TAe A/f IV B£/?/V
Ifr. A lira.A. M. !iirphy
2000 Arond^ai St.
Morchos,! City, H. C.
EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
5^ Per Copy
VOLUME 3
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1960
NUMBER 35
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little Mickey Gunnersen—^ju8t
so high—had dreams of someday
,|>eachinA Broadway when she made
her stage debut in one of the earli-
ec editions of the Yuletide Revue.
Unlike thousands of otiher the
atrical-minded kids who are' doom
ed to disappointment, she saw hpr
hhpes real^d. Currently appear-
Ihg at New York’s 46th Street 'Hie-
aiter in the hit show, Tenderloin,
she has danced with distinction in
such Broadway production as Pink
Tights, Pajama Game, and New
0irl In Town.
? Sandwiched between her foot-
light chores have been numercus
television appearances, including
a,Bennie Gorman specfacidar—
Swing to Spring. Despite her suc
cess, she is still refre^ingly mod
est and completely unsophisticated.
Because the Yuletide Revue was
the springboard that started her
on her way, she has always been
quite sentimental about America’s
oldest Christmas charity show.
Each year she expresses her best
wishes with a telegram, and would
give a lot to be here on December
15 for the Revue’s 25th annivers
ary.
Aside from exceptional talent,
that was evidenced from the very
beginning, Mickey has displayed
the perseverance necessary to get
somewhere in the theater. Her tire
less efforts to prefect the grac^
and flawlessness expected of a top-
ranking professional ballerina paid
off.
■'.tpi' the same- sort
tion fl*S|ei(arsha KerstsiPV'
Rev^ gradhktei-icamiS’^Up
attaining a place in the i
ton Civic Ballet a short mne after
she left New Bern High school.
Kathy Young, also an erstwhile Re
vue performer, had it too, as did
Johnnie Genolius.
Kathy became a Paramount star
let, out in Hollywood, and in more
recent years a much-in-demand
photographer’s nredel. She has
been featured repeatedly on the
covers of leading magazines.
As for Johnnie, he got his break
as a dancer in the Broadway show.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Like
Marsha Kersey, his climb to the
top of the ladder was rapid, and
there are still brighter things
ahead.
Not all of the Revue’s perform
ers- have achieved professional
prominence, of course. Many of
them elected to enter other fields
of endeavor rather than the field
riter'sesttiilgs, but this Trent Knes leene is so beautiful
no neiwspaper editor would dare pass, it-up. New Bern’s
Jackl§ Hancock wields the net,as forehead City’s Nona
fn fft'iYaku’i im^ch of
the picture' more than makes up for it.—^Photo by Billy
Benners.
of\,entertainment. But a list of
those who have succeeded in vary
ing degrees would be quite lengthy
—'too much so to detail here.
When you stop to think of it,
countless hundreds of entertainers
have contributed > their talents to
the Revue’s editions over the past
quarter of a century. And a great
many other people who were nev
er seen on stage have made their
notable contribution to the show’s
long life.
Some of its most enthusiastic
boosters are no longer among the
living. For example, there was Os
car Kafer, manager of the Masonic,
who permitted the use of his thea
ter ^thout charge in the early
days, and George R. Puller, who
was happy to furnish pianos and
organs as long as he lived. His sons
are still exhibiting the same gener
osity.
For years Claude Springle, who
died a few years ago, hgd a big
part in handling the lighting for
itevue performances. Bill Pierce,
director of the New Bern Recrea
tion Department, was a lot of help
tod, especially during the several
years that the show was presented
at the Recreation Center.
Thanks to press, radio and tele
vision, the Revue has been publi
cized from coaat to coast, time and
time again. And a large number
of the great stars in the entertain
ment world—celebrities like Ce
di,,. B. DeMille, Jimmie Durante,
If you, love good music, superbly
sung, don’t miss New Bern High
school’s annual Christmas Concert
next Wednesday night, featuring
tbe 58-voice a capella choir, the
105-voice girls’ glee club, and the
45-voice boys’ glee club.
Appearing in the high school
auditorium at 8 p.m., under the
capable direction on Donald Smith,
who heads the music department,
the three groups will add a new
chapter of excellence to the con
certs presented by Smith over a 21-
year span.. ♦
Surpassing previous, concerts
will require considerable doing,
and this year’s youngsters may not
accomplish the feat. However, aft
er sampling their rehearsals. The
Mirror is inclined to believe that
they’ll do just that.
Included on the agenda for the
a capella choir are two excerpts
from the M^lsiah—“And The Glory
of The Lord’’ and “O Thou That
Tellest Good Tidings.” In addition,
the choir will sing “I Wonder As I
Wander” and “The Christmas
Song.” An ensemble from the
choir, with 11 soloists, will render
the ever delightful “Twelve Days
of Christmas.”
Adding greatly to the fine per
formance of the,choir will be the , tion richly deserved—^Eloise is as
talent of its. pianist, Eloise Stilley. conscientious as she is proficient.
Recently awarded a full scholar- and is held in high respect by fel-
ship at Catawba college—^recogni-1 low members of the choir.
Roy Rogers, George Gobel, Biil
Cullen, Ray Milland, Arlene Fran
cis and Sid Caesar have given it
their blessing.
So you see, when people are flat
tering enough to refer to the Yule
tide Revue as a one-man show, it
is less than an aceurate. summa
tion. It was one man’s dream, but
along the way he had help, and in
spiration.
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Choral Group Is
for Christmas Concert
ELOISE STILLEY
... Talent to Spare
With Nancy Ward, Carol Nelson
and Priscilla Jenkins on hand, the
choir isn’t short on soloists. They
compare favorably with soloists of
the past, and you’ll agree when
you hear them Wednesday night.
As for the girls’ glee club, with
Louise Whitty as pianist, they are
certain to make an emphatic im
pression with their rendition of
Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and “Ca
rol of the Drum.” Sherril Joyner
is the soloist, a,nd fills the assign
ment quite nicely.
.Jan Marshburn is the pianist for
the boys’ glee club. Soloists are
Donald Davis, William Reel, Wayne
Mumford and Lloyd Lane. You’ll
like the glee club’s portion of the
concert, including as it does such
compositions as “Let It Snow,”
“The Boar’s Head Carol,” and “O
Little Town of Bethlehem.” The
latter carol features a male octet.
All in all, the Christmas Concert
should give those attending one of
their most satisfying evenings in
ye.ars. That it will awaken or add
impetus to the holiday spirit here
is a foregone conclusion.
Donald Smith’s work with the
New pern High school music de
partment since the pint-sized pro
fessor shuffled into town from Buf
falo two decades ago has been
phenomenal. He had worked won
ders, and it has been said repeat
edly by outsiders that his choir is
superior to some college choirs.
His glee clubs as well as the choir
are highly regarded in scholastic
circles.
Smith’s influence and his In
struction have had far reaching
effect in the community. Vaiiohs
(ContiniMd on Pago 8)