Things I Remember

When I decided to prepare recollections of my youth in Memoirs of the 1922 Born based on Ed Flynn’s  planned book If I’d Known I Was Going To Live So Long, I Would Have Kept Notes, I didn’t realize that reading Ed’s column with his recollections and my additions would have a synergistic effect on my memory.  Each of the parts appeared to stir up more and more long forgotten thoughts and memories. 

Ed, of course, set the pace – it’s his book – and I followed his lead.  Twice, in Part 8A and again in Part 19A, I added information that was part of my recollections, but not necessarily applicable to anything that Ed prepared, and so the addition of the “A” to the part number so as not to upset the proper sequence of part numbers.  Part 8A had to do with the prewar history of the airplane and Part 19A had to do with Eleanor Roosevelt and her relationship with the children of the Depression.  These subjects are major pre-war items and have a place in the memoirs.

Now, I find that there are nagging thoughts that flit in and out of my mind, that have to do with my childhood, but hardly seem important enough to include in the memoirs.  Nevertheless, I would like to make     these thoughts part of the record without cluttering the memoirs with them.  I decided to include them as part of one of my many essays.  If they interest the reader, good, read on; if there is no interest, forget it and go back to the memoirs. 

  Kate Smith banging out a strong rendition of “God Bless America,” which she made her theme song;

  Clayton Moore, as the Lone Ranger, and “The William Tell Overture,” which he adopted for his program;

  “The Bobby Benson Show,” with its entertaining cowboy theme – but highly illogical plots;

  The early radio 15-minute programs of Bing Crosby and Morton Downey;

  The radio serials that my mother listened to without fail while doing her housework:

                                Ma Perkins                            Little House on the Prairie                         Witches Tales              

                                Mr. Anthony                         Myrt & Marge                                          Lil Orphan Annie

                                Plus many other 15-minute programs that I don’t recall;

  The “Our Gang” comedies and the Gang’s constant efforts to put on a show during each episode;

  The Ritz Brothers, Marx Brothers, Abbot and Costello and others with their zany performances;

  The old comics; such as, Krazy Kat, Bringing Up Father, The Katzenjammer Kids, Rube Goldberg, and

   many, many others, some of which are still around to entertain us;

  The many action films with Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone and others, doing their thing with  

   sword and dagger;

  The books of many writers, especially Dumas, that helped me forget reality;

  Rubber band powered model airplanes and the successes and heartbreaks of flying them;

  Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt;

  My first real girlfriend, who married me anyway; and, of course,

  The Corps.

October 2004

LFC