Document text
STATE
NAME OF Aqyeala
ADDRESS
DATE
SUEJECT
Forms to be Filled out for Eacn Interview
FORM 4)
Circumstances of Interview
New York
Terry Roth
47 Stet 69th Street, N.Y.C.
February 20, 1939
Folklore Of Stage Hands 'JUST Ian XI SCHOOL"
1. Date and time c° interview February 208 1939 11 to 4 P.M.
2. Place of interview
Adelphi Theatre
53rd Street A 6th Avenue
New York City
3. Name and address of informant No names to be mentiOned.,
4. Name and address of person, if any, wno put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
Backstage,
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
STATV
OF wonhrp
ADInESS
DATE.
SULJECT
FORI; C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
Now York
Terry Roth
47 Mist 69th Street, N.Y.C.
February 20, 1939
Folklore Of Stage Hands "JUST LIKE IN SCHOOL"
"JUST LINE IN SCHOOL"
FOLid:OBE
NE,' YORK
"Awright, fellehs, bring dat over here. Brine it right out,
youse guys. En wateh haw you talk. Derels a dame here. No deity
talk not much. She'll be like in school. Den e won't be nothin'
you wont know, lady. You, over dere, Never mind de legs. .4atch
dat set. Put one and two up center. Dat odder one. Does die go
strAght acrost? re. Wid a brace troo here. Ah don kno.
tink doe winders a wrong. Somepun outa perportion. YUh know,
Elmer. Dat's de best set he ever done. Die is for de some whore
all de Rotors stink from arlic like a sunoffagun. Dat number 12
up dere is wid yer name on dat. It's cocain' down. Now. How about
dam gas plugs? I give it to Clarkie downstairs. betta cet dam here
de ole man _ants ta 1 ok atta arcs. Well, where de hell is he?
Hey Matt, dat chicken wuz swell. Tree chickens for a buck
an' a half, an' de guy trews in a pound& sauske wid it. Whatta I
know where he Lets 'em. Me no questions ast. Most of de chick-
ens 'round here cost a buck an' a half to take dim outs eat themself.
Now, on doze lights. Dora trowin' away money, 'cause dere coin' ta
boin de God damn tinge out. You got one in, you got 75 amps; you
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got two in, you got 90 amps. Wid de trow, we have 85 feet. Dat should
be 90 amps. Whatya needisa reost!t dat will hold it. Hey Rump! flat's
a prop, dere. Call up de delegate. Ef he says itsa prop, den itsa prop.
Abie's brudder is a wreseller. Don' you know anyting, Sol. One of yer
goils got a billing for de Fair. Sure. Wid Billy de Rose. lie's getting
one hunred goils, an' de rest uf de show's fulls phony lesbians an'
Pansies.
Willay looks de bump on Mike's noodle. Ya see, Miss, what stage
hands gets sometime. 1:et's de bump a knowledge. He bent a pipe over his
dome. Okay, Matt. We plug in tamrrrer mawning. I'm heating de juice
on my board. Lookit dat set. De one wid de Piner color stand. Datgs
where we boin de gin. Say Able, whatta hell is de W.C.U.T. 2?"
"Dem people dat's always wet blanketing de booze."
"Is dat what dat tin, is? Lookit &A 42nd Street prop. Where
is dere a loan shark on Times Square?"
"Hey, Mike, lease dat bump. Jeezez. Is dat dat gam, show where
de guy blew his hand off?"
"Yea. Boy. He wuz running ground like a wild man. I grab ahole
a him an' I make a turnekit from my shoit. All de time he's bleeding
like a pi. An' me, I lost two shoits. fey juiced up de fuss an' put
it in hot for de earthquake. Dey wuz using a little cannon wid shot
gun shells. Cant use dam now or de new code. So dat wuz de foist
night an' he's standing dere wide de cannon in his hand and all ufa
sudden it goes off. You oughta see. fore's blood an' little pieces
a meat is still on de drop."
"Sure. When you get ta making bombs fery Larry anyting kin
happen. One night dey ive me a smoke bomb an' dey LLe it to me fast
an' furious. It goes boom. An' up goes de smoke. You're up dere
religiously, an' doing your woik an' you see de smoke. I die from
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fright. De funny part is I get up an' see doze pilot 11,ht are out.
I'm lookin' at de fuses an' all ufa sudden dey all run an' I see
flame ant smoke. I got de flash dare's sumepun wuz wrong. I
awracst go off dat platform.
Watch Able, kuie is a screara, but he uses his hiad. Ho's
ot brains, Able has. Anadder guy wouldu got hoined. hey, Elmer.
'Lrinp: de Hudson Tubes dawn left staLe. Now, youse guys, put a flat
dere. Mat kinda flat g:2- on dat pole? Dam's signal flags. Lookit
de shape dere in. Lookit Able dere.
Marchin' 1,ackenfore wid de ilk..
He's playinl Charlie Chaplin in 4cshur. Hey, Alle, •i:et de hair
autta yer eyes. Do wood peokers is comins.
De boyer outtine down. Dey know yer here. But you wait.
Dey'll get hot. Just stick aroun'. Lookit dem up dere. Dere doin'
de last scene I wuz a cod goil until Lookit dat stage mane er
beefine about dat set. Say, Able, tell him Goodyear has a lovely
factry. Maybe we oud Let dem to de de sets here. Yea, an ya better
t Kelly. flat electrician ripped out de whole hot line.
Hey, Elmer, dija hear about dat Jewish show. Dey took toiteen
hunred an' forty openin' night. Dey eat dat stuff up out dere in Brook-
lyn. Dey wuz packint 'em in so ast I tought day wuz hangin"em up
on hooks in dere.
Hello, She' a dancer. he calls 'em darlin. I
calls tem Bah. Now dere hangin' de drop. Hey! Where in God's name
is den: halls. Elmer, dere aint no ails in dat no balls, just like
tellya. And it up now, an' hold 'em up dere. Hello, baby, hyll
darrrlini. ';;(1 kid dem darlin's aroun'. What do day bring along wid
dem. Lunch? Or is her overnight bag? Dere's a couple dicks in
hack. Dey got de lore on dere side, der dicks dere. Widout guns dere
meek as anybody else. Listen, gorgeous. Are ya married? Dat's good.
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Den you kin hvnnel it 'cause when dey Let In', nuttin's out. Lockit
Labi,s comint noro!A sta. c. Yell. Dere in do show. ere's whites
an' colored, about fifty percent. Dey raised holy hell about it 'rush,
you wouldn't tin!: dare's people so narrer, would yn?
atoh dis, now. Dere tryint out de new lights. Looka dat
spill. Hey, Matt. It's n pleasure to sit in a teitter ant see such
n steady arc. De beams a one a dem would light up dis joint like a
Crismis tree. De ,:rincilc is like de movie camerer. Ony it's fer
follow up licht. Matt, Irish down to a pin hcad, willya, 80
I kin se it. Not on no. et t Inn.n tiny offn mu. Trow it out
.)-ver dere. Hat's fine. Ta,ht on de Pansy. Yoohoo. Ain' he de
one. De an here when dey sees him, dey talk troo dere lips like
dames when he ?caves. Christ'. Is he !olned up. But dat flower
always falls for dere stuff. Lookit dat spot dey trow on him.
Hey Mary, '.Iynt ya lye yerself up? Okay. Toin den arcs off.
Trim 'am. Whatya warms do, boin up all de cahbin?"