Doddridge of the 1920s Part 1

One wonders if talking about his home town isn’t far more pleasant than actually living there.

Like so many other small towns in America, Doddridge reached the summit of its existence in the 1920s. It was still rather isolated because of near impassable roads leading to the cities of Texarkana and Shreveport, but that didn’t prevent it from being “in there swinging” with the mainstream of America.

It has been said that “In 1920, America threw a party, and it lasted for nine years.” Those who lived through that period are likely to agree that it was literally true. Prosperity was everywhere. People had jobs, money, and optimism.

By 1920, the automobile was in Doddridge in a big way. Nearly everybody had one. It was the day of the “flapper” who wore the short dress, painted cheeks, cloche hat, and strands of beads hanging to her knees. All of this went especially well with the Charleston, a brand new and catchy dance step that was sweeping the nation.

The Twenties was the decade the radio came to everybody’s home. Air conditioning came to the city theatres, as did “talking pictures,” which were first introduced under the brand name “Vitaphone.”

In 1928, balloon tires and the rumble seat were the ultimate status symbol. “Knee action” wheels (independent suspension of front wheels) also made their debut. In a word, material progress vas running amuck---and so were the people.

America, Doddridge not excluded, vas on a binge. Nothing was too outlandish. Flagpole sitting and tree sitting were headline items. One man, on a bet, rolled a peanut with his nose from Texarkana to Garland City, Arkansas, fifteen miles away. The yo-yo was in; so were white flannel pants, white shirts, and white shoes, even in a town without pavement.

One adventurous enterpriser decided it was time for Doddridge to have a dance hall, and so he rented a building across the road from Sam Stephens’ store for it. Dances were held Saturday nights. Business boomed, but not for more than two or three weekends. Church officialdom wasn’t about to allow this potentially trouble-making setup to continue.

A petition obtained a court order which closed the operation without incident. So, it was back to the private homes for the dances. A definition of dancing overheard from one town elder: “an excuse for men to hug other men’s wives.”

There were many firsts in the 1920s and 1930s especially in the field of aviation. New advances and the breaking of records were happening almost every day. The following are some of the dramatic achievements taken from an almost endless list: In 1923, Army flyers made the first nonstop transcontinental flight. New York to San Diego in 26 hours and 50 minutes. In 1924, the first transcontinental air mail began on regular schedule, New York to San Francisco. In 1926, Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett flew over the north pole. On May 20-21, 1927, Charles A. Lindberg flew alone nonstop from New York to Paris, a feat which caused an unprecedented sensation both in the United States and Europe.

On May 20, 1932, Amelia Earhart set off, alone, from Newfoundland and landed in Ireland fifteen hours later. This made her the first woman to cross the Atlantic solo. In August of 1932, she made the first woman’s solo transcontinental flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey. January 11, 1935, she flew the Pacific from Honolulu to Oakland, the first person to make the 2408-mile trip alone. In April of the same year, while visiting in Mexico by government invitation, she startled everyone by announcing she would make the return trip to New York non-stop. This was an air distance of 2200 miles. Attempts were made to dissuade her because of the perceived hazards, but she went forward with the plan anyway and succeeded brilliantly. Amelia’s historic last flight, from which she never returned, made headlines around the world. On June 1, 1937, she and her navigator, Fred Norman, began an equator flight to circle the globe. By July 2, they were progressing well, and departed from Lae, New Guinea, poised for the most hazardous part of their journey, a never- before-attempted 2,566-mile leap to the tiny mid-pacific island of Rowland. Near the end of their estimated time of arrival at the island, there were concerned radio messages indicating that they had missed their miniscule island destination, were low on fuel, and were unable to receive transmissions known to be coming from the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Itasca. Then there was silence.

A massive sea-air search was launched which lasted about sixteen days. On July 18, the effort was called off, and the two flyers were presumed lost at sea. It was a sad moment for the world because it had come to love and admire Amelia Earhart, not only for her great skill and achievements, but also for her charm and courage, and for the inspiration she had given to millions.

Many books have been written of her life, and many speculations have been made about her last moments. There is still hope in many people that someday the mystery of the disappearance of these two courageous people will be solved. Amelia’s age at this point in time (1992) would be 94.

Famous personalities of every persuasion held great interest in the ‘20s and 30’s, and so were closely followed in the newspapers, movies, and by radio. A sampling of such people would be Will Rogers, Lillian Gish, Tom Mix, Al Jolson, Rudolph Valentino, Clara Bow, Jack Dempsey, Barney Oldfield, Bobby Jones, Knute Rockney, John D. Rockefeller, Zane Gray, Dorothy Dix, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Ma Ferguson, and “Old Man” W. K. Henderson of KWKH radio in Shreveport.

The 1920s also produced notable music which is still heard to this day. Famous composers of popular music include Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein, Fats Waller, Euby Blake, Hoagy Carmichael, Jerome Kern and others.

Highly popular songs of the ‘20s included such pieces as “Look for the Silver Lining,” “Yes Sir That’s My Baby,” “Tip Toe Through the Tulips,” “Dinah,” “I Wonder What’s Become of Sally,” “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” “Tea For Two,” “It’s June in January,” “Peg 0’ My Heart,” “Last Night on the Back Porch,” “Brown Eyes Why Are You Blue,” “Easter Parade,” “Blue Moon,” “Mary Ann,” “Lilac Time,” “I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a five and ten cent store)”, and the list seems endless.

Famous orchestra leaders of the time were Rudy Valee, Paul Whitman, Ted Lewis, Ted Weems, and Vincent A Lopez. In the category of western and country music, the better-known personalities were the Lone Star Cowboys of KWKH in Shreveport, the Light Crust Doughboys of WBAP in Ft. Worth, and the Sons of the Pioneers, also of the Ft. Worth area.

Sons of the Pioneers were highly skilled musicians and popular with all people.

Even today, sixty years later, their recordings are considered as classic examples of western music. Two of their songs which became especially loved were “Cool Water” and “Tumbling Tumble Weed.”