It was the spring of 1959 and leaving St. Paul Union Deport
the senior class of Harding High school was heading east to Washington D.C. and
New York City by train. I was on board playing poker in the Dome throughout the
night. Perhaps I was a youthful version of Sgt. Bilko as the cards kept falling
my way. My only other memory was seeing the forges light up the hillsides as we
passed thru Pittsburg. In Washington we saw all the famous sights.
Unfortunately, we missed seeing “Ike” in
the White House as he was busy warning the nation against endless wars and the
military industrial complex taking over. That hasn’t gone so well….:(
More famous places to see in New York followed. There was a
real sense of vibrancy and excitement there.
Staying at the Roosevelt Hotel an evening out to world famous “Coney
Island” was planned. Everyone was excited except me. My mom had advised me that this night might
provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a Rogers and Hammerstein
musical. Its name was “Flower Drum Song.”. That morning before our tour bus
left, I asked the man behind the counter if two tickets were available. “Not a
chance,” he replied. “It’s booked up
months ahead, of course there might be a cancelation. Check back about 5 o’clock.” I did but no luck. Then Plan B appeared. “If
you want to see a Broadway play one recently opened right across the street from
your first choice and within walking distance. It’s called The World of Suzy
Wong. To this day I can still claim I’ve
been to a play on Broadway…..
Actor William Shatner has a unique place in the history of
the romantic novel The World of Suzie Wong. Shatner, known for starring as
Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek T.V. series, was the first man in the
world to “woo” Suzie Wong in the original stage version. Shatner, 27 won the
heart of a decent Hong Kong prostitute played by Vietnamese-French actress
France Nuyen on Broadway between Oct. 14 1958 and January 2 1960.
I have no real memories of the play itself except between
the acts I bought a couple of very small classes of orange juice for the
outrageous price of two dollars a glass. Of course my date was impressed with my largesse. Apparently the play was roundly panned
by the big city critics so it didn’t last very long. Later yet, a movie version was produced
starring handsome William Holden. I
advised my mom against seeing that movie having giving her a somewhat sanitized
version of the plays plot along the lines of “love conquers all”. Fond memories from long ago...:)
Class trips...wow..you had quite an adventure! :) You didn't say much about your date?
ReplyDeleteThere were teachers who really could organize memorable class trips. They were ahead of their time.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I wish I'd gone to your school. Lovely memory of a lovely film.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that's a memory I would cherish, too. Seeing a play on Broadway is memorable for anybody. :-)
ReplyDeleteWell told story Sr T.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe I just heard a Sgt Bilko reference.
Hi TB - interesting to read your remembrances - I've yet to see a play on Broadway ... and that Sgt Bilko reference ... fond memories too - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteAh, Union Depot! Did you know it has been restored and put back into use? It's a treasure. No senior class trips from my small rural high school, but my Confirmation class took a trip to the big city of ... Minneapolis! What an adventure. Of course, my mother was one of the chaperones so I was required to behave like an angel. I did manage to sit at the back of the bus and have some fun with the boys, though (like telling jokes, playing cards for candy, whispering about who liked whom, that kind of stuff).
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are class trips anymore due to lack of interest and funding. Such a shame, though...we went to Hawaii in Senior year. Can you imagine??! There were only 6 of us who went with our school chaperone.
ReplyDeleteI love a Broadway play, but here in Chicago, we have a very vibrant theater scene. And the theaters are ornate and beautiful. We are going to see Hamilton on Friday, for the second time. Cost me a FORTUNE. Not kidding. $800 for the 4 of us. But...it is sooooo worth it!
Classy trip, I did one my senior year of HS.
ReplyDeleteDear Troutbirder, I envy you being on Broadway in NYC and seeing a play--no matter how sanitized you had to make the retelling of it! What a lovely memory all this is--the entire trip--to keep in your memory grab bag/trunk and to take out whenever you want to bask in your youth! I love it! Peace.
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