Meet the Boys

The boys at Agawam Park in Southampton, circa 1945-1949, possibly
Memorial Day.  Front row, left to right:  Frank "Farmer" Stachecki,
Bruno Marcincuk, and Joe Cerullo.  Back row, left to right:  Francis Lavinio,
Walter "Singer" Hoinski, Stanley Swiderski, and unidentified, possibly
Jack Raynor.  Photo courtesy of Christine Marcincuk and Kathryn Boutcher.

In the letters, Art frequently refers to evenings with “the boys,” a group of young men approximately his own age.  Most (perhaps all) had served in the military during World War II.  As Art entered the service late, he was also one of the last to return home to Southampton.  When the above picture was taken (probably mid- to late-1940s), Art may have been on the other side of the world, serving on a minesweeper stationed in Shanghai or the Philippines.

December 13, 1949

Art to June:

Bruno Marcincuk



Poor Bruno!  He and Joe went to see the girls on Saturday night and you know Bruno was hoping to see Mary.  Well Mary was out, so he and Joe visited with Jane, Helen, and Lorraine till about 3 in the morning.  When Bruno opened the door to leave, there was Mary with her other boyfriend saying good night.  Poor Mary had no idea Bruno was in the city.  What a situation!  Everybody kept calm though, I guess.

December 15, 1949

June to Art:

Poor Bruno but, as Shirl says, what else could he have expected if he knew Mary was dating?

October 3, 1949

June to Art:

Joe Cerullo



We don’t have a radio yet and never buy a newspaper, but from what I gather from passing people in the street, the Dodgers and Yankees will play the series.  Did you and Joe celebrate?

December 7, 1949

Art to June:

Tonight I went to the first show at the movies – then met Joe and went with him to the school to see the town basketball team beat Center Moriches 53 to 38.

December 11, 1949

Art to June:

Frank "Farmer"
Stachecki

I went to the movies last night and then saw a good fight on television.  All the boys were out – Joe, Bruno, Farmer, and Singer.

December 19, 1949

Art to June:

Last night, I went to the movies with Frank Hoffman.  Then he and I and Joe Cerullo watched wrestling at the Anchorage for awhile then went to the Polish Hall and saw the rest of the boys there.  Then to Peter’s, took Frank home, and out to Julie’s with Joe.  We stopped at Pete’s again on the way back

and met Bruno, Farmer, and Singer there.

Walter "Singer"
Hoinski

Then back to the Windmill to eat, and finished the night at the Hampton Bays Diner.  Finally got home at 4 in the morning.

October 2, 1949

Art to June:

Bruno goes to the city tomorrow to march in the Columbus Day parade.  Why don’t you go over to Fifth Avenue tomorrow afternoon?  You’ll probably see some of the boys from here marching.

Special thanks to Christine Marcincuk and Kathryn Boutcher for sharing this wonderful photo of the boys!

© 2011 Lee Price

Everything Was Just Perfect

Art and June on a date in New York City, early 1950s but later than
the letters.

Sixty-one years ago, June and Art wrote letters that were filled with anticipation of their upcoming date on Saturday night in New York City.  When visiting the city, Art would often find an inexpensive hotel to spend the night and then meet up with June again on Sunday morning.  He would return to Southampton on Sunday evening.

The romance in these letters is all in the anticipation.  They are always building up toward that moment when June and Art will be together – but, of course, there’s no letter writing when they’re together.

It’s always a treat when the letters offer even a brief glimpse of the nature of a June and Art date in the big city:

Undated

June to Art:

“By the way, did I tell you I had a lovely evening with you?  The dinner, the play, the Plantation bar, and you – everything was just perfect.”

December 5, 1949

June to Art:

“How I enjoyed yesterday!  Walking through Central Park, down Fifth Avenue, the ice show, Times Square – even walking in the rain.  I only hope you had half as good a time.”

December 1, 1949

Art to June:

“My car is all set, raring to go.  I got it greased, oil changed, tanks filled, etc. today.  I haven’t had a drink since our Saturday date and you know I don’t drive fast.  As for the beautiful girls, I hope to see a real special one this weekend.”

© 2011 Lee Price

Dearest Darling June



Art and June.


Thursday, January 5, 1950

20 Cooper Street

Southampton, NY

Dear June:

I just wrote “Dear June,” but what I really meant was dearest darling June.  I miss you already but it won’t be long before I see you again, so I’ll just have to wait.

I hope you won’t be too tired now that you’re back at school.  Maybe they won’t work you too hard your first days back.  I don’t know what I did with the afternoon today – a few errands for my mother and it was gone.  I cleaned my room tonight and now I’ll get to bed early.

Last night was the first evening I’d been home in two weeks!  There were some awfully nice evenings in between there.

Right now I’m listening to “Lum and Abner.”  I haven’t heard them in years.  They’re quite good.  I hope you wrote yesterday.  I expect to hear from you Friday.  This will be my only letter till I see you Saturday.  Tomorrow I’ll pick up my car from the garage and get all set for a lot of driving.

Till 8 o’clock Saturday when I see you again, I love you.

Love,

Art

© 2011 Lee Price

Thanks for a Lovely Vacation

Wednesday, January 4, 1950

46 West 83rd Street, Apt. 7B

New York City

Dear Art,

Fashion sketch by
June Anderson.

I got up at 6 this morning to catch the early train, but I didn’t feel well.  It was like that night with you. Mother and Daddy agreed I was in no condition for train travel.  So I swallowed some medicine, went back to sleep and slept till noon.  I felt alright then, so I took the 3:48 train back to the city.  Now don’t bawl me out for not calling you.  Besides, we had such a nice “good-bye” last night, it would have been a shame to spoil it.

Shirl has been very lonesome.  I cheered her up.  I can’t figure out how but she says I did cheer her up – and I love you.  I know that’s an odd place to put that statement, but it looks so lonesome starting off a paragraph.  And I do love you.

Even I can see I’m rambling on, so this will just be to tell you I arrived safely.  I thought I was just about caught up on homework, but now Shirl tells me there are many things I still have to do.

Art, darling, I’ll see you Saturday night.  Be careful – don’t drive too fast.

Love,

June

P.S.  Thanks for a lovely vacation.

(Tomorrow – Art's first evening at home in two weeks.)

© 2011 Lee Price

"Kiss Me, Kate" on Broadway

Filling in with some background information during a letter-writing hiatus from December 20, 1949 to January 5, 1950, as June enjoys Christmas break at home (with frequent dates with Art)…

“I’m still thinking over Kiss Me, Kate.  Maybe we just expected too much at the time.  When I look back, Alfred Drake was wonderful, Patricia Morison had a beautiful voice, Lisa Kirk sure could put over her main song, I loved Harold Lang’s dancing, and many parts of the play were real cute.”

                                                 June Anderson

                                                 Letter to Art Price, undated

This appears to be June and Art’s first Broadway musical date.  They both enjoyed musicals very much.  After he returned home from the Navy, Art had treated himself to a trip into New York City to see Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! on Broadway.  So we know this wasn’t Art’s first time at a Broadway musical – although it may have been June’s.

Patricia Morison, Alfred Drake, Lisa
Kirk and Harold Lang in
"Kiss Me, Kate."

A musical by Cole Porter inspired by Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” Kiss Me, Kate opened on Broadway on December 30, 1948.  It received the Tony Award for Best Musical of 1949.  The cast members mentioned by June – Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk, and Harold Lang – were all in that first run (1,077 performances) which closed on July 28, 1951.  For the first half of the run, Kiss Me, Kate played at the New Century Theatre at Seventh Avenue and 58th Street.  This is where June and Art would 
have seen it.



Patricia Morison and Alfred Drake
in "Kiss Me, Kate."



Here’s a 1958 TV clip of Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison performing “Wunderbar”:

"Wunderbar" from Kiss Me, Kate

While “Wunderbar” isn't really typical of most of the songs in the show, it’s still nice to have a visual record of the original stars performing together (eight years after June and Art saw them on Broadway).

© 2011 Lee Price

A Mystery Letter

Filling in with some background information during a letter-writing hiatus from December 20, 1949 to January 5, 1950, as June enjoys Christmas break at home (with frequent dates with Art)…

June wrote the following letter and even prepared an envelope for it.  But unlike the other letters, there’s no stamp on the envelope or a cancellation.  It appears to have been written but never sent.

At the top of the letter, June wrote Thursday but it remains difficult to place this letter on a June-Art timeline.  It refers to Historic Research homework, which she completed before she left for Christmas vacation.  Also, it mentions a lovely date with Art (dinner, a Broadway play, and drinks at the Plantation bar).  But there aren't enough clues to conclusively tag this date as occuring either the weekend of December 3 or 10 (the most likely suspects).  It could be either, or it might be another date altogether.

Here’s the mystery letter:

Thurs. – 10:15 p.m.

Dear Art,

All illustrations from
Historic Research homework
by June Anderson.

I’m disgusted with myself!  I’ve been in this room over four hours and have just about done no homework.  And I have so much of it!  I have to do watercolor and print, and a velvet dress layout, finish five problems, letter two signs, paint two print gowns for Methods, and finish historic research – all before the end of the term.  Why don’t you be good, and memorize that list, so when I say, “I’m so confused – I can’t even think of what I have left to do anymore!” then you can just pop up and recite the whole list?

By the way, did I tell you I had a lovely evening with you?  The dinner, the play, the Plantation bar, and you – everything was just perfect.  I’ll miss you this weekend.

I’m still thinking over Kiss Me, Kate.  Maybe we just expected too much at the time.  When I look back, Alfred Drake was wonderful, Patricia Morison had a beautiful voice, Lisa Kirk sure could put over her main song, I loved Harold Lang’s dancing, and many parts of the play were real cute.

Don’t wear yourself out with the boys this weekend.  Be careful riding around in your car.  Did you have a hard time finding it?

All my love,

June

© 2011 Lee Price

New Year's Eve Speculations

Filling in with some background information during a letter-writing hiatus from December 20, 1949 to January 5, 1950, as June enjoys Christmas break at home (with frequent dates with Art)…

When Art was young, the Price family would celebrate New Year’s Eve by staying up until midnight, listening to Guy Lombardo on the radio and waiting for the countdown to the ball dropping in Times Square.  At the stroke of midnight, Art, his sister Dorothy, his father, and his mother would cry out, "Happy New Year!" and bang on whatever was handy, making noisemakers out of anything available.  Art’s mother would sometimes open the front door and clash the metal lids of her pans together like cymbals.  Then, from the radio, Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians would play Auld Lang Syne, the traditional first song of the new year.

One of Art's photos, circa 1949, unknown location
and people at a party.

That was back in the old days.  Art was older now and would take June out to celebrate New Year’s Eve.  His first plan of spending the evening at Smitty’s fell through when Smitty booked a private party at his restaurant.  We don’t know if the fall-back plan was another restaurant or a private party.

Drawing by Art Price.

Chances are that Art and June spent the evening somewhere with “the boys,” the now familiar group of Joe Cerullo, Bruno Marcincuk, Jack Raynor, Walter “Singer” Hoinski, Frank “Farmer” Stachecki, and Frank "Footles" Hoffman.

Did June and Art see each other just on weekends and holidays over this two-week break or was it more often than that?  Well, at the end of this time, Art will look back and write:

“This is the first evening I’ve been home in two weeks.  There were some awfully nice evenings in between there.”

It sounds like they saw a lot of each other.

© 2010 Lee Price