Dancing Lady Page #3

- Oh, I know.

And we're always looking for fresh talent.

- You can sing and dance, I suppose?

- Yes, sir.

- But, Papa, how about her rhythm?

- That's Gallagher's job, not yours.

Tell him a dear friend of mine

sent Miss Barlow.

Thank you so much.

Now, Junior, be sure you take good care

of our little friend.

Let out on your long line a little bit,

will you?

When do you write your column, Ward?

You're always hanging around here

or some other dump.

- Well, it gets written, doesn't it?

- I wouldn't know.

I don't get much time to read gossip.

Speaking of gossip, what's new?

You ought to know.

I suppose you got that story about

one of our girls and the Ambassador?

No, no, what's that?

- Got a pencil around here?

- No, I haven't.

Well, never mind.

- When do you start rehearsals?

- Next Monday.

- Boy, I'd rather start boxing with Carnera.

- Here comes love!

- Hello, Ward.

- The rest of the name is King, my son.

That's all right. Call me Junior.

A very important friend of Papa's

sent a girl around for you.

Papa wants you to take care of her.

She's outside.

I get it. One of those.

So Papa wants me

to give her a tryout, huh?

- Steve. Steve!

- Yeah, boss. Yeah.

Steve, a very important friend of Papa's...

has brought around a very important

young lady for a very important tryout.

- Have you got any?

- Yes. I think we just have one left.

Steve will take care of her.

- The old brush off?

- Yeah, that's the way it goes.

These very important friends...

who want to put their dames

in the front row...

so they can show their friends

how well they can pick them.

Say, who is this very important friend

of Papa's, anyhow?

You can just say a certain young man

in the money...

and you won't be very far wrong.

Fine, fine.

Oh, well, never mind.

Got your music?

Is that all I get, a piano?

The last audition I gave

I had a 40 piece orchestra.

All right, little lady,

we'll dig up Paul Whiteman for you.

- That'll be swell.

- Wait a minute.

If you want a tryout,

get your rehearsal clothes.

- I didn't bring any with me.

- The wardrobe lady will give them to you.

- Okay, boss. Okay.

- Hurry up.

Do you want Junior to help you?

No, thanks.

Junior has enough to do to dress himself.

Hey, you mugs! Come here.

Okay, boss.

- Listen, fellows.

- What's the matter?

- We're going to have an audition.

- A raw edition?

No, an audition! You heard me.

- See that girl that went upstairs?

- Yeah.

We're going to give her the brush off.

- The brush off?

- Yeah.

- Same instruments.

- No instruments, we're going to sing.

Oh, you'll never know

Just what you start

You start with me, I'll break...

- That was a B flat?

- Yeah.

- Sing it.

- Yeah.

What do you know about music?

You're talking to one of the best musicians

in the country!

How are you in the city?

Oh, you

Boys, listen, I'm wrong.

We're not gonna sing it,

we're gonna play it.

Get the instruments.

You heard me, didn't you?

- We could sing it.

- You know I'm the boss, don't you?

- Get organized now, come on.

- Okay.

- Get the chairs. Get organized.

- Okay.

- You ready? Right.

- Right.

- Right.

- Right.

- Right.

- Right.

Stop. Stop. Everything's all right, isn't it?

- Yeah.

- I'm going to count off.

- One, two.

- Button your shoe.

- Three, four.

- Close the door.

- Five, six.

- Brush her off.

Hey, here she comes now.

All right, fellows.

Come on. Get organized.

Right. Right.

- What can we do for you?

- Well, what have you got?

- We got plenty.

- All right, let me have it.

I'll need a little more room, though.

You'll get it. All right, fellows, break it up.

Spread out!

That's it.

- Faster, please.

- Faster, the lady wants it faster.

Slower.

Slower. Give it to her slower.

Help the lady out.

Help the lady out, will you.

That's it.

- All right, a little step on now, fellows.

- Careful. Sit down, fellows, sit down.

Say, Curly, help the lady out, will you?

Okay, boys, I get it. It's the brush off, huh?

Okay.

All right, hold it a minute, will you?

Okay, bruiser, the first round's yours,

but I'm not licked yet.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute, will you?

Say, listen, Paderewski...

do them funny noises come out of you

or the piano?

Boss, come here, will you?

Boss, come here!

- What do you want?

- Boss, come here.

This girl's got plenty of talent.

Oh, Steve, don't be like that.

I'm busy, I haven't...

You got confidence in me, haven't you?

Look, come on with me, will you?

All right, all right,

we've got nothing to lose. Come on.

Very, very clever. There she is.

Oh, you.

- Get her out of here.

- Wait a minute, boss.

- Steve, I haven't...

- Boss, she's got plenty of talent!

Listen to me,

just watch her once, will you, please?

All right, let's see what you can do.

Steve, same instruments?

Get out of here. Take those chairs

and get out of here. Get out of here.

This is on the level, now, play it,

don't fake it!

Go ahead.

Say, Junior,

you don't happen to know the name...

of that important friend of Papa's, do you?

Sure, I know.

Got a pencil?

No.

- Well, don't you want to know his name?

- No, no, let it ride.

All right.

Report for rehearsal next Monday.

- Oh, Mr. Gallagher...

- And don't follow me anymore!

Yes, sir.

Steve, stick her in the front line

with the Closser unit.

Yeah, boss.

You sure have got rhythm, baby.

Yeah, well, keep your hands off it.

What is this?

Can't you quit shadowing me

now that you've got your job?

I'm not shadowing you now,

Mr. Gallagher...

I just wanted to thank you for the break.

All right, all right, thank me.

You may not think it's such a break

when I get through working you.

Listen, I've been through the mill already.

Why, I've worked in cheap vaudeville,

one night stands, honky-tonks, burlesque...

Well, what do you want?

To be made an Eagle Girl Scout for it?

I've been through the mill, too.

I've played honky-tonks.

But that isn't it.

It's just that you can't scare me away...

from my first break

by threatening to work me.

- You like to dance?

- Oh, I love it.

Well, it's good you do.

You may be a natural, you may be a flop.

You can't ever tell.

- Takes years and years of hard work.

- I'm not afraid of work.

- Takes guts and brains.

- Yeah, I know.

After you've given everything

maybe something will come of it.

- Maybe nothing.

- Something's got to come of it.

- I suppose if you feel you got it, you got it.

- Yeah.

- You like to dance?

- More than anything in the world.

- You want to work with me?

- Yes, Mr. Gallagher.

- Shake.

- Yes, sir.

- Now, beat it!

- Thank you!

How about a little drink

to our partnership, Mr. Newton?

All right.

Now remember, this is just a

private deal between you and me.

My friends wouldn't understand

an investment of this kind.

They don't want me contaminated

by show people.

It's Q.T. With me. I won't tell a soul.

By the way, do these girls

get paid during rehearsals?

Well, not as a rule.

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