HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1962-04-26, Page 2In Memory Of
A Great Comedian
In Dan Leno England lost - a
man of genius whose untimely
(end melancholy end was yet an-
other reminder that great wits
are sure to madness near allied,
Not that he was precisely a great
wit: rather a great droll; but
great within his limits he eertain-
ly was, and probably no one has
over caused more laughter or
gleaner laughter.
That was, perhaps, Dan Lends
greatest triumph, that the grimy
sordid material of the Music ball
low cotuedian,. which, with so
many singers, remains grimy and
sordid, and perhaps even becomes
more grimy and more sordid; in
his refining hands become radi-
ant, joyous, a legitimate source
of mrth. In its nakedness it was
drunkenness, quarrelsomeness,
petty poverty; still htmger, even
crime; but such was the native
cleanness of this little, eager,
sympathetic observer and reader
of life, such was his gift of show-
ing the comic, the unexpected,
side, that it emerged the most
suitable, the gayest joke, He
might be said to have been a
crucible that transmuted mud to
gold.
It was the strangest contrast—
the quaint, old-fashioned, half -
pathetic figure, dressed in his
out-landish garb, waving his
battered umbrella, smashing his
impossible hat, revealing the
most squalid secrets of the slums;
and the resultant effect of light
and happiness, laughter irresisti-
ble, and yet never for a moment
cruel, at anything, but always
with it. The man was Imma-
culate.
In this childlike simplicity of
emotion which he manifested we
can probably see the secret of his
complete failure in New York.
In that sophisticated city his
genial elemental raptures seemed
trivial. The Americans looked
for cynicism, or at least a com-
plete destructive philosophy —
such as their own funny men
have at their finger-tips — and
he gave them humour not too far
removed from tears. He gave
them fun, that rarest of qualities,
rarer far than wit or humour;
and, in their own idiom, they had
"no use" for it.
In the deserts of pantomime
he was comparatively lost: his
true place was the stage of a
small Music Hall, where he could
get on terms with his audience
in a moment. Part of his amaz-
IN THE SWIM — Keyhole
back is an added attraction to
popcorn stitched suit, done in
red orlon knit for 1962.
ing success was his gift Cf taking
you into his confidence, The soul
of sympathy himself, he made
you sympathetic too, He address-
ed a Hall as though i,t were one
intimate friend, Re .told you his
farcical troubles as earnestly as
an unquiet soul tells its spiritual
ones. You had to share them.
His perplexities beguile yours—
he gathered you in with his inti-
mate and impressive "Mark you";
and you resigned yourself to be
played upon as he would, The
bright security of his look told
you that he trusted you, that you
could not fail him. You shared
his ecstasies too; and they were
ecstasies!
No matter what Dan did to his
face, its air of wistfulness always
conquered the pigments. It was
the face of a grown-up child
rather than a man,- with many
traces upon it of early struggles.
For he began in the poorest way,
accompanying his parents as a
stroller from town to town, and
knowing every vicissitude. This
face, with its expression of pro-
found earnestness, pointed his
jokes irresistibly. I recollect one
song in the patter to which (and
latterly his songs were mostly
patter) he mentioned a firework
explosion at home that carried
both his parents through the roof.
"I shall always remember it," he
said, gravely, while his face lit
with triumph and satisfaction,
"because it was the only thne
that father and mother ever went
out together." That is quite a
good specimen of his manner,
with its hint of pathos underly-
ing the gigantic absurdity.
Irish (of course) by extraction,
his real name was George Gal-
vin: he took Leno from his step,-
father,
tep,father, and Dan from an inspired
misprint. His first triumphs were
as a clog -dancer, and he danced
superbly to the end, long after
his mind was partially gone. But
he will be remembered as the
sweetest-souled comedian that
ever swayed an audience with
grotesque nonsense based on na-
tural facts.
From "A Wanderer in London"
by E. V. Lucas.
Don't Let Lobsters'
Feet Get Singed!
The human is the most compas-
sionate animal on earth with the
possible exception, of'some tame,
lovable pet, ...The gest of the
earth's creatures Bill er main, eat
each other withottt,a, gualm...
As New Engla'hdec4, we love
to dine on lobsters, ' crabs and
clams. Our common habit is to
bring a pot to a rolling boil and
toss them in, , , . We excuse our-
selves by the thought that they
are among the lower forms of life
— but, they do feel pain, ob-
viously.
This pain to crustaceans .. , is
all needless, according to au-
thorities!
They point out that the large
crustaceans, who inhabit our
cooler sea waters, die quietly,
peacefully and automatically if
the temperature of the water
should rise slowly to about 100
degrees — a temperature that is
only warm to human hands.. ,
So, the recommended method
is to put these creatures into cool,
fresh water and let them stay
there for a while. This, itself, nas
an anesthestic effect, since the
fresh water dissolves the native
salt from their bodies. Then turn
the heat on and bring the water
to a slow boil and then cook to
the recommended time. ,
According to authorities, there
won't be a quivering sound come
from the pot. As an added touch,
they recommended that a metal
mesh be put at the bottom of the
pot, so that the feet of the lobs-
ters or crabs cannot touch the
sudden, quick heat on the bottom
of the pot....
Here's to more, humanely
home -cooked crustaceans. — Ar-
lington (Mass.) Advocate
MISSILE HOUND Reporter Don Cosgrove "interviews"
Dingo, a five-year-old Welmaroner trained, to track down
small missile parts which bury themslves in the sand at
White Sands Missile Range. The parts are sprayed with
shark liver oil before the missiles are launched,
TABLE TALKS
JwmA,dpen.
Folks who come to our house
for dinner always ask how we
cooked the vegetables, because
they are invariably crisp and
tasty, full of flavor, never flabby
or overcooked, limp or watery.
"We cook them with lettuce
leaves," we explain, "and with-
out water."
First requirement far this is a
heavy cast - aluminum saucepan
or a casserole (glass or ceramic),
with a tight, heavy cover, writes
Edrie Van Dore in the Christian
Science Monitor.
* • •
Melt butter or bacon drippings
in the container — or use salad
or cooking oil if you prefer —
about:two tablespoons or more.
Place vegetables (frozen or
fresh) in the casserole or sauce-
pan, add seasonings but no wa-
ter, and cover completely with
washed and dripping wet lettuce
leaves — at least two or three
large ones, enough to cover com-
pletely the other vegetable, I use
the outer leaves. It's important
that they be wet, for this small
amount of moisture provides the
steam necessary for the cooking.
Now put the lid on, and set the
pan over low heat, or the cas-
serole in a slow (325'F.) oven,
for about 45 minutes. You need
to practice this method a little to
learn your own timetable, but
the results are well worth the
effort. Peas, beans, corn, or any
other vegetables are delicious
this way. s •
Before they were being packed,
frozen, in combination, we cook-
ed our peas with fresh diced cel-
ery in this fashion, added shred-
ded onion and green pepper to
the carrots, or celery and green
pepper to the corn.
And here's a secret: a surpris-
ing texture is added to sliced
cooked carrots if you add diced
raw green pepper and slivers of
crisp raw onion just before serv-
ing, The color accent is pretty
too. .
Incidentally but importantly,
do you plan your meals in terms
of color? It's so easy and such
fun to think of vegetables espe-
cially ih terms of their color
value, and it's nice to have a
guest or husband remark, "That
looks delicious:"
Probably, if the trots were
known, that's how the well-
known team of peas and carrots
got together, hard - boiled egg
FIRST ONE — Bobby Cutoir, 6, seems resigned to his fate as he helps entertain his 1.
year-old quadruplet sisters, who are, left to right, Annette, Bernadette, Celeste and Denise.
came to be sprinkled on spinach,
and a blob of sour cream depos-
ited on the plate full of borscht.
* e •
We never serve carrots at our
house with sweet potatoes, or
cauliflower with mashed ones,
for i n s t a n e e, but vice versa.
Cauliflower looks better on r
plate with yams, and carrots
nestle nicely next to mounds of
mashed potato, The interesting
thing is that when you choose
vegetables for color, you usually
get a contrast of texture, too,
and then your guest or husband
says, "It tastes as good as it
looks!"
▪ a
Strudel is made by rolling a
special pastry paper-thln, spread-
ing it with filling, and baking.
Traditional strudel made this
way is superb; but so is a strudel -
like cake made with yeast -raised
dough. The Fruit -And -Nut La-
den Roll below is a fine example,
and far easier for the home ba-
ker to turn out. Its sweet dough
holds a delicious filling of rais-
ins, cherries and almonds. The
recipe was developed to appeal
to strudel fans and home bakers
alike. . r
One tip: Roll the dough out on
a floured cloth. Then, after
spreading it with filling, pick up
the long side of the cloth and
hold it so that the strudel rolls
easily into shape. Then pinch the
seam and ends well, so all the
filling stays right inside the
dough where it belongs.
• 0 0
FRUIT -&-NUT LADEN ROLL
'Yield—One Cake, 16 Servings
2 cups (about) pre -sifted all-
purpose flour
34 cup granulated sugar
'j teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chilled butter
31 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 envelopes active dry yeast
V4 cup milk
1 egg separated
2 cans (15 ounces each) sweet-
ened cherries, well drained
1 cup seedless raisins
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
3's cup granulated sugar
cup finely -chopped blanched
almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract .
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
-Combine the flour, V< cup su-
gar and salt in a mixing bowl;
cut in the 2 tablespoons chilled
butter finely. Measure lukewarm
water; stir in the 2 teaspoons
sugar. Sprinkle with yeast. Let
stand 10 minutes, then stir well.
Scald milk: cool to lukewarm.
Beat egg yolk Add dissolved
yeast, lukewarm milk and egg
yolk to flour mixture and mix
well, adding a little more flour,
if necessary, to make a soft
dough. Turn out dough onto
floured board or canvas and
knead until smooth and elastic.
Place in greased bowl, Grease
top. Cover. Let rise in a warm •
place, free from draft, until
doubled in bulk — about 45 min-
utes.
Meantime, combine the well-
drained Cherries, raisins, bread
crumbs, the le cup sugar, ?s cup
of the almonds and almond ex-
tract. Punch down dough. Turn
out onto a lightly -floured canvas
and roll out into a 15 -inch square,
Brush with the 1 tablespoon
melted butter. Spread cherry
mixture over dough to within 1
inch of edges. Lift canvas at one
side and roll dough jelly -roll fa-
, shion,
a-,shion, Pinch seams and ends to
seal weIL Place roll, seam side
down, diagonally on a large
greased cookie sheet. Brush with
ISSUE 15 — 1982
Times Have Changed
In Tin Pan Alley
Richard Rodgerswrotehis first
song for a Broadway .musical
wben he was 17. Forty-two years
later he got around to Compos-
ing his first lyrics. "leo Strings,"
a new musical with the novel
phenomenon of Rodgers wgris.
set to Rodgers music, opened
a few weeks ago at 54th Street
Theater.
Mr, Isodgers, his fellow pro-
fessionals, and the public re-
garded his deeision to try an a
second hat as venturesome,
There are 12 musicals currently
on Broadway, In only two others
has a composer dared to double
on the lyrics,
We do indeed live in the age
of the .specialist. And when a
composer and a lyricist — Fred-
erick Loewe and Alan Jay Ler-
ner, according to the legend —
can walk into a Rolls-Royce
showroom and casually write
checks for two $28,000 cars, who
will dare suggest that he alone
can fill both their jobs?
Is any man worth two Roils-
Royces?
At the turn of the century a
singing waiter named James
Thornton wrote "When You
Were Sweet Sixteen" for a profit
of $15, which — to make the
vehicular comparison might
have brought him a new bicycle.
If he had been so rash as to split
the fee with a lyricist, he could
barely have afforded the rear
end of a second-hand tandem.
Behold the rise of the song-
writer, from rags -times to riches.
Fifty years ago — remember
those bad film biographies? —
he was the man in the striped
shirt with elastic armbands and
a derby hat, thumping out musi-
cal illiteracies on a battered up-
right.
His qualifications as a lyricist
were based on an instinct for
sniffing out new rhymes for
moon and June.
One imagines him writing
about that moon shining above
the Wabash, coming over the
cowshed, and puffing through
Other pastoral and romantic ex-
ercises while he faces the blank
egg white, sprinkle with the re-
maining chopped almonds and
the 3 tablespoons sugar. Cover.
Let rise in a warm place, free
from draft, until almost doubled
in bulk — about aft hour. Bake
in a moderate oven (350 degrees)
30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or
cold.
wall of a Broadway airahaft. The
window shade is flyespedced.
The smell •cif cooked cabbage
rolls in waves from the hall-
way. A representative of the
Philistine public bangs the rads.
iator downstairs whenever the
composer -lyricist tests s phrase
against a melody on an out -of -
tune piano whose black keys
stick.
Time fox-trots on, (Calendar
leaves' flip on the screen. The
sound tracks advances from "Tur-
key Trot" to "Charleston,")
In one short generation the
image of the composer is trans-
formed into a debonair colleg-
ian who begins by writing fra-
'ternity musicals while studying
law (Cole Porter), engineering
(Vincent Youmans), or ernhitec-
tecture (Harold Rome),
His working quarters are the
Ritz, a Riviera villa,. or a re-
constructed new Bngland farm-
house, writes Melvin Maddoeks
in the Christian Science Mont -
tor,
The scores of Broadway musi-
cals are musically correet, even
demanding. The" 32 -bar song is
an antique.
The lyrics are sophisticated.
The day has long since passed
when grammar teachers smirked
over titles like "Alone Toge-
ther," Only on the Twisting
fringe can they find targets as
ripe as the aforementioned Mr.
Thornton's "It Don't Sea Like
the Same Old Smile."
Today's composer measures
himself against Leonard Bern-
stein ("On the Town," "West.
Side Story").
Today's lyricist competes with
a Pulitzer -prize poet (Richard
Wilbur, "Candide").
Tin Pan Alley has become an
apt dead phrase, applying to a
world that has largely ceased to
exist.
No one has contributed more
than Richard Rodgers to this so-
cial, economic, and stylistic revo-
lution in songwriting.
Now he has returned in just
one respect to the older jack-of-
all-trades tradition, and a New
York reviewer solicitously won-
ders if double duty is "using up
some of Mr. Rodgers' composing
energy."
It is ironical enough to sug-
gest one of those gently disillus-
ioned songs that Mr. Rodgers
writes so well ... with lyrics, of
course, by somebody else,
Lady on the Bus: "1 didn't
know what this pay television
business was all about until we
got the first bill front the televi-
sion repairman."
Fashion Hint
FOR
WARMER WEATHER
n r�
11,
,.JI,tl