Newspapers / The New Bern Mirror … / May 4, 1962, edition 1 / Page 1
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iieiqn The NEW BERN PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE HEART OF -^«®N NORTH St. '€uy I It was our pleasure recently to spend a couple of hours with Kay Kyser. We talked of many things and dwelled at length on the old days when he was radio’s top at traction as the clowning professor of the “College of Musical Know! edge.” Kay was easily the most color ful band leader of his era, and a great credit to the entertainment world. Because show business gets a black eye periodically from she nanigans like the latest Liz Taylor affair, it is well to remember that some of the most respectable peo pie you’ll ever meet are in the en tertainment field. Birds of a feather flock together, which no doubt explains why Kay can speak well of the profession he retired from at the height of his career. “Everybody was kind to me,” he told us, “not just after I became famous but when I was an unknown starting out. Another Tar Heel maestro—Wil son’s Jan Garber—gave the Rocky Mount native a helping hand when he was first catching on in Chica go, and Guy Lombardo went out of his way to publicize Kay and his band in New York. They, and other big names in the business, gave him the sort of build-up that no press agent could possibly have achiev ed. It was that way also in Holly wood. 'T didn’t know the first I thing about making a motion pic ture,” he says, “and was certainly ^ no actor. However, when I was cast lik^^e^^^^^ jou, they gave me every advantage in the scenes I played with them. They could have easily stolen every scene from a novice such as I was, but instead they saw to it that I got all of the breaks. Thousands of New Bernians who found Kay’s weekly quiz shows on radio delightful have doubtlessly wondered why he chose to retire when he had the nation’s listeners in the palm of his hand. The an swer gives one an accurate glimpse into the heart of a very sincere per son, who feels genuine love and compassion for his fellow man. “I changed my line of thinking during World War II,” he told us, “when I took the band on tour to play for seiwice men outside the United States. I was deeply im pressed with the manner in which they were serving their country, and when I got back home I found that I no longer had any desire to clown around.” Kay would have retired then, but understandably his sponsors want ed him to remain on the air until his contract ran out. Because he is above all a very fair minded per son, he lived up to his obligations in this respect, but for him the zest and joy had vanished forever. Turning his back on continuing fame and no small amount of mon ey, he left show business. There was no bitterness. Just as fellow en tertainers had recognized him as genuine at the outset of his career, and a man of high ideals, they ad mired him for his sincerity in bow ing out of show business when his heart was no longer in it. Kay is a deeply religious man, and he works tirelessly as a lay reader for the Christian Science faith. The morning we visited him there was an open Bible on his desk, and he was reading it, as we entered the door. Kyser is no prude, looking down his nose at other folks. He lives his religion as a personal, day-to-day experi ence, and it is our firm conviction that he has found the peace of mind and spirit he sought when he left the glamorous world of enter tainment. Kay and his wife, the former Georgia Carroll, live with their daughters in Chapel Hill, where he (Continued on Page 3) UP A LAZY RIVER—Mitch Miller’s musical reminder that we should “be kind to our web-footed friends” is heartily endorsed by these three happy paddlers along the shores of the picturesque Trent. John Baxter, Jr., who wields a camera almost as expertly as his Dad, caught the stream’s early spring sereriity with this scene. Truly, we do live in the land of enchanting waters. ' ' ' ''i THEY’RE HARD TO TAME—New Bern High school’s scrap py Bears, coached by Jete Taylor, are bringing diamond glory to our town this season. You’ll have to delve pretty far into sports history to find as formidable a group of Bruins. Despite injuries to key players, the local ball club has racked up an impressive record against Northeastern Conference foes and outside competition.—Photo by John R. Baxter, Sr. 'V. I
The New Bern Mirror (New Bern, N.C.)
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May 4, 1962, edition 1
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