Wednesday, February 28, 1934

Kind of cold yet today. On the way to school met Bernice and Virginia. Ruth Ray walked home with us kids.

Shoe Shine Stand in City Hall Park, New York on February 28, 1934
This new "model bootblack" was designed with two chairs and an all-weather cover so that
it could be easily folded and transported.

A shoe shine business provided a marginal livelihood. Early in the administration of NY Commissioner
 Robert Moses, the agency sought to eliminate the clutter of many small, haphazardly placed park
franchises, targeting in particular bootblacks and newsstands. Most bootblacks were eliminated
altogether, except in dense business districts such as the areas around City Hall Park and Union Square.

Tuesday, February 27, 1934

Rode the street car to school. Lost my purse. Found it in the office but some things were gone out of it.

"I Saw Lincoln Shot"
As told to Frank M. Butler by Lieutenant John B. Rivard on February 27, 1934

Lt. Rivard fought through three years of the Civil War. Discharged from the Union army with the rank
 of lieutenant, he married and stayed in Washington for a honeymoon. On the night of April 14, 1865,
 he took his bride to Ford's Theater; there she would see Abraham Lincoln as Lt. Rivard had bought
seats in the box directly opposite the President's.. The play was a comedy, Our American Cousin.
John Wilkes Booth's pistol turned the occasion into tragedy.

Shortly after telling his story, Mr. Rivard died in Woodbine, New Jersey. He would have been
 one hundred on May 24, 1934.

Monday, February 26, 1934

Didn't go to school today. Sure was cold out. Pauline stayed home, too. Went over to Ruth Ray's and Nadine's.

John J. Pershing (1860 - 1948)
Born near Laclede, Linn County, Missouri

John J. Pershing was one of America’s most accomplished generals. He is most famous for serving

as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. These troops from America

 bolstered the spirits of European allies and helped defeat the Central Powers in 1918. Congress

promoted Pershing to the rank of “General of the Armies of the United States” in 1919. He and

George Washington are the only two people who have received this honor.

Sunday, February 25, 1934

Didn't go to church today. It sure snowed. Girls came down. Went out and played. Helped shovel off snow.

Nelle E. Peters (December 11, 1884 - October 7, 1974)
Born Nellie Elizabeth Nichols

Architect who designed almost a thousand buildings,
mostly in the Kansas City area

Born and reared on a prairie farm in North Dakota, Peters decided to combine her love for
math and art by pursuing a career in architecture. Although she lacked formal training, Nichols
knew she could do the job. She moved to Sioux City, Iowa, to look for work and was
eventually hired by an architectural firm for $3 a week to be a drafter. During her four-year
apprenticeship with the company, Nichols took correspondence courses in architecture to add
 to the on-the-job training she was receiving. The firm transferred Nichols to their Kansas City
branch around 1907, where she married and divorced, but the lack of work there soon led her to
seek outside projects.

During the 1920s, Nelle E. Peters rapidly became one of Kansas City’s leading architects. Much

 of this success was due to her partnership with Charles E. Phillips, a local developer. Throughout

the 1920s, Peters designed many hotels and apartment buildings for the Phillips Building Company.

Large apartment complexes constructed around courtyards soon became Peters’s trademark. Her

simple designs drew upon Tudor and Spanish Colonial styles, and she favored the use of

columns and terra cotta ornaments. She also became known for her efficient use of space in floor plans.

One of Peters’s most well-known sets of apartment buildings is the “literary block,” located on the

west side of the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Each of the buildings is named after a famous

 author, including Mark Twain, James Russell Lowell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Washington

Irving, Thomas Carlyle, Eugene Field, and Robert Browning. In addition, she designed the

Ambassador Hotel on Broadway, which featured a roof garden, as well as numerous apartment

buildings and churches around the state of Missouri. 

Peters died of heart disease; her ashes are buried at the Elmwood Cemetery in Kansas City.

Saturday, February 24, 1934

Snowed this morning. I slept pretty late. I went over to Gweyn's. Fixed my brown dress. It sure was cold.

All-Story Love Stories

[v 30 #2, February 24, 1934] (cover artist Frank A. Munsey, 15¢, 144pp, standard pulp)

Contents:

2 · Under a Desert Moon · Katha Muir · ss

14 · Good Girl - Bad Man [Part 3 of 4] · Carlotta Sommers · sl

30 · Foolish Angel · Jane Littell · nv

60 · Professional Lover · Ivy B. Richards · ss

71 · Consolation Prize · Mary Strother Chambers · ss

84 · Her Secret Hero · Dorothy Barnsley · ss

94 · Ardath’s Lover · May Wynne · ss

104 · Let’s Talk About It · Anon. · lt

105 · Man Hunters · Dorothy Dow · ss

117 · The Love Lie · Don Stuart · ss

123 · The Love Mascot · Dorla Wolfe · ss

133 · The Stars Day by Day · Ruha · cl

135 · Making the Most of Yourself · Carol Judson · cl

138 · Your Pen Personality · Helen King · cl

141 · The Lonesome Club · Dorthea Dale · cl

Friday, February 23, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Substitute in Latin still there. Went to show. Saw "Hold Your Man" and "The Pony Express." Sure good.

Clark Gable two posts in a row!!!

Plot Summary:

Eddie Hall (Clark Gable) and his partner Slim are a pair of nickel-and-dime con men on the hustle.
Nearly caught by the police, Eddie ducks into Ruby Adams's (Jean Harlow) apartment and
convinces her to hide him. Ruby isn't averse to taking advantage of the gullible herself and has
 even tried to manipulate money out of Al, the square shooter from Cincinnati who adores her. Ruby
 and Eddie hit it off, but when Eddie accidentally kills a drunk who was pawing Ruby, he takes off
and she ends up in a women's reformatory, where she discovers she is pregnant. Devastated
 at the thought that Eddie has deserted her, she doesn't realize that Eddie has undergone a great
change--one that will have a powerful impact on her.

Thursday, February 22, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Went over to Nadine's after school. We made candy. Had peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

"It Happened One Night"
Opened on February 22, 1934

The film centers on a newsman (Clark Gable) who finds a rich Wall Street heiress (Claudette
 Colbert) who is trying to escape the grasp of her tycoon father (Walter Connolly) who will
not let her marry a man by the name of King Westley (Jameson Thomas). The movie follows the 
journey of this newsman and the fugitive heiress on a bus together trying to both make it
 to New York for different reasons: hers is to find her love and his to get ahead in the newsroom.
Throughout their journey they encounter some interesting characters and begin to grow close
 and eventually fall in love.

And who will ever forget the "Walls of Jericho" when they come tumblin' down?!

Wednesday, February 21, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Still had that substitute. Her name is Miss Miller. Handed in History scrapbook.

The Bott House - Kansas City, Missouri
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright (born Frank Lincoln Wright, June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American
 architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and
completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with
humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed two houses and one other structure in the Kansas City area.
The first residence is the [Dr. Clarence] Sondern house in the Valentine district, and the second
  is the Frank Bott residence in Kansas City, North. The other structure is the Community Christian
 Church at 46th and Main Streets, although his designs were altered in its construction.

Tuesday, February 20, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Went to show. Saw "No Marriage Ties" and "Sensation Hunters."

Starring Richard Dix, Elizabeth Allan, Doris Kenyon, Alan Dinehart
Directed by J. Walter Ruben

Plot Summary:

Foster (Dix) is fired when he is found drunk in a bar instead of covering the biggest fight of the year.
After finding that no one in town will hire him, he goes back to the bar and meets a man named "Perk"
Perkins (Dinehart) who owns an ad agency. Tricky phrases are no problem for Foster so the firm grows
 rapidly and becomes Perkins and Foster. When Foster decides to get the Adrienne Deane Cosmetics
 account, he also lasoo's Adrienne (Kenyon) which upsets his steady gal friend Peggy (Allan).
Trouble comes to a head when Perkins decides to leave the agency as he believes that Foster
is an unscrupulous ad man who sells dangerous items for money.

Monday, February 19, 1934

Went to school and had swimming. Mother washed. Got some mush from Ruth Ray. I can swim!

Supermarine Type 224
The sole prototype K2890
Eastleigh, 1934

On February 19, 1934 at Eastleigh (UK), the Supermarine Type 224 flew. Built to Air
Ministry specification F.7/30, this was the first aircraft to carry the name Spitfire.

Type 224 was a gull-winged monoplane with fixed landing gear and open cockpit powered by
a 600 hp Rolls-Royce Goshawk II engine with an innovative evaporative cooling system. The
armament comprised four .303″ machine guns, two in the wheel spats and two in the cowling.
The first “Spitfire” was a failure. Despite its monoplane design it could only muster 367 km/h
(228 mph) speed, and the evaporative cooling system proved a dead-end. The Air Ministry
 contract went to the Gladiator from the Gloster Aircraft Company, which was to become the
RAF’s last biplane fighter.

Lessons gained through the development of Type 224 eventually lead to the Type 300 Spitfire.

Sunday, February 18, 1934

Did not go to Sunday School as it rained and then snowed. In the evening. Paulne and I went up to the church on 27th.

"Sawdust Sally"
The paper doll from the February 18, 1934 comic strip, THE KID SISTER.

 

Saturday, February 17, 1934

Walked with Gweyn and kids. Went over to Montgomery Ward's. Got my skates and some hose.

King Albert 1 of Belgium

King Albert I, the defender of Belgian sovereignty during World War I, died
in a mountaineering accident. He was succeeded by his son, Leopold III.

Friday, February 16, 1934

Walked to school this a.m. with Pauline. Last night I stayed for the try-outs. Didn't get in it, though.

Jane Froman (November 10, 1907 – April 22, 1980)
American actress and singer
Known for her beautiful contralto vocals

Born in University City, Missouri, Froman overcame obstacles such as stuttering
and a debilitating plane crash to become one of the most beloved entertainers of
her time. Throughout her 30-year career , the singer/actress performed on stage, radio
and television. She earn4ed three separate stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 1952 film, With a Song in My Heart (starring one of my favorites, Susan
Hayward as Froman) is based on her life. Froman supplied Hayward’s singing voice and
served as the film's technical advisor. The Capitol album of songs from the movie was the
number one best-selling album of 1952 and remained in the catalogue for many years.

Froman retired to Columbia, Missouri in 1961 where she married an old college friend, Rowland
Hawes Smith (June 22, 1962 – April 22, 1980). She continued the volunteer work for which
she was known throughout her career. In 1980, she died of cardiac arrest caused by chronic
heart and lung disease. She is buried in the Columbia Cemetery.





Thursday, February 15, 1934

Mother and Pauline and I went to the show. Saw Jean Harlow and Lee Tracy in "Bombshell." Sure good.

"Bombshell" with Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy and Franchot Tone

Plot Summary:

Sexpot film star Lola Burns seeks a new image and tries marrying a marquis, adopting 

a baby -- all sorts of schemes which go awry.

Romantic Pick-Up Line

"I'd like to run barefoot through your hair," Tone says to Harlow

Wednesday, February 14, 1934

Last night I went over to church. Had choir practice. Also we talked about the Valentine party.

Solar Eclipse of February 14, 1934
Duration: 2m 53s
Coordinates: 13.2N 161.7E

A total solar eclipse occurred on February 14, 1934. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes
 between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer
on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun, blocking
 all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the
Earth, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible over a region thousands of kilometres wide.

Tuesday, February 13, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Today we didn't have Rhythm in Gym. Played a new game. Speed Ball.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

From The Springfield, MO Leader and Press, February 13, 1934:

The notorious Barrow desperadoes kidnapped and later released two men on their dash through
the Ozarks country; their getaway was interrupted by a gun battle with officers near Reeds Spring.

Joe Gunn, 40, eccentric farmer who batches in the hills nine miles southwest of Reeds Spring, was a
 captive of the Barrows when they riddled an officer’s car with machine gun and rifle bullets, he reported
today. Famished and fatigued when picked up on a highway near Reeds Spring at 11:30 o’clock this
morning, Gunn described Barrow perfectly and identified Bonnie Parker by a small growth on her nose,
 which Motorcycle Officer Tom Persell had noticed when kidnapped by the Barrow gang a year ago.
They rode in the front seat during the flight from officers, he said. A man, whose name Gunn did not
learn, was kidnapped from the roadside at the edge of Berryville, Arkansas, as the bandits fled south,
 and released simultaneously with Gunn a few minutes later.

"We have been pretty good to you boys, so I want you to give us a 40-minute start,"
 Clyde was quoted as demanding before his sedan rode away in a cloud of dust.

The two released men walked into Berryville without speaking.

Monday, February 12, 1934

Went to school with Pauline. Tried dancing today in Gym. Worked on History scrapbook for school.

Soldiers of the Austrian Federal Army in Vienna, February 12, 1934

The Austrian Civil War (German: Österreichischer Bürgerkrieg), also known as the February
 Uprising (German: Februarkämpfe), is a term sometimes used for a few days of skirmishes between
 socialist and conservative-fascist forces between 12 February and 16 February 1934, in Austria. The
clashes started in Linz and took place principally in the cities of Vienna, Graz, Bruck an der Mur,
Judenburg, Wiener Neustadt and Steyr, but also in some other industrial cities of eastern and central
Austria.

Several hundred people (including paramilitaries, members of the security forces and civilians) died
 in the armed conflict. More than a thousand suffered wounds. The authorities tried and executed
nine socialist leaders under the provisions of martial law. In addition, over 1,500 arrests were
 made, and leading socialist politicians were forced into exile.

The incidents of February 1934 were taken as a pretext by the government to prohibit the
Social Democratic Party and its affiliated trade unions altogether - an action the socialists
termed Austrofacism. The government replaced the constitution and The Patriotic Front
(Vaterländische Front) became the only legal political party in the resulting authoritarian
regime, the Standestaat.

Sunday, February 11, 1934

It snowed in a.m. Went to church and Sunday school. Nice in p.m. Went to show. Saw "Morning Glory."

"Morning Glory"
Starring Katharine Hepburn, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Adolphe Menjou
Directed by Lowell Sherman
Studio: RKO Radio Pictures

Plot Summary:

Eva Lovelace (Hepburn) is a small town theater performer who hopes to make it big in Broadway. She
goes to auditions and tries to get a role in an upcoming play that would help her make it to the big time.
While there, several other actresses auditioning make the cut and they cast them and not her, since
they have a lot more experience on stage than she. A theater coach (C Aubrey Smith), whom she
meets while auditioning, agrees to give her acting and theater coach lessons.

She later meets Joseph Sheridan (Fairbanks), who later agrees to give her a small part in an
upcoming Broadway play. Later in the film, just as the play is about to begin, the star of the show
 Rita Vernon (Mary Duncan), a blond theater star, starts making demands for certain amounts of
money in a contract she wants and when they can't meet her demands for a contract and more money,
 she storms off the set and the show is without a star. The production crew frantically tries to
find a replacement. As a last resort, they choose Eva Lovelace to play the star of the show, she 
gets her big break. She quickly rehearses her lines and makes an excellent debut as a star.

Hepburn received an Academy Award for her performance in "Morning Glory."

Saturday, February 10, 1934

Slept till 10:30. Got a couple magazines. Went outside and played hop scotch with Betty.

August Anheuser Busch, Sr. (December 29, 1865 - February 10, 1934)

An American brewing magnate, Busch served as the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch
from 1913-1934. Under his leadership, the company survived World War I, Prohibition
 and the Great Depression by innovating and diversifying. The company delved into the
production of corn products, baker's yeast, ice cream, soft drinks and commerical refrigeration units.
After prohibition ended in 1933, many of these operations were discontinued.

In his later life Busch suffered from heart disease, dropsy and gout. He ended his own life
with a gunshot to the abdomen on February 10, 1934 at the Busch Mansion at Grant's Farm.
 He was buried in Sunset and Memorial Park in St. Louis, Missouri.

Friday, February 9, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Today is my 14th birthday. In the evening the girls came down: Ruth Ray, Nadine, Pauline.

Romanian stamp featuring the Balkan Entente concluded on February 9, 1934

The Turkish, Greek, Romanian, and Yugoslav governments signed the Balkan Pact. This agreement was designed to complement the Little Entente and protect the Balkans from encroachment by other nations. The four governments agreed to mutually guarantee the security of the Balkan frontiers and pledged not to take any action with regard to any Balkan non-signatory state without previous consultation. The failure to include Bulgaria in the alliance seriously weakened the effectiveness of the agreement (the Bulgarian government refused to recognize the postwar territorial settlements and could not join the alliance). The Balkan Pact reflected the work of the Romanian Foreign Minister, Nicholas Titulescu.

Thursday, February 8, 1934

Walked with Pauline to school. Had swimming. Tried to swim underwater. Ruth Ray and Nadine came down.

Pythian Castle - Springfield, Missouri

Springfield's Pythian Castle was built by the Knights of Pythias in 1913. It originally
served as an orphanage and a retirement home for members of the order. In 1942, the
U.S. Military used it as a rehabilitation facility for wounded servicemen. During this time
the castle's dungeons also held WWII POWs. Today the Pythian Castle hosts tours,
dinner theater, ballroom dancing, weddings, and many other events.



Wednesday, February 7, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. I got supper for Mother. Had Ham, potatoes, tomatoes, peas and apple pie. Fixed notebook.

Irma S. Rombauer (30 October 1877 – 14 October 1962)

In 1931, St. Louis native Irma Rombauer self-published the Joy of Cooking.
The cookbook was illustrated by her daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker, an art teacher
at a local private school. The Rombauers self-published early editions of the book; it was
picked up by a commercial printing house, the Bobbs-Merrill Company, in 1936. Sometimes
called The Joy of Cooking, it is is one of the United States' most-published cookbooks,
and has been in print continuously since 1936 and with more than 18 million copies sold.


1931 Edition



Tuesday, February 6, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Tonite was choir practice over at church. I did not go as I got my new red belt, also Valentines.

February 6, 1934
Riot in Paris in response to the Stavisky Affair

Major riots erupted in Paris and other French cities in response to the Stavisky Case.
Alexandre Stavisky was a Russian promoter who floated a fraudulent bond issue.
When exposed and cornered by the police, he reportedly committed suicide to escape
capture. Royalists and Fascists stirred up agitation against the republic, claiming that
the guilt of important politicians and officials were covered up during the investigation.

Alexandre Stavisky was buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery.



Monday, February 5, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Came home early. Went over to Gweyn's. Fixed my brown dress.

Huey Pierce Long, Jr. (August 30, 1893 – September 10, 1935)
Nickname: The Kingfish 1928-1932
40th Governor of Louisiana
U.S. Senator: 1932-1935

"People of America: In every community get together at once and organize a share-our-
wealth society--Motto: Every man a king"

During his three brief years in the U.S. Senate, Huey Long became one of the most flamboyant
and provocative Senators in the nation's history. He earned the enmity of his fellow Senators
due to his frequent use of the filibuster to make some "point of principle" about which he was
especially passionate, and due to his not infrequent habit of casting aspersions on the character
 of his fellow Senators. But the floor of the Senate gave Huey Long what he prized most, a bully
pulpit from which to expound his views. He used this opportunity to the fullest--taking the Senate
floor on February 5, 1934 to place in the official record his arguments for his Share The Wealth
program, and to proselytize for his general world-view. The speeches delivered he delivered during
 1934 and 1935 make his case that the nation is in a mess and that his Share The Wealth program is
the solution.

Sunday, February 4, 1934

Went to church and Sunday School. Aunt Kate's were by Pauline and I went to show. Saw "Broadway Thru a Keyhole." Ollie Gatlin came over.

"Broadway Thru A Keyhole"
Stars: Constance Cummings, Russ Columbo
Co-stars: Paul Kelly, Eddie Foy Jr.
Director: Lowell Sherman
90 minutes, Black and White

Plot Summary:

Poultry racketeer Kelly falls for chorus girl Cummings and buys her a night club. In that club,
bandleader Columbo's smooth and soft voice rings out. The lawbreaker loves Cummings but is
willing to give her up at the cost of his life to the crooner, whose love for her is even stronger. Kelly
 takes a bullet while trying to save Cummings from kidnapers on her wedding day. Lying in the hospital,
 he hears Walter Winchell hail him as a hero on the radio and learns that the rival who tried to kidnap
his sweetheart is wiped out. 

Saturday, February 3, 1934

I walked with Gweyn to the store. In the evening I went to a Pot Luck Supper at Mary Hampton's house.

Cover Artist: Georges Leonnec

Georges Léonnec (1881 – 1940), the brother of the novelist Felix Leonnec, began his career as a
cartoonist selling drawings to newspapers in 1899. After participating in World War I he worked
as an illustrator for the magazine La Vie Parisienne. He worked for several other publications
including Fantasio and Le Sourire. He was also well known for his advertising illustrations
for Byrrh apéritif wine, Dufayel department stores, and the Casino of Paris.

Friday, February 2, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline and walked home with Ruth Ray. Nadine, Pauline and I read a magazine.

On February 2, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed
Executive Order 6581 creataing the Export Import Bank of Washington.

The stated goal was "to aid in financing and to facilitate exports and imports and the exchange
 of commodities between the United States and other Nations or the agencies or nationals
 thereof", with the immediate goal of making loans to the Soviet Union. The Bank's first transaction
 was a $3.8 million loan to Cuba in 1935 for the purchase of U.S. silver ingots. Congress continued
 the bank as a government agency, using a series of laws between 1935 and 1943 to place it under
various government departments, before making it an independent agency on July 31, 1945,
 with the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945. On March 13, 1968, further legislation changed the
name to "Export-Import Bank of the United States".

The Export-Import Bank of the United States is the official credit agency of
the United States federal government.



Thursday, February 1, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Had a Latin test. In the evening, Pauline and I went to Nadine's.

"Nana"
Released February 1, 1934
Adapted from the novel Nana by Emile Zola

Plot Summary:

Nana tells the story of Nana Coupeau's rise from streetwalker to high-class cocotte during the
last three years of the French Second Empire. Nana first appears in the end of L'Assommoir (1877),
another of Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, in which she is portrayed as the daughter of an
abusive drunk; in the end, she is living in the streets and just beginning a life of prostitution.

Nana was a Pre-Code movie. Films made in the Pre-Code era frequently presented people in
sexually suggestive or provocative situations, and did not hesitate to display women in scanty attire.
After much protest from religious groups and moviegoers in general, the Motion Picture Production
Code (AKA the Hays Code and named for Will H. Hays) was instituted on July 1, 1934.