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JIM: The Hoodoo, played to packed house 28 Apr 1933

The local arts scene has always been important to Columbia and Adair County - though maybe it wasn't the hugely important business factor it is today. 100 years ago today, April 28, 2018, in the depths of the depression, a performance at Columbia High School, with a cast of some nearly dozen, packed the auditorium and received rave reviews from the totally objective Adair County News. The names in the cast will surely bring to mind a member of maybe a majority of residents here today.
Click on headline to see which of your own or neighbor's family members are included. (I found my Aunt Lena Waggener, later Burris, and many others, including Miss Mary Lucy Lowe, who lived at the third house toward town and owned the fourth one, and remember most of the rest.) - EW

Compiled by JIM

On Friday night, April 28, 1933 -- a mere 85 years ago this day -- the seniors of Columbia High School, coached by Miss Mary Lucy Lowe, offered the public a brief respite from thoughts of the enduring Great Depression by presenting playwright Walter Ben Hare's comedy-farce The Hoodoo.

The briefest possible synopsis: a young couple on the verge of marriage receive as a gift an Egyptian scarab along with strict instructions for it. When they fail to follow the instructions, beaucoup bad luck comes calling, creating havoc and hilarity as efforts to break the spell ensue.

While the local presentation didn't boast the proverbial cast of thousands, it certainly featured any number of future luminaries of Columbia and Adair County, to-wit:



The Cast of "The Hoodoo"
performed at Columbia High School, April 23, 2018
  • Russell Caughron as Brighton Early, groom-to-be.

  • Guy Holladay as Billy Jackson, heartbreaker.

  • Raymond Lacy as Prof. Solomon Spiggot, Egyptologist.

  • Woodson Nell as Hemachus Spiggot, the Professor's teen son.

  • William Irwin as Maiolica Meek, a lively old gentleman.

  • Mason Jidd as Mr. Dun, burglar.

  • Mary Walker Flowers as Miss Amy Lee, bride-to-be.

  • Margaret Miller as Mrs. Parrington-Shine, Amy's auntie & Mr. Meek's daughter.

  • Nancy Barnett as Gwendolyn Parrington-Shine.

  • Margaret Hamlett as Dodo DeGraft, The Dazzling Daisy.

  • Vida Bell as Mrs. Ima Clinger, fascinating young widow.

  • Louise Page as Angelina, Mrs. Clinger's angel daughter, age 11.

  • Doris Moss as Miss Doris Ruffles, the bride's maid of honor.

  • Lucille Bault as Mrs. Semiramis Spiggot, mother of seven

  • Virginia Watson as Eupepsia Spiggot, Mrs. Spiggot's daughter, age 16<

  • Elizabeth Campbell as Miss Longnecker, a teacher.

  • Lena Waggener as Lulu, a lulu "by name and nature".

  • Frances White as Aunt Paradise, the Afro-American cook.

  • Richard Caughron, Alfred Flowers, Jean Miller, and Betty Barnett as four more members of the Spiggot brood.
The following week, the News remarked that the play "proved to be excellent entertainment" and that "The school auditorium was filled to capacity with an attentive and appreciative audience, all of whom enjoyed the play if hearty applause and words of praise are evidence."

The accompanying image appeared in the April 26 edition of the News.



This story was posted on 2018-04-28 02:37:58
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JIM: Ad for The Hoodoo, 100 years ago at Columbia HS



2018-04-28 - Photo from the Collection of JIM.
The newspaper advert for "The Hoodo" On Friday night, April 28, 1933 -- a mere 85 years ago this day -- the seniors of Columbia High School, coached by Miss Mary Lucy Lowe, offered the public a brief respite from thoughts of the enduring Great Depression by presenting playwright Walter Ben Hare's comedy-farce The Hoodoo.

The briefest possible synopsis:
a young couple on the verge of marriage receive as a gift an Egyptian scarab along with strict instructions for it. When they fail to follow the instructions, beaucoup bad luck comes calling, creating havoc and hilarity as efforts to break the spell ensue.

Click 'Read More' for the complete story with names which link to so many Adair County families still in Adair County or have made a name for themselves elsewhere.

Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.



 

































 
 
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