My Future Was Sketchy From the Beginning

My fame as a Philadelphia artist came when I was about 10 years old.
At that time I was a regular attendee at the Viola Theater located on Germantown Avenue every Saturday during the summer. It cost 10 cents for a ticket to the show, which lasted about three hours and included the main feature, a serial episode, like "Flash Gordon in the 25th Century," a comedy short like "Laurel and Hardy," and three or four cartoons -- plus coming attractions.
At some point in the middle of these films, the house lights would come up and a guest artist (cartoonist) would come on stage and talk about a famous cartoon character while he did a sketch of the character on a large flip chart pad.
The artist then gave the kids in the audience an assignment to bring a drawing with them the following Saturday. He would judge the drawings and would award a prize for the best drawing. He would hold up several drawings for audience approval and award a prize of a pound-box of Whitman's Assorted Chocolates to the winner. This went on for a whole month of Saturdays and as luck and fortune prevailed, Herb Mandel was the winner every Saturday.
On the final Saturday award ceremony, the artist complimented me on my drawing skills and allowed me to speak to the audience on his microphone about my ambitions to be an artist when I became an adult. Of course, all my friends and schoolmates congratulated me and I would share my winnings with them.