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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1960-02-04, Page 2ABLE TALKS eJam Atvitiews PARALLEL PARKING — A parking Jam fills every 'inch: of space in front of this London, England, store window. The carriages with their' occupants Wait for mothers to •return. dogs literally sprang into aeton, And though the loads ,v,".re heavy', they had no trouble getting 100 motion, Each of the two teams Was hauling two sleds with a total weight per team of 1,400 pounds, Could Find .No /SrOiSe.S. 0,41 Buster When a slapstiek comedian heaves a, pie in somebody's face, can it be just any old pie? Em- phatically no, Take the recipe which film comic. Buster Keaton swears by: "With a blonde the target, the filling is a mixtul'e of blackberries, flour, and water, garnished with whipped cream, When a brunette is' the one to be smeared, a lemon-meringue filling is substituted for the blackberries, which shows up better on the screen against a dark complexion. Two crusts are cooked, one inside the other, un- til brittle. The double crust pre- vents crumbling when your fin- gers slide across the bottom in delivering the confectionery." According to his own count, it has been 25 *rears since Buster Keaton made his "last important picture," yet the hand that throws the pies has never lost its skill. The great deadpan com- edian, now 63, still derives a comfortable income from work in night clubs, summer theatre, European circuses, occasional movies, TV guest appearances, and commercials. He is neither a millionaire, like Harold Lloyd or Charlie Chaplin, nor a broken man such as the late Fatty Ar- buckle became. In his autobiography, My Wonderful World of Slapstick, published .this week, Keaton tells the story of his 60 years in show business, including his rough- and tumble stage performances as featured star, at the age of 5, of The Three Keatons, an act in which he was billed as The Human Mop and treated accord- ingly. The rest of the book dwells largely on the happy heydays in Hollywood in the '20s, when life •was a round of hard work and big parties. In 1932 Keaton was divorced by his first wife, Natalie (sister of Norma Tal- badge), took up heavy drinking, and was fired by M-G-M. He was "flat broke" by 1934, and from 1935 to 1940 made two-reel films called "cheaters" because they were shot in three days each. In 1940 he started work as a gagman for $100 a week at M-G-M, where his pay had once been. $3,000 a week, and he then gradually worked his way back up the financial ladder through small movie roles and TV guest shots. He devotes less than 25 pages to these last 29 years of his life. As The Human. Mop, little Keaton, who became probably the greatest knockabout comic of all time, suffered such appar- ently merciless inaulings from his father that he was twice re- quired to strip naked —ebefore a New York mayor and a New York governor — to satisfy the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children that he was mot covered with bruises. Dur- ing all his years in. the movies, he suffered only one work-stop- ping injury — he broke his leg when the sole Of his slap shoe got caught in a moving stair and he was tossed 12 feet. On another occasion while moviemaking he did break his neck when a stream of water knocked him off a train onto the rails, but the in- jury wasn't discovered until long after it had healed. Here is the Great Stone Face on the most famous element of his vanishing art, his deadpan: "One of the first things I notic- ed (in vaudeville) was that whenever I smiled or let the audience suspect how much I ISSUE 6 — 1960 was enjoying myeelf they didn't seem to laugh as much as usual. guess people just never do ex- pect any human mop , , to be pleased by what is being done to. him , . tWhen I was making movies with ROM:* (Fatty) Ar- buckle) a few fan letters to Ros- coe asked why the little man in his pictures never .smiled. We had been unaware of it, We looked at the three .two-reelers we'd done together and found it to be true. Later . I tried smiling at the end of one pic- ture, The preview audience hated it and hooted the scene. After that I never smiled again on stage, screen, or TV." —From. NEWSWEEK Attention! All Canadian Teachers Trooping into classrooms at Clayton and Bayless high schools in suburban St. Louis recently, bright youngsters enrolled in freshman physics carried under their arms the most unusual textbook in the U.S. Its title: "Russian Sixth Grade Physics," The book is a 123-page, loose- leaf volume for Soviet children in what amounts to the Ameri- can eighth grade. Translated by Alexander Cal- andra, associate professor of physics at nearby Washington University, the text is part of a U.S. Office of Education pro- ject headed by Calandra him- self. The project's purpose: To improve science teching at the freshman level. "American ninth graders usually study general science," said Fred Boercker, one of Clayton High's teachers giv- ing the course. "This involves everything from soup to nuts— mostly nutty." In contrast, the Russian book treats just a few topics with ABC continuity, and, unlike U.S. general science, in- troduces the use of math in solv- ing problems. Despite some propaganda in the introduction ("electric light . . . was created by . . . Russian scientists, P.N. Aiablochkov and A.N. Lodigan") the text is effective — and best available. "The sad thing is that it hasn't been done before," said Calandra of the translation last week. "Contrary to general opinion, the Russian pupils are not over- ,loaded on science. They've simp- ly cut out the frills," The pupils, themselves, are as enthusiastic about the Russian text as their mentors are. "In other science books there were lots of colored pictures," said Joe Langson, a student at Clayton High. "This Russian. book has small, simple figures, but they sure are to the point. You understand what they're getting at." Your Teen-agers Will Love This Chocolate-Coated. Popcorn Here's a sweet popcorn mix- ture that teen-agers can make some Saturday morning. Pop 2 quarts of popcorn and put in a bowl big enough to hold twice the amount; set aside. Combine 1 cup white corn syrup, 1 cup sugar, lh cup water and 2 table- spoons butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dis- solved. Continue cooking, with- out stirring to hard-crack stage, Remove from heat and add 2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted. Blend well. Slowly pour over popped corn, stirring until uniformly coated. Turn out on foil, Separate kernels, working quickly. Let get cold. FOR FLYING?' — Roman de- signer Ropuano contributes this kitelike cape in his spring col- lection — the "vampire!' look. Flyingest People In The World Alaskans probably fly more than any other people in the world. There is one plane. for every 150 people in. Alaska,-sev- enteen times the average ,of her sister states. If Alaskans have any riyals in this respect, they will be found In othee: nerth'ern countries where rhtige. areas' are spanned by feWerailroacie oe•au- tomobile roads, and ,where ice conditions the shipping season to a short stiminer rpenriod. Along the suburban lake shore of Anchorage you will See `rows of neatly Moored p'on'toon planes awaiting their owner pilots. Most are small craft wHich take off -or land on. any of Alaska's number- less lakes.„ Families living in Alaska's largeit city use thein to "get away from the conges- tion of city life." They bring spare parts, machinery, mail, freseh food, and relief workmen to remote mining and oil devel- liver trappers, fishermen, scien- tists, tourists, or weekend camp- ers. They taxi doctors, nurses, Patients in and out of the bush and permit a minister to visit the farthest borders of his par- ish. Nowadays much prelimin- ary prospecting for metals and oil is done from the air; so is mapping, in a fraction of the time formerly required. Almost a thousand children go to school by plane in Alaska, salesmen visit their Customers and some prosperous Eskimo women at Point Barrow are said to fly south regularly to Fairbanks, a thousand-mile round trip, to have their hair done. In tiny, distant villages, the bush pilot plays an important role. Usually, one man does arl the flying to and from a small village. He knoWs the terrain by heart and has made friends with the local weather, He will fly in weather other flyers would not dare attempt, He is a combination mailman,. ambulance driver, per- sonal shopper, and Santa Claus. Sometimes he is the only link between the village and the out- side world. Of necessity he is their confidant; he is their newsbeater, and usually is ador- ed by the villagers. If he has any unusual personality traits they are discussed with relish and woven into a kind of folk- lore that follow him for the rest of his life.—From "14ere Is Alaska" by Evelyn Stefatiston, • On the river bank a passer-by stopped and asked an •aliglev. "Having Any tuck?" "Pretty good,!" replied the 'ang- ler., "I haven't had a bite for three. hour s." "'t'liat doesn't sound 'very good to me," said the othm "What Snakes you think it's good?" 'you .SCe that, mart Over there?" pointed out the ,atigier.. "Well, he hasn't . had e bite .fir' six hours.."' RAISIN SQUARES Mix: 1 c. raisins ,1/2 e. hot water Y2 c. brown,shar 2 tbsps. lemon juice or 1 tbsp, vinegar Bring to boil and thicken with cornstarch, •;rnixecl. with a little water. Copl, slightly. 2 e. sifted cake flour 2 tbsps..supy r - 2 egg 'elks 1/2 tsp. salt- 1/2 -c. shorteding * . % c, sour cream c. fine.dry crumbs 1 tbsp, white sugar 2 egg whites Beat -egg -yolks and add sour cream. Sift flour and. 2 .tbsps. sugar and salt in bowl.. Cut in . shortening and -Make a Well- In oenlIre and pour in egg and cream mixture. Mix with fork. Transfer to floured board and knead to A ball. Cut in half and chill. Roll one half in square shape 8 by '8 inches, Place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with dry crumbs arid spread raisin filling 'on top, Roll other half of pattry for top. Brush with unbeaten egg white and invert over rai- sins. Brush top with egg Whites ,and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake in very hot oven 450 deg- rees for 15 ,minutes and reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking till brown, DATE NUT SQUARES 3 eggs 1 c. soft bread crumbs, packed tightly 1 c. chopped dates • c. chopped walnut meats Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat. eggs until very thick and light. Gradually beat in sugar. Add bread crumbs, chopped dates and nuts. Spread in shal- low 9-inch. square or 10 by 7 inch greased pan. Bake for one hour. Cool. Serve in squares or break. into small pieces, place in sherbet glasses and top with whipped cream or pudding sauce. Makes about 20 squares or 8 large desserts. e OATMEAL COOKIES 1 c. butter and shortening mixed 1 c, brown sugar c. oatmeal c. sifted flour' ' 1 tsp. 'soda tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla • c. boiling water Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Blend in' oats and dry in- gredients. Add vanilla and boil- ing water. Shape into. "small balls and press down with. fork, Bake at 400 degrees for 15 Minutes. * • * SAND TARTS 1 c. plus 1 tbsp. butter .14 t. confectioner's sugar 11/2 te,„2 c. sifted flour :1/4 tsp. salt OLD BUDDIES — Robert. nciping" Mr. Moki, a Sty Toma(chin mild the animal and took Matters into his sell it bticki 'Onto 'ehtirce. 1 tbsp, plus 1 tsp. cold water .?,42, tsp. vanilla Walnut halves Cream butter and sugar. Com- bine 1/2 c. flour and salt and blend into creamed mixture. Add water and vanilla and work in remaining flour. Chill dough, Pinch off small amount of dough, and roll into 12/2 -inch balls. Top each with walnut. Place on bak- ing sheet at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 325 de- grees and continue baking for 15 minutes, Cool before frosting with le c, confectioner's sugar. 2 tbsps. hot milk V4 tsp. vanilla mixed until smooth and put around cookie with pastry tube. Yield: 30 cookies. • * JAM COOKIES 1 egg 1 c. brown sugar c. shortening 2 c. flour 4 tbsps: cold water tsp. soda 2 tsps, baking powd'er 1 tsp. vanilla Cream sugar and shortening, Add e`gg, water and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients 'together and add. Mix well. Using 'about a teaspoon of mixture,' roll into balls. Make a hole in centre and fill with jam. Bake at 350 de- grees until brown. • * PRALINE COOKIES 3 tbsps: butter 1 c. brown sugar firnily packed 1 egg 1 c. pecan halves 4 "tbsps. ,flour 1 tsp. vanilla extract Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet , and coat with flour. Melt butter and stir in sugar. Mix in well beaten egg, nuts, flour and vanilla extract thoroughly. Drop from teaspoon onto cookie sheet about 5 inches apart to allow for spreading, Bake 8-10 minutes. Wait a minute — no longer — before removing from .pan with Spatula, Dutch Still Favor Ancient Dish Every Oct. 3 residents of Lei- den, Holland's oldest university town, have hutspot met klapstuk (hodgepodge with beef) for din- ner. This has become a tradi- tional meal since 1574, when the Beige of Leiden was raised on Oct. 3. The story goes that after the Spaniards had left, a Dutch 'boy' found a pot of "hutsepot" aban- doned in one of the entrench- ments. Since 1574 hutspot met klapstuk is to be found on the winter menu of every Dutch family. A flavorful and very substantial dish; its ingredients 'are. boneless c h ug .an .equal Eskimo Dog Makes Great Partner West Base was a bustle of Ileti- vity as men Went to and fro their shadows pointing to the. South role in the ever-rising with his Each driver' ,, e was busy gveh the .dogs. :seemed to feel the thrill Of this teamwork. You tell your clod what, to do, the way you want him to turn, and when yop want him to stop. He under- stands and obeys immediately, and the rest of the term will fol- low him, A good lead dog is priceless; there are only a few of them, When you find a dog that will break trail without the driver going ahead of him, when he obeys your commands instantly as you steer by compass clay after day -over hundreds of miles of snow and glare ice, you have a good lead clog, If you lose the sled and he leaves you far be- hind, then suddenly looks bee's, stops and turns the team around to return to you, you have a leader who is 'also a friend. And if you can depend on his. intelli- fence and judgment to lead you through the worst crevasse area in Antarctica without making a single. w mistake, you have a part- ner who is worth his weight in. gold. St. Lunaire was like that; 1 have never found another dog to. equal him. But King was one of the best at Little America III. • * At last everything was ready, the men were wishing us good luck, and the word was given. to the dogs to be on their way. It did not have to be repeated; the amount of carrots and potatoes and onions. The recipe is as follows: Put 11/4 lbs., boneless chuck in 3 cups boiling salted water. Cover and let cook slowly for about 2 hours. Add 2 lbs, chop- ped carrots and cook for half an hour. Then add 2 lbs. peeled and chopped potatoes and Y4 lb. diced onions, and let simmer until clone. By now all liquid will be absorbed. Take meat out and mash carrots, potatoes and onions. Serve the hodgepodge on a platter and put meat on top. • + There would be monotonous days of traveling over a bitterly cold and seemlingly endless waste but the 7"^741w, how's and end-• less .clays do not lower the spirit oif‘ a vtebl the . proudTily i along pulling the sold,. and v,!ith his pricked-up cars and beautiful tall high above his bade, he is something to be, how and remember forever, We were proud of our clods and loved every one of them. They were doing good work, pulling Many loads against a strong wind. We decided that seven miles was enough for the first march, hay- ing started so late in the day. We often fed our clogs their two pounds of pemmican each. How proud they looked .as they watched us coming toward them with their food. Their tails would wag and their bold-looking eyes and faces were eloquent with: pleasure and appreciation. Many times they did not feel satisfied,.. and would look at us, asking for more. I would say to King, "That is all,' old-boy. We can't give you any more, . You will have to get along with He would understand the tone of voice if riot -the words, and set 'the example ,by licking up every ,crumb, after which he was ready to lie clown for the night. I would then take my small Avel and dig a hole for each dog, just big enough for hiM to curl up in. Now he was protected from the- wirld and could ge'ep comfort- ably. In soft snow the dogs would rather do this themselves, but in hard snow they al;Nyays ,looked .,ex- pectantly for Me' to" do it for them, When I was through,-each one would look up at me as if to say "Thank you," and then lie down, curling his tail snug- ly around his nose. From "Antarctic Night," by Tack Bur- sey. DON'T 'FALL Many imagine that the higher you go, thee easier the climbing. Don't be gOVirned" by that the- ory unless you have a soft place to fall back into. —J. L. Boggus. TEETHING RING Like fatiVere like son, Mark Cctinolly, months, nibbles orOtheiharidle Of 64= dad's throwing littitirtier. Pop Harold is world chanip at the hciiiiriler throw. His wife,. Olgoi holding the infant, is Bernier Czech athletic 'Star.; Tornarehiri," (Merged with louit tee kiSseS', his pat to the ioo, later changed' his Militia, ,v awn hands when they refused to SHOWY-.CATS =WE HAVE,,KNOtW,N, ,Beam Ridge a cilarn- pion Persicm catrthro*,s.ar,nqstyr loolc at •the carnera„above, at a White ,Iligins„f sat Show., One.of, her prize ribbons serves as an impromptu laurel wreath,Sheit,fr,am Tuckahoe, N.Y. Affection- ate Tapp, /it:frIcan ,Iioness, rests on John,, yI jpp, Jr., 2, at a',New