How the modern descendants of the troubadours, the fools, the dancers and the clowns, who find their audiences under the open skies, are faring in these ́ modern days.
Street Entertainers In This Atom
she
Age
was spotted by prosario.
on
THE
Im-
TREET entertainers Radio City Music Hall, the city's
a largest cinema, in England have
He seems to make out fairly Street fairs with roundabouts, long tradition du1-
well with coins. But I think rifle ranges and bearded ladies back ing
hundreds of more are thrown to him out of still spring up every feto day, their numbers pity for his dog than in appre- and every self-respecting village years, but
has its own amateur band meant have been steadily declining ciniion of his music.
One never secs a barrel organ for the entertainment of the the turn of the since
In New York, not even in the locala on holiday occasions.- contury.
suburbs. It is a city, la fact, Stephen Coulter that frowns on spontaneous out- The barrel organ grinder, bursts of singing and merri- A bunch of enrol singers once a commonplace, is now ment.
risk tline would a rarity, and most of the Christmas
picked up as suspicious few street singers now left
characters!-John Sampson. are no more than tramps or down-and-outs, who scarcely
being
CENEVA
make a pretence of singing IN Switzerland, where stablity
anyway.
and
COPENHAGEN
S all seats in cinemas and A theatres are bookable by
thero telephone,
are seldom to be entertained in queues Denmark.
G
Except for strictly private performances, all music requires entertain- licence os public ment. As # result only an
organ grinder occasional gramophone player is heard the streets.
musical
or
In
CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1954.
"Well, there you are. Martha-you insisted on telling 'em what you thought of 'em."
Some
are
London Express Service
security are so highly prized, street entertaining in an Street entertainers now mostly
less popular profession CVSB cinema concentrate on amusing
and fre than in most other countries and theatre queues, quently their turns are deft and But it is recognised by Inw.
Canton
But licensed
enter- In the Republic and Their
audiences. amusing.
about Lainer-mandolinists, violinists, in spending of Geneva there are already probably
Kenerous dezen licensed street musicians, banjolais, saxophonisis, trumpet- usually
In the courtyards mood. аге
or crabound Traditional the
hat in but no nerobats, conjurers When
Artist. They * between blocks of flats. handed roun for coins-Ian pavement
Duit of work musicians, Issued a permit which costs 38. Macieod.
4d a day, or £2 108. a month. ethers merely workless, work-
Most of them
partially are
Yel others And shy thirsty.
05 disabled or just misits. There they earn more in halfpennies
would they blind man who fiddies away here than TREET entertainers in Austria is
near the third-rate beershop. are licensed. and are sub- for hours at a ume
Elcences main rallway station, taking no White. jeet to strict control. are only granted to "deserving" apparent notice of the passing citlzens, such as war invalida crowd.
VIENNA
ROME
ot a James
have also come across and other handleapped persons, a young man who singe ballads In some enses they are provided in half a dozer: languages to the TREET entertaining offers
Ho good ving in music-loving with instruments, a decrepit accompaniment of a guitar.
at turbe a pretty penny making the Italy, hurdy-gurdy for instance,
rounds of the pubs, and rarely public expense.
But Austria, as a whole, has performs in the street.-Robert
is Allen. few street entertainers. It
so much simpler just as beg
and beggarsio
small country
well
this
PARIS
A woman beggat, dressed in STREET entertainers filthy rage, who has her pitch
the Income tax authorilles
лести to
An able musician easily picka
of
-
up a pound a day (a good wage
rounds In Italy) doing the the calcts. Add 10 thin, Hmited free wine and food.
In winter the itinerant enter- south. tainers follow the sun be a dying race in France. They are rugged, rosy-checked (the wind or the wine?) happy- half-way down the local Oxford Before the war one used to sexy Sweet, is reputed to be one of bands of minstrels in the streets go-lucky crowd and police give selling the them litile trouble. One "must" Vienna's richest citizens and playing tunes and
I have for all such "entertainers" "how- un- sheet music afterwards.
be good. to
good. officially confirm this:-Ritchie only seen one in the last seven over--they have
Italians will not stand for their bears favourite songs being murdered. Men with performing
Italian street singers recently used to be great favourites but
reemy NEW YORK
have they
disappeared too. held
convention. their annual old- They reported that impromptu CITREET entertainers Arc as Occasionally me Bees the
which skit the headlines, grinder with songs organ in fashioned queues rare as theatre
and lough at the politicians Police regulations his monkey. New York.
worries
the H- (even Accordionists-and the French world tough for such make it
wonderfully--still thrive. bomb), win more colna than the pluy people.
saucy, what-the-butler- Occasionally one sees a blind So do singers. The cabaret and older,
of ditties-John fellow playing an accordion for stage star Edith Piaf was sing saw people lined
when Wren. outside (1)
the Ing in the Paris streets
McEwen.
too
years.
typeя
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Cary Grant,
DON IDDON'S
IDDON'S DIARY ⭑
Ike Promised Them Action,
But They Don't See Any
T was here in Albany, hearings.
Albany, Tuesday, of course, the McCarthy-Ariny The local newspapers, the York, when he is not running command fears Dewey in the Knickerbocker News and the the State, and he says: "The forthcoming elections in Novem- Times-Union, are holding their way to bring coffee prices down ber more than any other man. the capital of New Albany may not be con- fire, but unices Eisenhower ucts is to switch to milk." York State, that Mr sidered very important abroad soon
Albony 10 ourb McCarthy
specialises in politics. the Eisenhower, during (few strangers know that powerful provincial
This Press will
simple statement has This has always been the city's the capital of New be after him.
addod to Dewey's popularity in main interest, but during the this farm
past day or two it has been York, the Empire State), but it
area, which has I had been here only a few surplus of 185,000,000 quarts of gala town, is knowledgeable in politics and one of the soundest and most hours when п Toent corre mile. stable of American cities. spondent pulled An editorial out of his pocket and said: York "This is from the New
one
his Presidential campaign. made
of his most vigorous speeches, promit ing to "clean up the mess" in Washington.
was
be
Holding fire
I had joined the Eisen- hower Special, the campaign i train, at Albany and heard' the man who
to
TS 140,000 people look like a very small crowd compared to elected President rouse the New York City's 8,000,000, but huge audience to shouts of the purse-strings of the Metro "You tell 'em, Ike; you do polls and all the State are held it, Ike."
here, and Governor Thomas E. Dewey, out of the international Then as we paused at the news for some time, holds them whistle-stop going north to firmly. Buffalo, Eisenhower ngai pledged a great house-cleaning in Washington and the people loved it.
Eisenhower,
World Telegram, It says: *Ike should start swinging-It's about time for Ike to lose his temper and raise some hell."
I heard much the same thing at the State Offico building from minor officinis,
لم
High Noon
When I arrived I thought a festa was going on. The city has been bright with ballps and, Last week-end, the new Tulip va Qizon a wad grownod -- to reign --
uver the festival. Thero were
2
001
\EWEY at 62 is in the high pageants and processions.
of noon
his career. He Albany is not a booming com→ has been ก brilliantly suc-mercial town. Its dream of glory
Governor, cessful
running as
industrial giant has America's most important Stn'e vanished and oven the Chamber with imagination and ski. of Commerce hucksters admit Governor Dewey, understand-
that it cannot claim many firsts, ably, is saying nothing. He ran
A single call on the White except in the production of such for President twice and lost House could get Dewey a post- minor items as billiard balls and both times by narrow margins, tion as a senior Cabinet Minis-
paper towels. and I doubt whether he still has ter at any time while Eisen- who owes a lot White House
ambitions as he hower is Chief Executive.
Dewey, who has beers Governor even to get the nomination. to Albany and even more to would have to shatter precedent
of State, but instead he recom-
The city is essentially a dis- tribution centre, a great trans-
But the place has the serenity
the Tow and TMUCOUS small
He could have been Secretary portation headquarters. since 1942, has not impressed the Today, almost two years later, State capital or the hard-headed Mr Dewey at the moment is mended his friend and adviser, of old age; it is a relief after Albany
saying. "There Albanians lately (the people confining himsol! to talking John Foster Dulles. If Dulles towns of the Middle West. seems to be a bigger mess than don't Inind being called about milk. The Governor is i steps out, Dewey could step in. ever in Washington," meaning, Albanians).
skafry-farmer at Pawling, New I think the Democratic "high
$1
THE ELLIS WAY
Best dressed Hollywood Star.
To Thar Chungs work comprobitations
and appreciation
Rant
сапрана
Jp 3, 1953.
Richard Joseph,
Travel Editor, Esquire Magacine.
Le hiter Chimay
•Kongding,
2. Played per
Engying my word want an hiss olan t
lagucially to
-
Backs for your wonderful deve."
Jalan Jap
Eggers Hagyina
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SABENA
HERE I GO
APTAIN PIERRE VANEBERCK, crack Belgian helicopter
pilot, says "O.K." and up
HELICOPTERS MAKE NEWS- EVEN IF IT'S EXASPERATING THAT THEY'RE NOT BRITISH
No wonder
MR. GIBBS
is furious
1, says FREDERICK ELLIS
*
Bwoops the "eggbeater" on windows gives you
a birdies its twice daily run from view of down below.. Bonn to Brussels.
Bomb-scarred Cologne, dont From Bonn I am the only nated by the twin spires of its passanger on this the only cathedri, shimmers in the sun-
shino. in the helicopter service world. It is my first flight Wa land dust the slightest of In such a machine and bumpe) on a patch of concrete the size of a tennis court, to tako when locked into the cabin
on three more passenger), I am lonely and apprehen- alve.
TAKE-OFF
JOURNEY'S end
could have been Dying from Waterloo ta London
Airport, now a woɑry coach tile of an hour and a bit...
Tried hard
DESPITE the vigour of Tom
District
Dewey's administration, Albany has suffered from cor- rupt political bosses and grafters. Dewey, the bright, crumder, the avenging Attorney, promised Investiga- tions of what ho called tax oppression which is destroying liberty." He went Into
Inima
walls
and tried hard, but the of boss-infested Albany nover came tumbling down. Por- bays they never will.
Although Albany is sober and stald, Saratoga, the gambling and racing resort, is only an hour's drive • away. Every year there are reform movements to "clean up Saratoga"; and shut- fer the dico and coulotte houses, but every year theso establishments seem to flourish. No wonder Albany's people are getting cynical about all the "clean-up" campaign
promises.
When they are not looking at their television Bots and the McCarthy-Army hearings, they are watching the White House and President Elsenhower. They hope this time they won't be
This Belgiant-run helleopter "Yea oven that would be a disappointed. service is more than ho can start," says Mr Gibbs Badly I estand. "Fancy letting a little point out that Belgium's Sabena country like Belgium get ahead airline is a free enterprise com- of us on these things," he says, pany using American holl.
copters "They would be wonderful
for getting up to Manchester or But Sabona gets overy encour» Birmingham from London.'
...agement -from- the Belgian
Government,
point out that Mr Alan Lennox Boyd, Minister of The flight from Bonn is slower Transport, docą not take isindly, than on airliner's time, but it is Burly John Gibbe, a London to "these things in London, twice as fast as the train..
textile merchant, was KD firet airborne making his
than helicopters, "It's fine"
But, lo, we are with no more feeling you get in a lift. I wave my bowler hat to friend's who had came to see me off,
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| airliner.
shoute
lying at 1,000ft, the seven- at cabin, le hot in the sunshine. You feel isolated, with so pretty
カン・
."solo" in Back we climb aboard the
And in Brussels we land but he silver and blue "ship” CO-SHA ihree minutes from the main
for the next part of the trip to line Nord railway station. Brussols,
I feel safer and hoppler in 1 over did in Up we go, with local sight this craft then as waving, for the Belgians giant airliners that hit the run- are rightly proud of Their way at 100 miles an hour plus. warwin public helicopter rotor thmshes the air, but
Nolay
may be, ús, the they
en sold on helicopter fights, We blow the river and pau The British have a genius for
bridge with six elephants leading the world in alireract
swaddling groupply Zet that em
£wnlus be released from to, tall, friink to tall. All the huddles then hold bick the
of the levelopment year of helicopters
tothea on with the h
stewardoes** to see that your safety belt in tostened. The night to Colome, the The view you get as you wing/ Berolcod.
over the neot Belgián, country fitne slag on this air, bus route, takes ten minutes, giving her, where passants, unbend to over wonderful grandstand view of watch this wonder plant, l'' like?
Rim, from Box Hill, Surrer, the Bhine, vel felicine p EVE
mi
But pioneering Mr. Cbbe is
POCKET CARTOON
by OSBERT LANCASTER