Even in 1919, when Anna Gosko got her first look at him, Adolf Balaban was no matinee idol. He was an awkward, wistful little fellow with a flat face, jug ears, and old-country manners. He wasn't the smartest man in the world, either. He had been "over" from Poland for six years, had served in the U.S. Army during World War I. He had a laborer's job in a Brooklyn sugar refinery, but he could speak hardly a word of English.
Anna, a big handsome Polish girl who had a habit of getting her own way, thought he was wonderful. Adolf...
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