Cancer Journal #64 Jan 1

 I have more about Carol--some things I really don't want left untold  but still, stray bits of information.

Carol repeated herself a lot.  I was fine with that.  For myself, I know it's hard to remember who you said what to.  If you have something interesting, you don't want to tell it just once on the chance that the one you told it to before is the same one you are telling it to now.  I look at it as a ritual.  Its repetition is part of the deal, not something to get annoyed by.  Anyway, Carol told me five-six times that when barbershop quartettes get together after an event for an informal sing together, it's called an "afterglow."  They could go into the early morning hours.  These people really liked to sing.

Carol could recite long portions of a lengthy poem she had memorized in high school.  She did it the first time within the first three minutes of my meeting her and again some more times after that.  Although I am tolerant of repeated stories, I got a little tired of that poem.  Not too good of me because she took evident pleasure in her display of the feat of memory.  

Carol met Frank Sinatra once.  She told him she really liked a particular song he had recently sung.  He said the song was terrible, the worst he had ever sung.  Carol, to her credit, thought that story was funny.

As I said, I had checked into The Chordettes before going to Sheboygan.  There were glamour pictures of them that appeared to be bosom enhancing.  I made a sly comment regarding that.  Carol was totally matter-of fact in allowing that that certainly could have been.  So much for me being sly.  

Archie Bleyer appears in Mr. Sandman.  There is a "Yes?" As though they are speaking to him and he is giving them his attention.  It's Archie that says, "Yes?"

The Chordettes performed at the White House during the Eisenhower Administration.  The President told them that he liked Mr. Sandman except for the line, "And lots of wavy hair like Liberace" and he rubbed his own bald head as he said this.  I like that he could be self-deprecating all in an effort to make them feel comfortable.

The Chordettes traveled overseas, taking an ocean liner to Europe and taking their act throughout the continent, including a concert for the Queen of the Netherlands-or maybe it was Sweden-some royalty anyway.  Pretty big stuff for some girls from Sheboygan.

I mentioned before that Carol and her husband lived next door to the actor, James Garner.  Someone asked her what she called him.  She thought for a bit and then said, "I think I called him 'Honey'."  I'm betting James Garner was just fine with being called 'Honey' by Carol.

I mentioned that Arthur Godfrey fired people from his show, including Archie Bleyer and The Chordettes, for reasons that didn't appear to be related to job performance.  It would have been natural for Carol to have had hard feelings about this.  I sounded her out, giving her plenty of opportunity to express hard feelings.  She didn't.  She was adamant in her loyalty, having only gratitude for the career break he had given The Chordettes.  My feeling is that Arthur Godfrey did not deserve that loyalty.

I have some more on the coat.  I'll save it for next time.