Southern California
The 1949 version of Southern California's annual And-Wives shindig, held April 28 at the old-west dancehall and barroom known as Riverside Rancho, went oft with several bangs, courtesy of Charlie Starrett's twirling sixshooters and the 175 whirling celebrants who turned up in all kinds of costumes from plaid shirts and sombreros to levis and riding clothes that lighted up. If you didn't wear a necktie, you were Western.
Tex Williams and his 13-piece Western Caravan (the Smoke-Smoke, Smoke band) kicked off the proceedings with a musical admission of Dartmouth's presence in town, and put on a repeat of their KNBH television show. Then a group of 16 costumed highschool kids, calling themselves the Sagebrush Swingers and cute as bugs, put on what started as an exhibition of square dancing. It turned >nto square dancing as the customers abandoned their tables to muscle into the act, and the ensuing ratrace was weird and wonderful to behold. Any relation of the action to the calls" was strictly coincidental, except when 'he man said "Swing your pardners," but eventually the floor was cleared of bodies for 'he evening's Feature Attraction, a gigantic dramatic extravaganza (with jokes) entitled "West of West Leb."
The plot of the piece had something to do Wlth the founding of the college, and it featured Charlie Starrett '26 as E. Wheelock, BoboWilliams '26 as S. Occum, John Lyman '2B as Narrator, Jerry Schnitzer '4O as the Harvard "Man," bewigged Jack Reeder '25 as the thrice-wronged Squaw and Dave Boyle '4O as the Chief (you could tell him by the blanket). Miscellaneous Indians Dewitt Jones, NedJacoby, Don Warden (all '4O, author Schnitzer must have done his own casting) and PaulMahoney '4l were G.X. students from the French and Indian Wars cramming for their examinations in Professor Wasserman's class in Small Issues. Thanks to Starrett and Williams putting the bite on their respective studios the tepee and ten truckloads of props were authentic even unto the Gradus ad Parnassum, the drum, and an overdeveloped rum bottle which lacked only about 2 gallons of the traditional measure. The producers introduced a new device in dramaturgy which bids fair to replace the prompter—whenever an "actor" would forget his lines, out from the wings would amble Miss Bellows Falls of 1844, in a bathing suit of 1954, to reply to the whistles with, "Where do youse guys think yer at, d' Nuggit!" This welcome new form of alumni body, Miss Donna Dible, was supplied by one of the Starrett twins, which indicates that the future is in good hands. When the bedlam quieted down to an uproar, Will Hays '3l got the group picture, Tex Williams band returned from the mathematical researches in the back room, and general dancing went on. And on.
Frank Danzig '37 held the reins of the party, backed by Bob Guggenheim '33 on entertainment, Howie Almon '22 on announcements (superb), Rudy Pacht '35 on teaching Dartmouth songs to the band, and Bill Adams '34 on Money with Bill Eldridge '34 and FredFuld '4O assisting. 1926's Reg Gresley, Ed Hartley, Henry Hartman, Chuck Hornburg, Granville Knight (in from Santa Barbara), Starrett and Williams came within one man of nosing out the '4O Fireballs for attendance honorsfirst time since I've been reporting that it's even been close. Certainly the most welcome as well as the most decorative guest was Jean Stratton, whom most of us know by phone as Rothschild's secretary who does the endless Dartmouth work for which Leon gets the credit. Ed Jones '24 came up from Palm Springs with the biggest sombrero at the party. The one unhappy note was the retirement of Jack Reeder as both president and Californian. Jack's three years out here will give future officers a standard to shoot at for some time to come.
Speaking of officers, somewhere in the above proceedings Murray (Alumni Councillor)Hawkins 'l9 rattled off the machine's nominations, and the new slate was railroaded in. The dark-horse surprise candidate for the office of Secretary, Leon Rothschild '24, got in for his 21st year, and the lesser offices went to CharlesPalmer '23, president; Bill Adams '34, HowieAlmoji '22, and Tom Lane '35, vice presidents; Fred Fuld and Dave Boyle, both '4O, treasurer and assistant; assistant secretary, Peter Koelsch '42. New directors for the full two-year term are Dick Rogers '29, Bob Guggenheim '33, and Jack Rourke '4O: John Lyman '2B and DickHood '3O still have a year to go. Except for the new president, who got in by a fluke, the slate is strong and should come up with another good year. Keep an eye on your mail for the Summer Event. See you there.
CAP PALMER '23
Secretary, 609 South Grand Ave., Los Angeles 14, Calif.
