When music soothed the city

A LOOK BACK

I had the privilege of watching our musical ambassadors of

goodwill play at one of the senior retirement homes in Orange County.

You should have seen the expressions on the faces of these people as

they sat in the audience watching Tom Ridley and the members of the

Huntington Beach Concert Band as they played selections from Rodgers

and Hammerstein’s “Sound of Music” and “Oklahoma;” it was quite a

sight.

The residents of Quaker Gardens in Stanton enjoyed the band’s

signature piece --”Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever” -- and sense

the happiness that was brought to them by our concert band as they

played Berlin’s “God Bless America.” It just shows how music can lift

the spirits of both young and those not so young.

This reminded me of how important music has been to our city’s

past and to its present. There have been musical numbers played in

our world-famous Fourth of July parade since the very first parade.

Bands have ranged from high school bands to the more famous bands

heard on radio and television.

Our look back this week will take just one year and see just how

important music was to our residents in 1934.

Beside the parade bands, our city had it own municipal band and

municipal orchestra. These were under the expert direction of James

E. Son. The band and orchestra played concerts all through Southern

California, many of which were held in Long Beach. The Concert Master

at that time was Charles Lindsay. Closer to home the students of the

Huntington Beach High School were presenting a production of Gilbert

& Sullivan’s operetta “Mikado,” featuring Beulah Engle as Yum Yum

and William Seamans as Ko-Ko, the lord high executioner. Others in

the cast included Louie Siracusa, John Onson, Sam Graham, Lois

Treece, Richard Warner, Valerie Snow and Alta Orrell as the

husband-seeking Katisha. This production was under the able direction

of Mrs. Harlow of the school’s music department.

At this same time in 1934, the Women’s Club on 10th Street was

having a musical program after their general meeting on the occasion

of the club’s 26th anniversary. In charge of the musical portion of

the program was Marion Miller, who was the club’s music chair.

Soprano Aletha Lembke sang while accompanied by Phillip Hood on the

flute. When an occasion called for a robust song our own Chamber of

Commerce secretary and manager Bill Gallienne would step in and fill

the bill.

During a regular meeting of the Huntington Beach Rotary Club, held

at the Golden Bear Cafe, a part of their program contained several

selections sung by Mrs. Nelson Visel and showing the membership what

depth music can have on people’s moods. She was accompanied by Ruth

Armstrong.

When Easter arrived in 1934 all our local churches presented some

form of musical program for their congregations.

The Christian Endeavor Society of the First Christian Church

brought in the Paramount Baby Orchestra of Long Beach to perform. The

group of 100 ranged in age from 2 to 8 years old. They played both

classical and popular music to an appreciative audience.

The town’s Music Lovers Club comprosed of children ages 6 to 10

met inside the home of Amy Worthy for a program of musical highlights

on the piano. One of these meetings was attended by Norm Worthy,

Doris Hager, Wallace Perry, Marilyn Bennigsdorf and Peaches Arthur.

The combined PTAs of Central Elementary and the high school

brought in members of Hollywood’s famous Meglin Kiddies who sang,

played and tap danced in the high school auditorium. While over at

Memorial Hall on 5th Street and Orange Avenue, Estin Burk presented a

musical, dramatic and dance revue featuring the talents of some of

our local kids. In the revue were Lenore Helm, Henry Cookerley, Mary

Jean Lambert and Patricia Colvin.

In addition to our performers, we also had musical composers and

one of these for 1934, G.F. Adrist, wrote “Prosperity Song,” which

was sung on the radio. The song was appropriate for the time as the

country was in the middle of the Depression.

There were many more musical events held during that year in which

the spirits of our citizens were raised by the sounds of music above

the dark days of the big Depression.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.