Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 April 1947 — Page 21

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Inside Indianapolis

HEMLINES ON WOMEN'S DRESSES are omg down and sé-are my spirits, The only thing going up is my dander. i ‘Why, I ask myself, after an era of sanity (wearing apparel that allows the sun to shine on the calf of a shapely 1imb), do we have to get something started that will take us back to the dark ages — 1900? Women as a rule dress to please the male animal, don't they? Well, at least that's the impression I had. But, in spite of it all, women keep tinkering with fashions that originate in Paris, New York, Chicago

and Hollywood that eventually may drive the average man to the cups. After prolonged conversations with dress-buyers in town for some glimmer of hope that maybe this hemline-going-down business will just die quietly, I must report definitely that the fashion trend will not die. At least with local people who should know fashien best, it won't. One male buyer in a downtown department store, speaking seriously on the subject, said he wouldn't be surprised if hemlines went to six inches above the sidewalk. The reason for that, he said, is that during the war the clothing industry was limited in what it could do for “Les Femmes.” Now, with restrictions off, anything goes — even the hemline. A more heartening reaction came from another local buyer (female) who said that most. women are reluctant to ‘go all out with the hem, but-the hem was coming down “by degrees.” That isn't too bad.

The Trade Papers Say— IN MY excitement over the issue, I consulted trade papers. One paper said: “The longer skirt — emphatically indorsed in New York dressmaker collections, midcalf, and sometimes dropping to ankle

OH NO! ...

GOOD ... STILL GOOD...

HEMLINES IN REVUE—Dress lengths are going

down by degrees—darn it.

Philosophers

By Ed Sovola

. ” length at ‘back for formal versions of daytime silhouettes.” : - Another boldly wrote: “Skirt lengths keep going down. The ballet-length cocktail dress and the anklelength evening dress are two of the newest versions of long skirts. with a 1947 look.” As long a¥ the talk stays around “an inch and a half longer for daytime,” everything would be just dandy, but when an average bloke like me hears about the woman in New York who recently paraded down Fifth ave, with her hemline waving six inches above the sidewalk, the will to go on gets mighty thin. I'm not in favor of hemlines at the knee or above the knee. I am in favor of preserving the status quo ~not too high and not too low, but just right. By “Just right” I mean having the hemline on a dress where the calf curves in at the knee. I don’t think I'd be way out of line if I said most men with an average sense of appreciation for the finer things in life would agree with me.

Off to Desert [Isle

STANDING IN frpnt of a downtown department store where they're showing suits that feature that

“1947 look,” I overheard two men, who in my estima- |}

tion were just “ordinary guys,” who probably loved their wives very much, say, after they looked at the longer skirts: “If they get dresses down to the ankles I'm going to find myself a desert island and retire.” The other man said, “You and me both.” That. on-the-spot expression of the “average man” almost unnerved me, Best, I said to myself, falk to a man who knows all about such things.

+ Leon M. Hillman, who runs the Hillman dress|: shop on Meridian and Ohio sts., just returned from|#} a trip to New York and was loaded with the latest |g

dope on hemlines. “Hemlines,"” They're going down but there's nothing to get alarmed about—yet."” The man who has been in the ready-to-wear business for 30 years claims that there is some opposition to the “high fashion” trend (the six-inches-above-the-sidewalk stuff) but the “modified” fashion (16 inches from the sidewalk) is catching on.

fashion.” “Now, take some women in Hollywood and Florida, | they'll wear anything that’s different. I was in both | places last winter and I've seen the long skirt worn. But don’t let that worry you. Some of those people are rugged individuals and you have to expect that,” Mr. Hillman explained. Mr. Hillman’s over-all estimate of the hemline is| that around here “we’ll be sane about it.” OK. 'T'11 just wait and see.

By Frederick C. Othman

he said, “are forcing the issue slowly. J

Well, if i I can't have status quo, I'll settle for the “modified

WASHINGTON, April 18—Most visiting firemen seem to agree that the wisest words in the capital on the state of the nation come from the mouths of the local cabbies. These gear-flipping philosophers are famous. They try conscientiously to live up to their billing. This is rough on us natives. We grunt and we stare out the window, but it is impossible to discourage our perambulating professors: “Yep,” announced the driver taking me to the Na"tional Press building, “that Henry Wallace ought to quit striring up them Greeks and Turks over in Europe.” “Um,” 1 said. : “A fine cabinet member he is,” my steering-wheel Socrates continued. “He ought to get back to his work at the commerce department.” : 1 mention this, not because such ignorance is funny, but because I'm nearly as ignorant of the Greek-Turkish question as the hacker. I know that Mr. Wallace is editor of the New Republic now, but what do I know about spending $400 million to help Greece and: Turkey stop the spread of communism? That was the question. There was one place to get an answer: The U. S. senate.. I hurried up there via streetcar My timing was perfect. Senator Claude Pepper of Florida had the floor. He was wearing his black, speech-making suit and his subject was _the proposed aid to Greece and Turkey.

History Teacher HE WAS too polite to suit me. Every time he'd start to explain the situation some other senator would ask him whether he'd yield. He always would. 1 heard speeches about too many old treaties in senatorial pigeon holes and how the world, as. compared to the universe, is as to one grain of sand in a whopping big pile,

“

Senator Pepper eventually picked up his black~

tipped pointer and went to the rear of the chamber where there were two big maps on the wall. One, mostly brownish, showed Europe; the other, largely} greenish, depicted Asia. The senator sounded somethin like a history | teacher with a southern accent,

SECOND SECTION

Janice Lair

Mary Ann Pi ato School 87 Tschool 0 by

» / /

Juanita Viers School 47

Clift’ Seott

Potter Fresh Alp

Joan McMahon Theresa Zoellner St. Jean of Are St. Joan of Arc

Cecil Clements St. Anthony's St,

Charles Landrigan Antheny’s

What About U. N.?

HE SAID in language’ a little too flowery for my space here that he agreed with President Truman about the necessity of helping out the Greeks and perhaps the Turks, but what about the United Nations?

This was the organization, he said, that should put | the brakes on communism. Some other senators. | notably Mr. Hatch of N. M. and Mr. Saltonstall of | Mass. gave him an argument. They said the United Nations wasn’t strong enough" yet. Senator Pepper said he begged to differ with his able and distinguished colleagues. He ‘said the United Nations ejected Russia from Iran last year without any help from the U. 8. He said furthermore that he didn't see any chance of the Turks going Communist, no matter what. “Yet they say if we don't give them $100 million, they'll either have to cut down the size of the army, or they'll have inflation,” Senator Pepper said. “I, wonder what the American housewife today thinks about our government spending money to prevent inflation in Turkey?”

Joan Emhardt Center Twp.

Bill Tegeler

Center Twp.

“FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1947 — :

Winners of Times’ * Spelling

Shirley Steinkamp

Mary Harrieder St. Roch’s St, , Catherine's

Colleen Freeland School 39

Peggy Waldron School 21

Shirley Hessler

Charles Hodge Little Flower

St. Philip Neri

Deloris Kramer

Holy Cross Cathedral

Lottie Scott

Mary Latimer Decatur Twp,

Decatur Twp.

Forty Survivors fo Return May 8 To Bid For 20 Places in Grand Finals

These best spellers from India

napolis and Marion county gram-

mar schools compete against each other for the first time at 8 o'clock tonight in the Indiana World War Memorial auditorium. It will be the first semi-final round. Eighteen of the 58 contest-

ants will be eliminated tonight.

The remaining 40 will return to the

Some other senators gave him an argument On |yy.,. Memorial auditorium Thursday night, May 8, to bid for one of

that. The hours passed, my notes piled up and no | matter what any senator said on any phase of the subject, another senator had another idea. The re- | sult, in my cranium, is confusion.

attentively to the cab driver.

| Washington May 26 to compete in |loris Kramer of Holy Cross, from

Bird Movie

By Erskine Johnson

HOLLYWOOD, April 18.—People laughed when

comedian Ken Murray sat down and outlined a feature length picture starring 20 birds, a crow, and a couple of guinea pigs. But Ken was never more

serious. : “It's sensational,” he said. “Boy bird meets girl bird. Boy bird loses girl bird. Boy bird gets ‘girl bird. It's a great story. And I've got birds that can stand on their heads, walk tight ropes, do somersaults, and shift-gears on motorcycles.” Ken Murray had an idea, and he stuck to it. Now, out at Republic. studio, they're shooting a movie titled,-“Bill and Coo.” The stars of the color picture are 14 trained parakeets and love birds, a crow, and a couple of guinea pigs. A parakeet named Buddy plays Bill, the hero. A love bird named Dolores plays .Coo, the heroine. The crow is the villain. Ken himself put up the money, $150,000, and that's not birdseed. Herbert Yates, president of Republic, was the only studio executive in Hollywood who didn’t laugh when Ken outlined his idea for a movie stapring only ‘birds. 4 Mr. Yates said, “It's terrific, Ken. We'll let you have the stages and release the picture.”

Almost Human

THE TRAINED birds are from “Burton's Birds,” a vaudeville act now playing in Murray's longtime

Hollywood stage hit, got the idea for the picture. Burton's Birds are almost human. They stand on their heads, do somersaults, ride tiny motorcycles and shift the gears, swing .from rings and parallel bars. One even walks a tight rope carrying two flaming matches in its beak.

Just Like Disney Picture

THE UNUSUAL job of writing a story starring the birds went to Dean Riesner, son of veteran director Chuck Riesner, and Royal Foster, who writes Edgar Bergen’s radio show. Ken is doing the narration, Dean is directing. The birds in “Bill and Coo” That's wily Mr. Murray project. “It's just like a Walt Disney picture,” he said, “only with live birds.” The hero walks into a clothing store beneath a sign reading, “Boys. Who Are Molting—We Rent Tails.” He comes out with a new tail. The heroine walks down a ladder after the nasty crow sets fire to her hotel, The story, in fact, sounds like something written for Ty Power and Lana Turner. Bill is a poor boy | whose mother takes in washing. Coo is the daughter of a wealthy family. They fall in love. The jealous crow tries to separate them, but love wins out after 60 minutes of exciting celluloid,

never fly. They walk. is so excited about the

We, the Women

By Ruth Millett

HANDING OUT bouquets to women isn't the order of the day. The popular pastime is hurling brickbats at them, calling them neurotic, and blaming them for ay least three-fourths of what's wrong with the world. But in spite of that, this is going to be a bow to today's homemakers, the ones who are cleverly turning trailers, bare barracks, run-down houses and cramped apartments into bright, shining; livable homes.

Doing Fine Job ALL OVER the country women dre tackling the Job of turning make-shift dwellings into real homes. And they're doing a fine job of it, with their scrubbing pails, buckets of paint, yards of slipcover and curtain material, and their determination to defeat drabness

and inconvenience. They could, of course, leave their makeshift homes looking makeshift. Nobody would blame them, since the homes are only temporary.

They Have Earned It

INSTEAD OF enduring the drabness and shabbiness of what they can find today and sitting around | thinking of the real home they want, they are making | real homes out of what they have. | The gay curtains at the windows of trailers and barracks are the flags they fly in triumph. Those banners say, “We came. We saw. We conquered.” It isn’t the order of the day to praise women, but let's give these young homemakers a vote of confidence. They certainly have earned it.

'The Killers' Voted Best Mystery Film of Year

HOLLYWOOD, April 18 (U. P). | radio show, and William Weber as to Producer William Spier —America's: mystery writers joday| tis best mystery critic for his | script writers Bob Tallman and reviews in the sat- | winner of the annual Edgar Allen lurday Review of Literature.

picked the movie, “The Killers,” as “Judge Lynch” Poe award for mystery pictures,

‘Eustace for her. mystery novel, “The ducer ‘Horizontal Man,

| Award-winners get porcelain Writers of America, which claims Other “Edgars” went to Helen | busts of Poe, which will go to Pro- [200 top crime writers as members, Mark Hellinger, “THe Adventures Robert Siodmak and Scenarist An- anniversary of the publication of of Sam Spade” 8s the ne byseryiitey Veller for “The Killers” and Poe's “Murders in the Rue e Mofguer dostor, at i 25 years,

and

Jason James for the radio show. The awards, ‘given by Mystery

(director | will ‘be presented April, 21, onthe

marshal, and I.

| star pinned to his belt. did not have a gun.

{the 20 places in the grand finals the following night. The Indianapolis champion de-

The champion will go to|

“Blackouts.” That's where he pupils competed in spell-downs at | | pins designating them as the best

{20 community centers and churches. | The township representatives were | determined following preliminaries at the county schools.

The Heart of America—

Life Treads Softly in Tennessee Town Where the Marshal's Gunless, Croquet's the Game and the Preacher Cuts Meat on Weekdays

No Industries, No.Stri Citizens Take Things

By ELDON ROARK Scripps-Howard Staff Writer

April 18.—This will give you. some idea of |°

WHITEVILLE, Tenn. the kind of town this is— We were standing in the Joe

Hollingsworth, the owner who’ also is mayor; Charley Duncan, the town They were ‘telling me what a good place Whiteville is | it you like a quiet, leisurely way of Ne among friendly folks.

“Yes, we take things pretty easy

here,” black-haired, middle-aged {Mayor Hollingsworth said. “It's strictly an agricultural town. No

industries, no ‘strife. Everybody knows everybody else, The town is in the best financial shape it has ever been: in.” Marshal Duncan, coatless, had his But he

» » » “NAW,” HE said. “I don't carry one. I keep it parked at a store down the street. I can run get it if I need -it.” The talk turned tq churches. “Have you met Brother White?” the marshal asked, nodding toward the bald man behind --the meat counter in the rear. “No,” I said. “Who's Brother While?” “He’s the pastor of the Presbyterian church,” the marshal explained. We went back, and I met Brother White. He cuts meat there six days a week, conducts prayer service on Wednesday night, preaches twice on Sunday, and still finds™time to visit the sick. The church can’t pay him enough to live on, so he works in the store. “I was working as a meat cutter before I started preaching 36 years ago,” Brother White said, “and I have alWays found it necessary to keep on. Before coming here 1 was

Four of the semi-finalists were in the semi-finals last year. They

, I hate to admit it, yo mined during the grand finals,|are Shirley Ann Hessler of Little but on my way home tonight I'm going to listen could be a_ student in the county Flower Catholic school, who rep- | schools.

resents the Brookside district; De-

{the Roberts Park church district; | Patty Prestel of 8t. Patrick's, who {won in the Southside community center finals. These district winners tonight will |receive their official spelling bee

{spellers of their area. The public will be admitted free

|of charge to all the spelidowns at

the Indiana World War Memorial.

fe, Mayor Says; Pretty Easy

Hollingsworth grocery talking—Mr.

Agnes McDougall

That's another small church.” Marshal Duncan said it was a mighty good idea to have a preacher | cutting meat. Everybody knows Brother White * will give them | honest weight. glance at the scales, » » » THE PEOPLE HERE are proud of Brother White's war hero son—

| | |

Col. Lawrence K. White, a West | Pointer, ” As we were chatting, Howard

Powell, middle-aged wealthy lumber man, came in to get a few steaks. Hé owns. vast timber tracts in the Hatchie River bottoms. He invited me to come back in August for the big stew he and Mrs. Powell gave annually. “That stew is really worth coming back for,” said the mayor. Here's what goes into it: Squirrels, beef, chickens, corn, tomatoes, okra, beans, peas, potatoes, catsup. : “And finally,” said Mr. Powell, “we throw in four cans. of hot tamales. That gives it that certain flavor that nothing else will. We stir it constantly: while it’s cooking, and when it's finished it’s nice and thick. You can eat it with a stick.” It's cooked in a big iron pot. ; -Scores of , Rotarians and other friends from Brownsville, Bolivar and Whiteville get in on the Beast, Cle a - WHITEVILLE 18 KNOWN all

They don't even | J

ovet this part of the country as &

§ #

Ross Inman Beb Williams Dick School 69 School 69 Soheot 2 ger To

Patricia Quill Bernice Davis Holy Rosary School 22

Catherine Kiser St. Rita's

Doris Thomas St. Bridget’s

Deris Rady St. Rita's

Helen Baker St. Bridget's

Emelie Gray

Frances Bubenser School 30 St. . Patrick's

Mary Kops St. Thomas Aquinas

Janet Wileox Lawrence Twp.

Elsie Wulf

Mary Lort Franklin Twp, a ae To

Donna Mae Mohr Twp. Lawrence Twp.

Franklin

Janet Cox Pike Twp.

John Thempsén Warren Twp.

Estelle Fetter Warren Twp.

John Esterline Pike Twp.

Barbara Walker

Carol Capel Washington Twp.

Washington Twp.

Careline Valentine Wayne Twp.

Johnny Klemm Wayne Twp.

town of croquet champions. Every| Four usually play at one time, afternoon the older men of the town |paired off into teams of two, and —those from 65 to 80—gather at the [the ‘others sit around on the town court under the oaks on the benches, smoke and razz the playhill beside the school gymnasium. ers. The court has a dirt surface, And they go to it till dark. smooth as a table, and packed al-

Carnival—By Dick Turner

|phoned a Houston funeral home and

"| increased by 55 per cent since 1938,

TSoneat i

Virginia Hawa Perry Twp.

“re

Mortuary Off Beam With Jive Recordings

HOUSTON, Tex. (U. P.) —Clients were surprised when they tele-

were greeted with a cowboy sings ing, “I'll be glad when you're dead, you rascal, you.” So were the funeral home ate tendants. They picked up the telephone again and heard. “Put the blame on Mame; boys.” A check by telephone company workers revealed the funeral home line had been crossed with a cable carrying recorded music to a nearby juke joint.

More Cash Down Under

MELBOURNE, Australia (U. P.). —Australia's national income has

the commonwealth bureau of census

and statistics reports.

most as hard as asphalt years of constant use. And those old men execute some shots thas would make billiard players envious.

J. R. Keller, 72, was the oldest man playing when I stroll led up Jo the court. His brother, W. C., 70, also was playing, as was C. C. Hille man, 70-year-old justice of the peace. Marshal Duncan plays and is the champion, but then he's just

a youngster—only 58. They won't let anything but rain interfere with their croquet, and they admit there are a lot of croquet widows in town. The women don’t play. It's a man's game.

” ” ” THE STANDARD STANCE seems to be to stand beside the ball, legs spread wide apart, mallet handle grasped close to the malle} head. Then you lean way head low, sight, and en ac the ball. It's amazing how

ail