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Appendix - One.
String of Pearls
By Sandy Wright.
Hello from Birmingham, England all you loves in America. I've go my own short to offer.
During the time of " The Blitz " ( For all you younger Yanks-means a time in which Hitler was bombing us. ), I met a Yank who really burned the dance floor with his Lindy. " Oh G-d Almighty " loves did he hustled it and slamed shoed it right down to the tiny wooden grains of the dance floor.
You see all you wonderful loves, the Yank got it from growing up in Queens. Oh how I did adored his swirly hair and long brows. I can still can see him now. Ooops, I may be getting too personal. How I like to go on.
Ernest Kline ( oh ya an American Gerry name too ), a tail gunner on one of those air battleships ( as we first called them ) on a B- !7 Flying Fortress, 8th Army Air Force.
There I was at a USO dance in London, near Surrey, listening to Benny Goodman and Arte Shaw sitting with my legs crossed, and being such a lady - go tell. I have just finished my duty station on an Anti - Aricraft Battery. Ak Ak as we would call them Yanks. I already shot down two Gerries, and they made me a sargent - battery commander. Oh ya, and wouldn't you know last week I went broke on my rations card and got on the small black market in my neighborhood a pair of sheer silk stockings ( No nylons back then loves ). " No eyelinner seam ( see editor's notes ) for this Gal.
He walk in and danced with some of the other pertties, and then ask me to dance. Then the music the band played was Glen Miller's String of Pearls.
All of a sudden the sirens echoed out across all London. Gerry is at it again. We knew he would and thus we doubled draped the windows before, and the sirens calls echoed out, we then dimed the lights too. To hell with Gerry, we are going to live tonight.
With out any instructions the band played String of Pearls again, and Ernie with his strong hands, and steady form stood a defiant dance pose. We Lindy to stars, as at any moment Gerry could hit us. And again the band played String of Pearls, and while the other gals with eyelinner seams on their legs ran, and smeared from swet all over,
" there was I and my legs free from any pretense and dancing with one hell of a great Lindy dancer. "
A real Jiver loves. We danced all night.
Since then we met and danced when he had a pass, that is far as I am going to tell, its private loves, and couple times at his base. As the war went on, he did his twenty. He was ordered out. Orders what a fool thing for you Yanks to do to me. Though we wrote during the war, and as my total of Gerries only got to three, we stoped around 1946.
As I sit here looking at the pictures of my grand children, 14 in all, I still remember String of Pearls and that one night I danced with a Yank.
I love you all Yanks.
Sandy, 83
Edit finished 9-7-2004
Editor's Notes:
During WWII, silk was needed for parachutes, and as result of rationing sheer silk stockings were not made in Allied countries. They were made in places like Spain, and Sweden-they made a fortune " of Course." Nevertheless, most of those who wanted to be with it, wanted something on their legs. Some took their make-up compacts, with it various ash-light browns, and applied it to their legs - giving a sheer stocking look. Thus their legs did not shine. Some would put a black eyelinner - line on the back of their legs in addition-to imitate a seam, and then later on-the elements which went into make up compact colorations got rationed too. The - thus only the eyelinner.
Gerry means the Germans.
Hot Pepper Here: Fred Pepper
The both of us were swinging and doing it to all the greats. Benny Goodman, Inky Spots, Calloway, Dorsey-etc. My girl Sally was ever exciting on the dance floor, and she liked the arials I did with her. We groved. Dancing and moving to the mood and up beat of these great masters, as those in 50s once said, " The cat's meow."
Images of the excellent artistry was always present. The snap and snares of the drums beats - pulsating, and all those golden horns-trumpets, along with the woodwinds. Wow !
And then there was my Gal Sal ( harken back to these days with her new ' nick ' name ). Her perfume was in the air, as the reactions to the moods cause her underlinning sweatness of mixed perspirations triggerd the passion of romance and personal attachment to this golden age of swing long ago.
All for love of both my Gal Sal and the craze of this musical-dance era. My heart pounding, and my instincts alerted to my Gal's love for me. What else can I say.
I love swing.
Fred ( The Hot ) Pepper, 16, Miami, Florida
Links:
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Dance Ithaca Directory [ WebSite ]
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Dance-Sportal.Com [ WebSite ]
Sub Pages Swing - Lindy Hop
Appendex 1.
Appendex 2.
Editor's Note:
To the left you will notice additional pages. They need filling up.
So far, the responce to solicit story shorts has been better than I tought it would be. There were stories which were rejected due to content. This effort must be family oriented, in as much as 12 YO and up will be viewing them.
Ithaca Dance Master Roger M. Christian
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