Viewing page 9 of 99

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

9

 The next day I had a letter from Willie which put me in somewhat better spirits. Bab had had her first streetcar ride and immediately favored that mode of travel over the automobile. That evening, Perk and I went to see "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds" at which we laughed long and loud. My diary notes that "the lines were pretty risqué but certainly funny and clever." And the next night I used a free ticket to the Colonial to see "old Jack Holt in 'Makers of Men,' a football picture-- Jack certainly has a build!" A few days later on a Friday, the Griswold Club had a dance at Hunters Lodge and in desperation, I accompanied Perk to it, both of us going stag somewhat brazenly, and having a great time dancing with all the wives and, according to my diary, "a few who weren't." The two days following this wing-ding were Saturday and Sunday and it would appear that I decided to conserve time by writing my diary in note form; this saved time all right but also resulted in such an abbreviated record that today much of it means nothing to me as will be illustrated by the following:

Saturday: A few notes on today--killing time--a call by two young ladies, most unexpected--a big laugh--a movie and to bed.

Sunday: High Mass--dinner--papers--letters--"Hell Divers"--a beef barbeque--a gracious host--"wine and seduction"--to bed and to sleep.

The "wine and seduction" item in particular has me buffaloed because, while we may well have imbibed some wine somewhere, I'm sure I'd remember a seduction. I do remember going to High Mass with Perk at my request but, as I've already noted, I got nothing out of it because I simply didn't understand what they are trying to get at at all. I don't think that even the music was much good although we went to the Cathedral, the largest and presumably best Catholic church in Erie. To me, it was a dark, dreary, utterly colorless and unfathomable affair filled with a lot of meaningless ritual and mumbo-jumbo; on the other hand, to Perk, I presume it was thrilling and filled with inspiration. He didn't try to explain it to me, no doubt feeling that I was already a lost soul about which nothing could be done.

I seem to have fallen back on the movies heavily to divert me during the absence of Willie and Bab. Perk went to Philadelphia on business on February 18th so rather than spend the evening along at Bachelor Hall, I wrote some letters, walked to the post office to mail them, and then attended "Three Wise Girls" with Jean Harlow, Mae Clarke, Marie Prevost and Walter Byron. It was my first view of Jean Harlow and I was impressed by the fact she had a figure "like a Greek goddess." But Mae Clarke was the one who impressed me as being a great actress. The next night I had dinner with Bob Walsh and then