TV Radio Mirror (Jan - Jun 1955)

The Mariners (Continued from page 39) nothing but love, and she gives them plenty." He grins, "Anyway, there's no chance of her ever being lonely." The man who doesn't see quite eye-toeye with Karl on a "family unlimited" is Nat Dickerson. Nat has two children and — considering today's cost of living — thinks two is just about right. And he has another thought: He and his wife Ellen are looking forward to the day when they will get a little time for each other. Ellen, although she stands only five-two, is so feminine and charming that it's almost impossible to imagine keeping her a secret for a whole year — but that's what Nat did. Ellen was a secret bride, and it was wholly a result of career problems. Nat was born in Waycross, Georgia, but he was still a child when the family moved to Philadelphia. That's where his musical education began. Later, he went to Fisk University and was a featured singer with the renowned Jubilee Singers. He then studied voice at Juilliard School of Music. He appeared in the Broadway production of "Porgy and Bess," and gave a concert at Carnegie Recital Hall. He won the coveted Marian Anderson scholarship which enabled him to study voice privately for one year. Nat had a great voice. But he wasn't rich, because concert singers don't get rich very quickly or very often. And when, in 1945, he fell in love, his troubles began. Nat had sponsors, several wealthy people who were contributing to his advanced study. They believed in Nat, but they paid his expenses for art's sake, and they thought marriage would interfere with his progress. "A lot of people feel that way," Nat says charitably. "People have the idea that an artist can't have time for a family. It's not necessarily true." After quite a bit of debate, inner and outer, Nat and Ellen were married. They told only his parents and her parents. Beyond that, not even brothers and sisters knew. "And I made wonderful progress with my voice," Nat says. In his honeymoon year, he won a place in another Broadway hit, "Finian's Rainbow." That same year, the Mariners became a permanent fixture on the Godfrey show. However, not even the boys in the quartet knew he was married. Finally, in 1947, Nat and Ellen sent out formal wedding invitations — but the announcement was dated for June 22, 1946. "We're already married," Nat explained. "We're just a little late with the invitations." Nat has two children, a little girl six years old and a boy who will be four this July. Ellen has insisted that they both be named after their father so they are, respectively, Natalie and Nathaniel. The Dickersons recently moved from Jersey into a new ranch-style home in Stamford, Connecticut. Ellen has furnished the house in modern with a trace of Chinese. She enjoys working with colors, whether it's in the garden and the house or in choosing clothes for Nat. She always selects Nat's suit and tie and shirt for the next day. "She has to," Nat says. "I pick terrible color combinations." For the quartet's top tenor, the day starts at five-thirty. The kids are up, too, and Nat's good for a short game of hideand-seek while he's shaving. They all breakfast together. Nat has learned to eat soft-boiled eggs for the sake of the children. Now he can do it with hardly a grimace. Between seven and seven-thirty, he catches a train into Manhattan. Usually, when he gets home, everyone is asleep. The children are devoted to Nat and, 3i'#£ EVEN IF YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH ONLY ONCE A DAY Colgate Dental Cream Gives The Surest Protection All Day Long ! Brushing For Brushing, It's The Surest Protection Ever Offered By Any Toothpaste! Because Only Colgate Dental Cream —Of All Leading Toothpastes— Contains Gardol* To Guard Against Tooth Decay LongerStop Bad Breath Instantly! gA*d< Gardol, Colgate's wonderful new decay-fighter, forms an invisible shield around your teeth. You can't feel it, taste it, or see it— but Gardol's protection won't rinse off or wear off all day. That's why Colgate Dental Cream with Gardol fights tooth decay 12 hours or more! ASK YOUR DENTIST HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD BRUSH YOUR TEETH! But remember! Even if you brush only once a day, Colgate Dental Cream gives the surest protection all day long! Stops bad breath instantly in 7 out of 10 cases that originate in the mouth! Fights tooth decay 12 hours or more! In fact, clinical tests showed the greatest reduction in tooth decay in toothpaste history! ♦Colgate's TradeMark For Sodium' N-lauioyl Sarcosinate. Every Time You Use It. CLEANS YOUR BREATH ..New Colgate Dental Cream '^"GUARDS YOUR TEETH! 69