THE column had been running now for nearly two and a
half years, and with increasing success. Most of the Scripps-
Howard papers were printing it regularly. There had been
some informal talk about offering the feature to papers outside
Scripps-Howard, which would mean more money for Ernie, but
certain members of the management felt strongly that at least some
of their popular writers should be kept as exclusively Scripps-
Howard attractions. Robert P. Scripps himself was loath to
see any more of the concern's product peddled on a come-one-
come-all basis. Soon after Ernie's return from Honolulu, however,
two things occurred which were to point the way to the release
of his copy for general syndication. First, in February 1938 the
enormously circulated columnist O. O. McIntyre died. I tele-
graphed Deac Parker, who with other of the chain's executives
was conferring with Bob Scripps at Miramar, the Scripps ranch
in southern California, and suggested that if serious thought was
being given to general syndication of Pyle, the death of Mc-
Intyre might provide an exceptional opportunity for marketing
Ernie's column--if the opportunity were seized without delay.
Second, Ernie and Jerry had arrived in Hollywood for a few
weeks' stand, and, either by coincidence or as a result of my wire,
Deac telephoned, inviting them on Bob Scripps' behalf to lunch
at Miramar.

Ernie wrote me: " Jerry says she never thought she'd come to
driving two hundred and sixty miles just for lunch. We both had

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