VOLUMiR'WENTY
“Stilag 17” Wiß Jolt
Memories of County’s Pow’s
By Paul R. Burton
This Friday and Saturday eve
nings at 8:00 the Parkway play,
bouse will present the comedy mel
odrama, STALAG 17.
The production will be directed
by George Crocker, who gave
Payhouse theatregoers LO AND
BEHOLD and SUDS IN YOUR
EYE last season. Crocker is noted
for hfs detailed and precise dir
ection.
The play itself incorperates a
cast of over twenty men. The cast
includes:
Ed Anderson, Tavernier, Fla., as
“Sefton’’; Victor Helou, St. Pet
ersburg, Fla., as "Harry Shapiro";
Robert Cresse, Miami, Fla., as
1 -■ ...
Mclntosh accepts
NEW POSITION
Mclntosh
North Carolina. Next week; Mr.
Mclntosh will have completed a
three week’s training course at
the company’s regional office in
Charlotte.
Mr. Mclntosh is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. Lewis Mclntosh of
Burnsville. He is a graduate of
Burnsville High School; and be
served two years with the U. S.
Navy, two years of which were
spent in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mrs.
Mclntosh is the former Miss Mar
garet Lawhem of Burnsville. Mr.
and Mrs. Mclntosh, who have
two children, plan to reside in
their new home in Burnsville;
however, Mr. Mclntosh will travel
fourteen counties throughout
western N. C.
The Victor factory in Chicago
Is one of the most modern, best
equipped factories in the U. S. It
was'in this factory that the Nor
den Bombsight was made for the
U. S. Army Air Force during
World War 11.
Portrait Demonstra
tion At Seecelo
Frank Stanley Herring, presi
dent of the Burnsville Painting
Classes, will present a portrait
demonstration in oils tonight
(Thursday) at Seecelo beginning
at 8:15.
Mr. Herring’s model for to
night’s demonstration will be Mis*
Lila Richards, an actress from
Miami, Fla., who is spending her
first summer at the Parkway
Playhouse.
POLIO VACCINE
The Salk Vaccine for poliomyelitis os one of the greatest
discoveries to benefit mankind.
However good it may be, It helps no one unless it is taken.
Some in our county have taken the shots, but not nearly as
many as should.
This* has been a growing co ncern of the medcial societies
and therefore, they at this time are strongly urging all to
receive the injections.
Who should take the shots? All between the ages of one
and nineteen and women who are pregnant.
How many shots are needed? Three. One Immediately, to
be followed by one in two to six weeks, and the third at least
seven months later.
Where to receive these shots? Either at the Health De
partment or your family physician.*
Be sure to have your children vaccinated and prevent polio.
Walter M. Ost, M. D„ President, Yartcey-Mltchell Medical
Society.
See “STALAG 17”
SUB. RATES |2.00 YEAR.
“Stosh”; Eli Del Sette, Saratoga
Springs, N. Y., as “Price”; Paul
Burton, Burnsville, N. C. as "Hbffy”
Pat Miartinelli, Miami, Fla., as
"Reed”; Chuck Drozd, Union City,
N. J., as “Dunbar”; Ed Madden,
| Portland, Maine, as “Shultz”; and
many others.
When the curtain opens the aud
ience will be carried into the lives
of resigned yet never hopeless, men
who find themselves pawns of
’ world strife in a German prisoner
of-war camp.
Here is found the clash of human
personalities and emotions in an
enviornment of suspension, of , bore
( dom, yet tenseness, and in spite of
the omnipresent mental and phy
sical suffering, these captive glad
iators never cease to ferret out the
humor in. their adverse situations.
Laughter in their escape, their
that motivates the continued re
newal of their faith and hope. This
release becomes the very basis of
their existence.
The audience will find themselves
laughing with abandon as the pri
soners find humor in one ridiculous
episode after another: In contrast,
I the audience will be numbed into
silence as tragedy and pathos
weaves its way into the scene, and
as torture and death descend upon
the ill-fated. j - - :
STALAG 17, which is based on
factual experiences, was first pro
duced in New York by Jose Ferrer
in 1951, and met with immediate
success. It was later made into a
motion picture which proved to be
a smash hit, an* won an Academy
Award for William Holden, who
*
played “Sefton” in the movie
version.
Donald Bevan and Edmund
| Trazcinski, the brilliant authors of
the stage play, were actually pri
soners in the German stalag num
bered seventeen. Gerald Honaker,
Playhouse Set Designer, was also
a prisoner of the same prisoner-of
war compound, and although the
three never met, their talents will
be combined on the boards of
Burnsville’s Payhouse in a rare ex
hibit of stage realism. Honaker also
appears in the production in an
acting capacity -\ playing the role
of the “German Captain.”
Be sure and see this true-to-life
stage play at the, Playhouse on the
27th and 28th of July. Curtain at
8:00 P. M.
' >
BOOKMOBILE TRIP
• POSTPONED
The Yancey County Bookmobile J
: trip to Pensacola area has been
postponed. The regular trip, which
includes Bowlens Creek, Pensa
k jcola, Cattail, Murchison and Low
. Gap, will be made tomorrow, July
' 27, instaed of today, it whs an
''nounced by Mrs. Dorothy Thomas,
librarian.
Carl R. Mc-
Intosh of Bur
nsville has ac
cepted a posi
tion with the
Victor Adding
Machine Com
pany as dis
trict sales re
presentative I
for Western |
The Yancey Record
“DEDICATED TO THE PROGRESS OF YANCEY COUNTY”
BURNSVILLE, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1956
VIC HELOU, of St. Petersburg, Fla., and 808 CRESSE, of Miami,
Fla., appear as the,camp comedians, “Harry Shapiro” and “Stosh,”.
in the Playhouse version of “Stalag W' Friday and Saturday.
Hospital Report
The Yancey/Hospital reports
four births and eighteen other ad
' missions this week. The births in
clude a son, David Keith, born
i July 17 to Mr. and Mrs. John Hen
ry McPeters of Star Rt.; a daugh
ter, Linda Sue, born July 18 to
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Grind
staff of Bakersville; a daughter,
Patricia Ann, born July 21 to Mr.
and Mrs. Bill Tipton of Rt. 1; and
a son, not yet named, born July
24 to Mr. and Mrs. Nat Robinson
of Rt. 1. t
Other admissions reported dur
ing the past week included Alice
McPeters, William Allen and Ath
lene Gregory of Burnsville; Luella
Honeycutt, and Christine England
of Rt. 1; Bobbie Randolph and
Wellington Mclntosh of Rt. 3;
Bettina McCourry of Micaville;
batty Deborah Cook of Celo; Beat
rice Canipe of Green Mtn.; Ruth
Grindstaff of Bandana; Don
Michael Green of Bakersville;
Beulah Woody, Martha Ann Ham
mett, Minnie Yelton and June
Hammett of Spruce Pine; David
Miles Metcalf of Mars Hill; and
Viola Forbes of Fordtown, Tenn.
PTA To Hold
Special Meeting
An important call meeting of the
Burnsville P. T. A. will be held
Tuesday evening, July 31, at 8:00
o’clock in the school lunch room.
Mrs. James Ray, president/ has
called this meeting for the pur
pose of discussing important fi
nancial matters that need atten
tion before the opening of school.
According to Mrs. Ray, the
meeting will be very short, and
I she urges all P. T. A. members to
I attend. V _ 4'v , .
LOCAL 4-H’ers ATTEND
STATE-WIDE MEET IN
RALEIGH THIS WEEK
Betty Young of Green Mbun
tain, winner of Yancey County’s
4-H Dress Revue, modeled her
pink cotton dress, along with oth
er county winners across the
State, on Wednesday evening in
Raleigh.
Other Ydncey County delegates
at 4-H Club Week (July 23-28)
are Norma‘McDougald, Hamrick;
Lillie Estep, Bee Log; Brenda
Phoenix and Glenna Brinkley,
Burnsville; Verlene Silver, Jacks
Creek; Duane McDougald, Ham
rick; Edwin Bryan, Cane River;
Johnny Ray, Tommy Ray, and
Donald Buchanan, Burnsville.
Duane McDougald is the Wes
tern District 4-H Public Speaking
Winner and will compete for
State honors tomorrow in Raleigh. l
Tommy, Edwin and Donald com- 1
peted Monday in the State 4-H
Dairy Judging Contest, another
function of the State-wide 4-H
Club Week in Raleigh.
P. G. Building
Rising Rapidly, ~
The hew Burnsville Post Office
. is beginning to take on the look of
i a building. All foundations have
. been laid and the block and brick
walls are rising at a rapid rate.
, J. W. Autrey, superintendent of
the construction, said this week
that the building should be com
pleted sometime in November.
The first floor, or post office
pai;t of the building, will Tie 40 by
60 feet, with a loading platform at
the rear, while the second story
will cover the entire foundation of
60 by 80 feet. The loading platform
in the rear of the structure will be
sheltered.
Front entrance to the building,
for both floors, is on the east side;
' and the post office entrance will
be several feet south of the side
, walk e fner at thi h** end of the
t court ho ase, according to Autrey.
, The building is being built by
. E. L. Briggs according to plans
. accepted by the Post Office
, Department.
i Dr. Ray Property
Sold For Business
Site
When the old gives way to the
new, progress is being made. And
in Burnsville progress continues
in the field of construction changes.
The Dr. Ray residence, one of
' the town’s oldest land marks, is
dismantled by the new owners,
Banks, Patton & Webb. Mrs. Lena
R. Tdspn, daughter of tfeerelate
Doctof-''" and Mrs. Ray, recently
sold the propert to the frim men
tioned above as a business site.
William A. Banks, one of the
present owners, stated this week
that the building was being
wrecked as soon and as rapidly as
as possible, and that the entire lot
would be cleared and leveled as
business property. Banks stated
that the Gulf Oil Company plans
to construct a super service station
on the east corner of the lot, and
k that the remainder of the lot will
. be available for business con
■ struction.
. In speaking of the age of the
i house and the fine construction,
Banks said that the entire house
i was constructed of the finest yellow
popular—something' seldom seen
in present day structures. Material
, from the house will be for sale, he
said.
Benefit Movie At
South Toe School
The South Toe River P. T. A.
will present a benefit movie Satur
: day evening, July 28, at 8 o’clock
in the school auditorium. The
■ ,
. name of the movie is “Raiders of
Sunset Pass” starring Gene Aut
: rey.
The P. T, A. is presenting the
: movie in a money raising effort
before the opening o fschool.
Fox Wins
Commendation
Pvt. James T. Fox of Newdale
received official commendation
upon graduating from a course in
Automotive Maintenance at Fort
Knox, Ky., according to a release
from the training center at Ft.
Knox. •
In the commendation, Brigadier
General Samuel L. Meyers, com
mander, said the citation was made
because of the record Pvt. Fox had
made in his training. Because of
his ’’superior manner of perfor
mance. attention to duty, and de
termination to become proficient”
darning his period of training at
that center. Pvt. Fox was named as
the number one honor student of
the class.
Pvt. Fox is the son of the late
H. J. Fox and Mrs. Fox of Nfewdale.'l
Set Designer Did * >
Term In Stalag
s Gerald Honaker, Set Designer at
f the Parkway Playhouse in Burns
; ville, N. C., was a tail-gunner in a
i 824 during the Second World War.
On his last mission over Europe his
[ plane was hit by enemy anti- ‘
: aircraft while on a bomb run over
. northern Italy, and the ill-fated
craft blown in half when the full 1
i bomb load exploded. ;
Only two men managed to escape
: the flaming hulk - .the Captain of
the bomber and Honaker. Both
' parachuted safely to earth, but
were amost Immediately captured
i and thrown into one of the many
German prisoner-of-war com
, pounds, or “stalags” as they are
j called in the 'German language.
[ The stalag in which Honaker
■ was imprisoned was located in
i Mossebaughan, Germany, and in
this PW compound something like
y 9,000 hapless men were confined,
s Such was the stalag numbered
s seventeen - the stalag which was
to demand six long and trying
months of this man’s life.
Among the thousands struggling
to survivie on rotton potatoes,
grass soup, and an occasional luck
less dog, were two brilliant and
promising playwrights, Donald
J Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, who
were to later immortalize “Stalag
17" in a comedy melodrama of the
’ same name.
i Even though Honaker never
chanced upon the aforementioned
playwrights in the real-life stalag
17, a strange “reunion” will take
place at the Parkway Playhouse on
the 27th and 28th of ' July. These
dates mark the running of the
Playhouse version of “Stalag 17”,
and Honaker as Set Designer, will
draw upon his own recollections in
recreating the setting.
So for two nights,, the efforts of
three “alumni” of stalag 17 will
be displaced on the boards of a
Playhouse nestled in the mountains
of Western North Carolina.
M
lH
Bp' ’ % \ ''*mm
m
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■ Diclt Banks, drama critic for the Charlotte Observer, congratulates
Ed Downes, director of “Sabrina Fair**, on opening V.ight at the
s Parkway Playhouse. Looking on is Gordon Bennett, director of the
: Drama Workshop. Mr. Banks made a special trip from Charlotte to j
attend the opening night at the Playhouse in Burnsville.
• * \ ‘ \ ■ *
, , . . . t A \ -■
AT PARKWAY PLAYHOUSE
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Drag Racing Becomes
Problem In County
"Drag racing” In Burnsyile and
other parts of the county is be-1
coming a problem that is difficult I
to control, according to Policeman
Ralph Peterson.
Peterson said this week that
racing around the town square is
becoming more annoying to people
living close enough to the “raev
track” to hear the noise. The sound
of racing high-powered motors and
the squealing of tires keep citizens
awake until the small hours of the
morning, the policeman said.
Racing usually begins after Peter
son and Patrolman Rector leave
j town “for the night, it- was said,
And after being called back Jay
residents, the racing stops until the
officers have again left town. The
AMERICAN LEGION
AUXILIARY ENTERTAINS
VETERANS
Patients at Otesn Hospital,
Swannanoa Division, were enter-j
talned with a party Monday even
ing, July 23rd, by the American
Legion Auxiliary of the Earl Hor
i ton Post 122 in Burnsville.
An hour long variety show was
given by a number of students j
from the Parkway Playhouse of
the U. of Miami under the direc
tion of Miss Eva Lee Savage, a
senior majoring in music at Miami.
A folk dance team from Penland
also entertained.
Local auxiliary members who
aided in the party were Mrs.
Howard Simpson, Mrs. J. G. LOW,
and Mrs. R. K. Helmle.
JFirstPlay Opens To
Record Attendance
. . Hr Hops Ballsy ''
Last Friday night, ths Parkw
jammed with ths largest opening ;
mer residents, vacationists, totons
attendance to see Samuel Taylor’s
sentation by the University of M
The curtain went up at 8:10, re
vealing one of the most realistic
stage settings I have seen at the
Playhouse. Gerald Honaker, set de
signer, constructed for the cast a
most believable and workable set,
complete with water fountain.
As I sat during the 2% hour
performance, I found myself be
coming a part of the Larrabee
family of the North Shore of Long
Island; and evidentially the hearts
of the full-house audience, as well
as my own, were completely cap
turdd, inasmuch as the cast was
called back for four curtain calls.
More notable in the cast were
Sharron Frye who portrayed Sa-
NUMBER FORTY-SIGHT
violators slow down or park when
one of the officers return to town,
then the racing begins again ga
soon as the “all clear” is given.
Last summer, Peterson said, a
large group of visitors checked out
of the Nu-Wray Inn at 3 a. m. be
cause with the noise, sleep and
rest was impossible.
About half of the speeders drive
all night, the policeman said. They
sleep during the day and are usu
ally ready for another night of fun.
Most of them drive a car belonging
to someone else, Peterson said, and
disregard the danger to other per
sons or to property.
Many Yancey boys out for a
night of dangerous fun motor over *
to the Madison “straight” on the
new Ashaville highway for racing.
And some, not wishing to venture
too far away from home base, take
the Bolens Greek road a* a take
•ff place. But all in all, the majority
of drag racing not done around tbs
| town square la carried on west at
Burnsville, it was said.
Peterson said a hit and run o«M
will be heard in court her Saturday.
Mark Hughes of Burnsville Is
charged with hitting a parked cor
around 11 p. m. three weeks ago
Saturday. The parked car was own
ed by Ransom Pate, the policeman
said.
Bob Pruitt of Morg&nton has
been training here with Patrolman
Arnold Rector and will leave for
Chapel Hill Saturday for the High
way Patrol School. After com
pleting his training there, Pruitt
will return to Burnsville for full
time patrol duty.
ray Playhouse in Burnsville was
night audience in its history. Sum
»people, and visiting VIPs were in
i “Sabrina Fair” given a fine pre
[iami’s Drama Workshop,
brina, and Warren Hansen who'
characterized Linus Larrabee Jr.
Sabrina Fairchild, the chauffeur’s
daughter, was a most engaging
flighty young lady who interrupted
the lives of everyone she met.
Miss Frye gave a vivacious per
formance as she flitted from one
amusing ■ situation to another.
Throughout Warren Hansen’s con
vincing portrayal of the stoic eld
est son of the wealthy Larrabee
family, I was convinced that he
must have had a great deal of
dramatic experience. ..To my sur
prise, however, I found that he
was making his debut on the stage.
The pace picked up the minute he
made his first appearance on
stage.
Other featured players were
Robert Gwaltney as Linus Larra
bee Sr., Jim Reynolds as the youn
ger brother, and Grace Klein as
Maude Larrabee. Gwaltney gave
an excellent characterization of
the absent minded tycoon father
whose hobby was attending funer
al. His absent mindedness had a
natural quality as he made an ef
fort to keep up with changing sit
uations of the plot. Jim Reynolds
was casual, relaxed, and gave a
fine performance as David, the
spoiled younger brother. Grace
Klein was convincing in her role
as Maude Larrabee, the wife and
mother.
One of the funniest scenes, in
the show was when the chauffeur,
Fs'.rchlld, given an excellent por
trayal by Ed Anderson, comes up
on the scene and tells all present
that he is worth over a million dol
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