iiiSs&i» vXv': •IvXvXvX'X:: ÉXfeX* pjiL of iI, TF on boarding a tramp steamer for a leisurely year's cruise of the world I discovered that Harry Charles Sanger was one of the passengers I would feel assured at once that the trip was going to be a success. That is saying a mouthful because people get on each other's nerves sailing the ocean for weeks on end without touching a harbor. A perfect panacea for any kind of nausea is the sturdy optimism of the Sanger brand. Fif teen years of show business and a stretch in Hollywood could not take the lustre off Harry's almost naive optimism. Nevertheless those who "never give a sucker an even break" had better pass up Harry. His open kindness is unobtrusively tempered with well supressed shrewdness. Once in Hollywood, when someone was about to slip a mickey to him during an intricate deal, Harry saved the day in the producer's office explosive at mosphere by saying: "I feel like a cad but I feel that I cannot afford to accept your generosity." Everybody laughed and the tension was broken. Harry emerged from the conference with a contract exactly five times bet ter than that offered at the outset of the discussion. If this throws a sharp light on the jittery way of doing bus iness in Hollywood it also is a good sample of Harry's subtle style of per suasion. TT ARRY Charles Sanger was born July 17, 1904, in Manhattan. After finishing elementary and high schools in Brooklyn he attended New York University, where he became a track star. At 45 he still is trim and seems to be in good enough a condi tion to give anyone a run for his money. In the early twenties, as cap tain of his High School track team, he held the High School record for New York City for the 100 yards in 10.1 seconds, and over 23 feet for the running broad jump, a very re spectable distance. He later competed HARRY SANGER Someone was about to slip a mickey for the Newark Athletic Club for five years specializing in the hop, step and jump. He won the Senior Metro politan Championships in this event in 1925 and again in 1926, placing third in the Senior National Cham pionships in 1927. Getting better all the time, he was all set for an Olym pic start in Amsterdam in 1928 but during the tryouts he sprained his ankle so severely that his athletic car eer was suddenly ended. But he had done well. Charles Paddock, Olym pic and World Champion track star in the 100 and 200 yards, testified of Harry Sanger when he saw him jump more than 47 feet in the hop, step and jump feature: '"How does a little fellow like you cover so much dis tance?" To Harry this praise was worth more than a pail full of medals. Because of his athletic prow ess he was offered scholarships at Rut gers, Syracuse and New York Uni versity but Harry turned them down. He wanted to become a producer. Sure enough and without apparent reason, Harry was appointed in 1927 to be come dramatic director of the "Roose velt Camp" for children near Monti- cello, New York. His first season at Monticello was at once successful, the more remarkable since his predecessor in the job had been none other than Clifford Odets, the playwright. Harry Sanger, the director, had his children from six to sixteen perform Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare and of course Harry Sanger, if not with artistic fin esse then with rousing enthusiasm, TN 1928 he created his own com- edy-dancing act of Angelo, Andre and Sanger. A thorough artist, Sang er had his troupe parody each and every ballet classic. It was a violent success. Harry's stage gyrations could hardly escape the scouting eyes of Hollywood. In 1931 he signed a contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer as assistant dance director, and dancer in a mechanical ballet staged by Theodore Kosloff and Leroy Prinz in the musical extravaganza "Madam Satan." During the war he quit pic tures for good to become a manager for Georgia and Florida for the One Two Three Company, dealing in fruit juice concentrates. As a fruit juice man he played it straight. What can you expect? He made his home in Miami and before long he met the Baron, who made him sales manager for six states, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. Harry Sanger, at last, was happy. He has plenty of room now to move about, something he had always needed as an athlete, as a Shakespearean actor and as a sales man. TT ARRY is a mosaic personality and despite it, loyal to the core. To hear from him that he is happy after all his varied and successful ex periences means something. You be lieve him when he says: "Heineken's is my baby. My pride and joy. There is nothing like it in quality. One phrase I always use in connection with Heineken's is: 'It's mellow like a cello'." Like a real son of the arts, he is proud of his bon mots as he is of the "mellow-cello" coinage. A man of so many interests and achievements as Harry must be, it is easy to see, a man's man. That makes him singu larly qualified to keep the Heineken's cases moving from Key West to Houston, which he does with the swiftness of a ballet dancer and the authority of a producer who knows to produce. iiil iiiif

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The Windmill | 1949 | | pagina 2