More and more, aglngMlckey
Rooney resembles his father
Joe Yule, the friendly little
comic who starred In **Maggle
and Jlggs** at New Bern’s
Athens Theatre (now The Try-
on) back In the early Twenties.
This particular road show,
written about the cartoon cou
ple created by George McMan
us, was only one of many that
graced the Athens stage In days
long gone. Others Included “The
Student Prince” and “Seventh
Heaven” as well as “The Cat
and The Canary” and “Blos
som Tlmo.”
It was this editor’s rare pri
vilege, In early boyhood, to
distribute hand bills door to
door In advance of these touring
productions, thereby getting In
free.
Ed (Chuck) Smith, who han
dled such things for the Athens,
lived In our neighborhood on up
per Pollock street. He lined
up his own son, Alex, and sev
eral other kids to spread the
circulars InNewBernand near
by towns.
Of aU the shows that came
to New Bern, our favorite was
“Blossom Time.” Like “The
Student Prince” It returned for
repeat performances, so evi
dently cash customers appre
ciated It as much as we did.
The stage door to the Athens
opened directly into the
theatre’s left wing, and on hot
nl^ts the door was occasional
ly left open and unguarded. This
negligence led to the unsched
uled Introduction of a new child
star on an unforgettable night.
In the midst of a torrid love
scene, a tot who had wandered
away from his home less than
a block away and ventured down
the theatre alley, toddled
through the aforementioned
rear entrance, and out to the
middle of the stage.
The hero of the show, who
had just finished saying, “Dar
ling, we are alone at last” to
the heroine, forgot romance
for the moment, loosened his
tight embrace, and livid with
anger and embarrassment
chased the moppet off the stage.
This delliditful occurrence
lingers In our memory most
vividly, Uke the time a group
of actors and actresses per
forming Shakespeare In the
Swarthmore Chatauqua tent
on New Bern’s Academy Green
found the going tough.
The scenery, held erect by
connecting iron pipes that ob
viously hadn’t been installed
by a master plumber, decided
to collapse and down it came
upon the unsuspecting dra
matists.
Commendably capable of cop
ing with the crisis, the Chat
auqua players managed to get
everything approximately back
In place. Including their own
wits, and resumed operations.
Like they say, there’s no
business like show business. On
one of the evenings that Will
Rogers played at Raleigh’s
Memorial Auditorium, the au
dience was waiting and no
Rogers was In sight. Somebody
thought to Investigate out back,
and there was Will, putting on
his act for a gathering of en
tranced newsboys.
On this occasion, or anoth
er one, the beloved humorist
was entertained at supper (or
dinner If you prefer) by News
and Observer Publisher Jose-
NEW 6ERN CRAVEN COUNTv
PUBLIC LIBRARY
The NEW BERN
PUBLISHID WBIKLV
IN THI WAIIT OB
^UTBRN NORTH
L—^
VOLUME 9
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1967
NUMBER 47
WHAT A WORLD—Jerry Hart, Jr.
1. 0. Hart of Vanceboro, wore
four month old
son of Mr. and Mrs. J.
this thoughtful expression when Eunice Wray focused
her camera and snapped another of her delightful
western program, or
a feeling of dismay as
he listens to all of the bad things reported by Walter
Cronkite, David Brinkley or Peter Jennings. In fact.
Mirror portraits. If you were called upon to write the
line for the picture vou’re now gazing at, yc
say that Jerry is drooling over a candy or ice cream
rau could
he may be emotionally involved in the latest crisis
occurring on one of several afternoon soap operas.
Truth of the matter is that Jerry is a born pranhster,
commercial, watching a gun fight on his favorite
and is simply trying to figure out something else to
tamper with. Don’t worry, lie never runs out of ideas.
'\
ii
(Continued on page 8)