Missed the boat -- and glad of it

A clipping from the Gazette in 1973, [Click to enlarge]

Every family has a story about the time one of its members who had a close call of some kind, when but for a fortunate set of circumstances that person very likely would have been killed in some sort of accident. In our family that person is our daughter, Susan, during the time she was a member of the Young Americans singing group.

"The Young Americans" began in the 1960s, a time when the young people in the United States were suffering from a bad reputation because of the excesses of a few. A well known Broadway and TV musical producer, Milton Anderson set out to bring together a group of young musicians, age 15-24, from all parts of the United States "to reflect a positive and honest image of our nation's youth." Anderson had done the production work for hundreds of musical revues and TV specials -- for the great stars of the day, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, among many others. He liked working with young people and saw his new group as an independent organization, not connected with any political or religious agenda -- its purpose simply to present youth as they are.

Mr. Anderson's connections with Broadway, TV, and the movies made it possible for him to line up work for his group from the very beginning. The Young Americans was the first group to put choreography to choral singing, and its Nationwide TV exposure in the 1960s and '70s gave birth to the entire "Show Choir" movement, which is a staple in thousands of high schools and colleges across the country today.

Our daughter, Susan was just completing her freshman year at McCook College in 1972 when the Young Americans appeared at the Civic Auditorium, as part of the Community Concert series. The group was a huge hit in McCook, and, as they always do at a show, the Emcee invited young people in the audience to audition for the group -- with the possibility of traveling with the group, in the United States, and possibly abroad.

Susan was always interested in music. She actually enjoyed practicing her piano lesson -- (especially when it meant that she might skip helping with the evening dishes). She sang with school and 4-H groups, and was one of Joyce Hershberger's organ students. Girls' sports were not yet a part of the high school program. In those days McCook prided itself on its high school band and choral groups, and Susan took part in all the music activities She especially liked the school Broadway type musicals, which were important dates on the high school calendar.

Susan's mother imagined that her daughter would go on to college, study music, and eventually teach music on the high school level. Susan saw her future somewhat differently. She had already experienced one summer of show business, appearing in a musical revue in Medora, ND, where the Medora Singers celebrate Theodore Roosevelt's western experience, in song and drama, against the scenic backdrop of the Dakota Badlands. She thoroughly enjoyed that experience, and now the thought of spending a whole year singing and dancing appealed to Sue -- more so than to her mother and me. Her audition was successful, and she was accepted as a member of the Young Americans.

My wife, Jean, and I were apprehensive -- not with the Young Americans, because everything we were able to learn about the organization and Mr. Anderson was very positive, and we felt it would be a fine learning experience for Susan. I guess we were not ready to have her leave home -- be so far away for a whole year.

Susan's stint with the Young Americans was everything she had hoped. She was able to continue with her education in California, even while still rehearsing and appearing with the Young Americans. She dutifully enrolled in Chapman College, and did earn hours of credit, but the travel schedule of the YA prevented her having a normal college experience at Chapman. But it was fun. She remembers a number of children of Hollywood stars who were in her classes. One was Bob Hope's son, a fellow who had already been in school for a number of years, but was in no hurry to graduate. On the contrary, he was getting ready to leave for "A Semester At Sea," which would take him around the world, while at the same time allowing him to take college courses.

Among Susan's highlights of her year with the YA was a TV Special, with Julie Andrews and Donald O'Connor. The Young Americans style of high energy dancing and singing fit right in with O'Connor's innovative dancing, but she got the idea that Julie Andrews thought that the Young Americans were a bit too energetic.

One YA tour (of three months) took them around the U.S., to Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, New York Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon, and back to California. It was a strenuous tour, with many shows, but to those young people, it was all just fun. One of the stops in Nebraska was at Norfolk. They happened to have a day off there and Susan arranged for the entire company to spend the day on her grandfather's farm at rural Wisner. For many of the group it was their first time on a real farm and they loved it, riding the tractor, feeding the livestock, and sampling Susan's grandmother's home cooking. The Wisner paper was on hand to cover the event with many pictures, which turned up in YA publicity pieces for the next several years.

The high point for the Young Americans that year was to be a tour of New Zealand and Australia, to be completed in August, just in time for Susan to return to school in Nebraska in the fall. All the preparations for the trip -- passports, shots, legal papers were finished, and everyone was anxiously counting down the hours to departure.

There had been some trouble in making the flight reservations and coordinating their flights with their theater engagements in Australia. When Mr. Anderson announced that they were going to have to postpone their trip (and possibly cancel it altogether) while they worked out details in Australia, there were groans of disappointment -- but as it turned out, that delay was Providential -- and probably saved their lives.

Quoting from the Sydney, Australia Daily Mirror, "A spot of trouble in Sydney last month probably saved the lives of 36 Young American singers who opened for four weeks at St. George League's Club. Opposition from the Australian Actors Equity Union to the Young Americans' appearance resulted in a delay in opening and consequently a delay in the group's appearance in New Zealand. Had they opened as planned, they would have left New Zealand to return to America aboard the Pan American flight that crashed off Tahiti, killing all but one of the 78 aboard."

Susan had thoroughly enjoyed her trip "Down Under." The Australian and New Zealand people were "wonderfully friendly," both countries were beautiful, and they had had a fantastic experience. It was almost as an afterthought that she showed us the Sydney paper. She seemed surprised when her mother began to sob as she read the story, and apologized for showing her the paper, as she tried to console her. In the exuberance of youth, she had not realized the effect the story would have on her parents.

Some of Susan's YA friends stayed in show business. They have done well. Their names appear in the credits for the musical numbers we see in the movies and on TV. But after a year with the Young Americans, our Susan decided on another course. She had very much enjoyed the people she worked with and the people she met on the tours. She loved the performances -- she even liked the rehearsals. She was less thrilled about all the traveling, and in her final analysis she decided that she would come back to Nebraska and re-enter the "real world." Her mother and I could not have been happier.

Source: Sydney Australia Daily Mirror, McCook Gazette 8/27/73