The NEW BERN
PUBLISHID WIIKLY
IN THI HIART OP
lASTIIIN NORTH
_ -••'MINA
VOLUME 16
NEW BERN, N. C. 28560, FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1973
NUMBER 1
Admitting without argument
that we’re completeiy out of
tune with the times, it stiU
seems to us that folks had more
fun when they were ainging
songs about the moon instead of
trying to land there.
^Even during the financial
difficuities of the Great
De(H*ession, New Bemians gave
their hearts to Mit^ Wayish
meiodies. The lyrics were often
putrid and the notes foul
smeiiing, but it mattered not,
as tong as the virtues of the
- ptanetary system were extolled
somewhere in the chorus, the
world rushed heacDong into
sentimental acceptance.
Grandpa, and his grandpa
before him, suffered enjoyably
from a chronic case of the same
malady when they were young
and foolish. What a pity that
such tunes fail to stir ^ gypsy
lying dormant in today’s
generation. The teenagers of
our acquaintance may deny it,
but rock ‘n’ roll—from the angle
of romance—is a sorry sub
stitute.
Among the radio and
recordiM stars who were
partial tw things astronomical,
Morton Downey was con-
spicious. One of his earlier
theme songs was "Wabash
Moon’’ and later he switched his
highpitched warbling
capacities to "Carolina Moon’’
to adveiAse a well known brand
of cigarettes.
Kate Smith became in
ternationally famous in the
same era with her own theme
song—"When the Moon Comes
Over the Mountain.’’ Mean
while, Cab Calloway, who could
out holler any of the brayers we
have around now, came up with
a number dubbed "Undenieath
A Harlem Momi.’’ As the title
implies, it dealth principally
with dirings on Lennox Avenue.
The Winds were clever and the
notes were catchy.
Harlem had no monopoly on
moonli^t in the grim, bank-
busting Thirties. We had an
“Old England Moon’’ and
"Moonlight On the River
Colorado”—along with
"Honolulu Moon’’ and
"Mbonli^ton the Ganges.’’ Tin
Pan AUey came up with
“Virginia Moon’’ too, but It
dichi’t create much of a stir,
even on the shores of the
Potomac.
Not content with the
tremendous popularity of her
aforementioned theme song,
Kate Smith achieved success
with "A Kiss In the Moonlight.’’
The6owell sisters, with Connie
leading the way, md quite wcril .
with the same song. Merely
mentioning this sister act ought
to strike a responsive chm
with you oldsters.
Earlier stiU, Ruth Etting
ascended to heights of popular
music when she sang “Miine On
Harvest Moon’’ in the Zlegfeld
F(rilies and recorded it for
Coltanbia. Millions bought the
disc at a time when money was
almost non-existent. In
cidentally, Plorenx Zlegfeld
rated Ruth the greatest en
tertainer of them all. Con
sidering the fact that he
discovered WU Rogers, it was
(Continued on page 8>
BUSHBLS OF LOVE—^Dftvld Chrlstophor Riggs, who
celebrated his first birthday in January, isn’t go^ to
be neglected, although we can’t guarantee he won’t
be spoiled. Rom in New Bern, he lives at San Antonio
where his father, Kenneth E. Riggs, Jr., is serving in
the U. S. Air Force. Impatiently wtiiUng for parents
and youngster to be transferred to Petersburg, Va.,
are two great-great-grandmothers, Mrs. Eva Finer
and Mrs. Beulah Wooten Simpson; four great
grandmothers, Mrs. B. R. Gray, Mrs. J. L. mggs,
Mrs. John C. Wooten, and Mrs. S. E. Ihompsoh; and
two gran^others, Mrs. S. E. Ihompson and Mrs.
lots to
Kenneth Riggs, Sr. Unless they draw lots to see who
gets to cuddle him next, and for how long, there’s
gonna be a revolution. Keep the peace, gals, agd take
your turn. ^