The Key West Citizen Newspaper, February 14, 1953, Page 2

KEY CLUB SWEETHEART DANCE 9 O'CLOCK SATURDAY NIGHT LA CONCHA Norman Kranich and His Orchestra ADMISSION $1.00 Crowning of The Key Club Sweetheart By DOROTHY RAYMER | St. Valentine’s Day was probably \the first redletter day on the cal- endar to go commercial, I have a |serapbook which belonged to my | grandmother and as far back as {1870-71 when she was five years lold, and collected pictures for the book, glittering, lacey sentimental Valentines were being printed and | distributed. They were made in | Germany and usually ‘eatured pot- | bellied Cupids with quivers loaded | with arrows for piercing the object of affection. Fancy lace paper, like a dolly, only a heart on a gild- ed page, festoons of forget-me-nots, clasped hands (the same you see on old-fashioned marriage licenses) | and sentiments that would get any- lone a fine settlement in a breach |of promise case, dripped gaudily \from the greetings. A couple of heartbeats and many HOTEL years later, I added some Valen- tines of my own to the collection. These were comparatively simple ones bought for a penny. I can re- member that on the day before February 14, all the bookstores and stationery stores in town were jam. |“ med with grabbing mobs of child- ren buying the “‘one-centers” to be stuffed into the Valentine boxes which were set up in every class- room in the schools. On St. Valentine’s Day in the morning, the teacher would con- duct a postoffice service (thereby gypping the government of a lot of revenue in stamps.) The! teacher appointed two postmen | recruited from the eager-beaver pupils who broke the _ seal on the decorated receiving box, and as she read the names on the envelopes. .or on the bare, unclad Valentines, passed the tokens out} j Page 2 THE KEY WEST CITIZEN Saturday, February 14, 1953 NOW OPEN! La, Conga CELEBRITY CLUB AL ROBINSON & ALKALI IKE : INTRODUCING — -- STARRE~ KEY WEST'S FAVORITE PAIR “A Guy anda Doll” AL and. Little Wooden Head TWO SHOWS NIGHTLY ~ aber NO MINIMUM JACK & JILL America’s Foremost Piano Duo NO COVER! for distribution. Much envy, some- times uphidden, was afforded the girl or boy who got the most Val- entines. Of course teacher was winner, but the fact that she al- ways got several of those dreadful “comic” ones from some of the dis- | gruntled pupils gave left-handed satisfaction. The boys in the class were chief offenders in giving the ugly cari- catures with nasty slaps in verse although some of the little minxes of the distaff side were also cul- Prits. The bain of my life was a girl who haunted me right through grade school to high school when, fortunately, she moved away or my already imbedded inferiority com- plex might have caused perman- ent ill-effect. (Maybe it has!) Any- way, I used to tremble in my cop- per-toed shoes and behind my horn rimmed glasses (and so few chil- dren wore them way back when) and pull nervously at my Indian- straight braids. . .because she al- ways Sent me a gruesome. picture which predicted that with my looks I would become an old-maid. I al- ways tried to hide the “comic” before anyone could see it, but she would always manage to find it or snatch it away, wave it derisively in my face, and what is more la- mentable, in the faces of the other students. Retaliation was impossi- |ble. She was the prettiest, curly- | locked lass in class. Times. and rhymes haven't changed much in the general run of salutations, but the styles have. I went a-hunting yesterday to get a heart's eye view of what modern Valentines were like. Marti Hart- ley at Roberts’ Office Supply gra- ciously allowed me to browse in the Elysian field of romance on glazed and fancy paper. She said that if I had come in two weeks ago the pasture weuld have been greener, or crimson and gold, in this instance, the predominating colors for Valentine throbs. In the plush class was a huge boxed Valentine 12 and a half in- ches in length, 25 inches across when opened. It featured an arti- cial rose of velvety fabric which could be detached for a hat or a gown, flanked by two rotund cu- pids and an envelope which said “Secret Message,” in which the giver could put folding money. There was a rather coolish little number which said, ‘Friendly Thoughts.” A funny greeting, but not of the old-time barbed ‘‘comic”’ disturber style was one of hippo with baby blue eyes and a verse that began on the first page, “I’m not really emotional, I’m thick- skinned as can be. But when you’re near, it’s different. . .” turn the folder “‘I get goose-pimples. . . . See!” You run your hand over the hippo’s hide, and sure enough, the rough texture is pinpointed with tiny bumps! I though ‘slick chick” was mod- ern slang, but I Jearned the latest from a phrase dn a card with two birds, 5] with real fluffy yel- low down lettered, “‘A Valentine For A Cute Quail.” Quailing, I picked another. This one had a smail bear, bearing a hotwater bottle. The title proclaimed “Some Hot Jokes For Valentine's Day. Ha Ha Ha !” Sample jokes inside: ‘ife, “That you dear? Husband: “It had better be!” and one with a dialogue which went like this: “Do you object to petting, Me- hitabel?” “That's something I’ve never done, Joshua.” “Petted, Mehitabel?” “Objected, Joshua.” Also on the bold side were ap- proaches which voiced such tender thoughts as “I’m a girl, you’re a man. Make sumpin’ of it if you can.” Or, “I’m a lady in waiting this Valentine's Day. . .Waiting for YOU to start. . feeling that way!” A shyer one showed two chimpan- zees snl and the remark, “Here’s my heart, but remember, no monkeyshines.” Prize flip card went thisaway: “To A Cute Little Party from a Great Big Smarty. .When I was | just a baby, I blushingly admit I | used to play with dolls. . .And I} haven't changed a bit. “WANNA | PLAY?” Honest-to-smooth satin hearts, | be-jeweled, be-sequined, _ be-rib- boned and be-flowered greetings with hearts and verses entwined, view with fuzzy bears, droopy dogs, rooting roosters, harried hens and other fowl, fish and fauna bear- ing the language of love. At least, I thought, the days of the humiliating “‘comic” are long gone. But Marti handed me some delayed time bombs. One depicted a bride and groom and the hopeful words, “I always think of Niagara Falls, each time I think of you, ‘Cause frankly speaking, Valen- tine.”. .and then you flip the fold- er and see a great big splash of water with the shocker. .”” YOU’RE JUST A BIG DRIP, TOO.” Shaken with bitter memory I backed away and collided with a little box of miniature pillows all. decorated with Disney skunks smelling posies. Each pillow was a small sachet for putting in gifts or Valentine greetings. .The trade name is “Little Stinkers.” Staggering up the street, I went to Gift House. There the sophisti- cated Valentines are in fractured French, bill-and-coo-billet-deaux. 1 developed an attack of “crise de Special Movie To Be Shown Monday For Navy Carnival The time has come, the Navy says, to talk of many things— Not shoes and ships and sealing-wax, and cabbages and kings But the Navy carnival this year, and all the fun: it brings. With this twist on Lewis Car- roll’s famous poem, the Navy is announcing a spetial showing of “Son of Paleface” to be presented Monday, February 16, at the Monroe Theatre at 9 p.m. The entire proceeds from the showing of this hilarious comedy, which stars Bob Hope and Jane Russell, will go to the Navy Charity Carnival fund. Tickets will go on sale Mon-' day at 3 p.m. at the theatre. RUGS CLEANED All Formal Garments chemically processed. All “serdar yggn guaranteed and fully insured. 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