Popcorn Festival to have booth during Indiana State Fair

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com

The Popcorn Festival of Clay County Inc. committee is planning to participate in the Indiana State Fair by having an interactive booth on Aug. 18 during Tourism Day.

In addition to passing out literature about Clay County and the Popcorn Festival, the committee plans to have a bean bag toss game with prizes for children. The bean bags will be tossed at a figure of Orville Redenbacher.

Friends of the Popcorn Festival are invited to stop by the booth on Aug. 18.

The Popcorn Festival committee will next meet in two weeks, on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. at the Popcorn House, shelter 2, at Forest Park.

The festival is set for Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

"Great Times," Chapter 19

Copyright 2006, Terry F. Phillips Sr.
All rights reserved.

Chapter 19

“So, you see, we are going to continue what Dad started, using the same principals,” Howard said. “That’s where this trip to California comes in. We are going to look into television.”
“Will you sell WXBR?” Ted asked.
Hearing Mr. Howard’s story about the way his father developed the Chicago radio station had emboldened Ted.
“Look - guys - what we are saying in here today stays in this room, OK?” Howard said. “OK. Ted that’s a good question, but it is for tomorrow not today. That part of the plan hasn’t been written yet, though I have certainly thought about it myself.
“Let’s just get this trip under our belts, debrief when you get back and I will let you know what you need to know when you need to know it. That’s it for now.
“Beck you know the travel plans; fill Ted in.”
Howard slapped the table with his palms, stood up to leave the room.
Ted interrupted his departure.
“Wait!”
Howard waited, though visibly annoyed by Ted’s interjection.
“Um, I realize I know very little about these things - I’m the new guy on the block,” he said.
Howard blinked and Beck just held on, waiting for an explosion. He had been in meetings where others interrupted the Boss.
“I’m not even sure why I’m part of this discussion or this trip,” Ted continued. “But, have you thought about getting a woman’s viewpoint?”
There was along, dramatic pause.
“I’m listening,” Howard said.
“It just seems to me that since the war, women are taking a greater role in business and industry. You know, Rosie the Riveter and all. I don’t think that is going away.
“Perhaps we - that is, Mr. Beck - should take a woman with him on this California trip. That way, when you get your debriefing, you will have a broader base of information when you start to make decisions about television.”
“That, too, had crossed my mind,” Howard said. “What do you think, Beck?”
Beck saw the amused look on Howard’s face and returned it with a wink.
“Not bad,” Beck said. “But where would we find a suitable woman?”
Howard turned to Ted.
“What would you think about taking Miss Collins with you?”
“Who? Connie Collins?”
“Come on, boy, grow up. I’ve noticed you hanging around my office the past couple days. My spies tell me she helped you find a room in her boarding house.”
“If I spoke out of line, Mr. Howard, I’m sorry.”
Howard ignored this interruption.
“Actually, I’ve been impressed with Miss Collins, myself. I’ve been sorry we couldn’t do more for her. Perhaps this will help.
“Now,” Howard said, rising. “If you two have nothing else for me, I really do have to run this radio station. At least for the time being.”
With that, he left.
“Well, kid, it seems you have risen quite rapidly in this company,” Beck said with a smile. “Yesterday, you were my newest announcer. Today, you’re a valued and trusted employee. A confidant to Mr. Howard no less.”
The next five minutes was spent discussing the travel plans.

Amos Thomas believes the time is right to run

By FRANK PHILLIPS / frankphi@hotmail.com
Amos Thomas is running for state representative.
Running shouldn’t be too strenous for a 76-year-old man who is used to bicycling all over west central Indiana.
Thomas decided to run for the seat currently occupied by his son, Andy Thomas (R-44) within minutes after Andy signed the withdrawal form in the Indiana Secretary of State’s office in Indianapolis.
Amos first thought about running for public office 40 years ago. The next morning he was going to tell his brother, John.
“When I got to the office, John said, ‘Guess what — I’m going to run for the state legislature.’”
John served the 44th District for 24 years as state representative.
Amos is happy, even though he didn’t run 40 years ago. He is married and the couple have six children and 12 grandchildren.
“Everyone says their wife is the best, but I really do have the best wife,” he said. “I believe we have served the public by raising a good family and by teaching them good principles.”
Years ago, Amos and John were joined in their law practice by Amos’s sons, David and Andy, and by Ed Pease. All three joined John Thomas in going on to elected public service. David became the Clay County prosecuting attorney, Andy was elected to the General Assembly and Ed Pease was elected to Congress.
Now, Amos hopes, it’s his turn.
He was at Andy’s side in Indianapolis Monday morning when Andy signed the withdrawal form, ending his re-election candidacy. It was an emotional experience.
On the way home, father and son talked about the pros and cons of Amos running for the seat when the 44th Distric Republican caucus meets in the next few weeks.
“I am not impetuous,” Amos said. “I analyze the pros and cons and then decide based upon all the information I can get. That is the way I will vote on all issues that come up.”
So, having thought about running for office for so many decades, he is ready.
“I am totally committed to this campaign,” he said. “If I am picked by the caucus, I will be in the race to win without reservation.”
Amos keeps himself physically fit by riding a Schwinn Voyager touring bicycle. He has ridden through most of Putnam County as well as Clay, Parke and Vigo counties.
His bicycling began when a high school injury caused pain in his knee. An orthopedic surgeon suggested bicycling would help. It has. No longer does his knee bother him.
“And, I lost 30 pounds,” he said.
Amos is accustomed to hard work. He grew up on a small farm west of Bellmore in Parke County.
His father was a school teacher and a gentleman farmer, so Amos grew up working for his dad and nearby farmers.
He also worked in hay rings and thrashing rings, so called because farmers would work together cutting hay and thrashing. The ring was the ring of farms they owned or rented.
Amos worked with horses and spent eight years in 4-H, spending some time helping show cattle at the Indiana State Fair.
He also served in the U.S. Air Force in Alaska during the Korean War.
Following his service in the Air Force, he went back to Indiana University Law School and obtained his law degree in 1956. He began practicing law in Brazil and has continued for 50 years.
Although he has called Brazil home for half a century, he says his ties are stronger in Putnam and Parke counties, part of the 44th District.
One of his ancestors, one of the early settlers of Putnam County, was the Mr. Knight for whom Knightsville was named.
He has a brother, nephew and many cousins who live in Putnam County. He has practiced law in the Putnam County Courthouse at Greencastle and has many clients from Putnam County. His wife, Mary, was a guidance counselor and teacher at Cloverdale High School for many years.
While many Republican voters live in Putnam County, Amos believes he is electable in the Nov. 7 general election because his brother served 24 years and his son has served four years; Putnam County Republicans and Democrats elected and re-elected them, so he believes he could win the 44th District race, too.
At some point in the next few weeks, Indiana Republican Chairperson Murray Clark will call a caucus for the purpose of finding a Republican to run against Richard Thompson, the Democratic Party nominee for the 44th District House seat.
“I don’t know who will be running,” Amos said Wednesday afternoon in his office. “Whoever they pick, I am a Republican and will support them in the fall.”
He hopes that person will be himself, of course.
“I am a people person in that I greatly enjoy visiting with people. I can find something in common with anyone I meet and I think that is a good quality for a politican.”
He a very active member of the Brazil Rotary Club and First United Methodist Church. He has worked in Boy Scouts (including a sting as district chairman of the joint Putnam-Clay County district), been chairman of the Clay County Red Cross Committee, was named Outstanding Young Man by the Brazil Jaycees, was a member of the board of asbury Towers Retirement Community for a term, served on the YMCA board for nine years, coached Little League baseball, YMCA football, YMCA basketball, church league basketball, was a charter member of the Clay Youth Baseball League and prepared Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws and was a charter member of the Brazil Interclub Council and prepared its by-laws.

"Great Times," Chapter 18

Copyright 2006, Terry F. Phillips Sr.

All rights reserved

Chapter 18

“I want to tell you a story,” Howard said. “A story about how we all got where we are today and where we are going tomorrow. I want to tell you about my father.”

James D. Howard had tried vaudeville as a young man but soon learned it wasn’t for him.

People didn’t laugh at his jokes. He could sing, but he wasn’t good and he wasn’t as bad as George Burns, so he quickly had to face the fact he would never succeed as an entertainer.

The one thing Howard did have was a rich father.

Howard D. Howard had come to America from the old country at the age of 12. Both his parents died on the trip and he found himself at Ellis Island, in a strange land, with no parents, no food and no place to sleep.

But he was industrious. He found whatever jobs he could, lived frugally and managed to make ends meet.

Eventually, he was able to save a little money and then discovered the benefits of wise investment.

After leaving Ellis Island, Mr. Howard, the elder, followed the crowds. People had cared for him after his parents died aboard ship and he was afraid of being alone.

He quickly learned they gathered at places that played loud music and served alcohol.

So it was that he found work doing odd jobs at a saloon on New York’s East Side.

It was run by a German couple, who, like himself, had little money left over after paying expenses, but they had good hearts and let him stay in a spare room they used as a closet. For cleaning and running errands, they gave him meals.

Eventually, their fortunes changed for the better and the boy shared in their good luck In addition to earning his room and board, he began receiving a small stipend.

The hours were long, but he knew few people in America besides the German couple and the men who frequented their tavern, so it was no hardship.

As the years wore on, the boy grew into a man and was able to save some money.

Eventually, the German couple decided to sell. They had a great fondness for the orphan boy who showed up at the doorstep so many years earlier. They wanted to see him cared for, so they were pleased when he formed a partnership with friends he made and offered to buy their establishment.

As an owner, the elder Howard quickly learned that the hours were just as long, but the rewards were greater, for he had greater control over the business.

He had been an observant lad and made changes that were popular with his customers.

In middle age he married and sold his share of the business, because his new wife did not feel a family man had any business selling liquor in a tavern.

As he had grown, he came to realize people tended to believe what they read in the newspapers. But, newspaper publishers in those days had no problem telling people what to believe.

Howard came to realize his viewpoint differed from those of the newspaper publishers. They had amassed great fortunes and he was the operator of a single saloon on New York’s East Side.

But, with a new wife at his side and a desire to operate another business, he decided to head west. His new wife was a school teacher and he decided that he couldn’t successfully compete against the great newspapers of the city, but perhaps he could establish or buy a small newspaper in another part of the country.

He felt the neighborhood saloon had taught him an important lesson - ambitious people think in terms of the masses but successful people find their niches and fulfill a need.

Eventually the young Howard couple got off the train at a small farming community south of Chicago.

He was accustomed to the city and was wary of trying to make a living in some of the rural areas they visited in Ohio and Indiana on their way west.

Finding a newspaper for sale in a small community south of Chicago seemed right to Howard and to his bride.

She quickly found work teaching school and he purchased a newspaper, knowing precious little about the business.

Fortunately, his hard work habits served him well and he quickly learned his new business, keeping it profitable and giving the community what he felt they needed - an unbiased record of their community.

When radio came along, Howard kept his eyes and ears open. At the right time, he sold the newspaper and made the jump to radio.

He found himself back in the big city - this time, Chicago. It was difficult at first, but Howard, though in his five0s by this time, was resilient and managed to make a go of it.

To his delight he learned the license issued his radio station, WXBR, by the federal government was a license to print money.

While anyone could start a newspaper or buy a tavern, the government was particularly about who owned radio stations. If advertisers wanted to use radio to advertise their products, there were just a handful of businesses they could contact.

Soon, WXBR became one of the most profitable and influential radio stations in Chicago.

By that time, the Howard’s had a son. Instead of selling the company to strangers, as the German couple had sold their tavern, the Howard’s retained partial ownership in WXBR and let their son manage the station.

The choice was a wise one and, while it doesn’t seem to happen very often, they were able to live happily ever after.

Mr. Howard the younger, Ted’s boss, had learned his father’s lessons well.

Now the time had come for the Howards to make another major shift.

He doubted he could get into motion pictures in any significant way and, like his father, Howard the junior was convinced success and its rewards would come only to the extent he was able to run the ship.

Motion pictures were on their way but television; TV was in its infancy. There was much money to be made out of the box, he thought.

Soon after learning about the new medium, Howard realized people had been longing for it for decades.

They bought floor model radios with rich wood cabinets and dials that glowed softly when the set was turned on, but why?

Yes, they wanted a nice piece of furniture in their living room. But most people could just as easily have purchased a single speaker run from the set by a single wire.

No, he observed his own family as they listened to the radio. The radio was the focal point of the listening experience.

People didn’t need to look at the radio. He had one in his car and listened all the time, but he didn’t look at it, unless he changed stations.

But people sat at home listening to the radio and turned their chairs toward it. Little children plopped down on the floor in front of the radio, listening to their children’s adventure shows.

Television would be a tremendous medium. It would really give people something to look at. A moving picture in their home, always there, whenever they decided to turn the knobs and tune it in.

Oh, sure, the TV sets then in existence had very small pictures that weren’t conducive to viewing by more than one or two people at one time, and then only at very close range, but that would all change.

Just as radios equipped with large speakers had replaced cat whisker crystal sets that could be listened to by only one person at a time, so TVs would be improved.

Someday, Howard thought, the TV screens might be as large as an 8 ½ by 11 piece of typing paper. Maybe even larger!

While Howard had inherited a great deal from both parents, they accomplished something he had not. He was a bachelor.

Not necessarily by choice, but he felt, unconsciously, his father’s example demanded he devote himself to the business and that left little time to meet women.

Now his hair was gray and thinning. He no longer had eligible girl friends, though he had dated a few in his younger days. Those women had married and were now grandmothers.

But, he thought, if I will not have a child of my own, I can find someone to help, just as that German couple took care of Dad when he was just a boy in New York City.

"Great Times," Chapter 17

Copyright 2006, Terry F. Phillips Sr.

All rights reserved

Chapter 17

The next day found Ted sitting in a conference room with his boss, Mr. Beck and Mr. Howard, the station’s general manager.

Ted expected Mr. Howard to be wary of this presence. After all, the idea of someone new and young being asked to go on a fact-finding trip to California made his head swim - his ego, at least.

Surely there were many other people who would like to make the trip. Connie, for one. Why had she not been chosen? Was it because she was a woman or because she had not landed a full-time job with the station? Perhaps Beck just liked men better than women. No, he had been married, so that probably wasn’t the reason.

Howard was the first to speak as Beck and Ted listened intently to his every word.

“Men, for too long Chicago has been losing ground in the broadcasting business,” Howard said. “With a few exceptions, the networks have decided to originate from New York and the West Coast. We are in danger of being left out of things. Consequently, the big national advertising accounts tend to think of New York and Los Angeles when they are buying radio time.

“More importantly, radio as we know it, is winding down,” Howard continued. “Soon, people will watch TV in the evenings with as much interest as they now listen to programs like The Beer Hour and others.

“If we get left behind, we will get trampled under foot.

“Ted, as you know, WXBR is an independent station. We are not the only independent metro station in Chicago and we don’t have the Cubs or the White Sox games during the summer; we can’t carry the professional football or basketball teams either.

“The Beer Hour has been good to us, but it is expensive to produce. So far, it has not only paid its way, but its carried many of our sustaining programs. That won’t last forever.

“We’ve got to get ahead of the curve, fellas.”

Howard stopped to light a cigarette.

His demeanor surprised Ted. He was being the coach and the major market radio executive at the same time.

I guess that is how he made it this far, Ted thought.

Governor sorry to see Andy Thomas go

Hear the entire interview at http://mysite.verizon.net/res0x644/daniels/

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com

Gov. Mitch Daniels is sorry to see Andy Thomas go.
Monday morning, Thomas announced his decision to not seek re-election to the 44th District House seat he has held for two terms and that his uncle, John Thomas, held for many years.
"I'm sad to hear that (Andy is not seeking re-election)," the governor said over a breakfast of fruit and pastry at The Brazil Times Tuesday morning. "he is a terrific guy. I hope we can interest him in continued public service."
The governor would not specify what service that might be, saying he had just heard of Thomas's decision.
"He's a really hard worker," Daniels said. "I would have loved to have him as a partner two more years."
Does that mean the governor may not run for re-election?He won't make that decision until "some time in the second quarter of next year," he said.
Gov. Daniels took an hour Tuesday morning to sit down with reporters from The Brazil Times, the Linton Evening World and the Greencastle BannerGraphic. He was on his way to a 9:30 a.m. appointment in Terre Haute. The purpose of that appointment was to participate in a ceremony announcing the next phase of S.R. 641, which will by pass Terre Haute by connecting I-70 to U.S. 41 on the city's south side.
The $150 million project is just one item being made possible by the Indiana Toll Road lease. Clay County will receive $1,031,000 for local roads. The state will spend $40 million in this part of Indiana, much of it to resurface and widen the shoulders of U.S. 40 in Clay County.
"The bid (for the Indiana Toll Road lease) came in so high, we were able to do a lot more things than we had planned," he said.
One of the issues that remain controversial is daylight-saving time. Daniels cited economic benefits from keeping the state in step with other states that are also on daylight saving time.
"I don't think you can prove anything, yet, but there are a number of companies that believe (DST) removed anobstacle from their paths," he said.
When Fed Ex announced its thousand-job expansion in Hendricks County, a company official claimed Indiana going on daylight-saving time saved the company $1.3 million a year. The savings come from not having to change flight schedules twice a year. Daylight-saving time has also helped the state land six or seven major distribution centers in the last nine months, Daniels said, naming Dollar General, Sysco, Fed Ex and Arbonne, a cosmetics company.
The governor will not be surprised if there is a decline in traffic accidents due to later times for sundown.
"We'll be watching to see if you get any moderation of traffic accidents, crime or energy use," he said.
Daniels would like to see as much of Indiana in the same time zone as possible. Even though a few counties are on Central time, 81 percent are on Eastern time and that is the biggest percentage to share one time zone in years.
"We'll never get to 100 percent," due to proximity to Chicago, the governor said. However, some counties asked to go on Central time and now want to be on Eastern time and "we're supporting that," he said.
Daniels is pleased with progress made in restructuring the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, calling it an "essential upgrade."
"We have closed some branches and opened others," he said. "There were lots of branches with very few visitors."
But the governor's goal is to have most transactions completed by telephone, mail or over the Internet.
"You shouldn't have to take your time to go to a license branch just to get permission to drive on public roads," he said.
Branches will always be there for more complex transactions, he believes.
All-day kindergarten will be on the agenda next year.
"Education will be our top priority, when there is new money," he said. But a healthy economy has to come first. He does not want to return to the days when money earmarked for schools was held for up to six months to keep the appearance the state is in the black.
When asked if he was on track with his overall plan, the governor said, "I'm never satisfied and never will be."
However, his adminsitration is off to a faster start than he had believed possible. He would not have predicted the state's budget would be balanced this soon in his term.
Mitch Daniels is not a career politician, he said. If he chooses to not seek a second term it will be for positive reasons, "that we accomplished everything we wanted to do."
After his service as governor is over, look for him to relax or go back into business.
"I might goof off a little," he said. "I've worked 70 or 80 hours a week since my wife and I got married."

"Great Times," Chapter 16

Copyright 2006, Terry F. Phillips Sr.
All rights reserved.

Chapter 16

Beck had nothing for Ted to do in the afternoon, so Ted spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with the station and the large number of people who worked there.

He met the music librarian and learned how the recorded transcriptions were filed. He was also warned “to look, but don’t touch.”

He found the closet where the sound effects were stored. While looking at a miniature door in a frame, used to make a variety of sound effects, he was met by the librarian and told to “look but don’t touch” unless the sound effects librarian was around.

Ted knew that in the hands of an experienced sound effects man, that door could add untold dimension to a show.

Angry exits, slams, cautious entrances were all possible. With a bit of rosin on the hinges, the door would creak just like the one on “Inner Sanctum”.

This librarian was much more friendly and welcomed Ted’s interest more than the music librarian.

She showed Ted how various sound effects were made. Ted had become familiar with some of the tricks of the trade in South Bend, but these sound effects were much broader and grander than the ones he had used in South Bend. In fact, he had usually had to invent his own when they were needed. Obviously, in Chicago the business was much more highly developed in every area.

After spending an hour or so with the sound effects librarian, Ted wandered through the big studio where The Beer Hour was produced each week.

He realized that in 10 years, 20 at the most, the big studio would probably be cut up into small studios, such as the one in which he worked that morning. Or, he thought and the idea burned for a moment in his brain like a photographer’s flash bulb, perhaps television would take over these old radio studios.

There were certainly enough seats for a television audience.

He decided he would have to visit a television studio in Los Angeles when he got there. Perhaps that was on Beck’s agenda, as well.

A cool, June wind was blowing in from the lake when Ted left the building at five p.m. and night was fast approaching.

He imagined the sun would not set in the suburbs for some time, but in the canyons of the big city skyscrapers, it was already getting dark .

At the apartment house, Ted went straight to his room without looking for or asking about Connie. He decided their relationship would not happen and they would, eventually, drift off in different directions.

That would probably happen sooner than later, if Connie’s finances were in as bad condition as she indicated.

Ted sat down on the iron-frame bed and was taking off his shoes when there came a knock on the door.

Thinking it might be the idiots who had given him a hard time when he first came to this house, he kept his door locked.

“Who is it?” he asked, sounding annoyed and not getting up.

“It’s me. Connie,” came the voice through the door. “Mrs. Davis wanted to know if you will be eating here tonight.”

Ted started for the door, but thought better of it. He sat up on the edge of the bed only to hear the steel springs squeak and give him away.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” he said. “Six, right?”

But there was no answer.

At the dining table, talk was a little less guarded than it had been on his first night.

Connie sat next to Mrs. Davis and the distinguished-looking gentleman sat on Connie’s right.

“So, Mr. Lane, how are things going at the radio station?” Mrs. Davis asked. “Are you getting settled in there?”

“Things are fine,” Ted said.

He hesitated, glancing at the other people sitting at the table and then decided to brag a bit.

He told about the recording work he did for Eddie’s new show and then dropped the bomb.

“It looks like I’ll be doing some traveling,” he said; then let the matter drop while he forked a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

“Traveling?” Mrs. Davis said. “But, you just got here!”

“Oh, it’s just going to be a short trip,” Ted said. “And, I plan to pay you rent in advance and leave my things in my room.

“Locked in my room,” he said with a warning glance at the two idiots who jumped him in the hall.

“Where will you be going?” Mrs. Davis asked.

Ted noticed Connie was paying attention but not saying anything.

“I’ll be making a trip to California with my boss, Mr. Beck,” he said. “It has to do with business. That’s all I know.”

“Sure and that show business is beyond me,” Mrs. Davis said.

Connie just scowled. Ted couldn’t determine what she was thinking, and he would have liked to flatter himself that she was upset about his departure - even if temporary - but he thought something else was behind it.

About an hour after dinner, Ted was reading a book he picked up at the train station when there came a knock on his door.

“Yes,” he said.

“It’s me,” Connie said again. “Open up, you jerk.”

“That isn’t a very good way to gain admission,” he said, opening the door.

Connie pushed in, backing him toward the bed in surprise.

“What do you mean you’re flying with Beck to California?” she asked.

Ted was getting a little annoyed, but decided it was better they talked than not.

“I told you at the dinner table,” he said calmly. “Beck invited me to lunch. We talked and he invited me to go with him to California.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know why,” Ted said. “He said something about this business changing in the next few years and said he wanted me to go with him.”

“Who-Why?”

Connie started stumbling over her words and tears filled her eyes. She pressed her fists against his chest and started to cry.

“Hey, sit down,” he said

“I can’t,” she said with her face buried in his chest. “It’s against the rules.”

“What rules?” he asked, and then remembered. “Oh, yes, the house rules. Here, sit on the chair.”

He moved his book from the seat and guided her into it. After opening the door widely, he got down on one knee to talk to her much as he would have talked to a child who bumped her knee on the sidewalk.

“Now, what’s going on?” he said. “I know you’re short on money and your singing career hasn’t taken off, but-.”

“You don’t know half of it,” she said. “Eddie Adams is going to San Francisco tomorrow and Mrs. Davis is nearly hysterical.”

“She seemed all right at dinner,” Ted said.

“She gets lost in her work,” Connie said. “But she is broke up on the inside. She wants me to take her life savings and move to San Francisco to make sure Eddie is OK.

"Then you come along. I can’t make it in show business, but you’re here two days and your boss invites you to lunch and on a trip to Los Angeles. It’s just not fair.”

“Look. If it makes you feel any better, I wanted to meet you for lunch,” he said.

“You did?” she asked, looking up through teary eyes.

“Sure,” he said. “We had such a swell time yesterday and I wanted to see you today, too.”

“I thought. That is --. Oh, never mind what I thought,” she said.

“Would it be so bad for you to go to California?” Ted asked. “You might have a better shot out there. You know - working in pictures. Maybe even television.”

“I don’t have the means to get started,” she said. “Remember, I spent all my savings trying to live here.”

Ted thought things over and said, “Let’s sleep on it. Maybe things will be clearer in the morning.”

Before she left his room, Connie moved her face close to his and whispered, “Thanks, Ted. I hope things do look clearer in the morning. And..., well, I’ll see you then.

"Great Times," Chapter 15

Copyright 2006, Terry F. Phillips Sr.
All rights reserved.

Chapter 15

Ted reported to Mr. Howard’s office bright and early the next morning. He saw no Connie in the apartment building, on the bus or on the Ell. Nor did he see her at the station, but he was determined to stop by Mr. Howard’s office about the same time she sat in for his secretary the day before.

“Ted, how are you?” Mr. Howard asked, when Ted opened his office door. “Did you find a place to live, yet?”

“Yes, I did,” Ted said. “Got settled in yesterday afternoon. I’m ready for work.”

“Good, good!” Mr. Howard enthused.

Ted had to wonder if part of Howard’s joy was due to the fact that he had brought this raw talent to Chicago to save the company or if he were genuinely interested in him.

“Have you met Mr. Beck? He’s in charge of all the announcers. His office is in the basement. You can’t miss it. I think he has plans for you today.”

Ted found Beck’s office with no trouble.

“Ready to work?” the short man asked. “I’ve got a job for you. Ever hear of ‘Beauty Parlor Bingo’? Hmm. No, probably not. But I bet the women in South Shore have!”

“South Bend,” Ted said, correcting him.

The South Shore was a railroad, not the city where he lived.

Beck’s enthusiasm was carrying him away but Beck was too small to carry Ted with him.

“Great show on our daytime schedule!” Beck said without a break, obviously ignoring Ted’s interjection.

“We take a recording machine into a beauty shop and have the women guess things about the other women in the shop - just to see how nosy they are. You know!”

Ted’s enthusiasm was rising a bit.

“You want me to host the show?” he asked.

“No! Eddie Adams is going to host it! You’re going to be the announcer!”

Ted remembered Eddie as the lisping, questionably male singer who fought with Barbara St. James, offstage and after The Beer Hour the night Ted arrived in Chicago.

“Have you ever heard Eddie, Mr. Beck? I mean, when he wasn’t singing?” Ted asked.

“Of course not!” Beck said, never slowing down. “But the women are cra-azy about him! That’s enough for me. It’ll be a great show!”

“I thought you said it is already on the air,” Ted said.

“It was, it was,” Beck said, then lit a cigar that looked as big and fat as his pudgy little hand. “But something didn’t work. Hoopers were terrible. We came in dead last in the ratings when we ran that show last year. We ran up against the Breakfast Club over on ABC.

“But it can do better - much better. I know it can. I know you and Adams can make it happen.”

“OK,” Ted said, obviously disappointed. “When and where do we get started?”

“That’s it!” Beck said, trying to lay a short arm on Ted’s shoulder and making it as high as his shoulder blade. “No day like today and the present is as good as any. We can’t do it last week, can we?”

“No, not last week,” Ted said. “I wasn’t here then.”

Beck burst out laughing, as if it was the best joke he heard in his life.

Ted soon found out the little man laughed loud and long several times a day.

Just as if he were in his right mind, Ted thought.

Scooping up some papers from his desk, Beck took Ted through a different door than the one the young announcer entered. It led to a large recording studio and beyond it was a small room outfitted with a sound mixing board, a desk, typewriter and various paraphernalia.

Ted waited to find out what they were doing in the small room.

“Here we are!” Beck said, winking at Ted. “ ‘Can’t do it last week because I wasn’t here, yet.’ That’s rich!” and Ted was concerned Beck would start laughing again.

“Now, here are your lines, Ted” Beck said, holding the sheaf of typewritten pages up so Ted could see them.

“You have this to read,” he said pointing to a spot at the top of page 1. “And this, and this and this break before and after commercials. We haven’t sold the commercials yet, but we will - hopefully.”

Ted was disappointed. He hoped to be part of a big-time, live show; maybe even a network production. Not only was he not going to serve as host of the show, but he wasn’t even going to meet the contestants.

The fact he wasn’t going to work with Eddie Adams was almost compensation.

“So, you want me to cut these lines,” he said, evenly. “Then what happens?”

“Then, when our engineer brings the recording disks in from the beauty parlor, he will mix recorded music with Eddie’s work and throw in your lines. Eventually, the show will air in early afternoon. I’m trying to convince Howard to put it up against ‘Wendy Warren and the News’ on CBS. I think it will beat the pants off Doug Edwards.”

Then, as he remembered who Eddie Adams was, Beck said, “I mean - well, you know what I mean.”

Beck took off his coat, loosened his tie and sat down behind the mixing console.

“Now, Ted, you step up to that mike and wait for my signal. Then we’ll do a level check.

Ted spent the rest of the morning working with Beck. He quickly learned Beck was a demanding person who knew the exact inflection he wanted.

Patient as he was demanding, the time flew by as Ted cut break after break.

He noticed that the breaks were very much generalized and so he doubted if he would be asked to do much more on the show.

Then he remembered Eddie’s words to Babs as they were fighting in front of Eddie Cantor and Jack Benny.

Adams said he was going to San Francisco.

Was that a dodge to dump Barbara, hoping she would head for Peoria or even Danville, Ill.? Or was he convinced to stay on in Chicago?

What would convince a singer to give up what had seemed a sure gig on the West Coast? The industry was moving west, so everyone said. Very few network shows were originating from Chicago, anymore. Los Angeles was the movie capitol and television held great promise.

Ted heard rumblings that the movie studios were going to start using their facilities to make television shows. They might even open their vaultts and sell old movies to TV.

The sunny weather - even in January, February and March-would make California an attractive place to make TV shows as it was to make movies.

Ted remembered the story about Walt Disney and his brother moving to California after starting in Kansas City years before.

Maybe Ted should think about going west.

“Not if it means working closely with Eddie Adams,” he thought.

He almost said something to Beck about Eddie’s plans, and then thought better of it. Ted was the announcer on the show. If the show went on the air, and Eddie wasn’t going to do it, then Ted already had his foot in the door.

Ted kept watching the clock on the wall as the morning wore on.

Connie would relieve Howard’s secretary at noon. At 12:30 the secretary would return and Ted didn’t know where to catch her after that. It didn’t seem he could talk to her at the rooming house. Especially if the tall, think mustachioed gent was there again. Ted remembered Connie’s apparent delight and fascination with him.

Finally, at 12:1five p.m., Beck seemed satisfied with the recordings and called it done.

“Ted, what are you doing for lunch?” Beck asked, reshuffling his copy of the unbound script. He put a cigar stub back into his mouth and stood up. Pulling on his coat, he said, “How about eating lunch with me?”

Ted started to protest that he had other plans, but then realized he shouldn’t refuse his boss on his first real day on the job.

“OK, Mr. Beck,” he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

The cigar smoke burned his eyes, throat and nostrils. He didn’t think it could be very good for the electronic equipment, either.

“I know a place over on La Salle Street,” Beck said. “Best steaks in town!”

Patting his stomach, he looked at Ted and grinned. “Let’s go!”