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Ce a ee ee Up ea oy Ube LUG Wal Was over over there. He never wore a uniform. Sinatra himself re- , tire” nto a silence, but propaganda in his favor ~ 7 rose to j : an cessive clamor, NE E. J. KAHN, JR., wrote a series of laudatory essays in the New Yorker, which were reproduced in book form, warmed over in Look and condensed in one of the digests. A number of those columnists who publish prattle arid pub- heity about the? of celebrities,” including criminals, of New York, the Miamis, Havana and Saratoga, came to Sinatra’s help. Ed Sullivan, of the New York Daily News, impugned the professional integrity of legitimate journalists. who had faithfully covered the ‘‘Sinatra. Story” in. the Havana and Hollywood episodes. He wrote that their motive was to pun- ish Sinatra because he gave of his spare time and energy “to persuade kids to be nice to minority groups.” He mentioned ninatra about a dozen times in one brief Visit to Hollywood and undertook to “make character” for him by proclaiming that Sinatra had turned to painting and was giving a number of his works to charity, Charity takes a severe beating in the publicity of the glamor belt. In the same brief season, it was ebserved that a niimber of other personalities, frequently mentioned and praised as members of the 400 of the night clubs, radio and the movies, had old court and courtmartial records which were more or less forgotten, There were siiugglers who had been eaughi and had paid fines. There was a draft-dodger who had tried to buy a ehief petty officer’s rating and a safe assignment early in the war. And there were Bugsy Siegal, a vicious New York and Hollywood gangster, and his friend and bodyguard, Allen Smiley, a gambler and underworld character, Smiley had been indicted with Tommy Dorsey, the band leader, and his wife of the moment, Pat Dane, charged with hacking off some of the nose of Jon Hall, an actor, at a birthday patty, All these were of Hollywood society. . ANY SUCH NAMES OCCURRED and recurred in the seemingly aimless and innocent babble of the Broad- - way, Hollywood and radio columnists day after day. Hach pleasant mention of this kind, especially in material which is widely syndicated or broadcast on national chains, is of incalculable value, although hardly ‘priceless. Sinstra's most affectionate biographer, Mr. Kahn, states that his income is about $1,000,000 a year. Most of that, of course, Would be taxed away. However, as all professional celebrities know, the cost of tha maintenance of a profes- sional name, or the reglamorization of a name which has been deglamorized or tarnished by unpleasant publicity, may be legitimately charged off as a business expense, In a way, the Government might here become a partner some day in 4 deal to create an utterly false reputation for a low and dangerous character so that the low and dangerous character might earn more money and pay ‘more taxes to the treasury. That, however, is just ene of the complica- tions of a complex ‘civilization. (To be continued) er a 4