It was getting onto lunchtime when Helen and Phoebe left the salon. When they were out on the street, Helen told Phoebe that Elaine was saying when she and her husband are in church tomorrow, when you come on, she is going to tell him that you did that girl’s hair yesterday.
Helen jokingly said to Phoebe, “Before you leave here, you are going to be a celebrity. Will we go over to the Horizon and have lunch?”
Phoebe said, “Let me pay for it this time. It’s costing you a lot of money pay for all this food.”
“Never mind, Phoebe, it’s so nice for me to have you as my favorite guest. In fact I’m so proud to have you, honey. I would give a lot if I could have you for my own.”
Phoebe was taking in all this city life, watching the crowds getting on and off the streetcars, some were wearing very serious faces, not many laughing it up. Helen met the odd person on the way home that she knew. A Mrs. Palm Carson stopped to chat a few minutes.
“I suppose that you will be out tomorrow evening, Helen, to hear our moderator’s service.”
“Well, Palm, meet Miss Phoebe Croiner, our soloist for tomorrow’s service.”
“Miss Croiner, I feel honored to meet you.”
“She is a member of the choir down east where my nephew and niece live. Mr. Gilson heard her sing and gave her an invitation.”
“Well, Helen, if Mr. Gilson invited her she has to be good.”
Phoebe was shy and reserved. Palm soon observed that she was a country girl.
That evening, they listened to the Bob Hope show, then the Jack Benny show. They’ve finished the night after they had heard Fibber McGee and Molly. Phoebe told aunt Helen said she was going to have a bath in her beautiful bathroom before she went to bed.
Radio drama and variety shows were a great source of entertainment and needed cheer in the 1930s. Families made sure to gather eagerly beside their radios when these shows came on.
Jack Benny pioneered a format where he played a vain, stingy miser perpetually stuck at age 39, becoming the butt of jokes for a sharp-tongued regular supporting cast.
Bob Hope hosted a variety show featuring jokes, rapid-fire banter, famous guests and musical numbers.
Fibber McGee and Molly featured the misadventures of a working-class couple: habitual storyteller Fibber McGee and his sometimes terse but always loving wife Molly, living among their numerous neighbors and acquaintances in the community of Wistful Vista.
The Amos ‘n’ Andy fifteen comedy minute show was massively popular. In the US alone, forty million people listened at the height of the Great Depression and much of Canada tuned in too. The show followed the lives of two characters who were African American, something about which Bill, and likely many Canadians, had no clue.
These vintage radio shows can be found on the internet and are as entertaining as ever.
“You know where all the accessories are Phoebe.”
“Yes.”
Helen and Phoebe were sipping a spot of Postum, just chatting before they hit the hay as Phoebe called it.
“It’s you’re big day tomorrow, Phoebe.”
“Yes, I know it is. You know, Auntie, I was thinking, in the morning service that I would give it nine-five percent of my capacity. Now, Auntie, don’t get me wrong. I am in control and I can assure you that all will be okay. It will be the sing song of my whole life in the evening service. Imagine, Auntie, before the moderator and the whole church board etc., etc.”
“Phoebe, you make me shiver but I will have to go along with you.”
“Listen, auntie, in that big barn of a church with its marvelous acoustics every word is distinct. You just wait and see.”
Helen had never seen Phoebe so confident or display such vigour and determination. Helen, during her bedtime hours she thought that she was walking on thin ice more than once.However in the morning, when Nancy, Dell also Phoebe’s parents were present she had to keep my cool. Helen has served them all coffee.
On a Sunday morning, Aunt Helen and Phoebe we’re full of anticipation. About ten thirty, surprise, surprise, Nancy and Del,l with dad and mum, in tow pulled into Aunt Helen’s driveway. Phoebe was all dressed up. She ran outside and gave mom a big hug.
Mum said to Phoebe, “This is a lot different than Dunadry. Not even a garden patch or stick of wood to be seen anywhere or not even a clothes line.”
It’s was now getting on to ten thirty. Mr. Gilson pulled up to take Phoebe to church.
“Oh, this is my father and mother, Mr. Gilson.”
Dad took hold of Mr. Gilson’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”
Maw took hold of his hand, also pleased to meet him. Phoebe was in no way embarrassed. Then, about ten fifteen, in comes Mr. Gilson to pick up Phoebe. Helen was on pins and needles.
Helen said, “Phoebe, shouldn’t you tell Mr. Gilson what you told me?”
“You tell him, Aunt Helen.”
Helen said,” Phoebe, correct me if I’m wrong.”
Helen described to Mr. Gilson exactly what Phoebe told her.
“Well, Phoebe, do it your way. I’m sure you know what this is all about.”
Phoebe said, “Mr. Gilson, I do understand and if I can have your approval I swear that I will not let you down.”
Bertha, Phoebe’s mom, a woman of few words joined into the conversation, her hair combed with a bun in the back, held together with the curved hair comb. She looked at Mr. Gilson right in the eye. “If that girl tells you that she can do it you can bet your bottom dollar that she will do it. Never in her lifetime did she ever bite off more than she could chew. Isn’t that right, Dan?”
“Sure is,” father Dan said. “We’re admiring her fancy hair do. I told Phoebe. that was the kind of hair do mom had just before we got married.”
“Don’t you start bragging, Dan. You know darn well when I was a girl of her age there was no such hairdos as they have today.”
Mr. Gilson looked at his watch and said, “Phoebe, we better be off. It takes a while to get things organized. You know what the two hymns are for the morning service. ‘Before the Sun in Order Stood’ and ‘Amazing Grace’.”
As Mr. Gilson and Phoebe were about to leave, he said, “Well, I’m pleased to have met all you folk. And Mr. And Mrs. Croiner, I have every confidence in the world in your daughter.”
Dell said to Helen, “Isn’t that quite a switch. Isn’t that something Nancy said to Dan and to Bertha. They are going to record in this service for a future radio program. We will have our ears in glued to the radio for that program. Won’t that be a treat to hear our Phoebe on the radio.”
Nancy said, “I can hardly wait.”
Dell said to Dan and Bertha, “This service will be a lot different from what we have in Dunadry. Don’t be surprised, Dan, if you see the cameraman taking pictures of the moderator in the pulpit and the choir while they are singing. Also you will notice the wires and microphones allover the place taking in the sound of the service. We heard Mr. Gilson tell us that it could be up to half an hour before Phoebe will be free to leave. No doubt the moderator will want to have a word with her. Dave will be at least taking her picture for our own official church magazine. She will be interviewed by the Toronto Telegram, also our church magazine. Those are the ones I am sure of. There could be more, who knows. Some of these reporters are very cunning. If they put a question to her that I do not approve of, I shall tell Phoebe not to answer that question.”
Helen, Dell and Nancy and the Croiners set out for the churches service. Unknown to the Croiners, Dell and Nancy had it planned so that the Croiners would be seated between them. When they arrived at the church there’re quite a lot of parishioners already seated. Helen showed seats in the third row from the rear. In about ten minutes the church was full. The choir was already seated. Phoebe could be plainly seen in the front row in her crimson gown. You could se that she was skillfully surveying the congregation most likely trying to see her mum and dad.
The moderator came out in his purple and crimson regalia.
“Let us pray.” Head bowed. The moderator said. “I’m here today, our heavenly father, to give you our heart full thanks for the dedication and generosity and their tenacity and the commitment to the house of worship. Through adversity and obstacles and many years of faithful labor, you have answered their prayers. They have freed your house of worship of its burden of debt. We are here at this Sabbath to give you our heart full thanks. Now let’s us read from John 3:16, ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…’”
The moderator went on for about fifteen minutes, quoting and quoting. Then he paused to pick up a paper.
He said, “These are some announcements that Rev. Clarendon gave me. The women’s auxiliary will meet this coming Tuesday to make plans for next Saturday’s celebration of the burning of our mortgage. Our oldest member of the congregation, Mrs. Isabel Campbell, in her ninety-third year, will have the honor of putting a match to the mortgage. In their younger years, her and her late husband, Mr. Abram Campbell, gave freely of their time and wealth to this church. I’m sure that Mrs. Campbell will have a great feeling of satisfaction of seeing this dream come true. On Wednesday evening, the choir practice will be held as usual. Now, thanks to the courtesy of our sister church in the village of Dunadry, we have a guest soloist, Miss Phoebe Croiner for this service and also the evening service. God bless her. Now we will have hymn number 465, ‘Before the Sun in Order Stood and earth Received her Crown’.”
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