B — Edith Finds Love
Newcomers to night life—and most people around town today—will not recognize her name, Edith Roark.
But we remember Edith well—also the fabulously funny story she told on herself, that made her for the time the best-known beauty on the White Way.
Edith came from Dallas... went to Hollywood... became a showgirl... worked for Sam Goldwyn.
When N.T.G. opened the famous old Paradise Restaurant on Broadway, in 1932, he imported 12 Goldwyn girls—at $150 a week—for his première. Edith was one.
On the Coast, the luminous Miss Roark had been the constant companion of George Raft.
In New York, she met singer Harry Richman—my, how that guy gets into our stories!—and became his constant companion.
A few months later, Richman and Raft happened to meet in Chicago.
Raft said to Richman—“Harry, what’s this I hear about you trying to steal my girl?”
Richman said to Raft—“Georgie, you’re nuts. She’s my girl and you keep away from her.”
Raft replied—“I’ll prove it.”
He phoned Edith in New York, said—“Honey, Richman says you love him.”
Miss Roark, not knowing Richman was listening in on the extension, cooed sweetly—“Why, Georgie, you know you’re my only love. I’m just being polite to Richman. He’s important and can do me good.”
“Just wait till I call her,” Richman said.
He got Edith on the phone, asked—“What’s this I hear about Raft?”
Again cooing sweetly, unconscious of Raft’s ear on the other receiver, Edith said—“Why, Harry, you know you’re my only love. I’m just being polite to Raft. He was so nice to me on the Coast.”
The pay-off is that when the two stars accused her of double dealing, Edith flew into a simulated rage, shouted she knew they were testing her all the time and she said it all on purpose.
She made them both apologize to her—in the presence of her real sweetheart!