"The Proof of Worth" by Edward Albert Guest

 The Proof of Worth

by Edgar Albert Guest  (1881-1959)

Born in Birmingham, England and emigrated to Detroit as a child. I cannot find the year this poem was published, but it was probably between the two World Wars. His style is somewhat like Rudyard Kipling and reads easily, while still managing to say much. This is one of my favorite poems of his, though it is often overlooked. 

Though victory's proof of the skill you possess,

Defeat is the proof of your grit;

A weakling can smile in his days of success,

But at trouble's first sign he will quit.

So the test of the heart and the test of your pluck

Isn't skies that are sunny and fair,

But how do you stand to the blow that is struck

And how do you battle despair?

A fool can seem wise when the pathway is clear

And it's easy to see the way out,

But the test of man's judgment is something to fear,

And what does he do when in doubt?

And the proof of his faith is the courage he shows

When sorrows lie deep in his breast;

It's the way that he suffers the griefs that he knows

That brings out his worst or his best.

The test of a man is how much he will bear

For a cause which he knows to be right,

How long will he stand in the depths of despair,

How much will he suffer and fight?

There are many to serve when the victory's near

And few are the hurts to be borne,

But it calls for a leader of courage to cheer

The men in a battle forlorn.

It's the way you hold out against odds that are great

That proves what your courage is worth,

It's the way that you stand to the bruises of fate

That shows up your stature and girth.

And victory's nothing but proof of your skill,

Veneered with a glory that's thin,

Unless it is proof of unfaltering will,

And unless you have suffered to win.

Tal Henry & his North Carolinians (Undated)

There’s a great misconception of North Carolina when it comes to music. Many people think of the state as being predominantly represented by such musical acts as Earl Scruggs and Andy Griffith, or “shag music” from the shore. And we’re proud of that stuff. But our musical history is much more diverse than that. It covers all genres; including the rare and elusive traveling jazz -dance band orchestra and comedy act of Tal Henry and His North Carolinians.

Well, in actuality Tal Henry was born in Georgia in July of 1898. He arrived in North Carolina; Burlington to be exact; after he had completed his education at Shenandoah Conservatory of Music located in Dayton, Virginia. In North Carolina he worked at Elon College, near Burlington, where he taught violin, an instrument he had been playing since he was 7 years old.

His first experiences playing for entertainment seem to have been in the Burlington area around 1919. He was the violinist with Frank Hood and his band; now making his home in Greensboro. By 1924 he had taken over the band which he named Tal Henry and His North Carolinians. It’s not clear just how many of the band members were from North Carolina, but the name was a big draw at college campus parties and social events in the surrounding area.

Next the band found work in Washington, Pennsylvania doing the same thing as they had in Greensboro; playing dances and events; only now they had a home at the Washington Hotel where they were under contract as the house band. Remember that radio was just coming into play as a major means of entertainment, and so “society bands”; as they were known at the time; were still in great demand.

The next move the band made was to Charlotte; which at the time was poised to become the great center of music that Nashville became later on. Charlotte only lost her hold due to the logistics of the vaudeville circuit. At the time her 50,000 Watt transmitter at WBT-AM was the largest one in the South, and as such the station drew all kinds of entertainers to its studio on Tryon Street. Arthur Smith was a regular and had his own show. He loved Charlotte so much that he never left it; dying there (here to me) just about a year ago. There the orchestra performed at the opening of the Hotel Charlotte in 1924. But the bands big break finally arrived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania when they were introduced to Bob Hope and George Burns. They were booked to join the troupe for a sixteen week tour beginning immediately.

From then on the band worked more or less non-stop for about 27 year; appearing on stage, at galas and celebrations, on radio, television and even a few movies along the way. They worked with just about everybody in show business at the time, including; Bob Hope, ,Mary Pickford, Kate Smith, Kay Kyser, Fred Waring, Paul Whiteman, Jan Garber, Duke Ellington, Vincent Lopez, Randolph Scott, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Hal Kemp, Jack Marshall, Nat "King" Cole, Ina Ray Hutton and even a young Lionel Hampton.

I have run across the name of the band several times over the years while reading both fiction and non-fiction books. I figured it was high time to find out who he was and how he fit in to the history of music in North Carolina. He may not have been born here, but North Carolina is the place he learned how to swing.

"Supreme City" by Donald L. Miller (2014)

New York is the greatest city in the world by any measure. To paraphrase Dickens in “A Christmas Carol”, you must realize this “for any good to come of it.” But the growth of the city from the quaint days of the “Gay Nineties” to what it became after the Second World War required a growth spurt unlike that seen by any other city before or since.

That is what author Donald L. Miller sets out to prove with this ambitious and informative biography of the city between the turn of the century and the beginning of the Second World War. And he does it with style as he explores both the physical changes to the city’s skyline as well as the men who wrought that change. Along the way he takes us on a tour of the speakeasies and nightclubs, as well as the back rooms of the politicians and the boardrooms of the big corporations.

Carefully researched and annotated, this book covers such diverse topics as the changing modes of transportation and the expansion of the subways, the building of the Grand Central Railroad Station and the rise of Park Avenue, and the city wide construction boom which would push the city’s boundaries further northward.

In the fields of Entertainment; radio; vaudeville; theater; a new invention called TV; musical recording; and even the motion pictures; all had their start in the Big Apple.

As far as Politics and Personalities go, this book explores the characters of the day; Tex Guinan and her saloon; the speakeasies; Mayor Jimmy Walker, Ziegfeld, William S. Paley and the rise of mass media.

The major events of the 1920’s; Lindbergh’s parade after soloing across the Atlantic, Valentino’s funeral and the rise and fall of Tammany Hall are all given their respective dues.  

The author covers all bases in an effort to paint an accurate portrait of Manhattan during 3 of her most fascinating; and active; decades. These are the years which made New York what she is today; quite simply put; the most fantastic city in the world.

This book is an excellent companion to the book “Gotham” which chronicles the history of Manhattan from the time of Hudson to the present. They go well together on my shelf.

Arthur Smith - RIP

Legendary guitarist, banjo player, fiddler, songwriter, TV host, radio personality Arthur Smith passed away on Thursday. He was 93 years old. His death marked the end of a long and stellar career making music in Charlotte, N.C. Although he was born in South Carolina Mr. Smith made Charlotte his home in the early 1940’s and never looked back.

His radio and TV shows were regional in their makeup, but had a worldwide effect on music. His iconic “Fuedin’ Banjo’s” would go on to be heard in films like “Deliverance”, for which he was given no credit whatsoever and had to bring suit in order to obtain any money for the use of his song. When Mitsubishi used the song again in the 1990’s he made some more money by taking them to court. But that is just a small part of who Mr. Smith was.

All over the country there were regional variety shows along the lines of the Ed Sullivan Show in New York. These regional shows highlighted the music and happenings in the local area in which they aired. I have often been envious of the people who got to watch these shows when I was a kid. Sure, I had Sullivan, but so did the people in the small cities. They just had something extra.

Guests such as Johnny Cash; who used to stay at Mr. Smith’s home in Charlotte when he came for a visit; Billy Graham and his wife Ruth, Andy Griffith, and a host of young guitar pickers from Nashville; including a very young Vince Gill; all made appearances on Mr. Smith’s show. Paul McCartney played 2 songs in 1958 which got him in the Quarrymen with John Lennon. One was Eddie Cochrane’s “Twenty Flight Rock”; the other was Arthur Smith’s “Guitar Boogie.”

Regional shows like Mr. Smith’s have gone by the wayside in the wake of the expanding global economy, but they will always be remembered for the joyful noise they made. The world was much less complex in those days when television was live and the performers even livelier. RIP Arthur Smith.

For more about Mr. Smith use the following link;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ7IYL0qzrM 

Jack Benny's Golden Memories of Radio - (1966)

For decades I have had this album and been meaning to convert it to mp3 so that I can listen to it in the car. Somehow, I just never got around to it. This album is a six LP collection which was designed to be played on an old hi-fi with a spindle. For those too young to know what that is I’ll explain.

Each of the records are numbered from 1-6, but the sides are numbered in accordance with the they will be heard when you placed them; all six at one time; on the “spindle”, which gently dropped the next LP into place when the previous one had finished playing. I’ll bet you didn't know we had something like that back in the old days. When you finished with the first 6 sides, you simply flipped the whole stack over and finished the last 6. In this fashion you were able to listen to about 3 hours of music uninterrupted,

This collection was recorded on “virgin” vinyl, which was a grade superior to the material used for pop records put out by the commercial record companies. Those were “hit” recordings which might last a year or two in the minds of the public before being forgotten. So, the extra expense went into the making of “classical” records, and “jazz”, both of which were considered to be of more importance than popular music.

The reminiscing begins with George Burns and Gracie Allen, and continues with highlights from every show imaginable in radio history. Then the  action shifts to the radios emergence as a means of communicating the news, with the results of the first Presidential Election being broadcast, to the Hindenburg disaster and even Pearl Harbor, as evidence of the world’s growing reliance on the radio to keep them informed.

This album is a unique audio way of looking back on the history of the times in which the broadcasts were made. There is the abdication of King Edward, the Coronation of King George VI, and even the last broadcast from Corregidor, which was sent by a fellow from Brooklyn who lived near Flatbush Avenue. He says goodbye to his mother and wishes he had a Hershey bar just before the line goes dead. He survived the war and is even interviewed on the record about those last moments.

The world of sports is not ignored in either. There is the Dempsey-Tunney fight; or Schemling defeating Joe Louis; and then the return match, where the “Brown Bomber” wins the match and the hearts of his fellow countrymen. Jesse Owens at the Olympics and even Lou Gehrig’s famous goodbye are also included here.

From news to entertainment, this album delivers. There’s a lot of history, and hence education involved in listening to this collection of the Golden Years of Radio. One of the best things is that you can listen to it; or even download it; for free in about 7 minutes. I don’t know the who; or the why; behind this, but I am happy to share the link with you, in the hope that you will actually listen to this fantastic collection of radio history.

http://archive.org/details/JackBennysGoldenMemoriesOfRadio

"Music, Music, Music" by Teresa Brewer (1950)

I suppose I could call this a recovered memory; I was waking from a nap this morning and a phrase was running through my head; it was only three words, but they struck a chord somewhere; and as I lay there, thinking, the word nickelodeon came to mind. Something was stirring  that went waaay back to my earliest memories. Then I had it! It was one of my parent's old records, which gave me so much pleasure as a kid. This one was a music hall number extolling the joy of dancing to a jukebox, which were sometimes still called nickelodeons by the older folks. It was also the preferred word for a jukebox in England at the time.

Before I even sat down to write this, I had remembered all of the lyrics, and the melody. This is one of those early records from when I was just shy of being 3 years old, in 1957. The recording had come out in early 1950, which is something I just found out by googling You Tube, my favorite friend. The record charted at Number 1, even though it was the "B" side of the recording "Copenhagen", which did not chart at all! So, it was a pure twist of fate that scored Ms. Brewer her first #1 hit record, as well as finding a permanent place deep down in my 3 year old mind. I wonder which is the greater achievement?

This was the original review of the record by Billboard;

"A gay, corny feed-the-nickolodean (sp) novelty is sung with infectious vitality, backed with an old-fashioned, thumping orking. Should be a good one in the boxes."

"Music, Music, Music" by Stephan Weiss and Bernie Baum

Put another nickel in
In the nickelodeon
All I want is having you
And music, music, music

I'd do anything for you
Anything you'd want me to
All I want is kissin' you
And music, music, music

Closer, my dear, come closer
The nicest part of any melody
Is when you're dancing close to me

So, put another nickel in
In the nickelodeon
All I want is lovin' you
And music, music, music

[Instrumental Interlude]

Put another nickel in
In the nickelodeon
All I want is having you
And music, music, music

I'd do anything for you
Anything you'd want me to
All I want is kissin' you
And music, music, music

Closer, my dear, come closer
The nicest part of any melody
Is when you're dancing close to me

So, put another nickel in
In the nickelodeon
All I want is lovin' you
And music, music, music

"C'mon, everybody
Put some nickels in
And keep that old Nickelodeon playing"

Music, Music, Music
Dum-dee, dum-dee, dah-dee-dum
Dum-dee, dum-dee, dah-dee-dum
Dum-dee, dum-dee, dah-dee-dum
And music, music, music

Dum-dee, dum-dee, dah-dee-dum
Dum-dee, dum-dee, dah-dee-dum
Dum-dee, dum-dee, dah-dee-dum
And music, music, music

"Ace In the Hole" with Kirk Douglas and Jan Sterling (1951)

This film was originally released under the title "The Big Carnival", and is loosely based on the true story of Floyd Collins, who became trapped in the Sand Caves in the Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky on January 30, 1925. His misfortune became a media circus, as hundreds of radio broadcasters, and newspapermen, raced to the scene. The story was updated for the film, which was directed by Billy Wilder, who also wrote the screenplay with Lesser Samuels. The story concerns a former big city reporter, Chuck Tatum, played by Kirk Douglas, who finds himself in a small town in New Mexico when a mine collapse strands a local miner, Leo Minosa, played by Richard Benedict, inside. His wife, Lorraine Minosa, played by Jan Sterling, is the struggling owner of the local restaurant, who soon finds herself at the center of a sensational news story.

The reporter, who has found a rear way into the mine, keeps that information to himself, as he seeks to exploit the story for all that it is worth. Tired of working for a small paper in Albuquerque, he dreams of making it back to the top of his profession; even at the cost of the trapped man's life.

The film is almost a harbinger of things to come in relation to today's 24/7 news cycle, where the ratings become more important than the story, overshadowing the importance of our own humanity.

Tight direction by Billy Wilder, amid the sparse desert landscape make this film a winner, as the media descends on the small town, setting up a death watch that will sell papers, and maybe even re-launch a news career.

For more background on the true story of Floyd Collins and the Sands Cave tragedy, here is a link to Wikipedia;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Collins

Yom HaShoah - lo nishkach - לא נשכח

"Andy Rooney- 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit" by Andrew A. Rooney

From its' foreward by Mr. Rooney's son and all the way through, this book will delight you. If you have ever seen Andy Rooney on CBS you will hear his voice as you read his words.

This book is a compilation of previously released pieces by Mr. Rooney. Some come from his first book "Air Gunner" and are some of the most intense descriptions of aerial combat I have ever read. Other pieces are essays from the 1960's and cover a wide range of topics. My favorite is his essay on chairs.

Today is actually Mr. Rooneys' 91st birthday. He's still out there swinging and railing away at all that seems silly and mundane. Most of the individual pieces are short and quickly read, which makes this book an excellent travel companion.

His style and wit are both hallmarks of American satire. Mark Twain would have felt very much at home with Mr. Rooney. For 60 years he has graced us with his unique outlook on life. From print to radio and then TV there has never been a time that we haven't had Andy Rooney in our lives.

One of the founders of the "Stars and Stripes" military newspaper, still in production today, you will laugh out loud at his description of it's early days housed in the staid offices of the London Times. As the war progresses and the theatres of operations change, the newspaper moves with the war, bringing news to the fighting man at the front. Originally published in 4 pages, 6 days a week, it is hard to find an American soldier since 1943 who hasn't read "Stars and Stripes."

An icon of American Journalism, Mr. Rooney has given us quite a gift with this mirror image of ourselves, reflected in his writing. Happy Birthday Mr. Rooney!