Ella Logan

I worked from three to eleven at night as a private nurse at the U.C.L.A. Hospital in 1958. The patient was a millionaire who's brother was former mayor of New York, William O'Dwyer. The two brothers came from Ireland and the only work they could get was driving streetcars. There were signs on factories that said, HELP WANTED, IRISH NEED NOT APPLY. William went to night school and studied on his own to become a lawyer and finally the Mayor of New York.

My patient, Mr. Frank O'Dwyer had suffered a stroke but he talked to me about his life. He bought a lettuce farm near El Centro, California, borrowed money from the bank every year, lived like a rich man, and paid the bank when the crops were sold. He had huge bar bills because he always bought rounds of drinks for everybody in all the bars. He was married to a lovely woman and had a famous house guest. Ella Logan spent the evenings with us at the hospital trying to cheer Mr. O'Dwyer. She invited her movie friends to visit him and I met some of them including Jimmy Durante, Red Skelton, and two of the leading men from the Wizard of Oz, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley who played the scarecrow and the Tin Man.

Ella Logan came from Ireland like Mr. O'Dwyer and had known him when they were young in New York. She became an entertainer on Broadway and in movies. The musical was written especially for her and she was the star in FINIANS' RAINBOW on Broadway. Later she had a successful career in Hollywood movies where she fell in love and married a wealthy man who insisted she give up show business. At the time she had planned a night club act she expected to perform in Las Vegas. She had special music with special orchestral arrangements and costumes. Everything was choreographed and almost ready to be performed. Ella gave the material to her friend Marlene Dietrick who used it to start her new career and make a comeback in show biz. She performed live in 1953 at the Sahara Casino in Las Vegas and was a big hit. My wife Barbara saw Marlene perform during that show and remembers the great performance.

When Mr. O'Dwyer rested, Ella Logan told me stories in her wonderful way. Her Jewish dialect was perfect and the stories very funny. Her normal everyday language was with the Irish brogue. She entertained us for eight hours every evening for about three weeks. One night after midnight she walked with me to my apartment to meet my newly-wed wife Barbara. I was very proud to have her meet Barbara.