This was one of those Halloweens that seared itself into the recesses of my mind, just waiting to bring a smile upon request by my consciousness.
I make that request every year at this time.
Wasn’t it yesterday that I said, “to hell with it!” and cut a good white sheet to drape over my little boy’s frail frame? And wasn’t it that same yesterday when I taught my little girl the Roaring Twenties song, “Anything Goes?”
I can still hear him roar as he raised his stretched arms, because, to him, that would be much more frightening than simply shouting “boo!”
Placing the dark brown wig over her bright red tresses to hide her identity from her classmates was the only demand my little flapper made.
To ensure the whole Halloween experience would be absorbed into their own memory-banks — I reminded him to roar at each door . . . and her little girl voice belted out: “In olden days a bit of stocking was looked on as something shocking…now, heaven knows —anything goes!”
This Halloween season, I hope you share your own recollections with friends and family, and keep building on those “Misty, water-colored memories.”
I’d also love to read them in the comments section of this post, if you’re so inclined, Dear Readers!
My book, “Bosses and Blackjacks: A Tale of the ‘Bloody Fifth’ in Philadelphia” takes place at the beginning of the last century, and includes references to and the whistling of, tunes from that era.
Would you like to spend a little time in the misty nostalgia of the early nineteen hundreds?—No problem! I’ve created a playlist for you of the following songs mentioned in the book:
1. Meet Me In St. Louis — 1904, Singer: Billy Murray
2. School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids) — 1907, Singer: Bryan G. Harlan (Recorded in Philadelphia.)
3. I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside — 1909, Singer, Mark Sheridan
4. Give My Regards to Broadway — 1905, Singer, George M. Cohan
5. Rigoletto — 1908, Singer: Enrico Caruso
6. Hark The Herald Angels Sing — Sung by Children’s Choir
7. Let Me Call You Sweetheart — 1910-1911, Sung by: The Peerless Quartet
8. I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now — 1909, Singer: Manuel Romain
9. It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary — 1914, Singer: John McCormick
10. Danny Boy — 1913, Singer, 1917 Ernestine Schumann-Heink
11. For Me and My Gal — 1917, Singer: M.J. O’Connell
12. The Star-Spangled Banner — 1814, Written by Francis Scott Key (GVES News Broadcast)
13. Jingle Bells —1857, Singer: Tom Roush
14. I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles —1919, Sung by: Irving Barr and Albert Campbell
15. Over There — 1917, First recorded by: Nora Bayes, Pictured on the sheet music.
16. K-K-K-Katy —1917, Singer: Billy Murray in 1918
17. Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here — 1917, Sung by Shannon Quartet Feel free to sing or whistle along! And then, return here and tell us in COMMENTS —Which tune is your favorite?
Stern Words 