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(Testimony of Lawrence V. Meyers)
Mr. Meyers.
would call audition nights in Dallas, in these clubs. The audition night evidently was a special night where, oh, three or four or five different girls would come in. Some of them were experienced strippers who worked for that fee for that night. Others were actually amateurs, I guess, who had the dreams of being artists. Well, we will use that word.
Mr. Griffin.
How many different times would you estimate that Jack talked to you about the amateur nights that the Weinsteins were running?
Mr. Meyer.
Oh, golly, this is quite a few times. Quite a few times. As a matter of fact, as I told you, I had seen Jack, I don't know, I say 20, 25--it could be 30, 35 ,times. I really don't know. And in the last year or so he was very vehement about this thing, about the proceedings that he had taken, the things that he had tried to do. I will get into that if you want me to.
Also he would mention this to me many times in one night. This was one of his---of course, this all goes back to prior to the tragedy in Dallas now. It seems that he resented the fact that the union, I don't know what the name of it was, AGVA or Actors Equity or something, had forbidden these amateur nights and he, in compliance with the union rules, had discontinued them.
However, his competitors had not discontinued them. And he was trying to use----I suppose you would call it--legal methods, through the union officials, to try to get them to discontinue these things, because he felt they were hurting his business for these particular nights.
Mr. Griffin.
Did he ever ask you to give him any assistance in those problems?
Mr. Meyers.
Yes; he did. He asked me if I knew these various union officials. I don't even remember their names. Obviously, I didn't know them. I had no contact with them.
Mr. Griffin.
How long before the assassination Was the most recent time that he asked you to give him any assistance?
Mr. Meyers.
The day before. Now, when you say the assassination, you are
speaking of the assassination of the President?
Mr. Griffin.
That is right.
Mr. Meyers.
Thursday, the 21st. Is that correct? Was the 22d Friday?
Mr. Griffin.
Yes. Did he ever talk to you about a man in Chicago named Barney Baker?
Mr. Meyers.
I don't remember. The name doesn't ring any bells. There was a Leo somebody or other that he .talked to me about who either lived in California or New York. I don't even remember. Maybe if you mention other names that might ring a bell. I don't know. Baker doesn't.
Mr. Griffin.
What else did he talk to you about besides his problems with AGVA, with the amateur stripper nights, and the Weinsteins.
Mr. Meyers.
Well, what else did we talk about? Women. He is quite a physical culture faddist, or at least he was. I don't know whether he still is. And one of the items that my company manufactured were barbells, and I got him a set of barbells. We had a plant, Ero had, still has for that matter, a plant in McKinney, Tex., which is some 30 miles north of Dallas. So I got him a set of barbells for exercise. He used to spend a lot of time I guess at the YMCA or something of this type.
Mr. Griffin.
Did he ever talk to you about any of his business promotions?
Mr. Meyers.
Well, yes; to this extent. He remodeled the club. He built runways out into the audience. Of course, he was very proud of this, I assume like any businessman would, what he considered progress. He wanted to know what my opinion was. What are you going to say? Great, fine. Doing business? Wonderful !
Mr. Griffin.
Did he ever talk to you about any promotions other than his nightclubs ?
Mr. Meyers.
Yes; he had a gimmick, I don't know what the beck to call it, some sort of a twistboard, I guess, for the want of a better word. It is a thing that you stand on and you maneuver back and forth to--I guess it was a body developer of some kind. He wanted to know first whether I would be interested in merchandising it because my company was in this field. Second, the last time I saw him face to face he wanted to know whether my brother would be interested in handling this as a premium item.
Mr. Griffin.
When was that?
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