New-Type Hero

If the situation in Cuba seems chaotic, let writer Malvin Wald fill you in on some details. He has just returned from five weeks in Havana getting material for a film about Fidel Castro.

One time he and director Dick Wilson had a dinner date with the director of prisons. He didn’t show and next day he phoned to apologize. There had been a riot in the prison requiring his prior attention.

Another time they had an appointment with Castro. After waiting several hours they were told he couldn’t make it because of a sudden crisis. His air force chief had resigned and was believed to have fled the country.

Then there was the case of the traffic officer who gave the prime minister a ticket. Instead of being angry, Fidel praised him for his dedication to duty and the conscientious cop became a front-page hero for a day.

As a result all Havana policemen are on the alert for Castro’s blue Mercedes, hoping his driver will run a red light or park in a prohibited zone so they can give him a ticket and become heroes, too. Continue reading →

After the Ballyhoo Is Over

Two years ago, against the same backdrop of beauty and ballyhoo as emanates presently from Long Beach, Leona Gage, Miss Maryland, was acclaimed Miss U.S.A. At her moment of triumph, as she prepared to compete for the Miss Universe title, it was revealed she was married and the mother of two children. Her husband had talked in a bar in Baltimore.

Leona first denied, then admitted, it was true. There followed an unprecedented uproar in which horrified pageant officials gave off wild double talk. It was as though she had committed a capital crime. All she had done was reach for the big break a pretty girl knows she needs to get anywhere in the tough entertainment business. In the end she was
disqualified and sent packing.

But life was not too grim for tearful Leona. She virtually had to run from Ed Sullivan’s program to Steve Allen’s show one Sunday. Then there was the showgirl job in Las Vegas. After that, nothing. Continue reading →