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The NEW BERN
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VOLUME 16
NEW BERN. N. C. 28560, FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1973
NUMBER 23
Inevitably, those of us who
have been around for awhile
associate trivial incidents with
familiar iancbnarks.
Occasionally, when glimpsing
the spire of Centenary
Methodist Church this e^to
recalls an occurrence of quite a
few years back. The short item
we wrote about it for state
papers and wire services ap*
peared in the foreign press too.
It read; “Those wdf whistles
attracted of late by girls
passing New Bern’s postoffice
are strictly on the up and up. So
far up, in fact, that the young
ladies were puzzled until they
located the source.
“It isn’t a new species of bird
at all, but stee|4ejadcs perched
on scaffolding surrounding the
spire of Coitenary Methodist
Church. From that lofty van
tage point, th^ have been
taking time out to observe
feminine pedestrians. When it
seemed appropriate, shrill
approval was accorded.
“As yet, none of the ^Is has
shown signs of falling. As for tte
steeplejacks, they couldn’t
afford to take a tumble for a
strange dame. It would prove
fatal, under the cir
cumstances.’’
In newspq>er circles, brief
stories of this type are called
“brights.” Because human
interest is uiiversal, they often
hold global appeal. Tto one
made Jt, since male ap
preciation of a pretty girl’s
dimensions knows no
geographical boundaries.
Yesterday was . when
Hollywood invented talking
pictures, and New Bemians
eagerly awaited installation of
the necessary audio equipment
at local theatres. Aside from
putting thousands of theatre
musicians out of bininess,
talkies were a calamity for a
number of top movie stars.
John Gilbert, dear to the
hearts of females around the
world, was an early casualty.
On the silent screen he had no
equal and feminine viewers
imagined that he was blessed
with a marvelous voice.
Much to the contrary, he
talked through his nose, and his
image as the Great Lover
departed with the speed of a
tomcat splashed with a pail of
hot water. There were other
idols littered along the trail of
advanced entertainment, but
Gilbert’s plight was the most
disturbing.
Nelsmi Eddy was waiting in
the wings. He couldn’t act a
lick, and his face had the fixed
expression of a cigar-store
Indian. But the guy could sing,
and that was enough to get him
by.
Mostly he co-starred with
Jeanette McDonald, who not
only warbled beautifully, but
was pretty. She was also
vivacious enough to offset the
unbelievable didlness of Eddy
in musical love scenes.
No one fared better in those
early talkies than A1 Jolson.
Famous on stage, but largely
unknown in America’s small
towns, he signed a contract that
George Jessell turned down,
and became an instant movie
(Continued on page 8)
SHE STARTED IT—Along about 1960, shapely
Betty Bland, who was very much at home on water,
became New Bern’s first Aqua Maid at famed
Cypress Gardens. She coUld ski with the best of
them, and the trail she blazed was followed, over a
period of years, by four other New Bern girls,
S^via Finer, Beth Lansche, Janice Shapou, and
Donna White. Collectively, they gave our town
tremendous publiciW. Iheir professional per
formances demanded a lot, but the five of them
were equal to the challenge.