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USO DANCE IN NEW LONDON |
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| While I was stationed at the Submarine Base at New London, Connecticut, we were
housed in a large dormitory. I would estimate that over 300 men slept in this one large space. Each was assigned
a bunk (upper or lower) and a locker. There were a lot of men that were assigned to submarines that were going
through the training or commissioning of new submarines at that time. Of course, the war was on and everyone seemed to be behind the effort to defeat our enemies. Part of that effort was the organization of the USO. In every place, where servicemen were, there was a USO established. In every city, train station, and near every base, you could find one. It was a gigantic effort to maintain high morale in the men that served their country. There were traveling groups that were sent to all areas to entertain the troops. Professional performers and celebrities were all lending their talents for the effort. The entertainment was in all forms. One of those was the USO dances. These were bands, along with a celebrity, that would occasionally come to a base and hold a dance for the boys. Advanced planners would recruit the local gals to come on base and dance with the servicemen. One of those dances came to the Sub Base while I was there. The dance was held in the gymnasium where a stage was set up and the place was appropriately decorated. We all looked forward to the coming event, for it would be a diversion from the every day work that we had been doing. The event was to be held on Saturday night and it was announced that besides the band and the local girls, there would be a famous movie star there to sing and to dance with some of the lucky ones. The announced star was Jane Withers. She was a co-star in many movies as a young girl playing second to the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland. The night came and I got ready for the dance. In the 1940's, the popular dances for the young people were the Fox Trot and Jitterbugging. Jitterbugging was a fast and athletic adventure on a dance floor. Somehow, I had become a pretty good dancer and was on the dance floor as much as I could be. It was not hard to get a dance partner if you demonstrated the ability to do all of the steps that were popular in that day and time. I must admit, without modesty, that I had the dancing skills to get a dance with any of the girls present, provided they could themselves dance. I was prompt in arriving at the dance that night. Of course there were more men there than girls, so the ability to dance paid off for me. The only problem was that I was such a young pup that I didn't realize that dancing was a ritual that could lead to more than wearing out your shoes. The evening started off with the band playing some of the good old standards. Jane Withers was a talented singer and she sang with the band for a couple of tunes. It was good entertainment. Then the band began to play the popular swing tunes of the day. The jitterbuggers began their reign of the dance floor. If you could jitterbug you danced. If not, you were a spectator. I grabbed one of the girls that I had noticed before, and swung out onto the floor. The place began to hop and jump. (This later became "Rock and Roll.") We danced well together and performed most of the steps that were popular in that style of dancing. Soon, almost too soon, the dance set was over and everyone took a rest. I had danced so much that perspiration had soaked through my uniform. Navy blues were made of wool and were not intended to be worn when a person is exerting himself the way that I was. I took the time to go back to my locker and get out a spare set of dress blues. I changed my clothes and cooled down a little before going back to the dance. When I got back, I saw that Jane Withers was down on the dance floor and was dancing with some of the sailors. She was a very good person and took the job of raising morale seriously. As I walked towards where she was dancing, the orchestra began playing one of the faster swing tunes. The partner that Jane Withers was dancing with at the time did not know how to jitterbug. I quickly stepped in and asked her if I could have a dance. She had probably seen me on the floor before and was quick to say, "yes." We began the dance with some of the basic steps and I was pleased to find that we both danced the same style. I moved to the center of the dance floor and began to really pull out all of the stops. She was as good a dancer and I had ever had the opportunity to dance with. The band leader noticed that we were beginning to create a show for the crowd. He began to play repeat course of the song, and as he did so, the other dancers became spectators to what Jane and I were doing. Soon, everyone had stopped dancing and Jane and I were in the middle of the floor putting on a show of fast and intricate steps. It seemed that the tune went on forever, but both of us were enjoying the mutual abilities and the show that we were putting on for the others. Just before we had to quit from exhaustion, the music stopped and the applause broke out for the show that she had put on for them. She turned to me and said, "You're great!!!" In reply I returned, "It takes two." Other than asking for the dance, those were the only words that we had spoken, yet there had been communication between us, in order to pull off some of the steps that we had done on the dance floor. Everyone has a little claim to fame. I guess that experience is one for me. To be able to dance was a gift and to be able to dance with a movie star, was a badge of honor for that young man on that warm Saturday night in New London. I wonder if Jane Withers ever recalled that night. I doubt it. |
Copyright © 1994, 2004, 2005, 2006 by Glen Stinson & Mark Stinson