H
"We are a happy
people - the
statistics prove it. We have more cars, more bathtubs, oil furnaces, silk
stockings, bank accounts, than any other people on earth." declared the
first President ever to have a phone on his desk, Herbert Hoover
in 1929 - no doubt before the stock market crash that led to
the Great Depression. It seems We; the people were too exuberant, over-confident
as bank loans and interest rates sharply rose under the scrutiny of a cynical
press.
The years
leading up to the depression were anything but depressing for most and alarming
to many. Women gained the right to vote,
and Flappers emerged to join in the enthusiastic embrace of a cultural
migration that introduced the Jazz Age, the Harlem
Renaissance and an attempt by the government to curb the enthusiasm with
the ratification of the 18th Amendment (repealed by the 21st
Amendment) which spawned the rise of the Mafia and caused people to hoard alcohol in their
homes. Undaunted, First
Lady Florence Harding served alcohol for her
husband’s poker games in the Whitehouse - during prohibition!
After more
than two decades, Buddy Holly’s signature horned-rimmed
glasses, missing from the scene of his fatal accident in 1959, were finally
returned to his widow in 1980. The iconic musician’s glasses, along with the
Big Bopper’s watch, were found in a sealed manila envelope by a Sherrif who
believed the items had likely been buried in snow until they were found, filed
away and forgotten. Meanwhile, Buddy’s
wife, Maria Elena, having heard the tragic news of his death in a television
newscast the night of the plane crash, reportedly suffered a miscarriage. While
some questioned the truth of that report, authorities nonetheless implemented a
policy against announcing names of victims until families are notified. I like
that policy.
“We are a
happy people,”
Hi, diedre!
ReplyDeleteHappy "H" Day to you, dear friend! Your mention of happy people reminds me of one of the best recordings to come out of the disco years, "That's Where The Happy People Go," a crossover hit in 1976 for the Philadelphia group The Trammps, previously known as The Volcanos.
Your mention of The Jazz Age reminds me of the later episodes of Downton Abbey which make reference to the 1920s movement. As the show's historical advisor Alastair Bruce explained in a Forbes interview, the characters "wanted to be free of the moral and religious constraints that prevented people from celebrating their youth." (Sounds like my Shady Dell.) Bruce went on to say: "They were greatly influenced by jazz music and the culture of the American South. This was a very potent thing in the United Kingdom." "Jazz," he stated, gives Lady Rose "a new way of living within the old constraints. It’s a seed from which the oak tree of independence grows, particularly for women."
Buddy Holly's death on The Day the Music Died was an incalculable loss to music. Think of all the contributions he could have made in the years that followed had he elected not to board the ill-fated plane in bad weather.
I hope you are well and in good spirits, dear friend diedre. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Hi Shady!
DeleteCan you tell I'm tickled by the statement "We are a happy people" ?
I've never watched Downtown Abbey, but have not heard any bad reviews. Mr. Bruce explained it in a nutshell ;-)
The untimely deaths of everyone on that plane gives pause, and cause to forever wonder why. And, what if.
I'm doing well, my friend and I hope you are too. I so enjoy your visits ;-)