Shine on Harvest Moon (Warner Bros.) (1944)

Lucius Henderson and Hal Ford, oldest members of The Lambs, with Joanne Jaape, current Follies beauty. Old-time headliners: Lillian Shaw, Fritzi Scheff, Fred Stone, Duncan Sisters, Eddie Dowling, Rae Samuels, S. Graham, Smith and Dale, Joe Laurie Jr., & Lulu McConnell. * * * However, there was something in the wording of the message pleading for my attendance at the rally of veteran vaudevillians at the musty, delightful old Murray Hill Hotel that apPealed to my well-known zest for nostalgia. I knew the motive behind the party—it was a Bone-too-subtle ture coming into town, “Shine On Harvest Moon,” Purporting to be the story of and about Nora Bayes, Nevertheless, I decided to go. It was a happy decixion. *« * *& _ First of all, the minute you yenter’ the dignified, spacious i of the ancient edifice as the Murray Hill Hotel, you drift right back to another era—to hansom cabs and bustles and peek-a-boo shirtwaists and Tococco decorations. Any secondI expected some floridfaced gay-boy rounder in a silk top hat and a swirling cape and twirling cane to strut by me. é *-_* * Secondly, they had the good sense to pick Mr. Memory Book —thatbappy-go-lucky young wit, Mr. Joe Laurie, Jr., as the emcee. Although Mr. Laurie aftects that Jr. after his name, rup-a-dup-dup of the ballyhoo drums for a pice" Jimmy Durante contributed spontaneous entertainment. Pat Rooney performed one of his famous routines. "Senator" Ford and Fred Stone reminisce about the glories of Nora Bayes. _ Follies beauties of yesteryear and today compare leg imates whisper and foes shout that Mr. Laurie, Jr., was one of the college gentlemen who sent the boy, Abe Lincoln, a book to read by his cabin fireside. This, I know, to be a base canard, x * * At any rate, I realized I was in for happy moments as soon , @s I entered the big ballroom where the party was, for the first two people I spied were those wonderful characters, Fred Stone and J. C. Nugent, in a huddle at a center table. A_ second later, there was a great deal of nolse when OldTimer Jimmy Durante began breaking up the furniture and climbing on ‘the ‘chandeliers while Eddie Jackson did a strut. Ethel Levey. the former Mrs. George M. Cohan. brushed by — explaining she couldn't understand why she was here | at all—at a Warners’ party— since she was just about getting through suing Warners’ for something or other connected with the picture about the late Yankee Doodle Dandy. * *k x | On my way to the bar for my pre-prandial imbibation of aqua needled with lemon juice, Pat Rooney, the dancing man, . stopped me to introduce his brand-new bride—and a few sec| i | onds later there he was up front with his sister, Kate, dancing away like the two of them did in other days and other years ‘way | back when there were older Rooneys in command and these two were the baby newcomers Youngster, Hal Ford, 72 years old, in the, act. jane was a musical *_* * I think the tempestuous, tem; Peramental, glorious personality | we knew as Nora Bayes would | have enjoyed mingling with the’ {crowd assembled there—Ziegfeld , Show-dolls of those more glorious! peaceful days like Gertrude Van-| derbilt, Gladys Feldman, Mar-: garet Stanley, Irene Stephens, Vi | Bowers—and a few of the present laay Ziegfeld lovelies, Joanne By LOUIS SOBOL ————________ : And there, too, was Nora Bayes’ notes, Fri., Mar. 10, 1944—]9 To a Party | Jaape, Felice Ingersoll, Sid Brown and Veronica Byrnes. She might have taken a bit of waltz around the polished floor with Bobby i Clark who was also Present, or | parried repartee with quick-witted ; Lulu McConnell or reminded Kel‘cey Allen that he had written a glowing review of her act so many years ago. Gitz Rice, who wrote the beautifuj ballad of the last war. “Dear Old Pal Of Mine” (how we used to quartette that one in harmony!) was present. Nora might have thrown her arms around good old Eddie Darling | who 50 often booked her into the , Palace; chimed in with the Dunjean Sisters; giggled over Smith and Dale; thrilled to Yvette (evee: and laughed over Senator jza Ford's “and Tom Howard's | gags. x * * They were all there and so ‘were Ted Lewis and Fritzi Scheff and Dan Healy and Rae ‘amuels and Belle Baker .end , Jesse Lasky and the favorite doctor of them all, Leo Michel. son, now so grown up—Peter, a staff sergeant. And her stepson, Jack Norworth's child by another marriage—Pvt, Ned Norworth. *x* k * ;_ And perhaps she would have wept when Lucius Henderson, who | was & vaudeville star when vaudeP ville was in its infancy in Amer ica, got up—89-year-old Lucius Henderson—to be followed by a comedy juvenile more than 40 years ago. . * Well, now you understand why for once I am pleased with myself for not being too high.| hat about a bid to # professional party, planned deliberately for the publicity there was in it, What do I care about motives-— when I can mingle with such grand folks as the ones I have mentioned! x 1944 Yt Happaned. Last Niall Nugent Still Nose-Talker, Says Old Buckeye Friend By Eorl Wilson———_____ “Elliott Nugent tells me,” I casualiy remarked to James MARCH 8, >| Thurber, “that at a certain. poin é furniture. “Also,” I said, consi | reporter you are bored with that you are a v& = glum person but only whe r, Also that when you sta wy] throwing things ¢ . | had the great pleasure of! FY] less. Benchie meeting Gertrude — Vanderbilt, shrick, ‘io he » famous Ziegfeld Follies girl an: pr] “en't have any actress of another day; Fred “ Nugent, the actor-writt®Stone, lugged and healthy-look: Q| teetor. and ‘Thurber, the ing. and the Duncan Sisters (now @/ and humoris:. were fratq of the Sheraton Satire Room) brothers at Ohio State Uni yesterday at a cocktail soiree x] ty whe thrown by Warner Bros. in honor Sy) than a cow ¢ of the new picture, “Shine On, Q] the same scho * Harvest Moon.” This was at ths MT] had left. Th Murray Hill’ Hotel. Miss Vander mained close friends and Wy bit, slim, beminked and. vivaF 3 ing to bust them cious, told me she's in the proz Stall, lean, thin-fin smiled slightly PRESS COVERAGE on N.Y. party included 2 full col. Variety (Joe Laurie Jr.’s col.); Louis Sobol’s syndicated col. in N.Y. Journal; picture breaks in N.Y. Post, PM and World-Telegram; Earl Wilson’s syndicated col. in N.Y. Post, plus coverage by the wire services and national magazines. Set Up Your Own ‘Bayes Party’ Nora Bayes was one of the most “traveled” of theatre headliners. There may be celebrities in your town who recall meeting her. Have them form the nucleus of your own “Friends Of Nora Bayes Party.” Your local N.V.A chapter can help you find them. newspaper or Arrange for newspaper and radio coverage and plan special showing of “Shine On Harvest Moon” as party’s highlight. : Ee : st. Old-time ‘Vaudey ille celebrities join in vocal tnbute to the Sentime ntal Songfest: late Nora Bayes at a party also attended by S Sxt. Peter Bayes. sou of Nora Bayes. and Pvt. Ned Norworth. son of Jack Norworth, Miss Baves vaudeville partner, Reasou for the party; Shine On, Harvest Moon, Warner film of the life and times of Nora Bayes, opens today at the Strand. Seated at the piano (1. to 1.) are S/Sgt. Bayes, Fritzi Scheff and Pvt. Norworth. In the background {also 1. to r.) are Joe Smith. Vivian Duncan, Charles Dale, Rosetta Dimean Smith & Dale Duncan Sisters): Fred Stone. Belle Baker and Joe Laurie. Jr.