June 7, 1973
Time Machine - Who We Were
A look back - in time. Some words, clips and outtakes from a newspaper (ink that was printed on paper) - fifty-three years ago - Thursday, June 7, 1973
***
Syracuse New Times - page 3 - under the banner - A Few Chosen Words
“The Watergate affair is but a symptom of the deeper moral crisis that affects the nation.”
— Rev. Billy Graham
“Men who regard the law and the Constitution as problems to be surmounted by any means could suspend or deny an election by the same kind of reasoning that led them to corrupt one.”
— Tom Wicker, NY Times columnist
“The freedom of the press does not exist for the private enjoyment and self-esteem of journalists, but to keep people - - - even Presidents - - informed.”
— Hedley Donovan, TIME, editor-in-chief
“If we are going to restore order and respect for law in this country, there’s one place we’re going to begin: We’re going to have a new attorney general.”
— Richard Nixon, accepting the 1968 nomination for president
(Have we forgotten our history? How often do we forget our history? Poignant stuff, not so long ago - right?)
***
Syracuse New Times - page 7 - Headline: A Polluted 15,000 View Races
by Jeff Blumenfeld
The article beings:
“Scratch the surface of the average regatta spectator last weekend and beneath the sunburn you would have found at least 12 percent alcohol. Although the judges and the oarsman put on airs of being dead sober, the 71st annual National Intercollegiate Rowing Championship was a grand excuse for over 15,000 to get together and become as polluted as Onondaga Lake.”
“It was a grand excuse for people from as far as Wisconsin to come to Liverpool, back their station wagons in by the shore and spend the day sipping beer from a vantage point atop their magic tailgates.”
(Good, whimsical writing Jeff B. Even though I was too young, I feel like I was there. I like it.)
***
Syracuse New Times - page 16 - Headline: Music
by William W Dean
“Larry Elgart’s Big Band played the Three Rivers Inn recently. They were great - - - just like the thirties and forties. But the crowd was small, and I don’t see how the band and the inn could make out if they had many such nights.”
“Three Rivers is a huge nightclub, seating perhaps a maximum of 5,000 people at tables. There is a fine raised dance floor and a good stage.”
“The prices were high, but it was worth it to again hear the big band sound in person. Such a price structure, however, would certainly slow down business.”
“Another thing that would curtail Elgart business is his highly specialized and sophisticated sound that does not have a general appeal. Elgart, like other big bands, is small potatoes in records today, although he has made about 50 albums in his career.
He mentioned bitterly that the big record companies won’t even list him in their catalog anymore.”
(Three Rivers Inn was located about 25 minutes NW of Syracuse and hosted big top acts of the day, 1955 - 1973. Lester Elliot Elgard was an American Swing Jazz bandleader and trumpeter from CT and NJ. Born 1917. Died 1995 in Dallas, TX.)
***
Syracuse New Times - page 23 - Headline: Concerts
by Eloise Schumann
Tonight (Thursday) Chicago and Bruce Springsteen will appear at the War Memorial at 8 p.m.
(misc other acts mentioned)
Tickets are already on sale for the Watkins Glen “Summer Jam” at Record Runner, Gerber Music and Hardlife Boutiques for $10.50. The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead and The Band, plus “surprises” will perform from noon on. Tickets pay for admission, parking and overnight camping. Gates open at 12 noon on Friday before the event.
(Big name acts, on their way up, in and around the Cuse, when I was a little kid. History printed and preserved in an old newspaper. So much I did not know then. Still, so much I don’t know. All that went on around me, a kid growing up in a suburb of a small city. I find it kind of fascinating; the world going round.)
***
Postscript:
1 - The Syracuse News Times was a free weekly newspaper published from 1969 until 2019.
2 - The graphics at the top are Syracuse News Time advertisements. Wells & Coverley was a high-end clothing store founded 1890 in Troy, NY. I’m not sure how long they remained in business. Syracuse University Bookstores is still in operation; today it’s called Syracuse University Campus Store. (I love the graphic for the Wells & Coverly ad. They must have employed an Artist to do their advertising work. Old school class. No A.I.)
Thank you for linking to "Cherokee". I've played a fair amount of big band music and have always enjoyed listening to it. Swing-style jazz... fun and lots of harmonies... love it.
I glimpse of the past. Good stuff... and becoming as polluted as Onondaga Lake... a fitting reference to the multi-generational damage that we're still hoping to recover from (the lake... but perhaps overly-indulgent drinking too).