Ruth’s Blog

            FHSU’s Encore Series continued yesterday evening, when an enthusiastic audience gave “In the Mood: a 1940’s Musical Revue” a warm welcome.  The “In the Mood” singers and dancers and the “String of Pearls” orchestra reciprocated with a first-rate performance of more than fifty songs from the World War II era. The thirteen-man band had the opulence of a much larger group.  The three female singers/dancers wore bright-colored and attractive period costumes—lots of red, white and blue. The gents wore suits or military uniforms.  But the music itself was the main attraction.

The program calls this “the music that moved the nation’s spirit.” In my opinion, it is the music that created and sustained the nation’s spirit in times that were, as in the ancient Chinese curse, “interesting.” I was only five years old in 1941, but still remember the tremendous anxiety and excitement caused by the war. Nothing expressed these emotions better than “swing,” the music of the big bands.  It played constantly on the radio—everyone listened all day every day to get and escape from the war news.  So we needed music that was optimistic, music like “In the Mood,” “Accentuate the Positive” and “Hey! Ba Ba Re Bop.” The company delighted us with all of these and more—even had us singing “Hey, etc.” right along with them.  We also needed music that expressed yearning—yearning for absent lovers—or yearning to be home–songs like “Moonlight Serenade,” “I’ll be Seeing You” or “Sentimental Journey,” all of which were movingly sung. Then there was yearning for peace, as in “The last Time I saw Paris” or “The White Cliffs of Dover.” Comic relief was as welcome then as now.  Such ditties as “Don’t Fence me In” (my aunt used to sing this as she removed her girdle), “What Do you Do in the Infantry” and the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” have always provided great fun.  Naturally, with most of the able-bodied men and boys away, it was difficult to dance cheek-to-cheek, so people jitterbugged instead.  Two great dancers from the company gyrated to “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.” 

            The Andrews Sisters, the voices of the era, got remembered with a whole medley of hits like “Bei Mir bist du Schoen” and “Roll out the Barrel.” And the show closed with “A Military Salute,” a medley of the hymns of the various armed services while the veterans of each branch were asked to stand.  The show earned and received an uproarious standing ovation.

            If you missed “In the Mood” yesterday, you can go tonight—7:30, Beach/Schmidt, tickets available at the door.

            The next event in the FHSU Encore Series is “Danzon,” Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.  Please call (785) 628-5801 or 628-5308 for information or reservations.