People, Oct. 11, 1937

“Names make news.” Last week these names made this news:

Pennsylvania’s Governor George Howard Earle announced he had just appointed a committee of seven lawyers to study criminal procedure in Pennsylvania. Veteran Harrisburg Newspaperman George Her Fisher asked: “Why don’t you appoint a layman on it?” Governor Earle snapped back: “O. K., you’re on, George.” The appointment was made official.

Mrs Grace Coolidge, widow of the late President of the U. S., contracted for the building of a $25,000, air-conditioned, seven-room house in Northampton, Mass.

Oldtime Actress Maude Adams assumed her duties as professor of drama at Stephen’s College, Columbia, Mo., at a salary of $10,000 for the two months session.

Last month in Hollywood RKO Production Head Sam Briskin sent to Warner Brothers’ Producer Sam Bischoff an extra player who posed as a financier, went through the motions of making a deal to buy Producer Bischoff’s pet electric razor business. Last week Producer Bischoff sent to Production Head Briskin Extra Players Pat Daly, Frank Jaquet, Bill Teelaak who posed as U. S. Congressmen Martin of Mass., King of Utah, Tydings of Maryland; sent with them a Warner Brothers cameraman who posed as a newspaper photographer. Production Head Briskin posed with the three spurious Congressmen (see cut), blushed, bumbled: “Gentlemen, welcome to RKO! We’ll do everything we can to make your stay pleasant.” He had them shown about the studio, introduced to Stars Katharine Hepburn, Helen Broderick, Gary Cooper. Gloated Producer Bischoff: “This evens me up.”

At a luncheon of Chicago’s Executives’ Club, 84-year-old Novelist Opie Read was a guest. He made a speech to 400 people, broadcast over station WJJD. Said he, “Al Dunlap and I were in the same compartment on a train traveling from Stratford-on-Avon to London. Across the aisle sat a very thoughtful-looking Englishman, and in the seat opposite was an American. The American had been talking about the different trees he saw. ‘You seem to be very well acquainted with timber,’ said the Englishman. ‘Yes, I was brought up among them,’ replied the American. ‘Ah, now that big tree over there’ (the train had halted) ‘what is that?’ asked the Englishman. ‘Why that; that’s a beech tree,’ said the man from Illinois. ‘And that little one right next to it, what’s that?’ asked the Englishman. That’s a son of a beech.’ ” At that point station WJJD cut Novelist Opie Read off the air.