TV Radio Mirror (Jan - Jun 1963)

BOOK BONUS (Continued from page 55) Prince Spencer said quietly, "outside of heaven there's only one place I want to be. And that's the USA." "Ever hear of a guy called Joe Louis?" asked Maceo, another of the in-Step Brothers. "He was a Negro out of Detroit who became the champion of the whole world. And Willie Mays is a Negro, chum. So is Jackie Robinson. They're two of the greatest baseball players who ever lived. Ever heard of them? Why don't you go ask them how it feels to be cheered by millions of fans — white and black?" Flash went right on. ". . . And you ever heard of Dr. Ralph Bunche? He's a Negro. He just happens to be UnderSecretary for Special Political Affairs at the UN, that's all." "Sure we got problems," admitted Prince. "Sure we got Little Rock. Sure we got integration troubles. We're not too happy to play the South. In fact we avoid it. But we got laws and we got courts and we got millions of Americans of all races and all creeds and all colors who are willing to lay down their lives to make possible the freedom set down by a man called Abraham Lincoln a long time ago. Did you ever hear of him? Man, let me tell you something. We got it made in our country." Propped up against the door, I was really beginning to enjoy this. The bow tie bobbled up and down. He made one last feeble attempt. "How come America is always preparing for war? How come they use all their money to buy arms and ammunition?" Now he was all mine. I left my post at the door and stood right in front of him. "I guess," I said, "you don't know the history of our country. We are farmers, mechanics and actors. We are bricklayers, bookkeepers and even bookmakers. We are doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. We're rich men and we're poor men. We go about our business enjoying our freedom — until it is challenged. And then we all get together to fight to preserve it. And we keep on fighting until the battle is won. "But when it's all over we all go back to our farms, our tools, our businesses and our stages to enjoy the freedom we fought for. So, you see, friend," I said, "we're not always preparing for war, but an American never could take a bully." "Not even at a press conference," whispered Prince, as he opened the door and ushered the reporter out. The moment we stepped into our rooms at the Ambassador Hotel in Kowloon, my dear wife started to take inventory. This was so she'd know right away what she needed. How my wife knows she needs a pair of ruby earrings or she needs a silver lame sheath or she needs a white alligator bag, I'll never know. The one thing she's never in doubt about is the fact that she always needs something. She took inventory as she unpacked so she'd know what she needed. My wife got busy immediately separating the nearly-new-but-slightly-used-clothes from the not-quite-yet-old-pile from the in-case-stuff. Since this was a long trip, Cindy had taken everything with her but our mosaic tile dining room table. She brought two suitcases, a make-up box, a hatbox, two train cases — and we went by plane — and a shopping bag. There were only six outfits that she wore regularly. The rest were "in case" clothes. She took one thing in case it rains, another thing in case it's hot. She took this in case it's a very dressy affair and that in case we had an invasion from Mars. She was ready for all contingencies. When Cindy had emptied her last suitcase and stashed away her sequin gas mask, I unpacked the shopping bag which contained my extra suit, two pairs of shoes, three pairs of shorts and four oranges. "So, okay, so let's go," she said. "So, okay, so let's go where?" "Shopping." "Shopping?" "I'll tell you one thing about you," she snapped. "You sure hear good." "What are we going shopping for? We've only been here fifteen minutes." "So what do you want to do, establish residence? We're shopping for clothes, not a divorce." The only thing they got here (in Kowloon) that's more plentiful than pearls are tourists. Every tourist looks 1tY70 ■'" Only Maybelline transforms ordinary eyes into 56