Tues., Aug. 13, 1963 The News-Review, Roscburg, Ore. 5
r w I mm ii I J
Jack and Synda
when they were
circuits. At top Synda is shown in a publicity shot taken
when she appeared in a vaudeville show in Chicago with
famed comedian, Raymond Hitchcock. Below, Jack is
shown in the rcle of a drunken jailer, a part he played
six seasons in the Metropolitan Opera House presenta
tion of "Fledermaus" (even though he can't sing).
Thirty years ago when there
were only a Jew real experts each
one had his own specialty. Waldo
mar von Zedtwitz's specialty was
locating the queen of trumps and
his skill in that field has not dimin-
NORTB (D) 13
AK106
V 10 5 3
64
AK943
WEST EAST
AQ9 4532
VKJ42 VA97
A 1073 KJB2
J87 Q102
SOUTH
' .. ' A A J 8 7 4
Q86
Q95
65
Both vulnerable
North East South West
Pass Pass Pass 1
Double Redbi. 1 Pass
Pass 2 4 2 Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead A
ished with the passing years.
West had one of those light open
ing bids that many dupUcate play
ers feel they must make. They
are reallv ant to boomerang when
you are short in spades and sure
enough west found nimseu on lead
against Waldy's two spade con
tract. He opened the ace of diamonds
and continued with a second di
amond to his partner's king. East
led back the seven of hearts. West
won with the jack and returned a
low heart. East's ace of hearts won
that trick and West's king of hearts
was the fifth defensive trick.
West led the seven of clubs and
Waldy finally got the lead with
dummy's king. He needed the rest
of the tricks and the queen of
spades had to be found.
Waldy decided to wait a while
and cashed dummy's ace of clubs.
When West played the eight. Wal
dv led a third club and ruffed it
in his own hand. East showed up
with the queen of that suit, and
the queen of spades was located.
West had only nine points outside
the spade suit. He would have
passed the hand out without that
it roua license to ddivet
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Mann are shown in two poses
active in national performing
How to Find
Trump Queen
(Written For NEA)
By OSWALD JACOBY
queen. So Waldy played West for it
and made the rest of the tricks.
Improve, your bridge gamel
order your copy of "Win at
Bridge With Oswald Jacoby."
. Just send your name, address,
and 50 cents to: Jacoby Bridge,
News-Review, P. 0. Box 1248,
Roseburg, Oregon and a copy
will be mailed to you. Or if you
prefer, copies may be purchased
at the News-Review office.
Q The bidding has been:
East South West North
1 IV Pass 2
Pass ?
You, South, hold:
2 VAQJ785 4 AK9S1
What do you do?
A Bid three clubs only. There
is time (or fireworks later.
TODAY'S QUESTION
Your partner continues with ;
three spades. What do you do
now?
Answer Tomorrow
FAR FROM PEACEFUL
AALBOItG, Denmark (UPI)
A tourist, who thought the zoo's
tigress looked "tame and peace
ful." suffered a badly mauled
hand when he offered the animal
a cigarette Sunday.
"Our tigress is absolutely not
peaceful. And furthermore she
dislikes tobacco," a zoo keeper
said later.
FAIR FINALE: Entertainment - Prizes
rU. Adiiht, 75c
MIITli
Kid., 25
Show Business Pros At Fair Pick
By MRS. MILTON HAMMERSLY,
Stumbling" DcrhaDs best de
scribes Jack Mann's initial step
into the world of the theater, for
certainly the naive farm youth
from rural New York was an un
likely prospect to become a fea
tured Broadway comedian.
Now residing quietly on an acre
age southeast of Drew with his
petite and attractive wife Sydna,
wno was once a ziegieia snow
girl, and her mother, widow of an
internationally famous vaudeville
performer of the Victorian era,
Jack Mann, stage funnyman, be
comes Avery Greenman, private
citizen and adopted Oregonian,
and chuckles at his life story.
Jack drops his acting off stage
and is natural and at ease, but
his mobile and expressive face
often emphasizes his mood as be
talks.
, Ad Starts Career
Even the newspaper advertise
ment in the Cleveland Plaindealer
which started him in show busi
ness was so unlikely as to seem
a brainchild of some publicity
agent seeking good copy for a
client. So far as he knows, it is
the only ad in a general circu
lation newspaper offering work in
show business; such ads usually
appeared only in stage publica
tions. He'd never have seen it any
where else. He did read the news
DaDer. And so beean the story
of the farm boy who could en
tertain his family and friends with
humorous storytelling but who had
to bluff his way when confronted
with actor's lingo, for in the ways
of theater, he was as green as
grass.
Avery ureenman was norn in
Delphi. N. Y. and reared on a
farm near Cazanovia, N. Y. At the
age of 21 he was in Cleveland,
Ohio, dejectedly looking for work
alter nis factory jod nan loraea,
when he and an equally naive
friend decided to answer the news
paper ad for two comedians. They
got the job and found themselves
playing blackface comedy in a
show whose 15 cast members
douhled in Droduction duties and
whose producer-owner was a rank
amateur rignt aiong wun nis nireo
help.
Opera House Rented
The company arrived in the
small town of Lodi, Ohio, for its
first performance, obtained ac
commodations at a boarding house
and rented the opera house, all
on the cuff. On the dav of the
scheduled opening, Jack entered
the haberdashery next door to the
theater to purchase a necktie. In
conversation ne mentioned me
show's opening and was flabber
gasted when the proprietor ad
mitted he was unaware a show
was scheduled in- the neighboring
building. The explanation came
when Jack learned that the owner
producer, in his vast ignorance of
show business, had failed to do
one iota of advertising. As a re
sult, the entire audience consisted
of relatives of the participants.
For the trip back to Cleveland,
thev hitched a ride on a bread
wagon, an air of dejection hang
ing heavily. Without funds, the
owner was ready to disband the
show. An idea hatched in Jack's
fertile brain and he decided to
invest the few dollars remaining
in his pocket to take over the
group. Carefully doling out a dol
lar here and a quarter there to
provide for his cast, Jack ex
plored possibilities in Cleveland,
for there was no money to travel.
Finally, on the outskirts of town.
he found a hall, arranged for rent
on credit, and, wiser after the
Lodi experience, ran an ad in the
newspaper "Show and Dance, One
Dollar."
Instruments Played
Five men in his group played
instruments not good, Jack re
callsbut they became his band.
They took in enough money for
meals and for fare to nearby Ash
tabula Harbor, a resort area.
Describing opening night, Jack
says it rained "cats and dogs"
and the amateurs expected even
worse financial results than before.
Jack, not knowing anything about
money matters, played the show
on a 60-40 split and even lacked
foresight to have a representative
checking attendance to assure ac
curate division of receipts. After
the show, the theater owner came
backstage and handed Jack an
"eye-popping wad" of bills. He
was so surprised and pleased he
accepted the money without ques
tioning such a miracle. Despite
dreary weather, the house had
been packed and it was his good
fortune to have dealt with an hon
est theater owner.
Money Made
With lifted spirits, - the cast
played several other towns and
made good money, Jack recalls.
Then he began to get scared when
he took time to think of the re
sponsibility he bad undertaken as
staee show, and of the cash bank
roll he carried. Such luck just
couldn t last! He decided to play
safe and get his people back home
to Cleveland. Thus ended his first
theatrical venture.
He obtained work as a comed
ian on the Gus Sun Circuit which
presented tabloid musical shows
in small towns of the Midwest
and South not visited by large
touring companies. Nightclub en
gagements took him all over the
I country.
WIN
YOUR WEIGHT
IN NICKELS
or other valuable merchandise
Sunday Evening . Aug. 18-9:00 pm
DOUGLAS
AUGUST 14-18 ROSEBURG
Eventually his talent came to
the attention of George Jessel, who
recognized his comedy potential
and took him under his wing.
In 1941-42, Jack appeared in a
feature comedy role in "High
Kickers" which starred Jessel and
Sophie Tucker. Jack wrote his
own part and was not directed in
the show orders of Jessel him
selfand when Jack's perform
ance wowed the audience. Jessel
expanded the part at the expense
of his own time on stage, an
unheard-of thing for a star ot
his own show to do.
The show ran eight months on
Broadway and drew praise from
critics, but as often happens in
show business, it was not a
money-maker.
Jtsl Praised
Jack has unlimited praise and
goodwill for Jessel and is proud
that he was responsible for Jack's
stage name. The famous man of
the theater, democratic and un
temperamental toward fellow
workers, simply could not remem
ber Avery Greenman. Tiring of
calling him by incorrect names,
he finally dubbed him "Jack
Mann" and the name stuck both
professionally and in private life
thereafter until bis retirement to
Drew, when he and his wife be
came plain citizens again except
tor occasional returns to the foot
lights, such as their upcoming ap
pearance at the Douglas County
Fair.
He chuckles over such unusual
credits as having worked in ro
deos and cannot ride a horse and
having appeared in grand opera
and cannot sing. And he says he
must be one of few actors to
have had the experience of play
ing to an audience gathered in a
corn field near Akron, Ohio, us
ing a truck van for a stage, car
headlights for illumination and a
tent for a dressing room.
During the run of "High Kick
ers" George Jean Nathan, veter
an drama critic whose reviews
were more frequently penned in
acid than the heady wine of
praise, listed Jack's performance
as the outstanding comedian of
the year. That review, together
with many clippings, photographs
programs and other mementos is
displayed on the walls of the
Greenmans' bedroom
In another Broadway musical,
"One Touch of Venus" which
starred Mary Martin, Jack had a
feature comedy role. In 1950 he
played in Mike Todd's "Peep
Show which had a year s run at
the Winter Garden in New York
and drew favorable reviews. When
it closed, he appeared in various
theaters and nightclubs throughout
the country in comedy routines
and ventured into television, where
he was on "Omnibus," "Ed Sul
livan Show," "Comedy Hour,"
and "Ken Murray Show." He was
the summer replacement for Sid
Caesar. In 1959 he signed a con
tract for a four-week run at the
Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. Suc
cess of his act led to renewal
for a like period.
Father Famous
Jack's wife says her career is
of little interest really and that
Jack is the important one. Sydna
was born in the small town of
Wyoming, Ohio, daughter of Sid
J. Black whose performance as
a trick bicycle rider won him
fame and a title as world champ
ion. He appeared in command
performances in England, Germ
any and Japan and performed be
fore packed houses at the Pallad
ium in London and the Winter
Garden in Berlin during the 1890 s.
From her paternal ancestors,
she inherited an inclination to
ward the theater. Her aunt was
a successful Broadway actress
and was famed for her Victorian
beauty. Sydna attended dramatic
and dancing schools and then
played small parts with stock
companies.
W. C. Fields, a close friend and
fellow vaudeville performer of her
father's was a frequent visitor at
JACK MANN made up for his
feature role in High Kick
ers" starred on Broadway with
George Jessel and Sophie
I Tucker.
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the Black home. He sent her to
his own agent in New York and
through him she obtained parts
in Schubert shows as a dancer
and bit player.
Cartor Blossoms
Her career blossomed modest
ly and she was in shows produced
by George White, Earl Carroll
and others of Broadway fame and
had a speaking part in "Show
Boat," produced by the great Flo
Ziegfeld in New York. Among
noted performers with whom she
appeared were Leo Carrillo, Fan
nie Brice, Ted Healy, Charles Win
ninger, Helen Morgan, Phil Baker
and Rudy Vallee.
The noted comedian Raymond
Hitchcock headlined the show in
Chicago in which Sydna appeared
just before the two-a-day vaude
ville shows gave way to the three-a-dav
shows, which marked the
beginning of vaudeville's trail to
virtual oblivion as a medium of
entertainment
After her various Broadway and
road show appearances, she went
to Hollywood under contract to
Paramount Studios and in the tra
dition of many young hopefuls,
collected her salary without much
opportunity to perform. Later at
Fox and MGM she had small
speaking parts and played a role
in "College Rhythm" which starred
Betty Grable, Joe renner ana
Jack Oakie.
About that time, she met Jack
who was appearing at the Holly
wood Playhouse. When their ac
quaintance led to plans for mar
riage, the question of her contin
uing her career was aiscusseu.
Mulling over the numbers of show
neoDle whose marriages had col
lapsed under strain of two ca
reers, Sydna deciaea to iorego me
footlights for the role of house
wife. Nearly 30 years of marriage
attest to the wisdom of that de
cision. Sydna Stands In
She did not appear on stage
again until after they moved to
Drew. The first time Jack was
slated to do a show in Southern
Oregon, the performer who was
to appear with him in a comedy
sketch got such a case of stage
fright at the last, moment she
could not appear. Sydna as the
replacement was the only answer
to save the occasion, and despite
her own stage fright she managed
to substitute commcndably. Ever
since, she has been Jack's co
star. Jack still receives offers
from his agent to do shows, but he
cnooses to confine nis appearances
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iV-S&rV
AND NOW'
The
Manns
are shown here in a typical act
performed recently in Rose
burg. They are scheduled to
play nightly ot the Douglas
County Fair.
to Southern Oregon in order to
enjoy their homo. Ho has even
turned down Portland oppor
tunities. Chance, which had already
played such a part in the couple's
life, was also responsible for their
becoming residents of Drew. Trav
el throughout the United States
had brought them to the conclus
ion that Oregon was their choice
to live in retirement. In tho mid
50's they took time during a trip
through the state to look at some
real estate listings. Nothing of
fered was what they wanted. En
route from Canyonville to Trail,
however, they spied a place with
a forest setting that appealed to
them and had a "for sale" sign
out front. They delayed their trip
overnieht. stopping in Shadv Cove.
and returned next morning to buy
the place.
Next trip east take your
scenery at ay level from
Portland." Family fares
and Coach.
County
X
c X
fl
I the easy way.::
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i