Four-Star Summer
THE name of Radio City Music Hall's fabulous summer stage show was "Bonanza" and that seems to be the perfect word to describe the experience of the thirty members of the Dartmouth Glee Club who sang and acted in it. Every day, from June 18 through August 5, the jaunty, green-jacketed young men under the direction of Prof. Paul Zeller opened the Music Hall show perched on a stage replica of the Senior Fence and singing their familiar medley of Dartmouth songs. Other favorites followed and they concluded their overture performance as a glee club with an especially rousing rendition of "76 Trombones." Later they changed costumes and participated in just" about everything except the dance routines of the famed Rockettes.
It was a tough grind to play four shows a day for seven straight weeks - 196 performances in all without a single break - but the young troupers apparently held up well under the strain and the only ailments were a few minor sore throats which occasionally kept a singer out of the show for a day or two. The daily schedule started at 11 o'clock in the morning and continued right on through until 10 p.m. on weeknights and 10:30 p.m. on the weekends.
The men were actually "on duty" only during the stage show, and while the featured movie, The Nun's Story, was being shown on the Music Hall screen their time was their own. A few of the glee clubbers, newcomers to New York, were able to see a good bit of nearby mid-town Manhattan during the intervals; but for the most part the necessity of makeup, changing clothes, and other such details precluded much outside activity. Most of them ended up spending their break-time eating, napping, playing a few hands of bridge, or socializing with the ever-fascinating girls of the Corps de Ballet or Rockettes.
The original idea for an appearance of the Dartmouth Glee Club with the Music Hall stage show can be credited to COSO Manager Warner Bentley who thought of it last summer as a possible way to finance a European tour. However, it soon became obvious that the drain of funds necessary to feed and house so large a contingent in New York City would hobble such a project from the start. Then the plan was revived again during the winter with an eye toward a unique professional experience for the Glee Club. Director Paul Zeller and Mr. Bentley traveled to New York during Christmas vacation to confer with Music Hall officials. An audition was set for March and the student singers came through with flying colors. There were to be a few more discussions over salary before everything was settled, but when the Music Hall finally agreed to cover the necessary union dues and initiation fees the last obstacle had been overcome. Final confirmation was received about the first of June and since there were barely two weeks left until the opening show, the boys had to work fast. Music for the show was mailed to Hanover to be learned and rehearsed. Then, four days before the opening, the group went to New York and started working exclusively on "stage business," the problems of production and positioning.
A lucky few whose homes were in nearby suburban areas were able to live with their families and commute in every day, but the majority were put up in Manhattan's Great Northern Hotel. Later in the summer many began to filter over to the Van Cortland Hotel which offered lower rates and, most attractive of all, kitchen privileges. However, utensils had to be bought and it was figured that in the end everything most likely came out even, whichever hotel one stayed in.
The grind had begun and it was wearing, but there was certainly no lack of compensations. With scores of lovely Rockettes and Corps de Ballet girls all around it didn't take long for a big party, the first of a rather extensive series, to be organized by the boys back at their hotel. As Glee Club President Charlie Darrow '60 put it, "There was a little ice to.be broken at first, but being Dartmouth men that barrier was soon overcome." A few of the boys soon found steady dates and settled down for the summer while others played the field, but in any case there were always plenty of beautiful girls. A couple of the Glee Clubbers hinted that a few of the girls might very well be in Hanover for some of the big weekends this year.
For those who were interested, the New York nightlife, while not cheap, was close at hand and brought pleasant relief from the rugged show schedule. The Rainbow Room atop the RCA Building was one of the favorite hangouts. But fortunately most of the boys found that squiring their showgirl dates didn't cause an excessive drain on their wallets. The girls were usually quite happy to settle for a "hamburger at the Automat and a moonlight ride on the Staten Island ferry." During the day there were added attractions. On occasion the entire club was taken on tours of such places as Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Museum of Modern Art. One special treat was an opportunity to see the dress rehearsal of the Russian Summer Festival, featuring folk singers, folk dancers, and the incomparable Bolshoi Ballet company.
As the weeks wore on, the young and largely untried college boys began to take on the polish of oldtimers. There was a bit of stiffness and even a little stage fright at first, but encouraged by the warm and enthusiastic audience reception, they soon became as much a part of the show as any professionals. Toward the end there was even a bit of ad-libbing in certain scenes, and pranks were played back and forth by some members of the cast. On one such occasion, behind the curtain of artificial smoke of a "burning" Nome, Alaska, one of the Corps de Ballet girls, fainting as part of the script, found real, instead of make-believe, water thrown in her face.
Hard work, constant routine, and all the problems that can pop up unexpectedly it was just all part of the game and they learned to take such things in stride. As soloist Dick Welty '61 put it, "It got a little hectic at times but it was still quite an experience." For the two recent June graduates who sang with the club and are planning to take up advanced study in music or dramatics this fall it was a special windfall, giving them a real first-hand taste of show business. Interestingly enough there are also a couple of others who had considered the possibility of the entertainment field as a profession, but who are now giving it serious second thoughts after a summer of seeing things from the inside.
In any case, it was a valuable and exciting experience for all, and it has certainly established the reputation of the Dartmouth Glee Club as being among the nation's best. Frank Quinn, critic of the New York Mirror, could faithfully report them to be a "smartly drilled crew" whose voices were "brilliantly displayed. . . They were highly acclaimed from all sides, and it was a tribute to the professional quality of their performance when the management invited them to stay on for the next show that was to open soon. This was a tempting offer, but obviously the rapid approach of fall registration and classes and a host of other considerations ruled out their accepting. As a special gesture of appreciation when the last show was over, Russell V. Downing, president of the Radio City Music Hall, officiated at a ceremony where each boy was presented a silver medallion with his name on it.
How did the Glee Club members enjoy it? Just ask Charlie Darrow '60, the president. He'll tell you, "Speaking for all thirty, I can assure you that we would do it all over again if we had the chance."
Impact Photos, Inc.
Impact Photos, Inc. Costume changes had to be made quickly despite all distractions.
Glee Club firemen put out the blaze in the realistic Nome, Alaska fire scene.
The overture to the stage show was a medley of Dartmouth songs, led by Paul Zeller, Glee Club director.
Soloist Dick Welty '61 performing.
Four days of intensive rehearsal with the Corps de Ballet preceded the show's opening.
Impact' Photos, Inc. Publicity shots were rated as fun.
Costume fittings also were easy to endure.
A "Bonanza" number, rehearsed in Hanover, gets a final polish with the orchestra and Radio City music director.
Atop the Radio City Music Hall between stage shows, the Glee Club boys and Director Paul Zeller line up for a picture with the towering Manhattan skyline serving as a backdrop.
Behind-the-scenes experiences included the Art Director's "course" on set-designing.
Rapport with the office girls in adjoining buildings did not take long to develop.
Free time between shows was used by some to get a head start on studies soon coming up.
Bridge was one of the most popular ways of passing away the time between performances.
Impact Photos, Inc. To commemorate the Glee Club appearance, Russell Downing, president of Radio City Music Hall presented an inscribed medallion to Prof. Zeller (r) and each singer.
