Thompson 350502

Cliffside, April 29 — For past weeks the distasteful sight of gaudy gasoline stations of yellow and red and other color combinations have been a sore spot to this scribbler. Like stepping on a cat’s tail. No other two colors are more repulsive. Some stations have subsided some of this uncontrolled splashing of paints – near Rutherfordton a gasoline place has evergreen shrubbery that is kept in trim shape. When more such places manage to make like changes what a difference a drive will be along our paved highways.

For the first time the Writers’ Club comes to Cliffside this week. Friday evening at the Haynes Memorial (Theatre) Building will be staged the club’s meeting of May. It is a pleasure, personally, that you are coming. And to the out-of-town members these words from “After Thinking It Over” are a corsage to the ladies, and boys, a gardenia for you buttonhole. Bill Allhands, our cartoonist, has done the arrangements with Mr. Lovelace, secretary of the building.

“Roberta,” the movie version of the successful Jerome Kern-scored Broadway production, is the best musical show I have seen in, for instance, two years. It does not have the tiresome ridiculously exaggerated dance ensembles. “Roberta,” to our manner of observing, is successful because of its smart dialogue, the characteristic music by Jerome Kern and inimitable dancing by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, dances, incidentally, that were arranged by Fred Astaire himself. With this picture Astaire is surely established his smart talk, lending comedy clicks. The singing of Irene Dunne cannot be taken lightly; it is good. You will like her when she sings, “Lovely to Look At.” Of course, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is a featured number with a dance by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Of interest to me is the frog-voiced comic, you know, like the funny fellow with Fred Waring’s  Pennsylvanians. About a year ago he played with Gene Austin in stage engagements thru this section. I never forget his act. He slaps the fiddle for Astaire’s orchestra in this picture.

To repeat: From the column of April 12, quote – “Why do not blonds wear black?”

“The Kids In the Shoe,” a Technicolor cartoon was at Romina Theatre last week. It, as many of you have heard and saw, features the present radio rave, “Mamma Don’t Allow No Music in Here.” There is something that gets you about these cartoons. Especially one of this type, rolls me in the aisle. We heard “the boys” play their “git-tar” and slap the fiddle the second time – if not too inconvenient we’ll see it again.

Psst – And there’s knitting in Rutherfordton.

Sunday evening: Jan Garber’s music; I like it. Lee Bennett’s singing is easily “picked” on the radio, we never miss a guess. But where was Garber playing? Harry Sarznich, composer-leader, is now playing at the Trianon Ball room, 62nd and Cottage Grove, Chicago – Garber was there for sometime. The best known of Sarznich’s (spelled something like that) is his composition, “Gaiety.”

Of course, the ladies from 16 to 35 (well, for that age limit it’s a good bet) flittered and fluttered over Guy Lombardo’s music once more Sunday Evening. O yes, the favorite five last Wednesday evening, favorites of many of us were; 1. St. Louis blues. 2. Sophisticated lady. 3. Stardust. 4. Clouds. 5. Little White Gardenia.

Low-down on this scribbler: His right knee creaks when ascending or descending stairs.

Frog voice: O, Mamma don’t ‘low no music in here.