Some people found the long years of WW2 just a bit upsetting but for us, kids, with radios in our homes in Centralville, this was a piece of Americana laced with “good guys” and “bad guys” that James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Roy Rogers and Tom Mix managed to bring under control without needing to call the FBI. Even Gene Autry helped to win the day.
Of course, such deeds of heroism could only happen with beautiful singing and majestic orchestras in the background. As a special tribute to these men and women, who made winning WW2 possible, I have selected a collection of musical offerings to put you in the right frame of mind when you watch “Victory at Sea” in your family room later this week. One final comment needs to be highlighted, i.e., Many popular songs heard in the 1940s were first heard in the days of the Great Depression, so please make allowances!
- Back in the Saddle Again
- Peggy Lee – Why don’t you do right?
- Andrew Sisters – Shoo Shoo Baby
- I’ve got a gal in Kalamazoo
- Bing Crosby & Andrew Sisters -Don’t fence me in
- Roy Rogers – Yellow Rose of Texas
- Roy and Dale – Sing together
- Nat King Cole sings
- Art Moony – I’m looking over a 4-leaf clover
- Chickery Chick – Andrew Sisters
Music of this musical excellence graced our eager, postwar ears from the central kitchen of our modest, cold-water flat to the leafy outreach of that friendly, sugar-maple tree sitting patiently in the middle of our Dana Street yard. Every kid in the neighborhood wanted to climb its knotty limbs, but only a few candidates ever made it to the top, where only tiny branches and little leaves marked the spot. Here, about 25 feet above the hard dirt that formed the essence of our open playground, the daring adventurer shared his glory with visiting feathered friends from Centralville’s copious reserves. Also, at that height, a climber could easily look directly into the apartment of the third floor tenants. Such were the rewards offered to the successful and fearless acrobat.
Remember that the participants of these gymnastic games appeared on the scene without commercial toys from Fred’s 5 & 10 cent store on West 6th Street, A shared sense of common poverty united us as brothers and sisters. Together, we were always ready to create our own games where we jointly made up the rules and handed out the prizes. So, in this simple way while playing together year after year, we became buddies and friends.
More on this theme of neighborhood activities will highlight other pages of this text. A healthy neighborhood forms the basis for a healthy point of view in life,