local radio. In those days there was an unbelievable show called the Los Angeles Breakfast Club, which demoted the level of mediocrity for American businessmen below the then-level of Rotary, Kiwanis and Optimists. Weekly, these Babbits met at 7 a.m. to sing thunderous versions of "Smiles" and "By the Light of the Silvery Moon". The club said sure, they'd be happy to have Cohan come sing his new song, if . . . Cohan would submit to initiation as an honorary member. I informed Cohan, "It can't be atrocious." But it was worse. After Cohan had introduced our plug tune, he was blindfolded and led to a gigantic wooden saw horse. Straddling this, he recited some complete idiocy, called an oath, while a balding chortler held the hand of this leading figure in the history of the American theatre, pressed it palm downward into a platter of cool fried eggs and grease-exuding ham. From the front row, I prayed. With eyes closed, I pleaded, "God forgive me my publicity sins." Page 32