“Kaye Amuses Crowd at Fete”
Sings With Helen Jepson

The Milwaukee Journal – Feb. 2, 1946
By: J. Paul O’Brien (Of The Journal Staff)

           More than 6,000 howling, whistling spectators crammed the Auditorium here Friday night to cheer Danny Kaye, the effervescent comedian, who presented his Pabst Blue Ribbon radio broadcast from Milwaukee as part of the city’s Centurama program.
            Kaye’s every gag and antic was roundly applauded. Sharing the spotlight during the radio broadcast was Helen Jepson, opera singer, who descended from the lofty arias of operatic literature to do a musical parody with Kaye on the theme of “Jack and Jill.”
            Perhaps the most enthusiastic spectator was Miss Georgia Hauke, of 3301 W. Highland Av., a bedridden victim of arthritis who was brought to the Auditorium in an ambulance and watched the performance from a wheelchair.
            “This is heaven,” murmured Miss Hauke, who has long been a Danny Kaye fan., And when Kaye himself left the stage to greet her, she added, “You’re so wonderful, Danny.”

Entertains Before Broadcast

           The broadcast did not start until 9:30 p.m., but a half hour before time Kaye took the stage with a warmup program and brought cheers and laughter from the spectators. Kaye was all over the stage, leading the orchestra, tripping over the podium, testing the vocal qualities of the Centurama chorus and in general thrilling the crowd with the Kaye brand of mirth.
            The “Jack and Jill” sequence upon which Kaye and Miss Jepson collaborated was done to the melodies of “Rigoletto” and “Coming Round the Mountain,” and then was concluded with the blues.
            Kaye’s ever popular rendition of “Minnie the Moocher,” in which the audience participates, was presented as part of the radio show. After the broadcast, Kaye sang “Dinah” and the “Bali Boogie” to the delight of his fans.
            Frequent reference to Milwaukee’s one hundredth birthday celebration was made during the broadcast, and Mayor Bohn spoke briefly.

Largest Crowd, Report

           According to the Centurama officials, the crowd was the largest of the week and hundreds had to be turned away. Those fortunate enough to squeeze their way in kept their seats until the late hours as the Centurama show itself, with the stars Lanny Ross and Gil Lamb, scored another success.

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