Dirt Cheap by Moran Tudury ILLUSTRATED by GEORGE DE ZAYAS

She said, "He really was good, wasn't he? I guess you never can lell about puppies—sometimes they turn out pretty good" Dirt Cheap By Moran Tudury ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE DE ZAYAS T WASN'T Bill Carey's business if She began wiih a good dog. Now she has He was sorry to see her go, because this girl upset herself in that old car she had a lot of attractions that made I —but she had rounded the curve so a good man—and she has a good dog loo up for her bum driving, and he did not closely that she almost wrecked his know when he would see her again. whole station wagon full of fancy as Sometimes, at the bench shows, he had sorted dogs. So he stuck out his head seen pretty girls, but never one like this. and protested, "Going to the races?" They had looked at him impersonally— She was having trouble backing out perhaps because he boarded other peo of the bushes, but called cheerfully, "I would. I never have hurt myself," and squarely at Bill—and all his dogs began ple's dogs and handled them on the can't hear—your dogs are making too added something that really got him: barking like mad again. circuit for twenty bucks a show. It didn't much noise. Can't you shut them up?" "Are you taking those poor beasts to the She smiled reassuringly at Bill's sta bother him, inasmuch as he handled After all, she couldn't help driving dog pound?" tion wagon. "If you'll get over on your dogs because he liked them. A long time that kind of car badly. But Bill was Bill remembered her now, because, side," she asked him as a favor, "I think ago, his own family had had some still worrying over the licking that Bert having seen her down in town once, he I can just make it past. I know I can. money, too—until his father invested Wall had given his canine string at the never would forget her. Her red hair, cut Watch." most of it in an invention that looked Sugar Hill Kennel Club Show, and it like a page boy's, and chalk-blue eyes, He did not tell her that she was on pretty good, but, as it turned out, made him irritable—because he knew were the most remarkable spectacle he the wrong side of the road, but simply couldn't do much of anything except he couldn't go on making a living out had looked upon since the July 4th fire moved over like a gentleman. burn up a lot of oil. of dogs unless they won something. works festival at Big Falls. "Sorry I scared you," she said. "I Bill was in no hurry to get home. He "You might have hurt yourself," he She had finally gotten her car clear, really did scare you, didn't I?" drove slowly, knowing that his kennel told her. and with quite a casual way of doing "You scared me a little," Bill admit partner, Angus MacDulfie, was going to She shook her head. "I don't think I it. Now she flashed across the road. ted, "but forget it." (Continued on page 37J PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED 13 A Bum? By Kyle Crichton Herr Rosenbloom is a student of Sam Goldwyn in diction, a rival oi Earl Carroll in Hollywood night life and Clark Gable's most distant competitor. Maybe all the rest of us are just crazy R. MAXIE ROSENBLOOM has been the light heavyweight boxing champion of the world M and is now a character actor in the movies. Between times he has been a bon vivant, a world traveler, a speed demon, a man-about-town. Al though it would seem difficult to fashion a word to characterize a man of such dimensions, it has been aptly done by Mr. Rosenbloom's host of friends: they refer to him simply and affectionately as a bum. Mr. Rosenbloom established himself as a great motion-picture star by the immortal scene in Nothing Sacred when he called his cousin Moe in Canarsie by phoae from California. "Hello, Moe!" he yelled. "Is that you? I can't hear you." Moe now wants to come out to Hollywood and make jsersonal appearances. At any rate Maxie is now one of the most active of Warner stars, and one who watches keenly as the "B" pictures rush by will see the great man engaged at his art. But this is only one facet of his person ality. Not content with his cinema fame, Mr. Rosenbloom has pushed his cauliflower ear and distin guished countenance into other enterprises and has become part owner and chief entertainer of his own night club. The elegant Hollywood bistro is known as Slapsie Maxie's Place and is the first night club in the world built in an areaway. In its original state it was so small that a customer not only would have been unable to swing a cat within its hallowed walls but would have been fortunate to escape without personal injury. The spectacle of the waiters getting from one paying guest to the next by walking over the interven- WILL CONNELL have been Broadway Cavalier, Always Leave Them Laughing, Women in the Wind, and One Exciting Doing all right for himself after a Night, for which he was loaned to Universal. careless and colorful reign as light All has not been beautiful at the night club, how heavyweight champion is Slapsie ever. In despair at the patrons who came and sang (to the tune of Rosalie), "Rosenbloom, you're lousy; Maxie Rosenbloom, head man of Hol Rosenbloom, you stink," the master instituted for a lywood's zaniest night clnb and be time a cover charge of ten cents "to keep out the riff tween times actor, radio personality raff" but soon relented of his daring and reduced the and man-about-town. Below, a sample figure to five cents when the institution threatened to of the Rosenbloom genius: he pre become too exclusive. pares for his leading role in the skit en His foils in this venture have successively been the titled "Rifka and the Seven Schtoonks" fabulous Joe Frisco, Cully Richards and now Dave Waldron. Business after two years is still terrific, with as many as two hundred eager spenders milling around the sidewalk on a Saturday night, eager to ing tables gave a fetid air of neighborliness to the get inside and insult the owner. On behalf of Mr. joint. In this setting Mr. Rosenbloom entertained Rosenbloom it may be said that he takes all such his customers with songs that displayed his impec joviality in good part, having been called a tramp in cable diction and revealed a voice that seemed to assorted languages through the years and finding the come up out of his innards as if edging its way over honor rather a source of revenue than a handicap in cobblestones. his profession. But if Mr. Rosenbloom's personality is best ob And this typically American triumph has resulted served at his night club, his international prestige entirely from Mr. Rosenbloom's ability to bash the arises from his motion pictures, which are coming so beak of his fellow man while confined within the fast that Maxie can't remember the titles. He works limits of a 20-foot roped enclosure. At the time last at his club till two and three in the morning, sits July when he fought a draw with Bob Pastor in Los around and gasses with the boys till four and is on the Angeles, Maxie had been nineteen years in the ring lot by nine next morning. This gives Mr. Rosen and had taken part in more than four hundred bouts. bloom's acting a quality of fantasy that ends slightly Before drawing with Pastor, he had licked Lou Nova this side of illiteracy. People as far away as Java and Roscoe Toles, a record for an old man. think it is genius. Some of his more recent triumphs As an example for the (Continued on page 56^ PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED.

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