People: Politicos

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Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia of New York City, No. 1 U.S. firechaser, de"Strange as it may seem, I don't like to go to fires. I just hate it, but it's my duty to go out; the Charter says so." The City Charter says the Mayor must the "keep several himself informed the of doings of the sereral agencies ofthe city. . . ."

Mayor Raul García Menocal y Seva of Havana was welcomed to Washington, but nobody could find the customary key-to-the-city to give to him. Discovery: the stock of keys (brass) had been exhausted, and priorities had delayed replacements.

Lewis E. Lawes, Sing Sing's famed ex-warden, was mentioned as a possible successor in Congress to Isolationist Hamilton Fish. Congressman Joseph Clark Baldwin, coming out of the White House, suggested it would be a good idea.

Snub

Orson Welles, who produced, directed, wrote and starred in the most provocative picture of 1941, Citizen Kane, was conspicuously overlooked by Hollywood in its annual kudos-giving.* Upstart Welles, though he and his first picture had been nominated by the members for nine Academy Awards (far more than any other star or picture), was awarded half an Oscar (for the best original screen play; co-authored by Herman J. Mankiewicz).

Fortunately for its face, Hollywood had an excellent picture (How Green Was My Valley) to fall back on, gave it the "best" Oscar. Some other Academy bests:

> Director: twice-Oscared John Ford (for How Green).

> Actor: Gary Cooper (for Sergeant York, in Sergeant York); actress: Joan Fontaine (for Lina McLaidlaw, in Suspicion).

> Supporting actor: Donald Crisp (for Mr. Morgan, in How Green); actress: Mary Astor (for Sandra Kovac, in The Great Lie).

Accident Ward

Senator Carl Hatch of New Mexico, passenger in a car that turned over three times when it hit a stretch of new road 80 miles from Albuquerque, suffered a fractured spine, internal injuries. The driver was severely cut about the face and head. The men lay beside the road nearly half an hour before help came.

Ernest Thompson Seton, 81-year-old nature writer, suffered cuts on the head when the car his wife was driving smashed into another in Philadelphia.

Lily Damita opened the wrong door at a friend's home in Los Angeles, took a header into the basement, had to be poll-stitched (twelve).

Lady Astor, presiding at a business women's meeting in London, put her best foot too far forward, slipped off the platform's edge, fell flat on her back on the floor. Scurriers-to-her-rescue: Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, Australian member of the War Council. Lady Astor went on with the meeting.

Fine Arts

Joseph Hergesheimer, best-selling novelist of the post-war decade, declared: "I hate and loathe to write"; added:

"Contemporary literature? How can I read it? There isn't any."

Joe Shuster, who draws Superman, took up art instruction in a free-hand drawing class in Cleveland.

Kent Cooper, 61-year-old general manager of the Associated Press, had his third song played over the air (America Needs You), took his third wife (see p. 41).