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Behi the Make-Up -K fascinating Portrait of the Jewish, face of 'Broadway irrelevant chatter after you read Skolsky’s Portraits. Skolsky gives you a feeling which no other writer manages to convey. He makes you feel that the sub jects of his biographical sketches are your intimate friends who confessed to you their most innermost thoughts, their most personal habits and the very tempo of their existence. As one commentator puts it: “A thumbnail Boswell. Most biographers tell three Per cent of what People want to know. Skolsky makes it 100 per cent." If you wish to know all about the Jew ish celebrities of Broadway in compact and fascinating fashion—read Sidney Skol- sky’s portrait of the Jew ish Face of Broadway. George Gershwin IVas fired because an actor complained he couldn't play Piano." Irving Berlin “Thinks he is a good stud Poker player." may compose or a bathrobe— Samuel Lionel Rothafel (Roxy) "Has four secretaries. Yet does most of his work himself." Can’t Get Them and When You’ve Got Them You Don’t Want Them,” he sold to Harry von Tilzer for five dollars. Hates cards. His favorite game is backgammon. Occasionally he shoots craps. He once worked as relief pi anist at Fox’s City Theatre. Was fired because an actor com plained that he didn’t know how to play the piano. His first piano teacher, whose mem ory he cherishes, was Charles Hambitzer. His present teacher, Mine. Boulanger is in Paris. The first time he went to Paris to study he came back with a trunkful of shirts and ties. On his last trip he returned with a $10,000 organ. The first long piece he ever wrote was not ‘‘The Rhapsody in Blue.” But one called “135th Street.” It was performed by Paul Whiteman in the Scandals of 1921 for one performance only. It was taken out because it was too sad. He is very particular about his clothes which are made to order. Even when he made only $25 a week he spent $22 for a pair of shoes. Writes whenever the mood seizes him. He may have just returned home after a party and still attired in his evening clothes he will sit down at the piano. Or he wearing pajamas or even nude. He is physically very strong. Especially his arms which arc powerful. He is a swell wrestler. His brother Ira writes the lyrics for his songs. Before, Irving Caesar and Buddy De Sylva had the honor. “The Rhapsody in Blue" was played for the first time, February 12, 1924, at Aeolian Hall. It took him three months to write it. It took him eight months to write “An American in Paris.' His first real popular song hit was “Swanee.' This was written for the revue that opened the Capitol Theatre. Is bashful about playing the piano at parties. He has to be coaxed. Once he starts, how ever, you can’t stop him. He says: "Aou see the trouble is, when I don’t play I don t have a good time. In the volume called Great Composers .As Children he is the onlv living composer listed. One evening the family was discussing the new Einstein paper. George expressed hi> surprise at the compact ness of the scientific vocabulary. He said. “Imagine working twenty years and put ting your results into three pages. said Papa Gershwin, “it was probably very small print.” Whenever his sister Frances has an auditi- n i° r a job he goes along and plays the piano for Dr. When rehearsing a new song he spends '° ur> singing his songs to the chorus. Victor Herbert once offered to teach him o tration but died. He studied at Columb two months. Then quit. (Please turn to pa± 23) Eddie Cantor "He hates bad wine, bad women and bad songs." a Turkish bath place and was a bookie. Morris also entertains by imitating a trumpet. George took his first piano lesson when he was thirteen. His boyhood idols were Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin. The thing he values most is an autographed photograph of King George of England. It bears this inscription: “From George to George.” He wrote his first song when he was fourteen. It was a nameless tango. His second composition (now he had learned to title them) was “Since I Found You.” It was never published. His first published songs, “When You Want Them You Fannie Brice "Never feels better than when she is expecting a baby." No man knows Broadway better and more intimately than Sidney Skolsky, the brilliant columnist of the NEW YORK NEWS, whose tintypes of Broadway personali ties are of more than passing interest. In his miniature- portraits Skolsky not only gives you the composite human face of Broadway but most skilful close-ups of the Heroes of Mazda Lane. We have selected for this cross section of Jewish Broadway GEORGE GERSHWIN, SAMUEL LIONEL ROTHAFEL, IRV ING BERLIN, FANNIE BRICE, and EDDIE CAN TOR. These names have become household words through out the country. They are part and parcel of con temporary America. Whatever you read about GEORGE GERSHWIN, SAMUEL LIONEL ROTH AFEL, IRVING BERLIN, FANNIE BRICE and EDDIE CANTOR in the past in the innumerable articles that have been written about them—will appear to you George Gershwin A MAN of note was born in Brooklyn, Sep tember 26, 1898, and came to this country at the age of six weeks. Has two brothers, Ira and Arthur, one sister, Frances. As a youngster he was the champion roller skater of his neighborhood. Smokes a cigar out of the side of his mouth and wears a high hat grace fully. He didn’t start to smoke until he was twenty. His father, Morris, because of his unconscious humor, is the life of all the Gershwin parties. Morris has been a designer of fancy uppers for women’s shoes, owned several cigar stores, owned a billiard parlor, owned By Sidney Skolsky [4] * THE SOUTHERN ISRAF"X&