Thursday, August 28, 2008

Free of charge

One fun thing to do in NY was walk down Second Ave and hit every Second Hand Store. (long before Barbra Streisand did it) We usually decided first what accent we would use. Doris was so fabulous doing accents that when we had picked a Swedish one, people believed her and thought I as a fraud. Neither one of us had any money but we managed to buy some little trinkets once in a while.

Another free thing was attending radio broadcasts. NBC had their broadcasting studios on Fifth Ave across from where I used to go to church. (I was a Lutheran but found the sevices in the Cathedral such uplifting theater) So we would go to ask for tickets to any broadcast programmed for that evening. If there was a new page 'boy' who didn't know us we were told to write to the program and our tickets would arrive in a few weeks. So we would go back the following evening and there we were greeted with open arms and we would be led in to Eddie Cantors or the Monday night symphony with Albert Wallenstein and his orchestra.We saw Fraank Sinatra before he was famous and we saw Dinah Shore. (Are you sick of all this n d yet. I can promise you more and bigger later, like Kings and Presidents)

I know you want to hear more about M. He had told me about his homestate and lo, and behold, one morning when I arrived at the hospital, there was a huge sign on the bulletin board. Big Polio Epidemic in guess where. They were in critical need of nurses and physical therapists. I was of course, madly in love, and I felt the sign was meant especially for me. I went immidiately to ask Dr Hansson what he thought I should do. He said that he had heard that I had just begun modelling on my free time, and did I want to give it up so soon. I said that being in charge of eighteen patients and their treatments would be a greater point in my career than working in front of cameras. He said: if you really want to go, you have my blessings.

Within a week I was on a train heading South.

8 comments:

Georgia Hardstark said...

Love the name dropping, don't stop! And I would give anything to browse those second hand shops. If given the choice (and time machines exsisted), I'd pick that over seeing Frank Sinatra in a heartbeat. Priorities, I guess

Marlene said...

OH ! thrift shopping my weakness love it...always puts a smile to my face when I finD a treasure!

So off you went following your love down south!!can't wait to find out if you saw him??? Marlene from Cambria

Anonymous said...

Dear Grandma Svensto,
Please don't make us wait so long for posts. They brighten each day for me! :D

Melissa said...

How exciting! Each story is as wonderful as the last. :)

hello haha narf said...

are you kidding me? you left new york for the south even though he wasn't there? ugggggggggggggggh!

well, i am sure it was meant to be. and that you made the right choice for you. it is terribly exciting, really.

looking forward to more name dropping. i find it great fun!

becky

Jamie Welsh Watson said...

We are not sick of the n.d.! You were SO brave and so full of adventure. Nearly every post reveals this. Have a wonderful weekend, looking forward to your next post...

scargosun said...

Whew! Finally caught up. When I read your posts it's like reading a wonderful book. I whiz right through them. :)

Anonymous said...

Were the radio shows really as fun as they look in the movies? Wow, how lucky you were!