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Director Arden made it clear that every one of the more than 100 spots in the cast was "up for grabs." Only those girls who attended the mass audition sessions would be considered. On the days of the auditions, the Stardust Cafe Continental was filled to capacity with hopefuls. The Hotel assigned some of its huskiest security officers to keep male guests from becoming judges of the assembled talent. Throughout the spacious room, the beauties were busy with limbering exercises, vocal drills and generally making sure everything was in proper order for the time when Arden1s voice boomed: "All dancers, onstage." And they came and came and came. Every variety of beauty known to mankind stepped onto the stage they hoped to grace twice nightly for the next two years or more. Madame Bluebell was first to inspect the group. Bluebell Dancers have become known as the very finest in the world. The old concept of the pretty but dumb chorus girl with two left feet is long gone. Every Bluebell Dancer is an accomplished dancer and has usually had extensive ballet training. First to be eliminated were girls who had hoped the minimum height requirement of 5' 8" in stocking feet might be waived. Then there was the usual assortment of young ladies whose mothers had bludgeoned them into tap dance lessons. And also even a few housewives who showed up for reasons known only to themselves, -25-