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The Nags Tale
VOLUME 1
NAGS HEAD, N C., SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1938
NUMBER 1
The Lost Colonly
By BEN DIXON MacNEILL
Battles have been won, and even
the foundations of empires laid,
by armies and expeditions that
had in them considerably fewer
people than make up the cast of
“The Lost Colony” whose lights
you can see by night across the
reach of Roanoke Sound from al
most anywhere along Nags Head.
An example? Well, down in the
Cape Pear Valley a ragged army
numbering less than one third of
the roster of Paul Green’s sym
phonic dramatization of the story
of Raleigh’ colony, set upon the
army of the Marquis of Cornwal
lis on a September night and by
morning had slaughtered a ravine
full of it. Sixty two people fought
the battle of Elizabethtown.
There are 186 people in the com
pany of “The Lost Colony,” and
when Sir Walter’s colony passed
through an inlet that cut the banks
between Nags Head and the Wright
Memorial, there were' only 108 peo
ple in the expedition come to lay
the foundation of an Empire.
Which is neither here nor there,
maybe, and certainly isn’t set down
to start anything.
Put it down, merely, as a prob
ably awkward way of begining to
point out that “The Lost Colony”
is a pretty formidable undertaking.
And even that number doesn’t take
into account scene-shifters, and
some dozens of people you never
even glimpse and whose work alone
applauds them, people you never
see or hear of—and who have never
and maybe never will get to see
the show themselves.
Nowhere in the history of dra
matics has so diverse a company
been brought together. There are
five major elements, the largest
of which, numbering some 79 peo
ple, are native to Roanoke Island.
They come night after night, put
on the raiment of another age,
and without any wages, or any
promise of wages, keep the show
going. They are its back-bone, its
mud-sill, or—well, pick out your
favorite figure of speech.
Next in quantity are the mem
bers of the Island’s CCC camp.
Fifty-odd of them, all told. The
number varies from night to night,
depending on whether the lads
can get off from their work or
not. They get up at 5:30 in the
morning and do a day’s work.
After supper they come up to Fort
Raleigh and become Indians or
Colonists or something of that
sort. Some of them shift scenery.
All of the dancing you see, except
Fred Howard’s, is done by lads
who have been at some sweaty
work all day.
That accounts for about 130
of the people. Add to these the
choir of 36 people. They come
from where ever there is a postof
fice to come from, and were re
cruited this year from among the
senior and graduate students of
the Westminster Choir School at
Princeton, New Jersey. Jimmie
Hart, who does all the tricks with
the organ, comes from there, too.
He originated the other side of the
Great Smoky Mountains in Ten
Its Beautiful
VAN KEYS ORCHESTRA
COMING TO BEACH CLUB
The above is the picture of a very beautiful monument built by the
Government to pay tribute to the Wright Brothers. Anyone you ask
will tell you that, but very few will tell you that it is the foremost wooing
ground in North Carolina. Many thanks to the Government for killing
two birds with- one stone.
nessee.
Tapering on down, you come to
the university group. Mainly they
are from the School of Dramatics
at the University of North Caro
lina, but there are a half dozen
other colleges and universities list
ed among them. John Borden
Nachtmann and Fred Howard and
Sam Hirsch and Don Wanchese
Rosenburg belong to this group.
Some of this group do not appear
publicly: they are technicians back
stage.
And then there is the profes
sional group. Working under the
Federal Theatre and loaned for
the production. They are mostly
from New York. All actors are
from New York, sort of like all
horses are born on New Year’s
day. Queen Elizabeth, Eleanor
Dare, Sir Walter Raleigh, John
White and that group, belong to
this element of the show . . . And
finally there is Donald Somers,
who does the Old Tom. He is not
Federal Theatre. When Paul
Green couldn’t find anybody to
do the part, he sat down one morn
ing very gloomily in a New York
hotel. He was giving up. Somers
just walked in and asked to be
allowed to read the part. He read.
He was hired.
Somebody, of course, had to de
sign the lights, and somebody has
to turn them on at the right in
stant. That brings you down to
the people you never see, unless
you have an eye for ghosts that
flit here and there in the gloomy
outer edges of the scene. It’s a
considerable army. Battles have
been won and corner-stones of
empire laid with less.
And there has to be a general.
His name is Sam Selden. He is
a peculiar general. He never is
sued an order in his life. Dramatic
though he is in achievement and
result, there isn’t an ounce of the
dramatic in him. A general, or
somebody who made speeches be
fore Pyramids like Napolean, would
probably wreck the army before
it got anywhere at all.
Anyhow, it isn’t that sort of an
army. Nowhere is there a more
diverse assortment of people. Pro
fessionals, academic amateurs,
trained choiristers, CCC lads and
Islanders who fish or something
for their livings, all of them weld
ed together—and without any or
ders, without any comruands. Mr.
Selden points mildly in 'the direc-
Beach Cicic
League Organized
Van Keys and his 12 musical
keys of Bluefield College, W. Va.,
will open a two weeks engagement
at Nags Head Beach Club, Tues
day, July 19, following Freddie
Johnson and his University of
North Carolina Orchestra who have
been furnishing the music for the
past three weeks.
Keys’ orchestra is coming to
Nags Head direct from a tour of
bands who have played the Beach
Club already this season, namely:
Freddy Johnson, Bob Jones and
Jelly Leftwich, this band is com
posed of college fellows from Blue-
field and represent the highest
type musicians. They will more
than please every patron who vis
its our club and fill in line as being
one of the best orchestras to ever
play in this spot.
Freddie Johnson and his orches
tra recognized as being the best
in North Carolina today, leave our
Club after Sunday night’s program
with all our best wishes to take up
his duties at Buckroe Beach for
one week and from there to Tan-
tilla Gardens in Richmond, Va.,
for a two weeks’ engagement. As
much as we have enjoyed his stay
here, and acknowledge with ap
preciations the prestige he has
given to our dance spot, we regret
very much seeing him go and at
the same time look forward to the
pleasure of receiving another won
derful attraction.
The Beach Civic League of Dare
County was officially selected as
the name for the recently proposed
Dare County Beach Development
League, and Mrs. Russell Griggs of
Kill Devil Hills was elected presi
dent of the organization at the
first regular meeting Tuesday
afternoon.
With representatives of a num
ber of the business establishments
along the beach present, the meet
ing got underway at 4 o’clock with
the election of officers as the first
consideration. In addition to Mrs.
The Little Apple Stops
Griggs, officers elected by the
tion that he aims to go and the league were: L. S. Parkerson, Hon-
outfit falls to and goes there. Sel-
den’s voice has never been heard
fifteen feet away from him. He
teaches dramatics at the Univer
sity and his work here last season
won him a Guggenheim Fellow
ship.
But you have not seen it all
yet. Beyond, and behind, Selden
is another element. Mostly the
Island calls the element Bradford.
Bradford is a very definite individ
ual, but he is more. He is the
Island, and the Island puts on the
show. It doesn’t work for wages.
It has just been caught up in the
sweep of the miracle that hap
pened last year, and, it produces.
Nobody, after seeing the show,
has ever squawked at the price of
it. Now and then somebody, part
ing with a dollar at the gate, howls
in agony, but after they come out,
they sort of sneak out. Not in
frequently these brethren—sisters,
sometimes—return by way of the
orary President; C. F. Midgett,
Vice-President and David Stick,
Secretary-Treasurer.
Other business taken up at the
meeting was a discussion of pro
jects for the organization, and a
decision to charge a membership
fee of one dollar which will be
used to pay for stationery and
stamps, and for the prizes in a
league sponsored general beach
clean-up drive. Projects under
consideration by league members
included the current garbage col
lection situation, the clean-up
drive, year around police protec
tion, and the poor electricity ser
vices this season as compared to
last.
Definite announcements regard
ing the rules for the clean-up con
test will be announced in the near
future, together with prizes and
the deadline for entrance.
ticket booth and tender their re
grets at having raised any rucus
(ContiiYued on Page Four)
The departure of Miss Martha
Buchannon will grealty hinder the
progress of the Little Apple as far
as Nags Head is concerned. Where-
ever a crowd gathered for a night
of dancing. Miss Buchannon al
ways lead the group with last
year’s famous Apple Dance. She
leaves Sunday for Camp Gray-
stone where she will spend about
one month. After that time the
beach will again have the privilege
of watching the Little Apple
danced as only Camper Buchanon
can do it.
MANY ORCHESTRAS PLAYING
BEACH CLUB THIS SUMMER
Already four orchestras have
played Nags Head Beach Club this
season, namely: The High Hatters,
Bob Jones, Jelly Leftwich and
Freddy Johnson. With the ap
proaching of the best part of the
summer ahead, L. L. Overton, man
ager, has announced that through
his connections with booking agen
cies in New York there will be a
change of bands every one and two
weeks the remainder of the season.
Van Keys and his 12 musical
aces will open Tuesday, July 19,
for two weeks to be followed by
Bob Riley and his orchestra of
electrified rhythm, now playing
Tantilla Gardens, Richmond, Va.
Keys will play the Carolina Thea
tre in Elizabeth City, Monday, July
18, on his way for location at the
Beach Club.
Mr. Buzz Glover has returned to
his home after spending several