Our National Anthem

Dear Byron,

When you're old enough to join Daddy and Mommy at a football or baseball game, chances are that you'll hear somebody sing our national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner." Its kinda funny how many different ways singers try to do that these days. Anyway I think its also fun to know that "The Star Spangled Banner" became our country's national anthem just a couple years before your GGPa was born.

The song came out of one of the many wars our soldiers fought. This time it was the War of 1812 against the British. That war started because Britain seized American ships and forced American sailors into the British navy. In 1812 President James Madison became the first U.S. president to ask Congress to declare war. Our national anthem came out of that war.

During the war, on September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem entitled 'To The Defense of Fort McHenry', while a hostage on board a British ship in the Baltimore harbor. He did not mean for it to become a song, or a national anthem, but it soon became popular. A Baltimore music store owner first printed the song under the title "The Star Spangled Banner." After it gained popularity, somebody suggested it be put to a British tune by John Stafford Smith, 'To Anacraeon in Heaven'. After modifying the tune a little, musicians combined it with Key's lyrics and it became our song "The Star Spangled Banner." The secretary of the Navy made it the official tune to accompany flag raisings in 1889.

In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson ordered the anthem be played at military and naval occasions. However, it wasn't officially adopted by Congress as our national anthem until 1931. The first verse is the one we all learn to sing. You'll learn it as well. Here are all four. 

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I pray that you will grow up to be as proud of being an American as your GGMa and I are. We believe it is the greatest nation on earth. God bless America and God bless you too, my dear Great-Grandson. 

Love, 

GGPa

Movies Of The 1930s

Dear Byron,

You're not old enough to go to the movies yet, but you soon will be. Movies have really changed since I was a little kid, way back in the 1930s. Of course, now you can watch movies on your TV or any number of other mobile devices. I watched one just this week on my Kindle Fire.

The 1930s were known as the years of the Great Depression. For many people this was a very difficult time. We didn't notice it so much on our farm, because we could grow our own food, but it was a difficult time even for farmers like my Daddy.

Shirley Temple and Bojangles Robinson

In those years the movie industry in Hollywood suffered mildly in comparison to the rest of America. Part of its success rested in its ability to create fantasy realms of song and dance that audiences could escape into and imagine as their own reality. So long as the Hollywood studios could produce these fanciful productions with talented stars, Depression audiences paid money to escape from the problems of the world around them.

In 1935 little Shirley Temple became 20th Century Fox's leading star at the box-office. Shirley was born in 1928, five years before me. She began her film career in 1932 at the age of three, and in 1934 skyrocketed to stardom in Bright Eyes, a feature film designed specifically for her talents. She received a special Academy Award in February 1935. 

Shirley left the film industry at the age of twelve. You can still see her re-formatted movies today or watch them from a DVD you might rent from Netflix. You can even see her sing and dance on You Tube: On The Good Ship Lollypop.

Her films were relatively cheap to make, allowing studios to make a fine profit. She made twenty-four films—almost all inspiring song and dance comedies. Those comedies often dealt with the vitality and hope young people had even during the Depression. Examples are Curly Top, Dimples and the Little series. 

In The Littlest Rebel (1935) Shirley Temple was paired with one of her favorite dance partners—Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. One of the most successful African American actors of the day, "Bojangles" became famous for his talented dance skills. Although hardly allowed to achieve the stardom that white actors could enjoy, "Bojangles" talents did not go completely unrecognized. In the movie Swing Time, Fred Astaire pays a tribute to "Bojangles" as he dances to "Bojangles of Harlem" in blackface (the first and only time Astaire performs in blackface in his film career). 

Judy Garland

Another famous star of the 1930s was Judy Garland. She was 11 years older than me, but was also born in Minnesota, up in Grand Rapids. Among the most famous films of the time was the MGM production of The Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland and an amazing cast of characters. Judy Garland was not the only star that the studio had to boast of however; its star role also included Mickey Rooney and the singing pair of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. Judy and Mickey starred in several musicals together, such as Babes in Arms and Babes on Broadway, offering a dose of adolescent promise to Depression-escaping audiences.

____________________

In one scene from my novel, The Twins, a wealthy gangster of the Twin Cities, Teddy Banks, is busy seducing Iva Tilden, Tillie's mother. Here's part of the phone call Banks made to invite Iva to view the newest Judy Garland film.

“Iva, good morning. How are you?” said the soft voice of Teddy in her ear.

She almost dropped the phone as well. “I . . . ah . . . I’m fine.”

“And did my flowers arrive?”

“Yes, yes. They are so wonderful. What can I say?”

“You can say yes to my invitation, dear lady. I want to take you to see that wonderful new fifteen year old actress we spoke about last Saturday. Remember Judy Garland?”

“Of course. I remember. You even told me she was born in Minnesota.”

“Ah. You do remember. And do you remember where in Minnesota she was born?”

Iva began to loosen up. “Yes, silly. She was born up north, in Grand Rapids, and her birth name was Frances Ethel Gumm.”

“Bravo, my dear. Bravo. Tomorrow night we shall go to see her in that movie I told you about,
“Broadway Melody of 1938,” and we’ll hear her sing the little song she first sang to Clark Gable himself.” Teddy began to sing the lines of the song, “You made me love you. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to do it.”

_____________________

Well, Byron, you won't be reading my novels for a long time, but you may enjoy watching a Shirley Temple movie even now. If you do, think about me. 

Love, 

GGPa

Grandma's Icklegooey Sandwich

Dear Byron,

Yesterday your G-GMa and I were looking at some more of those old photos we have in albums and boxes here at our house. All that got me to thinking about my Grandma's Icklegooey Sandwiches. I thought you might want to ask your Grandma Cheryl to make you one some day.

Here's a photo of me holding your Great-Uncle Jeff, not long after he was born. You can tell he was still a very tiny baby. I'm standing between my Momma on the left and my Grandma Iva Turpen on the right. 

Grandma and my Grandpa Steve lived in West St. Paul, Minnesota on George St. in the same house in which my Momma grew up. Come to think of it, I don't know how long they lived there. At the time of this photo, 1958, my Grandpa had already gone to heaven and Grandma lived there by herself.

I spent many great hours in that house on George St. when I was a little kid. One of the neat things about George St. was the streetcar. I bet you've never heard of streetcars. Not many around any more. Most cities have fast mass-transit trains and subways. Those old streetcars were a lot more fun than the swift subways I've ridden on in New York or London. 

Interior of a Twin Cities Streetcar 

When I poked around on the web I actually found a site that tells all about those old streetcars in Minneapolis and St. Paul back in the days when I was a little kid. Here's their photo of one on the inside. Notice the seats covered with webbing instead of leather, cloth or plastic like modern day trains or trolleys. 

The driver collected dimes in that little box to his right. If you didn't have correct change he'd make some for you. Lots of times I'd ride with my Grandma to downtown St. Paul. In order to get there we'd have to get a piece of paper that said we could transfer to another streetcar that went right into the busy downtown streets. I'd follow her to the stores when she wanted to shop for a new blouse or  hat or some other such boring thing. 

The best part of those shopping trips, next to riding on the streetcar, was when we got back to the house on George St. where she would ask if I wanted an Icklegooey Sandwich. Yes! Bet you have never had one of those. Bet you don't even know what they are. Nobody sells 'em, you know. You have to make 'em in your own house. Here's how Grandma did it. 

Manual Meat Grinder

She'd get out her meat-grinder and attach it to the little kitchen table. It looked like this one that you can still buy today from Dinodirect. Next she'd find a couple hard boiled eggs, some pickles, several pieces of lunch meat, a couple radishes, slices of tomato and whatever else she found in her funny little refrigerator. She would grind it all up in her grinder and catch it in a bowl. Add some mayonnaise to the mixture and you're ready to make the sandwiches. By this time my mouth would be watering. 

OK, now pop some white bread into the toaster and when the toast pops up apply big globs of Icklegoeey and you're all set to go. We'd sit down at the little kitchen table with a big glass of orange pop to talk about the trip we had on the streetcar. Maybe we'd also plan to go to the movies in the evening when Grandpa Steve got home from working as an inspector at the South St. Paul Stockyards. Could anything possibly be better? 

I sure hope that you and your Grandma get to do some fun things like making Icklegooey Sandwiches. Just ask her. 

The Spiral Bridge

Dear Byron,

I noticed recently that you are beginning to look at books and even trying to read them. I'm so happy to hear about that. I've loved books all my life. I have owned hundreds of them and still have many on my shelves here at our home.

I also suspect that as you grow up books will be printed less and less on paper. My guess is that most of the books you read will be on some kind of ebook reader like an iPad or Kindle. Its certainly a different world from when I grew up.

Last time I wrote to you, I showed you a photo of our farm. Well, that farm was about ten miles west of a town called Hastings. That town is right on the Mississippi River and has a bridge going over the river. Follow this link to the Little Log House Village, outside of Hastings a mile or so and their replica of the Spiral Bridge. I've been to the Village. It's quite a neat place. They have preserved many things from days gone by, like that old station wagon you see in front of their Spiral Bridge.

There actually was a real Spiral Bridge. It was built near the end of the nineteenth century to accomodate the horse-drawn vehicles of the day. Located where the present city of Hastings stands, it circled up from the bank on the Hastings side to a height sufficient to bring the wagons and carriages safely to the other. When I was a kid we would drive across that bridge to the other side of the river on our way up to St. Paul.

Many have been fascinated by pictures and tales of the old Spiral Bridge. Sad to say, it was torn down in 1951 and replaced with a more modern one. However, the spiral span still appears in the logo on Hastings vehicles and city stationery.

Spiral bridges are a rarity. State and Federal transportation and historic agency officials said they know of no other such bridge in the United States. Hazel Jacobsen Theel, who wrote a booklet about the old bridge, said she knew of only two other spiral bridges in the world, one located in Japan and the other in Germany.

The question of who designed the Hastings Spiral Bridge was debated in local newspapers in the 1940s. Several engineers, elevator owner John Meloy and a Hastings inventor, or their ancestors, all laid claim to the spiral design. All I know, is that it was kind of a neat bridge.

After you've learned to read and are a bit older, I'd like you to read the first novel that I ever wrote. Of all things, its called The Spiral Bridge. By the time you read it I'll have it out in an ebook format—just for you and all the other modern kids. 

Love ya, 

GPa