Thompson 340308

Cliffside, March 7 — Andrew Love, general gadder abouter, is back in town after a visit to Miami Beach. Andy as the boys know him, tells me that he visited “The Bagdad” and Bounche’s “Villa Venice” clubs on the sands at the beach. During his rounds of Miami, Andy had closeup glimpses of Primo Carnera, Harry Richman, Estelle Taylor and at the Miami theatre, Gene Raymond, who is doing a personal appearance tour. At the greyhound races Andy tells me of seeing the one and only laughable Eddie Cantor, who has been doing some winter vacationing and at the same time meeting his radio contract in a weekly performance which many of you hear. The rhumba, as expected, is rioting Miami, says Andy, the Globe Trotter. I was interested to learn that Andy met a very charming dance duo at the “Villa Venice” club-the young ladies were North Carolinians! They are working at the club and vacationing at the same time. Who says that southerners are slow? Mr. Brisbane will back that up.

Got the jitters: Cautiously making my way across an ice-coated concrete ramp on a recent cold morning, someone called, “Are you slippin’ up on somethin’?” Shirley White would [??] think [??] of that….Talked to Clyde Blanton the other day here from Shelby. His Chinese Chow was along. And reminds me of a lady in a Charlotte bus terminal. She brought her mutt along in a special luggage compartment….. Universal Pictures Corporation stationary has “Carl Laemmle, President” printed in red ink….Called on a young lady recently, She had attended Columbia U in NYC for a year. We got around to talking about feet. Referring to mine she asked, “Do they make shoes any larger than those?” When an older sister or my mother used to wash my ears, I always set up a severe case of coughing (So they would go easy). Now when doing my ears, I automatically start to cough.

I stood on Pennsylvania Avenue one block from the White House on a cold March day. Though rain fell all day and ice clung to newsreel, airplane wings, silk hats were removed. They were removed so the crowds might better see these notables as they executed this famous ride down the avenue-the ceremony of inauguration and retirement of presidents. This president, befreckled, paled, calm, rode in a limousine with the landau arrangement open. It was a terribly winter day for this–a sick president riding in the open. He was a tired man; a job finished.

Andy Love and Spud Crawford, I see, were quite concerned on West Trade in Charlotte Sunday. The bus station, you see, the girls were coming back to school; measles are better I gather.

“Bolero”, a dance-musical show with George Raft and Carole Lombard in connection with Sally Rand’s “Fan Dance” is a bit different from the general run. It is a series of dance episodes showing the rise of a dancer. From the Gay 90’s thru the war of 1918 it goes—he realized his ambition: To own and operate his nite club. Badly gassed he stubbornly persisted in dancing on this particular opening nite. The dance “Bolero” completed, he hears the roaring applause from his audience: his heart seems to fail; he cannot reappear-? He was dead in his dressing room.

Here is something that may well be said in time. I am trying to write. There are no assumptions. In other words, at a later date, remember that I say this: I can’t take it.