“Well, Easter Sunday, but I was too sleepy to notice.
About 1:30, Jim and Totten came over and Totten's planning a hayride for this coming Saturday, mmm-hmmm.
He went home and Jim and I talked about things in general. Then we went for a walk and winded up at the Stratford. Saw Eadie Was a Lady and 6 acts of vaudeville.
On the way home, met snotty Johnny McBride. Told me it was a mistake breaking up with Stan—right in front of Jim.
Jim and I walked back to my house in the rain and ate some ham, etc. He went home at 9:30.
“Usually we made a big deal over Easter. We probably had our big dinner later in the day, for Dad worked rotating shifts, and so worked holidays, if that's the way things fell.
I'm surprised the Stratford had six acts. They had better vaudeville [than most theaters], but usually only about four acts.
Johnny McBride was never our favorite guy.”
A scene from Eadie Was a Lady
Notes:
No info on “snotty Johnny McBride” and, not surprisingly, there are no photos of him in Dot's scrapbook.
Today's news:
Americans Plunge Within 170 Miles of Berlin
Ike Calls on Enemy Troops to Surrender
Nazis Throwing Green, Unarmed Men Into Fray
Russians Drive Ahead in Smash Toward Vienna
Civil War Vet Given Party On His 98th Birthday: Born in Eaton, Ind., William Perry Lockwood ran away from school at the age of 17 and enlisted in the Union army on April 7, 1864.
Cuba Red Proving Ground for Americas: Russia's bid for influence in Latin Amreica has made Cuba one of the focal points of communist propaganda.
U.S. troops land on Okinawa for Operation Iceberg—in what will be the last major campaign of the war.
--
Dot went to Kelly Library after school today
Top to bottom: Lill Strutzenberg, Helen Romanelli, Virginia Merigold
.
Monday Apr. 2 1945
“What a dull, dreary day. It was pouring cats & dogs and got much colder, but I trudged off to school like a good kid.
After school, I went to the library and then came home and sat around. Lill came over for her check and then Helen, Ginny and her sister dropped in.
Not a very nice day, but my weekend made up for it. Went to bed at 1:15 a.m.”
Tanks Free 1,277 Half-Starved Yank Prisoners; Captives Tell of Nazi Mistreatment
Five War Criminal Lists Prepared; Hitler Tops All
British Editor Warns of Red Rule in Europe
Parade Takes Advantage of Fine Easter: Not since before the war has there been such an Easter Sunday crush of motorists and pedestrians along Lake Shore dr. and upper Michigan av., and while gray and navy blue maintained their lead as preferred colors of the day, clear Easter colors added sparkle and sheen to the lively, moving crowds.
[Cincinnati] Reds Join Cubs Today for 6-Game Series in French Lick
The US 10th Army advances across Okinawa; Four U.S. transport ships are badly damaged and suffer many casualties when attacked by Japanese kamikazes.
Birthdays: Don Sutton and Reggie Smith (born on this day
Meanwhile: While Dot's “trudging off to school,” her future husband is serving as an army medic in Burma (now known as Myanmar.) This photo of my father was taken on Tuesday, March 27, 1945, at a palace in or near the city of Mogok.
--
Aunt Ag with her daughter, Marge
1950s newspaper ad. At one time, it was common practice at Easter for stores to sell live chicks that had been dyed in various colors.
.
Tuesday Apr. 3 1945
“Today was sort of cold. After school, Sis and I went to the Englewood and saw Hollywood Canteen and Lili Marlene*. They were both wonderful. Came home and Aunt Ag was over. We had a keen time chewing the fat. Aggie took our chickens home cause they were dying. Went to bed kind of late.”
“I remember those movies and they were wonderful. Lili Marlene* was with Marlene Dietrich and was a tearjerker.
Aggie took our chickens home—what a hoot! Can't remember that, but I guess we got little chicks for Easter. They used to sell them in the stores. Sometimes they even dyed them different colors.”
A scene from Hollywood Canteen
Notes:
The tradition of bringing home live, baby chicks at Easter was coming under criticism in 1945. From a New York Times article that appeared a week before the Easter '45 holiday:
The use of baby chicks as Easter novelties or playthings was deplored by the ASPCA yesterday in a statement which said that nearly all baby chicks diverted from the commercial poultry trade die as a result of improper handling or neglect. It added that the courts had held the sale of less than six chicks to a customer to be evidence of cruelty to animals.
*There is no listing for what's at the Englewood theater on this day. But I believe that this short British film, The True Story of Lili Marlene, released in 1945, is what Dot and Sis saw today at the Englewood theater, along with the main feature, Hollywood Canteen. I think my aunt might have mistakenly recollected Marlene Dietrich's very famous rendition of the sad song. But in this film, the lyrics are delivered by actress Lucie Mannheim.
Marlene Dietrich sings the English version of Lili Marlene ((listen)); lyrics to the song are here.]
Today's news:
Yanks Cut Okinawa in Two
4 Day V-Bomb Lull Stirs Hope of Terror End
Paris Goes Wild As Reborn Army Displays Might: “The days of tears are past. The days of glory have returned,” Gen. Charles de Gaulle told the Parisians.
--
Okinawa: “A Marine of the 1st Marine Division draws a bead on a Japanese sniper with his tommy-gun as his companion ducks for cover. The division is working to take Wana Ridge before the town of Shuri.”(National Archives-archives.gov)
.
Wednesday Apr. 4 1945
“A regular, dull Wednesday. Washed my hair after school and did most of my homework.”
Today's news:
Bad Orb Prison Camp, Germany: Free 6,500 Allied Captives from Shocking Prison Life
Reds Tell of Abuses: Freed Russian prisoners tell of suffering in Nazi prison camp
Vatican Paper Urges Germans to Give Up Fight
End Not Far Off, Is Eisenhower Word to Reich
The Soviets liberate Hungary from Nazi occupation.
U.S. forces liberate the concentration camp in Ohrdruf, Germany.
On Okinawa, the U.S. 10th Army meets Japanese resistance. A storm damages American landing craft, hampering reinforcements.
--
Doty
.
Thursday Apr. 5 1945
“After school today, Sis and I saw Hal and he told me to meet him in Parnell at quarter to 10 tonight.
Jim called me up today and asked if there was going to be a hayride Sat.
Then we went by Sunny's house. We made fudge and sat around talking. Went home at 9:00.
Got in Parnell's and Doty sat with us. Then Hal came in, and then Marge and Betty.”
Today's news:
Blockade of Japan's Shipping Complete, [Gen.] MacArthur Says
Britain Tests Victory Day's Flood Lights
Gen. Eisenhower Tells Germans: Quit Factories and Hide
Birthday: Actress Bette Davis is 37 today
Yugoslav leader Josip ‘Tito’ Broz signs an agreement with the USSR allowing “temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory”.
The U.S. announces that General Douglas MacArthur will assume control of all army forces in the Pacific theater; Admiral Nimitz will command all naval forces.
--
Stacy Harris is FBI Special Agent Jim Taylor in tonight's premiere of the new radio series, This is Your FBI, sponsored by the Equitable Life Assurance Co. (A complete broadcast of the debut episode, titled “Espionage”, ishere.)
On this Friday evening, Dot and Louise took their younger brother, Lou (aka, Sonny, or Son) out for a banana split (a “Three Graces.”
.
Friday Apr. 6 1945
“Today after school I put on my green- and white-checked dress, went to Parnell. Doty, Bill Swims and two sailors were in there.
Saw Hal later in the evening and he wanted me to go on the north side with him in his uncle's car.
Later on, Sis and I took Sonny to Parnell's, for a 3 Graces. Came home kind of sleepy so put up my hair and went to bed.”
Notes:
“Sonny” is Dot and Sis' younger brother, Lou (not to be confused with Dot's girlfriend Sunny).
Sis has previously mentioned that she wasn't fond of Bill Swims.
As noted previously, a 3 Graces is a Parnell ice cream specialty.
Today's news:
MacArthur Named Ground Force Chief in Drive on Japan
Planes Destroy 11 Bridges Used by Burma Japs
Washington: A new model Thunderbolt plane… known as the P-47N, obviously will play an important role in the air war against Japan.
State Senate Votes Ban on Dyed Chicks: “This has become more than a matter of obvious cruelty to helpless bits of life,” said Sen. Paddock.
Cold Pulls Its Punch; Chicago Area Unharmed
Meat Scarcity Relief Foreseen—Next Winter
French Lick, Ind.: The Cubs whipped the Cincinnati Reds, 5 to 0, in their seven inning exhibition opener this afternoon.
Japanese kamikazes hit Allied ships, including the aircraft carriers USS Jacinto and the HMS Illustrious.
Soviet forces reach the suburbs of Vienna, Austria.
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The Jackson/State subway station (top) was typical of other downtown platforms underneath State Street at this time. Dot and Sis boarded the ‘North/South Line’ at the Parnell station for the Loop, where the trains entered the new State St. subway that had opened just two years earlier, in 1943.
Pictured above are the CTA's, 1940s-era ‘4400-series’ cars. Below, a video of a restored train in 2017.
“Got up sort of early today and Sis and I went downtown. Didn't buy a darn thing; went home soon and stopped down 63rd & Halsted. Came home and dressed.
Sunny came over at 6:30. Jim called at 7:30 and asked if we had a date. I said no.
Sis, Sunny and I fooled around down 63rd. Ate in a little place and went to Parnell.
Came home and at 12:30, Jim and Totten dropped in. Asked me about next Sat., and the week from next Sat.”
“I love the way we used to go downtown like it was in the neighborhood. The L station was only about three blocks from home and, once downtown, we were let off right on State St.”
Today's news:
60 Mile Gain in Germany
British Column Races 60 Miles Toward Bremen
Vienna Mid-City Four Miles Off As Reds Push On; Seige Arc Tightened
The Japanese battleship Yamato, largest of its kind ever constructed, is sunk by U.S. aircraft near Okinawa on this day. The ship had undertaken Operation Ten-Go, a suicide mission targeting U.S. forces. Over 2,400 Japanese died in the battle. [More information here.]
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A 1910 view of Kershaw Public School.
Dot's front steps at 61st & Normal Blvd., where Dot, Sis and Ginny listened to records on this “long” Sunday afternoon.
(Photos via Google Maps)
Dot had “a big talk” with her friend Helen today.
.
Sunday Apr. 8 1945
“Dear Diary, today was just about the longest day in the year.
Sunny went home quite early. Later, Sis and I put on our slacks and went with Ginny to Kershaw playground* and played baseball and fooled around.
Came home and sat on the front steps playing phonograph records. Saw Jim and Totten; they started acting silly and fooling around with us.
Bob Dusold and Carl pulled up, and Bob asked me to go to the Roller Derby** with him tonight. I told him I couldn't.
*Kershaw Playground was adjacent to Joshua D. Kershaw Elementary School, at 6450 S. Lowe, about three blocks east of Halsted St., and a half-mile from Dot's. From Google Maps, it's difficult to tell where exactly the playground Dot refers to was located. Kershaw Magnet Elementary School (as it is now known) has an enrollment of about 220.
**The April 9, 1945, Chicago Tribune reports that in Sunday's roller derby (the one Dot had been invited to), the New York Skaters won, taking a 1-point series lead.
On this week's Hit Parade:
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra with Kitty Kallen ((listen))
Today's news:
Seize All Germany's Gold; Patton Army Takes Nazi ‘Fort Knox’
Fourth of Jap Navy Smashed by U.S. Planes: Carrier aircraft smashed probably the last strong Japanese naval force, including the super-battleship Yamato, most powerful in the enemy navy, in the East China sea Saturday.
Nazis Falling Apart: “We are now entering the phase of mopping up operations.”
Starved Yanks Tell of Brutal Nazi Treatment‘
Don't Let Our Song Hits Die,’ Soldier Pleads: “All the songs they sing now don't mean anything to fellows who haven't heard a juke box for two or three years.”
“Heaviest, strongest, and fastest carrier ever built, the 45,000 ton USS Midway is christened at Newport News, Va.” —Chicago Tribune, April 8, 1945
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Top photo: Hal Totten, Dot's friend and next-door neighbor.
The German battleship Admiral Scheer was sunk by British planes on Monday, April 8th, 1945. A “pocket battleship” (background information in the video above), the vessel was one of only a few that were considered “male”--meaning that its crew referred to the ship as he instead of the traditional she. (More information at wikipedia.com)
.
Monday Apr. 9 1945
“Today's Monday. After school, Sis and I went downtown and met Sunny. We shopped around and ate a nice dinner.
Came home at 9:00. Stopped in Jim's for a Coke. Got home and Hal dropped in discussing Jim's surprise party*. He kept kidding me about my braids (a great flatterer); also argued a little.”
“Hal was a great flatterer and also they argued a little?? Runs hot and cold—that's the way I remember.”
Notes:
*Jim Parks' 17th birthday is this Friday, April 13th.
I've done some research to see what became of Jim, but to date (2018) have had no luck.
Today's news:
9th Army Races for Berlin
Soviet Troops Push 3 Miles Inside Vienna
V-Bomb Menace Past, British Hear
Cubs Whip Reds, 19-5; Tigers Rout Sox, 15-9
Birthday:
Steinmetz High School (Chicago) graduate Hugh Hefner celebrates his 19th while serving in the U.S. Army.
The German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer is sunk in her berth during a bombing raid by the Royal Air Force on this day in 1945.
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Dot (at the far left), Jim Parks, Ginny Merigold, Hal Totten, and Junior Karpus, celebrating Dot's 17th birthday.
Back row, left to right: Lil (Vertus' sister), Sis, Dot, Ginny, Helen Romanelli. Foreground: Hal and Jim.
.
Tuesday Apr. 10 1945
“My birthday. Kids at school sang happy birthday at lunch. Came home, helped Mom, and put on my suit.
At 6:00, Jim called and said he was coming over. Ag, Joe and kids came also. Dell, Lill, kids; Betty, Helen, Ginny (Hal, too), Lil—and later, Jim came with a box of candy and a compact.
At 12:30, Jim and I went for a walk and had a long talk. Went in at 2:30. He really gave me a luscious kiss for 17. Also got a purse, mid-riff pajamas, cologne, lipstick, money, etc.”
“I have a picture of Dot's 17th birthday party; maybe you do, too [yes—photo at left!]. Had a great time, but I wonder where all the other boyfriends were!”
Notes:
Ag, Dell and Lill are Dot's aunts; Lil is the sister of Vertus, the sailor Dot and Sis met in February, and who would one day become Sis' husband.
Today's news:
Bombers, Ships and Cannon Rip Jap Defenses
Reds Capture Koenigsberg, 42,000 Nazis
Ruins of Krupp Plant Seized by 9th Army
Recover Jewish Art Treasures Stolen by Nazis
Hard-Riding Negro Tankers Batter Nazis
Los Angeles: Charles Chaplin… eluded a process server seeking to summon him as a witness today in the retrial of Joan Berry's paternity suit.
Luftwaffe jet conducts what will be Germany's last wartime sortie over British territory.
The U.S. 7th Army advances toward Nuremberg, Germany.
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Above: Richard Kustwin
Below: Dot in 1938, with her accordion; and the same accordion today..
.
Wednesday Apr. 11 1945
“Aujourd'hui*, I went by Sunny's house to teach Sis how to ride a bike.
Had a grand time fighting with some little kids and also three older, but still juvenile, boys. Gad, you'd think they owned the world by the way they talked. Also ate over there. Took a few rides too.
I saw Richard Kustwin, but he didn't know me. Came home at 11:00.”
“Yes, they tried to teach me how to ride a bike, and I still don't know how to ride one. I guess those little kids didn't help, and the street was busy with traffic. (Excuses, excuses...!)
Richard Kustwin lived on 45th St., not far from us. Dot had a big crush on Richard in grammar school. I don't think he even knew she existed, so I am not surprised he didn't know her.
Richard was an accordionist, and so that is why Dot decided to learn how to play one. We used to stand in his gangway to listen to him. Dot talked me into doing that—I was so embarrassed!”
Notes:
Sis doesn't mention it, but she could play the accordion, too.
*Aujourd'hui means 'today.' My mother took French at Englewood high school.
Today's news:
285 Hitler Officials Seized
U.S. Flyers Bag 297 Nazi Planes in Day of Record Attacks
Americans 110 Miles from Berlin
Russian Troops Seize Biggest Part of Vienna
Nazi Resistance Has Collapsed: Ike to Germans
On this day: U.S. forces liberate Germany's Buchenwald concentration camp.
Future horse racing champion (1948 Triple Crown) Citation is born on this day in 1945.
Just $1.50 per week paid for private lessons on the accordion or other musical instruments at the Wurlitzer store, Wabash and Monroe, as this ad from the April 11, 1945 Chicago Tribune says.
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President Roosevelt in late March 1945. (Chicago Tribune) .
Vice President Harry S. Truman was in Washington, DC when the news of Roosevelt's death arrived. Truman was quickly sworn as President.
With Winston Churchill at Yalta, February 1945. .
.
Thursday Apr. 12 1945
“Thursday, and today the President died—F.D.R. There were all hymns on the radio.
“It was a big shock when F.D.R. died, as he was the only president Dot and I had known. After all, he was in his fourth term in 1945. Then, too, with the war on, it was a scary time to be changing leaders.”
Notes:
“Roosevelt was in declining health since at least 1940. The strain of his paralysis and the physical exertion needed to compensate for it for over 20 years had taken their toll, as had many years of stress and a lifetime of chain-smoking. He had high blood pressure and long-term heart disease.” —wikipedia
Radio address by Archibald MacLeish, Asst. Secretary of State:
It has pleased God in His infinite wisdom to take from us the immortal spirit of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States.
The leader of his people in a great war, he lived to see the assurance of the victory but not to share it. He lived to see the first foundations of the free and peaceful world to which his life was dedicated, but not to enter on that world himself.
His fellow countrymen will sorely miss his fortitude and faith and courage in the time to come. The peoples of the earth who love the ways of freedom and of hope will mourn for him.
But though his voice is silent, his courage is not spent, his faith is not extinguished. The courage of great men outlives them to become the courage of their people and the peoples of the world. It lives beyond them and upholds their purposes and brings their hopes to pass.
Notes:
9th Army 57 Miles from Berlin
Japanese Fight Harder As War Pushes Closer
Charges Nazis Slew 5 Million Jews in One Camp: Dr. Bela Fabian [Hungary] accused the Germans today of killing 5,000,000 Jews in 10 months at the Oswieom (Auschwitz) extermination camp in Polish Silesia from which he himself narrowly escaped.
The Polish ministry of information more than a year ago reported 500,000 Jews had been gassed and cremated at this camp.
Scenes from the movies, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, and Big Noise, which Dot and her sister saw this evening at the Ace Theater.
--
FDR on April 11—one day before his death. .
.
Friday Apr. 13 1945
“Today we had an assembly in honor of F.D.R. and got out of school at 11:30.
Sis and I went to Helen's house. She washed my hair and then set it. Came home and ate supper then went back to Helen's. Got home at 11:30.
Jim and Hal came over and stayed till 1:00, talking and looking at magazines.
“Once in awhile, we'd go to Helen's house to set our hair, as she had all the equipment there. Her mother owned a beauty shop and kept some things at the house. Didn't have hand-held hair dryers back then; only those cumbersome machines that looked like something out of a horror movie!”
Today's news:
From the New York Times:
The news caught millions headed homeward in the evening rush hour. It spread like wildfire through crowded railroad terminals, through Times Square, filtered into bars, theatres and eating places.
Passengers left buses and trolley cars to seek confirmation. They came up out of the subways to put the question to policemen and to strangers passing by.
With confirmation, they fanned out in the avenues and in the by-streets. Moving through Times Square the phrase fell repeatedly on the ear, “President's dead, the President's dead.”
...
The White House announced late today that President Roosevelt had died of cerebral hemorrhage. The death occurred this afternoon at Warm Springs, Ga. A White House statement said:
Vice President Truman has been notified. He was called to the White House and informed by Mrs. Roosevelt. The Secretary of State has been advised. A Cabinet meeting has been called. The four Roosevelt boys in the service have been sent a message by their mother, which said that the President slept away this afternoon.
He did his job to the end, as he would want to do. 'Bless you all and all our love,' added Mrs. Roosevelt. She signed the message, 'Mother'. Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon in the East Room of the White House. Interment will be at Hyde Park Sunday afternoon. No detailed arrangements or exact times have been decided upon as yet.
Headlines from today's Chicago Tribune:
ROOSEVELT IS DEAD!;(Mayor) Kelly Voice(s) Shock and Sorrow
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OPEN TODAY; HOLD SERVICE; Roosevelt Funeral Set for 4 Tomorrow. The Life of Roosevelt--From Sheltered Boyhood to Precedent-Shattering President!
RADIO PLAYS BIG ROLE IN TELLING OF F.D.R.'S DEATH
President's Body Is Borne from Southern Home
WASHINGTON AWAITS FUNERAL TRAIN
TRUMAN FACING WAR, PEACE AND DOMESTIC TESTS
EXPECT TRUMAN HELP IN OUSTING RED BUREAUCRATS
Cubs and White Sox Cancel Games Today and Tomorrow; Major Opener to Be Played in F. D. R.'s Memory
Radio reports on FDR's death
Newsreel coverage
--
F.D.R. funeral train (Truman Library)
FDR's valet, Arthur Prettyman, taking Fala, the President's Scottie, for a walk at Atlanta, Ga., station as funeral train makes a short stop.
I started to dress at 6:00. Hal kept running in at intervals.
At 7:30, Jim came and we went to Hal's house. Gosh, was Jim surprised they were going to have a party. Mmm—and what a [birthday] party. There were five couples. Jim and I were always together.
About 1:30, Janet and Mrs. Totten went to work, so Hal put out the lights. What a night.
“The stores were of course closed in honor of F.D.R.
Nice party that I wasn't invited to! Outside of Jim, I didn't care for their friends. So there!!”
Today's news:
From today's New York Times:
Crowds in Tears Watch Funeral Train Roll North: Aboard President Roosevelt's Funeral Train
All day long—and far into the night—crowds have gathered at every station through which the train has passed to pay last tribute. Everywhere some of the men, women and children, gathered to mourn the leader who passed away with Germany defeated, Japan staggering and at the moment when a new peace was to be drafted, have cried openly...
Behind the hearse came Mrs. Roosevelt, dressed in black with a fur cape. She sat stiffly in a car, with Fala, Mr. Roosevelt's dog, at her feet, the Scotty knowing that something was wrong, and perhaps sensing what it was...
At 10 p.m., another special train will leave for the ancestral Roosevelt estate at Hyde Park ... There, in the garden, bordered by a hemlock hedge and filled with roses ... the man who entered the Presidency at the depths of our greatest depression and lived to see the enemies of the United States defeated, will be laid to rest.
Roosevelt Services Today; Germany Nearly Severed!
Chicago Curtails Activities in Tribute to Roosevelt
Fala Goes with Master on Final Trip Together
'LASTING PEACE' THEME OF F.D.R.'S FINAL ADDRESS
New President's First Day on Job Is Crowded One
TRUMAN: A PLAIN GENIAL MAN WHO LIKES TO LISTEN; AWED AS HE RIDES TO FACE NEW TASKS
“Hearse bearing body of President Roosevelt arrives at Warm Springs, Ga., railroad siding where it was transferred to the train which was to take it to Washington, D.C.”
More about FDR's funeral train (C-SPAN program)
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On this rainy Sunday, Hal and Jim (top) went bowling with Dot and Bob Plant (at center, bottom)
Bob Dusold phoned Dot to ask her out, but Dot said she had a date
.
Sunday Apr. 15 1945
“What a rainy day today was. Stayed home all day sewing and messing around.
Went by Hal's to get my records. Bob Dusold called me up and asked me to go out, but I told him I had a date. Helen came over too.
My mother must have brought some of her many 78 rpm records over to Hal Totten's place the night before.
It isn't easy to get a lowly bowling score of 27 without throwing quite a few gutter balls. But I bet my mom laughed each time she threw one, and probably got a lot of kidding from the three guys she was with.
Today's news:
Roosevelt Burial Today: Body Taken to Hyde Park After Simple Services in White House
Funeral Train Ends Last Lap of Trip This Morning
Chicago Hushes as Bells Toll for President
Washington D.C.: Strong even in sorrow, Eleanor Roosevelt today led her family to pray at the foot of the casket in which reposed the body of her husband.
Birthday: Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) is 12 years old today.
“Oh yes, I remember seeing Woody Herman in person and especially Caldonia! It was a great show.
Chili and pie after 10:30 p.m.? Could never do that now!”
The “vivacious and lovable” (Dot's description) Woody Herman with a 1964 rendition of Caldonia.
Notes:
On February 26, 1945 in New York City, the Woody Herman band recorded Caldonia. “Ralph [Burns] caught Louis Jordan [singing Caldonia] in an act and wrote the opening twelve bars and the eight bar tag. But the most `amazing thing on the record was a soaring eight bar passage by trumpets near the end.” ... In 1946 the band won Downbeat, Metronome, Billboard and Esquire polls for best band, nominated by their peers in the big band business. —wikipedia
Reds 24 Miles from Berlin, Nazis Report; Russians Advance on Road to Munich
German Youths Now Backbone of Nazi Defense
The German ship Goya, overfilled with refugees, sinks after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing more than 7,000 people.
Birthday: Joseph Ratzinger—later known as Pope Benedict XVI—celebrates his 18th birthday.
--
.
Tuesday Apr. 17 1945
“Ah, Tuesday, the day of our faculty show, and man—was it keen. The guest was Two Ton Baker and Mr. Dubon was CARMEN MIRANDA. What a show.
Later in the evening, Jim and Hal came over and fooled around doing my algebra and dancing with Hal. Honestly, those guys are more fun than I can imagine.
“As Dot described it, the faculty show was "keen". So right! All the straight-laced teachers did a complete turnaround and went all-out with their crazy acts.
Carmen Miranda was popular then so that act was a natural. I can't remember the faculty putting on any more shows quite like that one.”
Notes:
“Dick "Two Ton" Baker was a giant -- literally and figuratively -- on the Chicago entertainment scene for nearly four decades, from the late 1930s until his death in 1975. He played piano quite well and sang in a pleasing, infectious baritone voice, but mainly, he entertained, in whatever medium. His radio show on WGN went out nationwide over the Mutual network. He appeared on WGN's first television broadcast (April 5, 1945), and later had a very popular children's program on that and other Chicago TV stations.” --from twotonbaker.com
Baker is also well-known for his tv commercials for Chicago's Riverview amusement park.
Audio clip of Two Ton Baker singing The Soup Song / Eachie Peachy Pie
Today's news:
Truman Vows War to Finish; Asks Help of All in Great Task
Four Red Armies Move on Berlin, Germans Say
Concentration Camp of 21,000 Freed by Yanks: It is estimated conservatively that tens of thousands have died in Buchenwald
Cubs, Cards Open Today in Wrigley Field: The fans have been waiting all winter for this!
Sox Brave New Season—Play Indians Today
The Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 at Wrigley Field in the first game of the 1945 season (the last season until 2016 in which they will reach the World Series.)
--
Dot and Sis saw a double feature today of Bowery to Broadway and Girl Rush.
Came straight home after the show and sat around listening to the radio till about 1:00.”
Bowery to Broadway concerns two, successful vaudevillians whose lives bccome complicated when romance develops.
In Girl Rush, a different pair of vaudevillians decide to search for gold in California.
On the radio:
8pm: Eddie Cantor Program, Frank Sinatra Show; 8:30pm: Mr. District Attorney; 9pm: Kay Kyser's Musical Kollege; 9:30pm: Let Yourself Go; 10:30pm: Just for Fun; 11:30pm: Ted Weems Orchestra
Today's news:
Truman Tells Yanks: We Will Never Falter; Applauds Courage of U.S. Fighters
Jury Decrees [Charlie] Chaplin is Father of Joan Berry's Baby
Reds 18 Miles from Berlin, Nazis Report
London: Churchill Hails FDR, ‘Britain's Great Friend’; 2,200 Bow in Memoriam at St. Paul's
Weimar, Germany: By order of Lt. Gen. Patton, 1,000 citizens of Weimar today were compelled to view the Buchenwald murder factory in which tens of thousands were systematiccally starved, tortured, hanged, poisoned, shot and incinerrated in specially built plants.
Gandhi Calls for Just Peace and Free India
Sox and Cubs Open Season with Victories
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ernie Pyle is killed by Japanese sniper fire on Okinawa.
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Newspaper clipping Dot taped to her diary page; the USS Saratoga in May 1945. Below: The Saratoga in a 1933 air/sea exercise (newsreel footage-silent)
.
.
Thursday Apr. 19 1945
“Today we did our Ox dance on the stage in our GYM SUITS—zowie!!
After school, Johnny, a friend of George Geis, called Marge up, and he told her that George was on board ship when he was killed. Part of it exploded - oh my God... I don't know what to say - it just gets me...”
“Dot liked George... He was a great guy and a lot of fun to be with.”
* * *
“The 'Ox' dance was what I recall the 'Slap dance' that is a German [or Swedish] tradition. All the moves are similar and it was really quite a show!
Then, too, just appearing on stage in front of everyone with those ugly, one-piece, green gym suits [substituting for liederhsoen] was a little embarrassing. But they did good!”
Notes:
Dot received two letters from George on Valentine's Day. She wrote back to him on the 18th—a letter he would never get to read.
I haven't located any photos of George Geis.
More on what happened to the USS Saratoga (CV-3)here.
Dot attached the undated newspaper announcement (at left) to today's page of her diary. She wrote “extra special reserved space [for] George H. Geis, S1/C”, and also included the following poem:
“I cannot say and I will not say that he is dead. He is just away with a cheery smile and a wave of the hand. He had wandered into an unknown land, and left us dreaming how very fair. It needs must be since he lingers there. Think of him still as the same, I say. He is not dead, he is just away. —J.W. Riley”
Sis describes below how Dot and George Geis met.
Above, a tribute to the USS Saratoga (CV-3)
Today's news:
Reds Break Berlin Lines! Yanks Drive Into Czechoslovakia; Fall of Leipzig Near
2,500,000 Russians Pour on Nazis From 3 Sides
Rule [Charlie] Chaplin Must Pay $75 Week [support] to Baby
2nd Army Frees 29,000 in Nazi Horror Camp: In the middle of [Belsen] camp there is a mound 80 yards by 30 yards of the naked bodies of women piled table high.
Ernie Pyle, War Reporter, Slain by a Jap Gunner; Columnist Cut Down on Island
Radar Secrecy Lifted to Tell What It Can Do
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel makes its Broadway debut.
The visiting Cardinals beat the Cubs 8-2; the White Sox trounce the Indians 14-6 at Cleveland.
How Dot met George Geis:
“George Geis was a sailor on the U.S.S. Saratoga. He was a gunner's mate, I believe. He was sort of a “pick up” when she first met him. You might want to know the details, as they were sort of funny...
Dot and I were away from home, probably at Parnell's (restaurant) and when we came to our house there were two guys, one in uniform, and our Aunt Marge and the girl next door, Betty, Marge's friend.
Well, they told us that some fellow they knew, in the service, knew Betty and wanted them to say hello when they came in.
We bought the story and one thing led to another and George Geis asked Dot out and his buddy Geo. Riley and I hit it off pretty good so we double-dated and I believe our first date was Riverview. Big spenders, too! Also Geo. Riley had a car--a rarity in those War years!
I can't remember how many more times Dot had a chance to date George Geis before he went back to the Saratoga. Geo. Riley and I dated some after that but I can't remember if they also were with us.
Well, some time after that, Dot got a letter from George and he told her that the fellow Betty knew was killed in action. When she told Aunt Marge that, she started to half-laugh and half-cry when she told Betty.
We couldn't figure it out as she went to Betty's next door. Well, we found out later she was laughing as this "fellow" never existed! They made it up and then did away with him and it was a joke amongst the four of them.
You see, both of these "Georges" tried to "pick up" Marge and Betty and as they were both not only married, but mothers too, they of course turned them down.
But they said maybe her nieces would be interested. We didn't find out any of this until a long time afterwards. They all decided to keep it a secret.”
—Sis
--
Dot's dad, Louis
Hal and Jim
.
Friday Apr. 20 1945
“Today was Dad's birthday, so Mom and him went out. Jim and Hal came over and we played a game of pool and talked a little, then they went.
About 10:00, they came back. I had changed to my house coat. Jim really acted silly, singing stuff like that there, and Hal was jumping all around and dancing with me.
Later we had a crap game and yours truly won, mmm hmmm. We're going to the show tomorrow.”
Today's news:
45,000 Troops and Fleet Open Final battle on Okinawa
Americans Race Toward Munich; Russians Drive on Suburb of Berlin
Germans Blame SS for Keeping Conflict Alive; Civilians, Prisoners Say War Is Lost
Collapse Near in S. Germany, Swiss Report
Allies Push Forward in Italy
Hitler's Fate Up to Himself, Says [War Secretary] Stimson
Birthdays: Adolf Hitler (56), Actor Ryan O'Neal (4)
U.S. B-29 bombers destroy Japan's Musashi Aircraft plants, halting production of the Nakajima Ki-84 fighter planes.
Movie premieres: The Horn Blows at Midnight, Son of Lassie.
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“Sort of mature” Jim, with Dot
Viola Fick
.
Saturday Apr. 21 1945
“Bob Dusold called up and asked me to go to the Roller Derby tomorrow and I said ok.
About 7:30, Jim and Hal came for me and then we got Viola. We went to the Stratford and sat in the balcony.
After the show, we went to Karson's and had barbecue beef. Went for a walk down Wallace and then the four of us came to my house and danced for awhile.
Jim seemed different tonight—sort of mature—dig me!! We sat around (ahem) and Jim went home at 1:30.”
“Viola was Viola Fick, a real nice, friendly girl who lived near Helen. Don't remember her and Hal as an ‘item’ though.
Karson's restaurant, next to the Stratford, was a great restaurant but a little expensive for us (unless our dates paid).”
Notes:
Karson's address was 731 W. 63rd St.
There is a Karson's restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park at present. I don't know if there's any connection to the one in Dot's neighborhood
A former Englewood resident has some information about Wallace Street:
It was a very narrow street (more like an alley), with the Grand Trunk Railroad tracks taking up the east side of the street. Between 59th and 60th Streets, there were only two houses. There were a few from 60th to 62nd Streets. Interestingly, the street doesn't show on some maps. However, I checked on the county's assessor's website and there still are taxable properties on Wallace St. between 63rd and 59th St. I used the Yahoo map website with the address 5944 S Wallace St and it did show a Wallace Street.
Dot & Jim, and Hal & Viola, went to the Stratford this evening to see Murder, My Sweet and five acts of vaudeville.
Today's news:
Reds 7 Miles from Capital; Nazis Totter—Ike
100 Jap, 15 U.S. Ships Sunk in Okinawa Fight
3 Armies Drive on Hitler Fortress
U.S. Flags Fly Where Hitler Once Orated
Birthday: Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth celebrates her 19th birthday while serving in the military as a driver.
Dot went to the circus with Bob, but she was thinking of Stan.
.
Sunday Apr. 22 1945
“Sat around the house all day today. Got dressed, and Bob came for me at 7:45. We decided to go to the circus with Carl and Alice. Gee, Alice is really keen. Had swell seats.
After the circus we drove up to the Villa on 69th and Western. Had a sliced Chicken Club sandwich. Bob is awfully nice and he is a good spender, but I just can't go for him.
“No, I don't have my indentification bracelet and can't remember what I did with it. I do recall getting and wearing mine.
The big thing, back then, was to exchange I.D. bracelets with your boyfriend, when going steady, like a class or a friendship ring. I don't know if that's what happened to both of our bracelets, but it's a possibility. I sure wish I still had mine.”
Today's news:
Patton Races for Munich
London: Hitler… cried out today to his one time axis partner, Benito Mussolini, that the “struggle for our very existence has reached its climax.”
Reds Free 862 Children in Nazi Atrocity Camp; Forced to Work or Be Beaten, Charge
Navy Ownership of Famous Iwo Jima Picture Sought
Weather: Rain, high of 72 degrees
Birthdays: Richard M. Daley (3); Barbra Streisand (3).
--
Dot, Sis and Helen saw a double feature today at the Englewood theater.
Above, American and Soviet troops shake hands as they meet at the Elbe River
.
Wednesday Apr. 25 1945
“Didn't do much during the day; just ironed a little.
Went to Myrt & Henry's, had some chili. Then came home and sat around discussing different fellows. Bob D. called three times. I had Mom tell him I was out.”
This was Dot's second time seeing Eadie Was a Lady. The first was on April 1st at the Stratford, with Jim Parks.
Have any information about Myrt & Henry's? Let me know!
Evidently this was the Chicago Public School's spring vacation (later known as “Clean-Up Week”.
Today's news:
Reds Isolate Fiery Berlin
Nazis Fight Block to Block; Lose Half of City
Allies Aim Pincers at Hitler's Lair
Tribune Survey Bares Full Horror of German Atrocities; Millions Die; Yank Captives Starved, Killed
London: Big Ben's Lights Go On Again In Ceremonial
San Francisco: Governments of 46 Allied nations tomorrow will start formulating what they think is the answer to the war weary man… That answer, statesmen think, lies in the united nations' conference on international organization.
Born today: songwriter Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA).
Birthday: Al Pacino (5).
Irene Dunne in a scene from Together Again
--
Kelly Library; Sunny and Dot
.
.
Thursday Apr. 26 1945
“Today, Sunny, Sis and I walked around and went to Parnell's and the library. Sunny went home, so Sis and I stayed around the house.
Bob D. called and asked me to go out Friday or Sunday, but I told him I had a date. Jim also called, just to talk.
Later, Sis and I went to Parnell. Saw Jim and Chuck.”
Today's news:
500,000 Fight Berlin Doom; Two Red Armies Ring Nazi Capital; Battle Thru Streets and Subways
Patton Advances Within 15 Miles of Austria
Hitler's Chalet in Mountains Smashed by 6 Ton Bomb Hit
Claude Passeau and Cubs Shut Out Reds, 4 to 0
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The U.S. Army's 92nd Division enters the Galleria Guiseppe Garibaldi in the newly liberated city of Genoa, Italy, on April 27th, 1945.
“Today I washed my hair and put it up. Went to Grand Crossings to a dance at a Canteen and boy, it was swell. Pete took us in his car. It was awfully dark in there, but the music was swell.
Got home at 11:00 and stopped in Parnell. Came back home, then Jim and Hal came over; stayed till 1:30. We had more fun, fooling around. Hal started planning another hayride and Hal told me he knew I went out with Bob D.”
“The neighborhoods started ‘Teen Canteens’, although Englewood never had one. I forget how far away Grand Crossings was. Probably 7000 or 8000 South. They had games, pool tables and a juke box. Pop and snacks were provided. It was a new experience for us and we had a good time.
Pete was Ginny's boyfriend, or I should say ‘friend’. I believe she went out with him more for the car he had and not for his looks or personality. (Cruel, but true!) It didn't bother us for we got around pretty good with Ginny and him.
Hal is a regular tattle-taler!”
Notes:
The Grand Crossings neighborhood is adjacent to Englewood, roughly to the east and south.
Cubs Play Pirates Today; Seek 5th in Row; Paul Derringer Bids for Third Mound Victory
Birthday: Pulitzer prize-winning playwright August Wilson, born today; Coretta Scott King (18)
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Hal, Helen, Jim and Dot
.
Saturday Apr. 28 1945
“What a busy day today was. Put my hair up in the morning.
About 3:00, Jim and Hal dropped in, so did Helen. Then Helen and I went to Parnell and then we went down Ashland*.
Got home at 7:30 and dressed. Went to Myrt & Henry's, then to Parnell. Talked to Bill S.* He's so sincere when he talks to you. Came home and then led Helen home.
Later, Jim and Hal came over but Hal left shortly. Sis and I entertained Jim. Learned a lot about that boy. He left at 1:30. Lill came over tonite, too. Bob D. called.”
Notes:
*Ashland Ave. is a major north-south thoroughfare, about a mile west of Dot's.
Allied Armies Join; Split Reich: American and Russian armies have met in the heart of Hitler's reich, cutting Germany in two in one of modern history's most dramatic moments.
Truman and Stalin Hail Link of Two Armies at Elbe River
Cubs Beat Pirates, 7-3, for 5th Straight
Birthday: Saddam Hussein (8)
--
.
Sunday Apr. 29 1945
“God, what a dull day.
Johnny called up Marge and told her he and his brother Bob would be over tomorrow. Loafed around the house doing exactly nothing.
Later, Sis and I went to Parnell. Washed out my gym suit. Gads—tomorrow starts a week of school... ugh, ugh.”
Notes:
Dot goes back to Englewood High tomorrow (“Ugh!”) after being off a week for spring break
Johnny is a cousin.
Today's news:
Peace Reports Stir Nation
Nazis Giving Up Berlin Fight; Yanks Race Over Italy
Surrender Believed an Imminent Possibility
Russians Hammer Last pocket of Foe in Capital
Wall of US Tanks Rolls Within 22 Miles of Munich
10,000 in Times Square Wait Hours for V-E Confrmation
France to Hold Election Today; Women to Vote: Women, who represent about 60 percent of the electorate, will vote for the first time
Cubs Beat Pirates, 6-0; North Siders Take Lead in Pennant Race
Sox and Browns Play Two Today, if Weather Is Agreeable
Gasoline, Tire Supply to Rise After V-E Dayy
Birthdays: Rod McKuen (12), Willie Nelson (12)
Adolf Hitler marries his long-time partner Eva Braun in his Berlin bunker.
A video memorial to Dachau and its survivors(6-min.).
.
Monday Apr. 30 1945
“What a day. Had an assembly in school. I'm not going to say anything about Bob, cause ugh.
Later in the evening, as I calmly walked alone to Parnell, who should I meet but a soldier, oh brother.
He started walking with me. First sort of casually, then ummm... He asked me to go to a hotel with him and god, he said more than that, but I'm not saying. Finally got rid of him and went into Parnell.
Pat and Dick D. were in there, and Dick was singing to me, My Dreams Are Getting Better.Hal came in and sat with us and walked home our way.”
“I can't remember this incident. There were always lots of servicemen walking down 63rd Street because of the [Englewood] train station** a few blocks from Parnell. Usually they were harmless. You had to ignore them, but I guess Dot didn't this time.
I also don't remember these new names, Pat & Dick Dean. Sounds like a singing duo!”
Notes:
Bob (not Bob Karpus) is the brother of Johnny (mentioned on Apr. 29th).
Doris Day sings My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time, written by Vic Mizzy, composer of the Green Acres TV show theme, and introduced by singer Marion Hutton in the 1944 film, In Society.
**More about Englewood Station:
Englewood Station or Englewood Union Station in Chicago, Illinois' south side Englewood neighborhood was a crucial junction and passenger depot for three railroads - the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, the New York Central Railroad, and the Pennsylvania Railroad - although it was for the glamorous eastbound streamliners of the latter two that the station was truly famous.
Englewood Station also served passenger trains of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate), which operated over the New York Central via trackage rights.
Probably most famous for hosting the two most spectacular streamlined passenger trains, Englewood was the second (and second-to-last on a westbound train) stop for both [Pensylvania Railroad's] Broadway Limited and [New York Central's] 20th Century Limited. In fact, both would leave their respective terminals in [downtown] Chicago, stop to embark passengers at Englewood, and leave the station simultaneously, each racing the other for several miles before they diverged. [...]
The station has for the most part disappeared, but some scattered remnants are visible around the railroad overpass near 63rd Street and State Street. —Source: wikipedia
Yanks raise flag in Adolf Hitler Platz at Nuernberg, captured Nazi shrine city
Today's news:
Mussolini Shot and Dumped in Public Square; Faces Firing Squad Crying No! No!
Munich Falls; Patton Frees 27,000 Captives
Wave of Suicides Sweeping Berlin; Desertions Mount
Washington, D.C.: Hours Drag By Without News of Surrender; The Air Was Charged With Expectancy
French Women Outnumber Men in First Voting: Women of France went to the polls for the first time in history today.
Marriage: Negro League catcher Roy Campanella (future Brooklyn Dodgers star and color-barrier breaker (in 1947) marries Ruthe Willis.
Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for one day. (Newspaper reports of Hitler's demise would not be published until Wednesday, May 2nd.)
.)
