Vegas Voice 12-17 web

To Give or Not
to Give
By: Carlene Cohen /
Guest Column
“
Brother Can You Spare a Dime" was the most
popular song of the Great Depression. People
down on their luck resorted to begging on street
corners for spare change. Sadly, that has once again
become a common occurrence in Las Vegas.
A young man stands on a street corner holding up
a sign that says: "It's my birthday. Can you spare any
change?" And in the parking lot of a grocery store, a
young woman walking with a child asks for money.
"My car broke down and I have no money for bus fare."
The reasons are many. The question remains: To give
or not to give?
One store owner, who has grown tired of chasing
beggars away from her front door says: "The same
people are in the same spot every day. Some have more
money than you or I." One suggestion is to offer food or
a drink instead of money.
So, what is the right thing to do? From a clergyman
Beloved by Many
By: Yvonne Cloutier / Musical Moments
He wasn't thought of as a classic movie
dancer like Fred Astaire, nor athletic like
Gene Kelly, but he surpassed them both with his
6'4" smooth masculinity, charming charisma and good looks. This
was song and dance man, Daniel James Dailey Jr, better known as Dan
Dailey.
He was an elegant, versatile dancer, actor and singer, born into a show
business family. He had 3 siblings, his sister, Irene Dailey, became an
actress.
Dailey has more than 48 movies to his credit. In 1948, he received an
Oscar for his role in When My Baby Smiles at Me.
His most notable role was in Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like
Show Business. It starred Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Donald
O'Conner, (whose wife divorced him and became Dailey's 3rd of his 5
wives, all ending in divorce. His comment: "A little success and then
divorce").
Dailey working with Betty Grable and did many musicals with her,
including: My Blue Heaven, Give My Regards to Broadway, Meet Me
at the Fair, Meet Me in Las Vegas, The Pride of St. Louis, (playing Dizzy
Dean,) and The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover.
Daily was a heavy drinker and in the early 1950s, after heavy drinking
bouts, he'd come to parties as a cross-dresser. Thus, his reputation for
being a cross-dresser.
Movie musicals in the 50s were
slowing down, but he continued to be
successful with comedic and dramatic
roles, moving back to the stage, TV,
night clubs, and even Las Vegas. In
1962, he won a Golden Globe award
for his TV show The Governor and J.J.
Although Dailey never wrote an
autobiography, he loved story-telling.
He described his waltzing procedure
as steering the girl with right hand
pressure on her waist, and never waving the left hand in the air like
directing traffic. He claimed dancing was easy.
Dan often suffered from depression which deepened after his only
child, Dan Dailey III, in 1975, at age 29, committed suicide.
In 1976, Dailey appeared again on Broadway, breaking his hip
performing in The Odd Couple as Oscar Madison with Elliot Reed as Felix
Unger. He then worked for a while in a wheelchair.
Dan Dailey died a wealthy man in 1978 at age 62, from hip surgery
complications. His tombstone reads: Beloved by Many.
Yvonne Cloutier, a former teacher/principal, with a music
background, specializes in ragtime piano. She reports about
music on SCA-TV.com/Anthem Alive! You can contact her at www.
mytimeisragtime.com.
comes this advice: "It is better to give money to someone
who doesn't need it, than not to give to someone who
does."
In making your own personal decision, it may
be helpful to know that Las Vegas is home to many
organizations dedicated to helping the poor and
homeless. Three Square Food Bank and the Las Vegas
Rescue Mission are two examples.
This year alone, more than 300,000 people
(including 40,000 children) will rely on Three Square
Food Bank and its emergency partners for help. The
Las Vegas Rescue Mission offers shelter, basic needs and
other services to the homeless, hungry and hurting.
Additionally, the city's churches and synagogues
operate food pantries and donate clothing to the poor.
Meanwhile, it is still a personal choice whether to give
or not to give.
It may not be 1929, yet it is still hard to ignore the
plea of a brother who asks, "Can you spare a dime?”
Carlene Sabath-Cohen is an award-winning news
and feature writer. She lives in North Las Vegas
with her husband, two cats and a dog.
18
December 2017
42
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