European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Sidney staff writer is she Mesta or is she not that is the question on which Ethel Merman Rode into new York this month in a hit that was a smash Long before the Broadway critics Ever got around to giving their official verdict Long before Call Madam had a Date for opening on even before it went into the press agents for producer Leland Hay nobody had asked them that Ethel mermans next role was going to be a caricature of Perle the minister to the denials started musical comedy with a Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel the teem that wrote life with father Good with a score by Irving Berlin better starring Ethel Merman wonderful with the audacity to satirize someone High in the diplomatic service wow during rehearsals and the out town Broadway talk was not so much the Berlin music and the Merman staging but about the resemblance be tween miss Mermall title role As Sally Adams and Madame minister to Luxem cafe society and the Wise Guys Broadway laughed at the tinted but increasingly feeble denials As word got out that miss mermans role was that of a wealthy american widow famous for her parties who is named a fictitious european coun try called evidently the name Mesta was Good Box office along with Merman and Berlin for show goers not Only argued that Mesta was the inspiration for the Sally Adams of the but they bought tickets to prove to themselves that they were right by there Basra million Dollar Advance the largest in Broadways Cal me Madam opened on Broadway on and Hayward made the denial official neither the character of Sally Adams nor miss Merman resembles any other alive or read the but by this it made no the critics made some reference to the myth but in the main termed the musical a wrote that miss i Merman was her usual grand self As an entertainer and praised berlins Mesta was in the but was too Busy in Washington with state department affairs to attend the Broadway the press agents didst mind the added publicity for the show when capital reporters besieged Mesta not with questions concerning her official duties but about the stage character she the Oklahoma Oil millionairess who gave the most famous parties in Washington before she was appointed to the ministry in Luxembourg replied that she was not quite sure she was the person depicted in the Mesta saw Call me Madam a couple of weeks after the had a Good Augh and still i dont know if i inspired it or not coauthor Buck grouse admits care fully that Mesta did play a Little part in the planning of the but it would be stretching a Point to say that Mesta inspired the he explained that his writing Howard was at the same vacation spot As miss Merman and thought of a Story for the showing her As a wealthy american woman against a european that where Mesta came he the appointment of Mesta to her diplomatic Post gave us the idea of getting our heroine to Europe in similar All the reopening Ballyhoo about Mesta was Good for attracting interest to the musical comedy before its but once the show had the important questions entered around Ethel mermans qualities As an the sin ability of Irving berlins songs and the humor of the Lindsay grouse critical and Public acclaim for miss Merman and the show built around her quickly shoved the Mesta into the and now when Sally Adams in the show at new Yorks Imperial theater Steps Forth to sing the hostess with the mostes on the audiences no longer give a Hoot whether or not they Are viewing a reasonable fac simile of they know the Gal up there winning their applause is Broadways one and Only Ethel Ethel Star of Call me sings one of the shows hit the hostess with the mostes on the left she sings something to dance miss As ambassador to is congratulated by Secretary of played by Geoffrey As Jay Pat Harrington and Ralph Chambers look Galina Owen Lilia Skala and miss Merman in another scene from the said to have been patterned after the career of Perle the stars and stripes