The Times

THE TIMES

the local community newspaper for all South Dade. John T. Watters, President & Publisher William von Maurer, Editor Robert M. Slane, Advertising Manager Subscription: $3.00 year by mail anywhere

The Star System

There was an era, not long past, when the movies belonged to adults. It was a period when Hollywood promoted glamour and a glorious world of make believe by means of a nebulous something called the "star system." One of the brightest stars in the system was Clark Gable, whose death last week made world headlines. What Mr. Gable must have thought about the last 10 years in Hollywood is something we will never know now. We can only speculate about his feelings toward the boy-and-girl-next-door type of publicity, manufactured in public relations offices, under which the Tuesday Welds, Sandra Dees and Tab Hunters masquerade as "stars." When Gables was on his ascent to the throne as King of the Movies, his stable of female leads included such names as Joan Crawford, Claudette Colbert and Jean Harlow. These leading ladies had all the disnity and mystery that title commands. They weren't the sulky teenagers in tight sweaters whose faces on mammoth screens confront us today. The female stars who made love to the Great Gable treated sex and love as a mystery that could only be understood by men and women who were sophisticated. What must Mr. Gable have thought of the silly young actresses of today who treat sex as if it were something they just discovered behind the barn with the boy from the next farm? Gable, Crawford, Colbert, Loy and Power were all great names, even though they were never great actors. But they lived and created a world for adults into which adults could escape. Never, never, did they try to give the impression that they were just like that sweet Mrs. Jones in the PTA, so careful with her budget and so at home in the kitchen. We happen to have a great nostalgia for the star system. It was a method of creating an exclusive club of actors who lived in a world of excitement and glamour which the public could relish, even if it could never know it. Today the average "star" is a person we never heard of, whose life, we are assured, is just as wholesome as our daughter's closest chum and whose pictures are all aimed directly at the attendance from the senior class. It is probably old fashioned and romantic to say so, but give us the movie stars of Gable's heyday. We don't want our celebrities to be like the family next door. Much as we like them, we like to get away from them once in a while. We used to be able to do that when Gable was King. With him has passed an era and the world of adult moviegoers is saddened.

The Forgotten Fan

South Miami Roundup By EDWIN KNIGHT

KNIGHT THANKSGIVING?—One of the happiest and most restful of holidays for most of us. It is a grand respite before the onslaught of Christmas and a day of earnest togetherness in South Florida's most pleasant weather of the year. OF ALL THE HOLIDAYS, Thanksgiving has come to be my favorite. Unlike many other holidays, there are no cards to be sent out, no gifts to be exchanged in bored obligation and little candy to make the kiddies sick. THERE ARE NO youngsters to yell "trick or treat" at your front door on Thanksgiving night, no parades we mu detour for on our already crowded streets and few morning-after hangovers we must endure after ushering in the New Year. THERE IS NO swatting of mosquitoes while we devolp stiff necks watching fireworks go off, no bumping and shoving in crowded department stores to get the last available item for Christmas and no histories of famous American presidents we must read year after year. THANKSGIVING BEGAN in this country as a day [TEXT LOST] rest and thanks after reaping the bountiful harvest. A good crop meant a bigger Thanksgiving to be shared with our friends and relatives. But like all holidays, the meaning, down through the years has changed somewhat. FOR THOSE TRULY thankful for the many blessings we annually receive just by residing in this country, church services are a must. Too often church services and the true spirit of Thanksgiving are put aside for the turkey stuffing and mince meat pie. FOR OTHERS, THANKSGIVING means a four-day weekend, with Dad lounging on the sofa and the college set come for the weekend. Thanksgiving wouldn't be the holiday it is without a football game nearby. A hunting trip is an annual ritual with some father-son combinations, with the daughter setting the table for mother. The size of the turkey is always a conversation piece before and after Thanksgiving, as if any turkey is entirely eaten at any Thanksgiving dinner THE BEST LINEN and tableware are brought out at Thanksgiving, together with the best manners and heads bowed in prayer. The little ones may sit at a table apart from the big ones while they munch on turkey legs. Later there is pie, nuts and conversation. And throughout the day, there is rest—and Thanksgiving. * * * * BABIES—they're all cute, pretty and tiny, a group of baby contest judges found out in South Miami last weekend. The judges also found out that all parents are proud and judging a baby contest is not as easy as judging a beauty contest. There have been 362 babies born in South Miami Hospital since the medical center opened this spring. There also was a country fair held in South Miami last weekend to raise funds for South Miami Hospital. SO SOUTH MIAMI HOSPITAL Auxiliary, sponsors of the fair, decided it would be fitting to have a contest for all babies born at the hospital. They sent out invitations to parents of these 362 babies, expecting a handful of parents to enter their newborns. Well, sir, the response was tremendous. A total of 100 babies showed up for the judging, each being held by a proud—but wet—parent. AFTER STRUGGLING to come through with a plan to judge the babies, the judges threw up their hands. It was just too much. So instead of judging the contest, the judges decided to give each baby a number, mix the numbers in a barrel and draw one number—the winner— from the barrel. It worked, too. And the judges didn't have any irate parents on their backs. THE CONTEST WINNER and one of the cutest and prettiest babies at the contest was Matilda Ann Reed, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Burch Reed, 3110 SW 106th Ave. Little Matilda Ann received a $100 South Miami Hospital bond, while the remaining contest entrants received $2 on account at Bank of South Miami. MORE ON BABIES—Paul S. Indianer, 9925 Pan American Drive, Cutler Ridge, phoned us Tuesday to report that he is the proud papa of a day-old lad who was born at Jack Memorial Hospital. "I know this isn't news in itself," he said, "but we have named the baby Gary." Gary Indianer, now that's a cute name for a growing boy. As if life's frustrations aren't enough, this lad might grow up thinking he's a prominent midwestern city. Not one to shy away from publicity, Indianer is the prudential agent who arranged for the newlywed couple to spend their honeymoon in a bomb-shelter. Togetherness is so sweet. STARS IN MY CROWN, a full length movie starring Joel McCrea, will be shown at 7:15 p.m. Saturday and Sun Nov. 26 and 27 at Palmetto Presbyterian Church, 6790 S 56th St. Refreshments will be served by the church's young people. The public is invited.

Remember The Times

25 Years Ago Coral Gables bought its first buses. City Manager Gene Williams closed the deal bringing five vehicles to the city . . . The Coral Gables Realty Board gave a verbal pat on the back to city officials who were laying out ways and means to settle the Gables' bonded indebtedness . . . The Riviera TIMES was judged Florida's best weekly newspaper in a city with more than 2500 persons. 10 Years Ago A 7 per cent pay hike for city employes was a likelihood as the Gables' City Commission sat down to figure out what action to take after city personnel asked for the financial boost . . . A man named Angell willed $5000 to the Coral Gables Public Library . . . South Miami City Council, angered by a court injunction that stopped the Council from paying $750 to Councilman-lawyer Julian Caballo for his court victories on behalf of the city, planned retaliatory strategy . . . The Rev. Dr. William J. Weinheimer took over the post of assistant pastor at the Church of the Little Flower . . . Gables' City Commissioners unanimously OK'd beautification of center parkways on Miracle Mile if property owners were willing to dig deep into their pockets for the funds.

Letters To The Editor Hits The PGA

Editor, The Times, On the front page of last week's TIMES you have an article concerning the PGA tournament. I can't help but point out the inadvertant chuckle that it provided us. I quote: Coral Gables was selected for the event when Havana, Cuba, proved politically unstable following the Castro revolution. unquote. We wonder if Castro started the revolution because the tournament was unsuccessful? I believe there is truth in the matter, because right here at home last year's tournament was unsuccessful and this year it seems to follow the same pattern of ill-advice and poor administration. Maybe Coral Gables will become politically unstable after this event propitiously called the John M. Montgomery PGA Open Golf Tournament. J. M. Tersigni "A winter resident who is beginning to wonder if it is politically wise to be absent the other six months."

For Veterans

Editor, The Times; We wish to extend our thanks for the generous contributitons given by citizens, business people and shoppers of Coral Gables on Nov. 7. These contributions will enable us to continue our work at Veterans Hospital and in related activities. We are especially proud of this, our community, where the motto "Lest We Forget" is lived as well as spoken. Ainslee R. Ferdie, Commander Rita Morris, President Murray Solomon Post 243 and Auxiliary, Jewish War Veterans of the USA

PROFILE of the week

"I would rather be a lamp post in Coral Gables than president of the United States," claims Ralph A. Stephens, 14-year resident of Coral Gables. Stephens has recently become associated with an old friend, Jacques Melloul, owner of the Coral Gables Travel Center, 359 Miracle Mile, in the field of sales promotion and public relations. Stephens is known around Miami for his work in the hotel and restaurant fields, having once owned his own food brokerage here. He was with Libby McNeill and Libby sales promotion in Miami in 1925. Promotion of a "Better Foods Week" for the Miami Herald and organizing the Herald Lend-a-Hand Chistmas dinners for the poor were some of his promotion activities. Working on the lend-a-hand program was a privilege "I treasure more than any thing I have ever done in my life," said Stephens. He is past executive vice president of the Miami Restaurant Association where he helped such area restaurants as the Garden, Mannings, Candlelight Inn, Colony (now the Pub) and Ramon's. Promotion of Yeager's Roof and the University Club atop the Professional Building led to an association with Theo Yeager. Stephens and Yeager took charge of the Coral Gables Country Club dining room and kitchen concessions in 1940-41. * * "More recently," said Stephens, "I have been with the Biscayne Terrace, Plaza and Alcazar hotels in sales promotion and direction of convention banquets." But from now on, its travel and tourist information for Stephens. He lives with his wife, Olga, at 1006 Genoa in Coral Gables. Stephens Bn. Elkhert, Ind. in 1895 W. Mrs. Olga Stephens Ch. Louis and two grandchildren, Delores and William Bus. Sales Promotion and Public Relations for Coral Gables Travel Center Ed. Graduated from Elkhart High School