Word: finneganisms
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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They thus bested the Northern city bosses: Tammany Hall's Carmine DeSapio, Chicago's Jake Arvey and Pittsburgh's Dave Lawrence. The bosses' candidate, Philadelphia City Councilman James A. Finnegan, was absent, recuperating from gall-bladder surgery. Lawrence explained with the sincerest form of flattery: "Why, he just had the same operation that Adlai Stevenson had." Later, at a meeting of committeemen from the Western states, Lawrence tried again. Said he: "I won't ask you to raise your hands, but I just wonder how many men in this room haven't had gallstones...
Harry Truman's candidate was fat, witty Michael DiSalle, former mayor of Toledo and Office of Price Stabilization director. Truman was not at the meeting, and it was apparent that his influence was weak and that neither DiSalle nor Finnegan had close to the 53 votes needed...
...third candidate was Indiana Committeeman Paul M. (for Mulholland) Butler, a 49-year-old South Bend attorney, a faithful Stevenson backer, and a long-time enemy of Truman's friend, former National Committee Chairman Frank McKinney. Like DiSalle, Finnegan, and all Democratic chairmen since 1928, Butler is a Roman Catholic...
After the intermission the band would up again with a march by its conductor, G. Wright Briggs. Then the music swung into a cleverly arranged "Salute to Dartmouth," after which the arranger, John a. Finnegan, was introduced to accompanying applause. Mr. Finnegan was gratified, Mr. Briggs was happy, and the band, plus the audience, was anxious to get back to the music...
After a mild demonstration in Mr. Mittell's favor quieted down, the band really gave cause for cheering by playing Mr. Finnegan's "Variations On A Well-Known Theme." The theme was "Marching to Pretoria" and was played as Sousa might have, then in the style of Walter Shaman's "Dragnet" theme, and again after the manner of Spike Jones. Finally, the band imitated the Katzenjammer Kids by singing the song in Dutch. It was a very successful number...