When I was younger, say five or six, I had a crush on Vera-Ellen. My one hope was that she’d wait for me to grow up so that I we could get married.
It is funny now to think back to those years. Oh the things that we thought could happen; would happen. At six you really don’t have a concept of time. It stands still. What you see before you will stay that way until you’re ready for it to move on. At least that was how I thought things should work.
Those years were innocent years. We were just beginning to step up in the world with school. We were forming new friendships; learning new things. But there was still time to play. There was still wonder. There was still innocence.
I remember riding my bike one day and the rain began to come down. It wasn’t a rain where the sky just opened up and it fell all around you. This rain fell like a curtain being drawn. We, my friends and I, were racing down N 31st Street in Paducah and we could see this curtain of rain coming towards us. Our little six year old legs were no match and the rain caught up to us. We were wet, but oh the excitement. We raced with the rain.
My friend Mike live just down the street. He had a really nice collection of Legos. His backyard backed up to a railroad berm. Late afternoons, when the freight trains would go by, we would run to the back of his yard. We’d go to the place where we could stand in the shadows cast by the passing boxcars, tank cars and hoppers. Then we would jump the light between the cars. You could stand in the shadow but you jumped in the light. You didn’t want to look and see a flatcar. Flatcars meant trouble.
Trains had cabooses in those days. Sometimes there would be a crew member setting at the window and he’d wave. We would wave back. In fact, we waved just for the sake of waving for you never knew if crew member would be watching. You know, maybe that’s why trains don’t have cabooses or crew members anymore; kids got too busy and stopped waving. Sad.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in my sixth year. We didn’t really comprehend all that happened during that November. We only knew that someone very important was shot and that he died. In time we’d learn more. But I do remember two songs from the funeral procession. One was the Funeral March and the other was Fairest Lord Jesus.
“Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.”
This song is a favorite of mine to this day.
But, what of Vera-Ellen?
It was around this time of my life that I first saw the film, White Christmas. Most of us know the song and the story. Vera-Ellen was one half of the musical act, The Haynes Sisters. She played Judy and Rosemary Clooney played the older sister Betty. We first meet them as they sing a duet, but really, Betty was the singer of the two. Judy, well, Judy was the dancer. And how she could dance. I once read where Fred Astaire said she was the best all around dancer that he ever worked with.
I fell in love during White Christmas. I wanted time to stand still so that when I grew up Vera-Ellen would be there, still looking like she did in 1954. Obviously that didn’t happen. But I made it a point to visit with her whenever I had the chance. Whenever Christmas time came I’d look to see when White Christmas would air and then I would watch it. When video tape came out I purchased a copy of the film. Each Christmas Eve, after the children were in bed, I’d put the movie in the player and open a bottle of red wine. I’d set on the floor, putting toys together from Santa, visiting with Vera-Ellen, having a glass of wine and singing along.
I still do. I don’t put toys together anymore and these days I am more apt to have a glass of iced tea instead of wine. But, every Christmas Eve, after the family has gone home, my wife and I put on White Christmas. When the four of them are in the club car we’ll look at each other and sing-along, “Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow! It won’t be long before we’ll all be there with snow.”
Something about watching it makes me feel young again. The troubles of the world drift away and I live in a simpler time. I also think about how just once I wish I could have traded places with Danny Kaye. I’d excuse myself from Bing and Rosemary, stand up and walk across a room and through an open door. I’d take her by the hand, singing “The Best Things Happen When You’re Dancing.” Then at last I would dance with Vera-Ellen.
"Even guys with two left feet
Come out all right if the girl is sweet
If by chance their cheeks should meet
While dancing
Proving that the best things happen while you dance."
Very nice indeed!
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