Medford mail tribune., March 27, 1956, Image 3

Writer Recalls Fred Allen's Easing of
Bleak Christmas Eve on Korean Front
By H. D. QUIGG I
United Press Correspondent i
New York UP; It was j
Christmas Eve in Korea. The
year was 1950. The weather was j
bleak and the outlook, for Amer-1
icani, bleaker. The Chinese i
Communist army was pressing i
down on us.
I sat in a bare room feeling i
lonely Far away, at home on
another continent, there was
warmth and gaiety this night.
And here, even the memory of
Christmas Eve seemed distant
and unattainable.
And then a strange thing hap
pened. From a radio in the room
suddenly issued the absurdly
raucous voice that was the trade
mark of a mighty man. "'No,
maw," it rasped, "Santa ain"t
a-ridin' tonight."
In that instant, Christmas Eve
came alive. The Armed Services
radia somehow had got Fred Al
len to revive his famed imper
sonation of Santa Claus on a
stay-home strike a skit he had
done for many Christmas sea
sons during his heyda on radio.
Personal Thanks
I have wondered many times
how I could thank him person
ally for that intensely personal
favor. Maybe there was no way
to do it This piece after his
death, is written as a member
of a public that owes- a tremen
dous debt to one man for shar
ing his superb gift of humor with
us during the 1930s and 1940s.
It was an event of some mo
ment to me, and to millions of
listeners every week' in the mid
19305, to tune in -Fred Aliens
cry of "It's Town Hall Tonight"
and Ihe sit back for an hour of
matchless comedy. I don't think
he ever v as quite as good after
his program shrank to half an
hour. He needed a full and lei
surely hour to move his wit
around in.
Allen had a talent for comic
word shaping. Only he could
Quotes From the News
By UNITED PRESS
Washington Rep. Charles E. Bennett (D.-Fla.) on the approval
of a "code of ethics" by a House Civil Service subcommittee:
"I take a sack of potatoes . . . and I send out Florida citrus
fruit. Now, if a congressman gets something with star' sapphires
and diamonds, that's another matter. He knows it's more than just
a souvenir."
Washington Nikolai E. Khokhlov, former Russian intelligence
officer, on the recent signs of unrest in the Soviet Union:
"The people of the Soviet Union, sooner or later ... . are going
to rise up and free themselves from Communist rule. The revolu
4ion has already begun."
Miami Lady Nancy Astor on what she thought of Grace Kel
ly's coming marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco:
"From the American newspapers you'd think America was
populated solely by naked women and cinema stars. There are
plenty of women judges, doctors and scientists in the United States,
but do you hear about them or their marriages?"
0 Chicago The Very Rev. Harold W. Rigney. held for four years
in a Red Chinese prison camp, on what he wishes to tell Ameri
cans: --.-
"I will tell them Jo trust no Communist. A false sense of secu
rity is dangerous for this country."
Hollywood Gloria Holiday in her divorce testimony against
Harold J. Peary, the former "Great Gildersleeve" of radio:
"My husband was a Republican. I was a Democrats He tried to
make a Republican out of me."
Jackson, Miss. Slate Sen. George Owens on raising the pay
of Mississippi legislators:
"I don't think legislators should have to eat hamburgers and hot
. dogs when they get hungry.'' .
yfe MAR. 22
10)36-44-543
star gaxe:r!0
By CLAY R. POLLAN
6
TAURUS
- APR. 21
" MAY 21
65-73-84
3 GEMINI
Pfi-'J JUNE 22
16-42-47-53
hV 69-72-78
CANCER
, JUNE 23
) JULY 23
1- 7-15-23
31-45-81-84
no
JULY 24
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16-17-21-301
38-51-67
VIRGO
AUG 7i
SEPT 22
i Your Daily Activity Guide
AeearAinn in th Start.
To develop message for Wednesday,
read words corresponding to numbers
of your Zodiac birth sign.
LIBRA
SEPT .23 r-Tf
6-1424-37C
41-56-68
U49-5d
-74
1 Conditions 31 Favor 6t Your
2 Late 32 Fortunot 62 Connected
3 You're 33 Right . 63 For
On 34 Be 64 With
5 The 35 Avoid 65 Social
6 Don't 36 Ploy 66 Exciting
7 Much 37 Suffer 67 Now
8 P.M. 38 Unuiuolly 68 Reason
9 Expect 39 Moy 69 If
10 Don't 40 Trock 70 Aheod
11 Time 41 For 71 Love
12 Some 42 Agomst 72 You're
13 Be 43 Find 73 Advantage
14 Let 44 Your 74 Interest
15 In 45 Porticulorty 75 All
16 Chancer 46 Or 76 It's
17 For 47 Accidenn 77 Worth
18 You 48 Only 78 Driving
19 The 49 A 79 Your
20 Skeptical 50 New 80 Personality
21 Recognition 51 Good 81 Financiol
22 Could 52 Especially 82 Good
23 Your 53 And 83 Occupation
24 Principles 54 Luck 84 Today
25 Is 55 Silly 85 Dominant
26 Guard 56 Any 86 Affoirs
27 Romantie 57 After 87 Be
28 Annoying 58 Affection 88 Diplomatic
29 Suspect 59 Forge 89 Couse
30 Are 60 Arguments
3)Gcod ()Ad verse 3 ) Neutral
SCORPIO
OCr'2i'CtL.
NOV. 22
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40-5970
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NOV 23
DEC. -22 fgj')
2- 8-28-35d
5-60-87-83
CAPRICORN
JAN. 20 V-JO
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PISCES
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MAR 21 a
18-39-43-58
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Pour on the
LUMBERJACK
for real old-time flavor
Your fluffy hotcakes' taste better
than ever with Lumberjack's
mellow maple flavor. For
here is syrup at its best, for .
breakfast at its best. Just the
right richness for smoother,
r--.nr"l.-linrr flivnr I
have called a fellow human be
ing "a pore-spattered husk." His
prose style was so direct that it
almost hurt. One short sentence
after another.
He was constantly at war with
officious authority in radio. And
that may have led to his cele
brated definition: '"An executive
is a man who gets towork at
9 o'clock in the morning and
finds a molehill on his desk. His
job is to make it into a moun
tain by 5 p.m."
His subjects' devotion to him
was great. The New York maga
zine once reviewed a Fred Allen
movie by saying simply: ''It's a
good picture, if you like Fred
Allen, the hell with you."
In an effort 'to describe H. Al
len Smith, Fred Allen once
wrote:
"Smith's face, which seems to
be receding (from what, I am not
prepared to say), hangs down
from his hair and rests on his
Adam's apple."
Writing to Smith about hu
mor, he said: "You have to be a
yuck to cater to yucks." But all
of us yucks liked and loved him.
Discussin, on his program, the
elegant night club located at the
top , of the skyscrapper Radio
City building, he said: "The
Rainbow room that's where
people in Radio City go when
they die, if they are good."
Allen was learned enough to
make appearances on the super
erudite radio program "Informa
tion Please." Once, Franklin P.
Adams completely broke up at
an Allen sally and then ex
plained: "He gets me giggling."
Maybe there is a room beyond
the Rainbow. If Fred Allen has
gone there, there'll be a spate of
giggling in the sky.
Showdown Due on
Guided Missiles
Washington (U.R) A Senate
Armed Services Subcommittee
today summoned Army and Air
Force officials for a showdown
on which service has the better
anti-aircraft. guided missile.
The hearing, to be staged be
hind closed doors, could resolve
cr explode an interservice coi
troversy that has been boiling up
behind the scenes in the Penta
gon. On the surface, the question
was, which is a better missile for
knocking down enemy bombers:
the Army's Nike, now deployed
around most. of the nation's prin
ciple cities, .or the Navy-developed
Talos, which the Air Force
plans to use to defend some of
its vital Strategic. Air Command
bases.
But in the background was the
question of which service in the
future is to have the mission of
anti-aircraft -defense.
The Army, which in the past
has had the primary assignment
for anti-aircraft, realized its
stakes were high in the battle.
It sent to argue its case two of
its top three-star generals, Lt.
Gen. C. D. Eddleman, chief of
Army operations, and Lt. Gen.
James M. Gavin, director of
Army research and development.
The Air Force relied on two
two-star generals, Maj.. Gen. K.
P. Bergquist of the Air Force
operations office and Maj. Gen.
S. R. Brentnall, assistant chief of
staff for guided missiles.
Cold Winds Chase
Springtime Heat
By UNITED PRESS
Cold mountain winds routed
a springtime "heat wave" in the
West today, tumbling tempera
tures from near-90 degree peaks.
The cold air, pushed on by
gusty winds, blew over the
Rocky Mountains and spread
across Nevada, Montana, and
Wyoming. Temperatures fell al
most 30 degrees.
Weather forecasters predicted
there would be ho repitition to
day of summery weather which
sent the mercury to 87 at Gar
den City, Kan., 82 at Philip,
S.D., and 81 at Chadron, Neb.,
yesterday.
To the East, the southern At
lantic coast warmed up, but not
enough to bring Florida's tem
peratures up to normal. It was
below freezing early today
across most of the Great Lakes
and New England and in the
northern Rockies and the Great
Basin.
Kefauver Would
Welcome Adlai
Los Angeles (U.R) A confi
dent Sen. Estes Kefauver appear
ed unperturbed today by reports
that Adlai E.' Stevenson was com
ing to California on a "stop Ke
fauver" trip...
The lanky Tennessee cam
paigner for the Democratic presi
dential nomination, on a whirl
wind tour of-Southern California
in his bid for California's dele
gation to the : Democratic Na
tional Convention, said Steven
son would be "welcome" in Cali
fornia. Stevenson,, who was upset by
Kefauver in the recent Minne
sota vote, is-scheduled to arrive
here by plane tomorrow.
Kefauver pointed yesterday to
his frequently stated remark that
a "healthy prmiary fight will
strengthen the ;party." He indi
cated he was ready for a pow
erful battle'.with Stevenson for
the California delegation in the
June 5 primary. :
"I know Stevenson will get a
good welcome in California," Ke
fauver said, i "I can't imagine a
better place-for. a vacation."
As to. his .'own campaign, Ke
fauver said;'-it . was an "uphill
Bethel to Observe
Ceremonies marking the first
anniversary of organization will
be held at a meeting of Bethel
55, International Order of Job's
Daughters, tonight at 7:30 p.m.
in the; Pythian building. Miss
Janet Perry is queen.
Special guests will be Mrs. T.
A. Crump, Portland, junior past
grand guardian for Oregon; Mrs.
C D. - Elhart, M e d f o r d, a
past grand guardian and Mrs.
Everett Faber, Central Point,
vice-grand guardian for the
state.
Members of Bethel 22,' Ash
land, will also be guests.
All members of the order,
their parents and all persons of
proper Masonic affiliation are
invited- to attend.
Attend Show
Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Tay
lor and Mr. and Mrs. Carl
Wimberly Jr., returned home
Sunday from San Francisco
where . they attended the Gener
al Motor's "Motorama" held at
the Civjc auditorium. While in
the Bay city the couples also
attended a performance of "An
niversary Waltz." .
Here
Mrs. 'Dave Brainerd and two
daughter? are here from Peta
luma, Calif., to visit Mrs. Brain
erd's mother, Mrs. E. A. Littrell,
and Mr. Littrell, 140 Greenway
circle. . The family formerly
lived here.
Return
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kepling
er and -children, Linda Sharon
and Phillip Henry, have return
ed to Medford after spending
the past nine months in Eugene,
Ore. The Keplingers home is at
107 South Newtown street.
Tuesday. March 27, 1956
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE THBEJE
Youths Have Summer Work All Figured
Portland (U.R) Three Port
land youths have their, summer
all mapped out for them. The
trio, two 15-year-olds and a 13-year-old.
accidentally set fire to
the newly constructed Rose City
primary school earlier this year.
Juvenile Court Judge Virgil
H. Langtry has assessed S150
against the two older boys and
S50 against the third youth who
was not with the others when
the building caught fire. The
money must be earned by the
boys during the summer school
vacation and turned over to the
juvenile court.
The fire, set by matches shot
into the building with home
made "clothespin" guns, caused
damage estimated at S25.000.
French Morocco far from
being a desert resembles Cal
ifornia in variety of climate and
scenery. Half a million acres are
irrigated.
About 27,000 Americans be
come blind during the course of
an average year.
Phone 3-1733
Hudson's Bay Ship
Docks at Vancouver
. . Vancouver, Wash. (U.R)
The first Hudson's Bay vessel
to call; here in 109 years was
tied up'a the Van Couver docks
today. .'The Dutch motorship
Auriga .''called here with a load
of fertilizer.
The-,sbip flies the Dutch flag
but has;; been purchased by the
Hudson's Bay company and will
be fitted out for service in Arc
tic circle waters north of Can
ada. ' The -lost Hudson's Bay ship
to call.'.at Fort. Vcfncouver was
the bark Cowlitz which loaded
there iri 147.
'TheV'176-foot Auriga carries a
crew of nine.
pull" ' but "we're going good
now.":!
He said he hopes Californians
do like 'the Minnesota voters and
cast tHfeir ballots "for me."
SPRING
ALE!
W At THESE PRC
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Wednesday
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