With the Glee Club
SINGERS CONQUER ALL DURING HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TOUR TO TWELVE CITIES
AT NOON ON MARCH 28 a big, blue and white Greyhound Cruiser pulled up in front of Robinson Hall to take a load of 34 Dartmouth Glee Club boys on their annual spring concert tour. Half an hour later they were on their way to Hartford, Conn., the first of the twelve cities in which they were to sing. Trailing the bus were two station wagons containing the Barbary Coast Orchestra which played for dances following each concert.
From the moment of the first burst of applause, Professor Donald E. Cobleigh '23, competent director of the Club, realized that he had a talented group before him. Hartford's enthusiastic alumni echoed this opinion and showed their appreciation by giving the Club a fine time.
From Hartford the Club moved on to New York City where it gave a concert at the Biltmore before a crowd of over 900 persons. As a special feature, Fred Waring, after being host to the boys and their dates at his broadcast, came over to the concert and directed some of their numbers. Since his appearance at Hanover during Winter Carnival, Mr. Waring has become very popular with both the boys and their director and his arrangement of "The Night is Young" is one of the feature songs of the Club's program.
From New York the Glee Club traveled on to Washington, Parkersburg, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, Chicago, Eau Claire, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Detroit, everywhere acclaimed by both alumni and outsiders. The Club as a whole was deeply impressed by the tremendous energy and enthusiasm of each alumni group, making them realize more than ever the value of unified alumni and undergraduate bodies.
Perhaps one of the most unique features of the whole trip was the series of impromptu broadcasts along the way. Quite often the management, upon arriving at a city, would be approached by a radio official and asked if they would broadcast part of their program or sing a few special songs. This sometimes left the Club only a few minutes in which to improvise a program for going on the air. However, with the cooperation of the Coast, radio officials, and Professor Cobleigh these difficulties were overcome and programs were quickly rounded into shape. These programs on the air enabled thousands of people to become acquainted with "Dear Old Dartmouth" and its songs sung in the manner in which they should be sung.
This year no pianos were pushed off the stage to provide variation in the program, but a few small "mishaps" caused the Club some amusement along the way. In Chillicothe, Ohio, during the lunch period three boys wandered off and were not in the bus at the scheduled departing time. The bus left these adventurous souls behind to find their own means of transportation to Cincinnati. They arrived there on time, however, for the concert in the Hall of Mirrors at the Netherland Plaza, rather footsore and sunburnt.
Another time the usually efficient management nearly caused a radical change in the program by forgetting to ship the costumes for one of the Club's novelty acts. The Coast came to the rescue by seeing the bags containing the costumes in a hotel lobby and bringing them along in their station wagons.
Among the famous people sponsoring and attending the concert in Washington were Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mrs. Charles Evans Hughes and Mrs. John C. Harding, while in Chicago, Helen Hayes and Katharine Cornell headed a long list of great actors and actresses.
On April 15 the Club returned to Hanover, tired but happy with the realization that their trip had been a great success.
ACTION SHOT OF CAMPUS BASEBALL A behind-the-plate view of one of the interfraternity games in the increasingly popularintramural sports program. The picture gives some idea of the variety of makeshiftuniforms which blossom forth.
