Innehållsförteckning för November 2020 från Reminisce Extra

This month marks the last entry in our yearlong series commemorating the end of World War II. Our retrospective began with the January 2020 Reminisce Extra, which looked at retooling efforts and workers on the homefront, and continued in successive Reminisce Extras, focusing on different aspects of the conflict, from major battles (March) and the European (May) and Pacific (July) theaters to the celebratory days after it finally ended (September). November’s topic, on the lasting effects of World War II, is especially complex, a vine with many tendrils. It is clear, even 75 years later, that the war remains vivid for those who fought it; our feature “In War’s Wake” (page 28) includes accounts of veterans who have revisited their experiences with dignity through the Honor Flight Network. In many…

President Harry Truman starts a second term backing a Fair Deal at home—the minimum wage lifts to 75 cents an hour—and the setup of NATO to block communism in Europe. The Soviets lift the blockade of Berlin, thwarted by an airlift of supplies. Notre Dame ends a dominating run with a 10-0 record in football. On Broadway, South Pacific strikes a chord for tolerance. George Orwell’s 1984 is published. Computers “talk” via normal voice phone lines. Kids go crazy for Cootie. McDonald’s adds fries to the menu. And these words are in common use, says Merriam-Webster. BEEFCAKE: The muscular physique of Victor Mature brings a masculine version of cheesecake to the silver screen. BIG BANG: A British astrophysicist refers derisively to a theory that the universe had an explosive beginning.…

My wife, Josephine, and I attended the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, in 1959. We arrived early in the morning, parked at the stadium and walked a mile back to the parade route. We found a curbside spot on Orange Grove Boulevard, in the second block down from where the parade makes the turn onto Colorado Boulevard. We set up our folding chairs to await the start of the parade. Josephine wanted a cup of coffee, so I volunteered to walk up the street and find a place to buy two cups. A policeman was directing foot traffic, and as I asked him where to find a coffee stand, a panel truck drove up behind the grandstand. “Watch where the driver of the truck sets up—he will be selling coffee…

ONE SNOWY NIGHT in 1953, my husband, John, and I were going from Endicott, New York, to Queens to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. It was a long trip on back roads—the highway wasn’t built yet—and I was feeling ill because I was pregnant. It was dark and the snow, which had been light when we started out, grew heavier, until John could hardly see through the windshield. We realized we had to find somewhere to stay. We were delighted to see a “Cabins” sign and pulled up to the house hoping to rent one of the many cabins scattered throughout the property. But there were no vacancies. The owners were an older couple. When we explained our situation, they surprised us by offering us a room in the main…

Jackie Gleason began hosting Cavalcade of Stars in 1950, where his talent for live vaudeville-style TV programs shone. In 1952, with Gleason still hosting, CBS renamed the program The Jackie Gleason Show. Stars such as Frankie Avalon and Doris Day had guest spots and Gleason himself portrayed recurring characters: millionaire Reginald Van Gleason III, Joe the Bartender and Brooklyn bus driver Ralph Kramden. The show’s short “The Honeymooners” sketches, with the blowhard Kramden and his scrappy wife, Alice (Audrey Meadows), grew into a half-hour spinoff series, above. It ran for one season, ending in 1956, then Gleason tried other show formats before reverting to the reliable lineup of sketches and chorus girl routines with Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine in 1962. Gleason’s variety show got a final retitling in 1966,…

As I filled out my schedule at the University of Missouri, where I was studying journalism under the GI Bill, I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned to see a pretty blonde. She asked for help with some paperwork, and I asked her out to lunch. A month into the semester, we went to visit Joy’s folks in Kansas City. I was from New Jersey, and naturally I was a bit nervous to meet them. As it turned out, rightly so. Her mother invited me into her sewing room to have what she called a little chat. Did I attend church? Which one? Did I smoke, drink or gamble? What had my life in the Navy been like? What were my grades? After an hour of this, Joy’s…

‘ONE MORE TOUR, WITH HONOR’ Honor Flights began as a way to give veterans of WWII free flights to Washington, D.C., to visit the national war memorial. • In 2005, Earl Morse in Ohio, and Jeff Miller in North Carolina, each formed organizations to fly WWII vets to the capital. • In 2007, Morse and Miller joined forces to form the Honor Flight Network, now with 130 hubs in 45 states, and serving veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Its motto: “One more tour, with honor.” By the end of 2019, more than 245,000 veterans had gone on Honor Flights. • In 2008, Morse and Miller were awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal for their service to American veterans. Standing for Another ROSANNE TAYLOR • WEST CHESTER, PA AL TAYLOR, MY…

LEARNING THE ROPES, OKLAHOMA STYLE Kind neighbors—and ice cream—ease culture shock. PETRA GILBERT MARQUIS • ORANGE, CA Klausdorf, Germany, was a relatively safe village, and my family was lucky to be able to spend the majority of World War II there. When the war ended we returned to Berlin and found our apartment house was still standing. It was located in West Berlin in the American sector. My father died in Russia during the war and my mother, Ursula Margarete, married an American soldier, Master Sgt. S.K. Oleson. They were reassigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1949. My little brother, Dieter, and I arrived in Lawton, Oklahoma, two years later with my grandma, whom we called Oma. We didn’t speak a word of English. In Berlin, it felt like fall,…

TELL US HOW TO FIND YOU Whether you send your submission via mail or email or post it online, include your full name, daytime phone number, email address and mailing address. If you have a post office box, tell us your street address too. HELP US SORT THINGS OUT Include the name of the department your submission is for (Motoring Memories, Growing Up, etc.) on the first page of your submission or in the email subject line. For any photos you submit, please identify the people, city, state and year the photo was taken. We reserve the right to use submissions in any section of our magazine, or elsewhere. We do not return unsolicited materials. Send quality photo reprints or email high-resolution JPEG files (300 dpi at 8x10) so you…

Share moments of lasting joy with this charming keepsake collection of memories from the readers of Reminisce. NOSTALGIA Stories about backyard games, beloved pets, road trips and holiday celebrations highlight the special bonds of family. PHOTO ALBUM Hundreds of reader snapshots form a tender and intimate portrait of life at home. POP CULTURE Colorful vintage ads in every chapter bring the past alive in all its fun—and kitschy—glory. ORDER TODAY : reminisce.com/FAMILY IN THE NEXT ISSUE REMINISCE • Christmas Keepsakes • The Princess Phone • Holidays in the Tropics…

Born Ronald Wilson Reagan Feb. 6, 1911, in Tampico, IL. Died June 5, 2004, in Los Angeles, CA. Reagan worked as a sports announcer and, in his first movie, he played a radio commentator. He had several famous roles as athletes, including halfback George Gipp. Called to active duty in 1942, Reagan joined the Army’s 1st Motion Picture Unit, which made more than 400 training films. In 1951, when Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild, he met actress Nancy Davis. They married a year later.…

“ If a song can’t be written in 20 minutes, it ain’t worth writing. ” Nobody knew heartbreak like Hank Williams. From barnburners to ballads, “the hillbilly Shakespeare” could electrify audiences with unflinchingly honest songs about his troubled life—especially the tumultuous relationship with his first wife, Audrey. In 1949, he had his first No. 1 hit, “Lovesick Blues.” Seven more songs charted that year, and he made a jaw-dropping Grand Ole Opry debut. Drinking and drug use cut his career short; he died of a heart attack at 29. Many still consider him the greatest songwriter in country music history. He was born into poverty in Mount Olive, Alabama. At 6, Williams sold peanuts and shined shoes to help his mom, Lillie, keep the family afloat. A bluesman taught him…

IT WAS APRIL 1947 AND cherry blossom time in Japan. I was with the 24th Infantry stationed at Camp Chickamauga in Beppu, Kyushu. We maintained athletic and recreational facilities for the occupying troops and their dependents. One of my duties was assisting in the operation of the Lanik Theater, which was a former Japanese opera house. During a standard walk-around of the theater one afternoon, I noticed a pair of Japanese clogs, called geta, by one of the exit doors. Since it is Japanese custom to remove geta or shoes when entering a building, I assumed that an unauthorized person had entered the theater. I searched, but after about 15 minutes found no one. I got back to the exit to find the geta gone. About a week later, I…

My father, John J. Byrne Sr., was born in Donegal, Ireland. In the early 1900s, his parents immigrated to Butte, Montana. His father died in a mining accident, and Dad and his mother returned to Ireland. In 1922, when Dad was 21, he came back, arriving at Ellis Island on the T.S.S. Columbia. He moved to Fort Worth, where a cousin had a job waiting for him. JOHN J. BYRNE JR. • ARLINGTON, TX…

6 The number of ingredients in the first test recipe: mushroom soup, green beans, celery salt, soy sauce, french-fried onions and water, according to Dorcas Reilly’s original recipe card, below. After tastings, testers used pepper instead of celery salt and milk later replaced water. 1/4CUP The amount of frenchfried onions added to the sauce after the first experiment. Food historian Laura Shapiro told NPR the casserole’s french-fried onions are “the reason people like it decade after decade.” Reilly clearly had an instinct for how special they were, for despite complaints from her team about “too many onions,” she upped the amount to 1/3 cup, with the rest scattered on top. The modern recipe calls for stirring in 2/3 cup onions. 20MILLION The estimated number of households that serve green bean…

CLEAN CONVENIENCE Republic was one of dozens of steel producers that retooled for the home market in the postwar building boom. Its Berger division began making kitchen cabinets in 1946. Steel dominated the market until about the mid-1960s, when wood cabinetry became the norm. M ULL IT WITH MULLINS Mullins Manufacturing Corp. was a top-seller of kitchens in the 1950s housing boom, expanding its Youngstown line as soon as WWII ended. The Diana huntress in the Youngstown logo is based on a sculpture commissioned by W.H. Mullins and exhibited at Chicago’s Columbia Exposition in 1893. NEW FLAME Steelmakers marketed their kitchens as the ultimate in efficiency, and electric appliances, with their neat, coiled burners and simple wall plugs, supported the look. But this Ladies’ Home Journal ad challenges the steel-electric…

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ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS USO tours and other shows were a highlight for American troops both overseas and at home. Did you or someone you know ever see one of these shows? Or perhaps you were an entertainer or worked backstage on productions? We’d love to hear about your experiences. Label your story and pictures “USO Tours.” PICTURES FROM THE PAST We’re putting together picture packages on several topics for the coming year and want to include your vintage images! Some of our needs include favorite family pets, camping or exploring nature, playing musical instruments and participating in sports or watching a game. Label your submission “Pictures from the Past.” YOUR SONG Do you and your someone have a special song? How did it become the music of your love? Describe…

Boxer Jake LaMotta’s 1949 world championship is the source for Martin Scorsese’s 1980 Raging Bull starring Robert De Niro. Which boxing movies knock you out? 1 Wallace Beery plays an alcoholic ex-boxer taking care of his son in this 1931 tear-jerker. 2 William Holden, above, stars in this picture about a man who must choose between his music and boxing. 3 Kirk Douglas plays a boxer who claws his way to the top in this film noir. 4 Rocky Graziano’s life inspires this biopic that makes Paul Newman a star. 5 Anthony Quinn shines in this 1962 drama about a damaged heavyweight boxer who is double-crossed by his manager. 6 James Earl Jones portrays Jack Johnson, the first African American to become heavyweight champion. 7 A struggling Philadelphia boxer earns…

When I was a sophomore in high school, one of my hobbies was baking. I started making cookies and cakes, and went on to learning to make yeast breads. In 1967 I competed in a three-hour breadmaking contest at the county fair in Chelan, Washington. The competition was live, and fairgoers watched me demonstrate the process. One woman watched my entire demonstration and when I finished, told me what a great job I did. I felt good about the demonstration, too, and decided to share some of the blue-ribbon dinner rolls with a boy that I liked. I found him in the rabbit barn, but when I offered the rolls to him, he said, “No, thank you.” I gave the bread to other friends and walked back to the kitchen…

The Immigration Act of 1924 set a quota for immigrants, but excluded people of certain races or nationalities altogether—including Japanese. The Japanese exclusion remained in effect until 1952, when Congress changed the law. Between ’45 and ’52, GIs had few choices if they wanted to be with their Japanese loves. Some, including Joseph Negrelli, reenlisted; others rushed to meet temporary legal reprieves, but often needed assistance from an elected official. U.S. Rep. John F. Kennedy, D-Mass., for instance, helped a constituent bring his Japanese fiancee home in 1950. It is estimated that between 30,000 and 45,000 Japanese war brides settled in the U.S. in the 1950s. KUMIKO AND JOSEPH married in 1951, before the law changed to allow her to enter the U.S. They were together 68 years until her…

THE AUTUMN OF 1951 FOUND our family of five disembarking the USS General Leroy Eltinge, a World War II troop transport ship repurposed to bring refugees to America. We had been living in various displaced persons camps in Europe for six years. I will never forget setting foot on land with Lady Liberty in the background, nor the sights and sounds of thousands of people shouting in different languages as we all jockeyed for position in line for immigration processing. After the war, my mother was very ill and my father was severely traumatized. They had been captured by the Nazis, selected for hard labor and barely survived. I was born into these circumstances. Later, both of my brothers were born in displaced persons camps. It was rare to see…