EAGLE-RKO PERSONALITY POLL

March 6 & 7, 1937

The Personality Poll Editor’s office was considerably atwitter the other day when a real movie celebrity, in the person of Lucille Ball, RKO Radio Picture star, was ushered in. 

Miss Ball had gladly consented to come over the Brooklyn Bridge to examine some of the pictures of recent entrants In the Eagle-RKO Personality Poll which is open to any girl over 16 years of age who resides in Brooklyn or Long Island.

“They are an attractive lot,” declared Miss Ball as she studied hundreds of photographs. “And I am confident that somewhere in this group the officials will find the girl with the personality and the talent which Hollywood is constantly seeking. The Eagle guest deserves the attention of every girl with aspirations for movie fame." 

Up-State Girl 

Miss Ball Is a reddish blond who was born in Jamestown, N.Y., Aug. 6, 1911. She was educated in the public elementary and high schools, later studying at the Chautauqua School of Music and John Murray Anderson’s dramatic school in Manhattan. 

Her part in "That Girl From Paris” in which she played Lily Pons’ jealous rival was her finest and best to date, although she has been prominent in “Roberta,” “Top Hat,” “Follow the Fleet,” “Chatterbox,” “I Dream Too Much,” “Bunker Bean,” “Farmer in the Dell” and her latest production “Don’t Tell the Wife." She hopes for a role in the movie version of "Stage Door." 

The nearest she ever got to a Broadway stage was at rehearsals. She really began her theatrical career in Hollywood and hopes to continue it there. She was a mannequin for Hattie Carnegie and posed for a number of prominent commercial photographers. Sam Goldwyn gave her the first break in the movies. He assigned her a role In "Roman Scandals." 

Miss Ball lives in Hollywood with her grandfather, mother, younger brother and cousin. 

She owns six fox terriers, five white and three white birds. The hobbies are horse back riding, swimming and tennis. 

Given Style Honor 

Bernard Newman, fashion stylist for RKO, picked Miss Ball as the best dressed younger player in Hollywood. 

Here’s a tip to young ladies In Brooklyn and Queens who have not yet entered this highly worthwhile contest. Eagle cameramen will take your picture tonight free of charge at the RKO Greenpoint Theater, 825 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, and at the RKO Strand, 714 Central Ave., Far Rockaway. 

The photographers will be on hand at seven o’clock so do not hesitate to come in and be "snapped.” The best picture for newspaper reproduction are those taken by professional newspaper photographers. 

Preliminaries Monday 

Preliminaries will start Monday night in the RKO Bushwick and RKO Tilyou. Each girl appearing on the stage will receive a handsome bronze medal commemorative of the occasion. Whenever possible contestants will be sent to their neighborhood RKO theaters and the audiences will have a voice in the selection of girls to be advanced to the semi-final classification. 

Don’t forget to purchase tomorrow’s edition of The Eagle for it will contain several pages of pictures of recent entrants in the Personality Poll.

[spelling and punctuation errors have been corrected]

~MARCH 7, 1937~

Fifty women from Brooklyn and Long Island were chosen by Lucille Ball as finalists.  Playwright Shepard Traube (top center), author of “So You Want To Go Into the Theatre” will meet with and advise the winner, as well as act as one of the judges. 

Finalists made personal appearances at their neighborhood RKO cinemas. 

The winner, Sally Buchalter, 16, of Long Beach, was announced on April 15, 1937. The judges’ decision was unanimous. Coincidentally, in attendance at the announcement was actor Ralph Dumke, who would play Herbert, the prospective tenant looking to rent the apartment in “Lucy and Superman” (ILL S6;E13) twenty years later!  Telegrams were read from such celebrities as Jack Benny, Lucille Ball’s neighbor, but oddly, no mention of Lucy, who helped narrow the field months earlier. 

On the first of June, 1937, she was flown to Hollywood!