Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Allen Theatre
























There was a special celebration of the Allen’s 51st birthday, on Tuesday April 4, 1972. Sally Rand, the famous fan dancer, did two shows, one at 11 AM, where senior citizens were bused in for the event. And an evening show at 7:30. The opening act was a local guy who did impersonations of Al Jolson. I remember after the show, going down to the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel, and listening to Sally tell a bunch of old show biz stories. The next morning, I was sent down the street, with $1,000 in cash in an envelope for Miss Rand. I was so afraid I’d get robbed, I stuffed it inside a book about the 1930’s. I had Sally autograph a page in the book with a photo of herself for my grandmother.

Photo: 1937 photo of Sally Rand, from the Library of Congress.

No comments: