Locomotive to the Past by George Schultz (iphone ebook reader .TXT) 📕

chorus—and one of the many “faceless” prostitutes, in the charming cast. Loved taking part, in the opening number—after the intermission—wherein all of the “sidewalk stewardesses” sang the humorous Ladies Of The Evening In The Morning. Part of the “deathless” lyric “asked the musical question”: “Where the hell’s our glamour?”!

The star-struck young woman was able to learn her part—and movements—well enough, to appear, in the company’s final Detroit performance, at The Cass Theater!

From there, the troupe traveled on—to engage in over 250 performances, in two years! Playing every major city—and more than a few “minor” ones—in the country. Eventually, she’d worked her way up to where she’d assumed the important role—of “The Madame”! The part gave her a swinging, up-tempo, solo number—called Diogenes! (She was looking for “an honest man”.) Jason had long-since found an old recording-studio-cast copy of the show—on 45s.

June 12, 1964: Mary Rose married Cletus Martin—whose parents had lived, for years, “across the street… and down two houses”, from Susan and Eric. He was a seller of phonograph records—at The Boyer’s Haunted Shack appliance store, on Oakman, close by Grand River. Mere blocks from the “sanctified” apartment, on Ohio Street. Jason had threatened to hold the reception—at The Donut Hut. (In truth, he was able to do better—a lot better—than that.)

November 3, 1964: LBJ—as expected—defeated Barry Goldwater, and was reelected president. This came three days after Vilia advised her parents—that she was thinking seriously, of applying, for novitiate status—with The Dominican Order Of Nuns, in Monroe, Michigan!

August 16, 1966: Mary Rose gave birth, to her first child—Mark Martin. “He is destined to be the greatest scholar… and have the most brilliant mind, known to man” (quoth the kid’s maternal grandfather).

April 23, 1967: Silver Anniversary—for Jason and Valerie. They flew to Las Vegas! First time—for both. Neither, of the happy couple, were “in” to gambling—although they did give the nickel slots a, slightly-more-than-passing-interest, “go”. (“I figure we came out of there… a good three-and-a-half bucks ahead,” mused the male half.)

In sixties-Vegas, one could—very judiciously—eat for “next to nothing”. As a result, the “judicious” couple wound up spending little, on food. They got to see the very-talented Vic Damone—in one of the big hotel’s lounge. The cost? A two-drink minimum! Drinks were $1.25 each. The same held true, for the wonderful show put on, by Louie Prima (post-Keeley Smith), at another hotel’s lounge.

Patti Page was a little more expensive—at one of the downtown casinos. Her remarkable performance cost all of five dollars—and the price did not include any of “those buck-and-a-quarter drinks”. (Quoth Guess Who.)

The celebrants also took in the magnificence of the Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme performance—at $7.50 a head. And the drinks were a little more expensive.

The most expensive show in town—“The Biggie”—was that, starring Wayne Newton. It was a dinner-theater performance. And it cost $35.00 each. But, “he was great”! And so was the lavish filet mignon!

September 7, 1967: Cynthia returned to Detroit—starring, this time, as “Sgt. Sarah”, in the company’s production, of Guys & Dolls. It was her first visit, to Detroit, in almost 18 months. She’d not been able to come home—“even once”! In 1965—when the entire cast had been given a two-week sabbatical, while the company prepared to perform the, highly-entertaining, Frank Loesser musical—the “budding star” had (“finally”) made it home!

Fortunately, she’d been an inveterate letter-writer. Also fortunately, Valerie’s and/or Jason’s, ever-so-frequent, letters usually managed to catch up with her—sooner or later.

November 5, 1968: Richard Nixon defeated Hubert Humphries—to win “The Presidencity”.

July 20, 1969: Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

August 19, 1969: The day/evening—of “The Sharon Tate Murders”. Everyone in the Rutkowski household was upset—upon hearing the news. Jason tried to be as upset, as his wife. But, he knew that the LoBianco murders—equally as hideous—would occur, the following day. That fact threw a “sort of wet blanket, over things”. But, he did his best to be as outraged—as everybody else.

Deep within him, though, was the amazement, that he could—possibly—have considered such “obscene” thoughts! Any sort of image, that his beautiful, loving, caring, unselfish, wife could have been, somehow, related to someone—like Patricia Krenwinkle—who was thought to have stabbed coffee heiress, Abigail Folger! Purported to have gored her—multiple times! His spouse was not able to attribute all of those loving gazes—he’d directed, at her. But, she was grateful, for them.

December 1, 1969: Mary Rose gives birth to her first daughter. She surprised both, of her parents—as well as her husband—by naming the little girl Amy. She’d, ultimately, advised her father—at the Christening—that she’d been “exceptionally moved”! Moved—by Jason’s repeating (more often than he’d remembered) the story of his grandfather being so taken, with the name. Well, that—and the fact that she’d listened to Jason’s full-performance recording of The Most Happy Fella. Many times! And had always loved it.

April 11, 1970: Apollo 13 launches! “Houston, we’ve got a problem!” The craft—thankfully—returns to Earth, on April 17, 1970! The nation breathes a monumental sigh of relief!

August 9, 1974: Richard Nixon resigns—to be replaced by Gerald Ford. The latter was, almost-incredibly, the first unelected president—having replaced Spiro Agnew, who’d resigned as vice president, on October 10, 1973.

October 15, 1975: Cynthia returns to Detroit—starring, in the role of “Fiona”, in her company’s wonderful production, of Lerner & Lowe’s classic Brigadoon. “It was better than the one we saw, on Broadway,” expounded her proud father.

Her mother enjoyed the show—but, was becoming worried that her still-star-struck daughter’s “biological clock” was running out! (“And… no grandchildren!”)

September 12, 1976: “Sister Jason Eric” (once known as Vilia Rutkowski) organizes an all-nun choir. in Chicago. She has, also, “finagled” a recording contract, with a burgeoning record label—and has secured a weekly half-hour show, on one of the lesser-watched TV stations, in “Chicagoland”!

The group—“The Singing Nuns”, succeeded in reviving fond memories of “Soeur Sourire”, the original “Singing Nun”—and her 1963, very-successful, recording, of Dominique. This, Chicago-based, group delved—from