Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Reminisce Extra

TUNNEL TREE Our Facebook friends shared thoughts of California’s Pioneer Cabin Tree, which fell in a flood in January. Drove through it in my 1968 Beetle when we were newlyweds. DEBBIE VI This is so sad. Glad my parents and I got to drive through the tree when I was little. VALERIE SMITH I saw that tree and many others back in the ’80s. It was amazing, an awesome sight. ROB SUITER Always wanted to visit that giant. LARRY NAYLOR Join the conversation at FACEBOOK.COM/  REMINISCEMAGAZINE.…

Early in 1952 , Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary became Queen Elizabeth II, now Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. (Read more about Her Majesty on page 14 .) Back in the States, recovery from World War II took the form of investment in new technologies and entrepreneurship. Television caught on like wildfire and entered its golden age. Networks scrambled to lure talent from Broadway, vaudeville, radio and movies. Varieties, Westerns, crime and game shows—along with family comedies—filled the bill. Meanwhile, the first political campaign commercials aired. JAN. 10 Cecil B. DeMille’s movie The Greatest Show on Earth premieres in New York. JAN. 14 The Today show with host Dave Garroway premieres on NBC-TV. FEB. 6 Queen Elizabeth II ascends the British throne after the death of her father, King George VI. FEB. 21…

One cold morning in March 1955 , my parents decided to take a road trip from our rural farm in Tacoma, Washington, to Southern California. We went to visit my dad’s family—my grandfather, uncles, aunts and cousins. My mom and dad left the farm in the hands of the neighbors and, along with my brother, 5 , and my grandma, we all piled into the car and headed south on Old 99 . I don’t remember how many days we traveled, but I remember being annoyed by my younger brother even before we hit the Oregon border. There was constant seat switching so we could both survive the miles. I was upset because I knew Disneyland wasn’t opening until July, and I couldn’t understand why my parents wouldn’t wait to…

In her 6 5 years as queen, Elizabeth II has had a fascinating life—if we can believe even half of The Crown, the popular Netflix series about her. At times, Her Majesty has been overshadowed by other women in her family, and in ways that haven’t flattered the House of Windsor. But that isn’t a worry with Catherine Middleton, who married the queen’s grandson in 2011 . From the time she stepped into royalty, Kate has carried herself like a princess. WORTH ANOTHER LOOK With its enormous cast, celebrity cameos (look for Bob Hope and Bing Crosby munching popcorn) and, not least, glorious Gloria Grahame bossing around an elephant, The Greatest Show on Earth is everything you want in a Cecil B. DeMille epic—overheated, campy and…

Panic set in when I was greeted by 16 awed, silent faces. The year was 1952 —one of the best of my life. That was the year I fell in love with Hanako Yamakita. I was barely 18 and on my first tour of duty with the Air Force in Japan. She worked in the PX as a seamstress. I worked at finding ways to see her: I quickly developed a habit of losing buttons from my uniform. Sometimes I needed stripes sewn onto my jacket. I saw my Hanako as much as possible. One day, she insisted that we travel from Johnson Air Base at Nishi-Tokorozawa to Gifu-ken, her hometown, so I could meet her parents. In keeping with Japanese tradition, I would ask for her hand in marriage.…

WHEN I WAS a junior at Robertsdale High School in 1951, my friends Joyce and Doris talked me into skipping school and going to Mobile to celebrate Mardi Gras. I knew playing hooky was wrong, but the thought of such a fun-filled day was just too tempting. Bubbling over with anticipation, we rode the bus to Mobile, then hit our first parade. We enjoyed watching the dragons spitting fire, as well as all the floats. After cheering for the bands, we ran down side streets in order to see the same parade again. That afternoon we caught other parades, cheered for King Felix and his lovely queen, and laughed at the Comic Cowboys. We kept running into other Robertsdale High School students as we walked around. I began to feel…

No doubt, March is my favorite month of the year. Not only is it my birthday month, it also ushers in the first colors of spring as crocuses, anemones, tulips and hyacinths burst onto the landscape. Just like those fresh buds that perk up your garden, new design ideas are enlivening each issue of Reminisce Extra . From our bold, colorful cover to the playful new approach inside, this issue is one you’re sure to enjoy. We’re introducing some columns and refreshing your all-time favorites. In one column, Family Tree, you’ll read tips for tracing your family history. You’ll also find intriguing stories about life in the past, extra vintage photos, and plenty to tickle your funny bone. Here’s a brief description of some of the updates you’ll discover in…

Still a novelty for most Americans, television was hitting its stride by 1952. With shows like Dragnet and I Love Lucy reaching millions, networks pushed for fast hits. Some, like Gang Busters, an early true-crime show, didn’t last. But a handful of programs from the ’52-’53 season would prove to have incredible staying power. Can you name these famous shows, which all started that year? 1 The first show to feature that crazy new sound—rock ’n’ roll—is broadcast (under a slightly different name at the time) from Philadelphia. In a few short years, Dick Clark would take over as host. 2 This comedy starred a real husband and wife and, later, their two sons. The set was an exact replica of the family’s actual Hollywood house. 3 It featured a…

John Paul Nicholas wrote this poem in 1953 as a tribute to his wife and her culture. Yama means “mountain” in Japanese. Far across the PacificAcross the Eastern SeaStands a great snowcappedMountain calledMount Fuji It’s a live volcanoSupposedlyAnd they sayWhen it eruptsIt’s a sight to beholdAnd for generationsNowThey’ve prayedThat its furyWill never unfold ThusIt remains a majesticAnd silent masterAlikeOf young and old That is whyOn bended kneeThe people of JapanWorshipThe great snowcappedMountain calledMount Fuji…

MY LATE UNCLE Deane Cunningham was one of several pilots who developed and certified the B- 29 Superfortress, the Boeing aircraft that transported and dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Born in Phillips, Maine, in 1902 , Deane learned to fly Standard D. 1 biplanes at a once-popular airport in Kewanee, Illinois, that is now a shopping center. His aviation exploits as a professional pilot included airmail, stunt flying and charter businesses. His advanced flight training was conducted in 1925 at Burdette Field in Los Angeles, California. His instructor was the colorful pilot Jack Frye, who years later became president of Trans World Airlines. When hostilities broke out in Europe and Germany invaded Poland in 1939 , Deane left the United States for service with the Royal Canadian…

H.E. “BO” NOBLE, also known as Bill, was an incredible man. Husband, son-in-law, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend, he wore every hat with pride. An avid storyteller, he was never at a loss for words and could make friends anywhere. He told stories about his childhood in West Virginia and the friendships he developed while growing up in Washington, D.C. His most cherished friendship was with my mom, Shirley Harrison Noble. In high school, he couldn’t wait to join the Navy. He arranged to graduate early (in January) from McKinley Tech High School and enlist. He was assigned to the USS Dayton, where he served as a gunner’s mate. He used to say that he was able to serve his country and see the world. At the end…

47 Days before Easter: The target date for Mardi Gras because it’s Fat Tuesday—the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. 0 Commercial sponsorships permitted for Mardi Gras parades 1.4 MILLION Typical attendance at Mardi Gras 25 MILLION Pounds of beads and doubloons get tossed from parade floats each year. 500,000+ King cakes sold between Epiphany (Jan. 6) and Fat Tuesday. Another 50,000 cakes get shipped out of state. 125 Private balls, sponsored by social clubs called “krewes,” are held in the grand ballrooms of major hotels. 53 PARADES 1,061 FLOATS 588 MARCHING BANDS Took part in a recent Carnival season—the 12 days that precede Fat Tuesday.…

After I returned from Vietnam and was discharged in March 1969, I resumed my prior civilian job and got engaged to my long-term girlfriend. In doing so I took myself out of the “what’s happening” milieu. No more clubbing or hanging out. Not that working at Sears or living in Toledo, Ohio—not exactly the epicenter of Cool—was conducive to staying current anyway. We married on Aug. 16 in Westlake, Ohio. We got on the road around 9 that night, headed for Georgian Bay, Ontario, where we had booked a week at a resort. We got off the highway shortly after 11 p.m. and stopped at a Holiday Inn. No vacancy. A few exits later I tried another hotel. Again, no vacancy. I’d never had this trouble before, so at the…

The all-day rain crushed my romantic notions of the outdoor summer concert. No barely clothed bodies gyrating in the summer sun for us. Instead, we were layered in hoodies, wet denim and soggy shoes. I was 16, and this was Lollapalooza at Great Woods, a vast open-air venue in Mansfield, Massachusetts, in 1991. When Nine Inch Nails played “Head like a Hole,” the crowd started to rip up chunks of grass and hurl them into the air. The sky was raining clumps of mud and turf, and the ground had become a brown swamp. I can’t remember exactly who I was there with. I’m 80 percent sure it was Rob Devaney, the stage-combat teacher at my summer theater school. I had come to see Jane’s Addiction, which was on permanent…

FIND HATTIE’S HATPIN Hattie has lost two hatpins in this issue! If you find them, tell us at reminisce.com/hatpin. We’ll randomly select winners to receive a year’s subscription to Reminisce. In the January issue, we hid hatpins on the display panel on page 24 and on the flagpole on page 39. There’s no purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on 3/1/17, and ends on 5/3/17. For official rules, visit reminisce.com/hatties-hatpin-rules-rem/. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC. TRIVIAL PURSUITS, PAGE 11 : 1. American Bandstand 2. The…

Back in 1947, I was with my brother, who raised whiteface steers, at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque. The barn was packed with fairgoers when a little boy tugged at his dad’s pant leg and, in a shout that could be heard throughout the barn, declared, “That man back there told me how to tell a cow from a bull.” The father ignored him. “Dad,” the boy insisted, “the man told me how to tell a cow from a bull.” The father continued to pretend that he hadn’t heard, but the boy was persistent. At last, the dad stopped and asked very quietly, “OK, how do you tell a cow from a bull?” A sudden hush fell over the barn. No one wanted to miss this one. “Bulls…

«TEACHER MOVIES The 1967 film To Sir With Love became a classic when it hit the screens 50 years ago, partly because it focused on high school angst and partly because of its No. 1 theme song. What movie about teachers is your fave and why? Email with the subject line “TEACHER MOVIES.” «VIETNAM Heroes exist all around us, but Vietnam vets hold a special place of honor as warriors during a turbulent time for our country. We want to hear and share your story. Email with the subject line “VIETNAM.” COUNTRY MUSIC Concerts, TV shows, songs and stars have garnered country a permanent place in America’s music lexicon. Tell us whom you love, where you go, or what you remember most about loving country music. Email with the subject…

Churchill Kohlman was an African-American night watchman who spent his days writing ballads. His lifelong dream of success materialized late in 1951. That’s when a rhythm-and-blues-loving, almost-deaf white singer from Dallas, Oregon, recorded his song “Cry” for Columbia Records. With this tune, John Alvin “Johnnie” Ray set a new standard for recorded histrionics. Influenced by his friend, R&B artist LaVern Baker (“Tweedle Dee,” “Jim Dandy”), Ray belted out “Cry” (“cuh-RYE”) in an emotion-packed, near-breathless studio performance that approached the intensity of some R&B artists. Early in 1952, Ray’s single reached No. 1 simultaneously on both the pop (white) charts and R&B (black) charts. But strangely, Columbia never tried to replicate Johnnie’s unique “Cry” feat. Ray would hit the Top Ten pop lists six more times during the ’50s, but Columbia…

MARCH MADNESS My future husband wanted to date every girl in the 1968 coed calendar for my alma mater, Wisconsin State University-Whitewater. I was Miss March. We agreed to meet and once I looked into his blue eyes, I knew he was the one. We will be married 47 years on June 13, 2017. MARGE JESBERGER CHICOPEE, MA I FOUND A WAY TO HIS HEART “One week after returning from Army Reserve Camp, where I had sent him a pound of his favorite cookies, my future husband proposed. We’ll celebrate 43 years of marriage together on March 17.” WENDY LEE KLENETSKY FREEHOLD, NJ…

On my 20 th birthday my family went to see the circus in Anaheim, California. The girls who wore those beautiful costumes and rode the elephants fascinated me. Since I had been a dancer for many years, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to travel with “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Two days later I read in the paper that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was holding auditions in Los Angeles for showgirls. I went to the tryouts just for fun, but I did so well I ended up in Florida to start rehearsals. I learned the web, an aerial ballet performed 30 feet above the audience, and how to dance while wearing a fancy 2 -foot-tall headpiece. I learned to perform tricks…

Jack H. Charig, my father, was born in Germany into a prosperous merchant family of Russian descent. During childhood his future seemed assured—the only uncertainty was whether, after completing university studies, he would follow his father into the business or go into medicine or law. His life was interrupted in the 1930 s by the nightmare of Nazism and the tragedy of his father’s death at the hands of Adolph Hitler’s army. At the age of 16 , my father escaped from Germany and went to Switzerland, then to Italy and Portugal. In Portugal, he secured passage, along with 1 , 600 others, on a freighter bound for the United States. When the ship arrived weeks later, nearly half of its passengers had died. Shortly after his arrival, Jack registered…

MARDI GRAS TRAPPINGS ARE FAMOUS: Million-dollar floats snaking down the dark streets of New Orleans; masked float riders wearing fabulous costumes; and torrents of beads and trinkets tossed from the floats as crowds chant, “Throw me something, mister!” But for my family, the most memorable Mardi Gras parade took place while driving through the Gentilly neighborhood well off the established path of elite cavalcades. No fabulous floats appeared. Instead, crepe-paper-clad old cars, pickups and campers rolled by, with riders throwing beads to cheering people on the corner. A young man explained to us this was the Krewe of Dreux—a neighborhood parade for folks who could not get to fancy downtown celebrations or simply wanted to celebrate with friends and neighbors instead of with strangers in the French Quarter. So we…

Joe Smith and I were in the 11th grade in 1975 when we got tickets to Led Zeppelin at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. I had just turned 17. We were on the floor, about 100 feet from the band. Just before the encore, I got out of my seat and made my way to the stage, which had no barrier to keep the crowd back. Zeppelin came on again and went into “Whole Lotta Love,” a hard-driving song with a fantastic lead solo toward the end. Suddenly the guitarist, Jimmy Page, leaped forward and slid on his knees to where I was standing. He let rip with his blistering solo right before my eyes. Wow, I was thinking, this is amazing! I saw Led…

CHARLES LAUGHTON had won his only Academy Award back in 1934, but he was enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1940s, with prominent character roles in The Big Clock (1948), The Bribe and The Man on the Eiffel Tower (both 1949). With his posh English accent and theatrical demeanor, Laughton wasn’t an obvious fit for the Pabst brand, but that seems to be the point. “Our beer is so good,” the ad is saying, “even this fancy British guy drinks it.” INSTANT RECOGNITION The ad never identifies Bob Hope, referring only to “this man,” but in 1957, there was no mistaking him. Perhaps America’s best-known comedian, Hope was a fixture on TV at the time. Parker likely…

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We lived on Orcas Island, Washington, an hour ferry ride plus a 1 ½-hour drive from Seattle. When our son Nick was 13 , his favorite band was AC/DC. He was consumed with desire to see them in concert. His dad, Doug, and I assured him they would come in a few years. “In a few years?!” Nick cried. “They won’t last that long. They aren’t that good. I hope they’ll come sooner than that.” Wouldn’t you know it, a short time later, on Feb. 12 , 1982 , AC/DC was scheduled to play a concert in Seattle, and one of Nick’s friends had four tickets. The other boys were at least two or three years older than Nick, and as far as we knew, they would be without a…