Thirty years ago today (Now it is 50 years) I was in Los Angeles working for Up with People in an unusual way. I was getting my hands wet with photo chemicals in a production lab for a newspaper. I was recently assigned to the PACE building to work for the Up with People biweekly "Tomorrow's American News". I was involuntarily away from my cast to be Production Manager for this newspaper. The place we worked and lived was a 7 or 8 story building called the "PACE" building. It had a wonderful tropical patio on a second story roof of one part of the structure. It was named after a large format national magazine about the size of "LIFE" that was produced for a couple of years.
Cast B
My cast was in Scandinavia. I didn't go with them because I was dehydrated and wore myself out. Pushing too hard. After getting sick with the cast, I was sent to get "R and R" at a ranch in Northern California called Bear Creek Ranch. When I had joined the international cast of Up With People I had no intention of going to work for the LA newspaper or spending time on that ranch. But here I was, enjoying grand experiences I would never forget.
It started in New Rochelle, New York
I joined Up with People in June of 1967 at Fort Slocum, David's Island, New Rochelle, New York. I was a leader of a local "Sing-Out" in Salt Lake City. Sing-outs were forming all over the country like wildfire. The time was right for something positive during the late sixties and "Sing-out" fit the bill perfectly.
The popular song on the radio that year was by Scott McKenzie "If you're going to San Francisco". Each time I hear that song I am reminded of the "Flower Children" that thronged that West Coast town bringing with them a different life-style of drugs, free love, long hair, wierd dress and dropping out. One news report estimated that ten thousand young people left their homes and families across the country to have a "happening" or a "live-in" on San Francisco streets with this new "movement" called Flower Power.
At the same time on the East Coast about ten thousand young people were also gathering over the space of the summer. These kids were mostly from local sing-outs all over the country and many places in the world. They were clean cut, abstained from drugs and alcohol, haircuts, high moral standards, and all volunteered countless hours building and remodeling an old run down Army Fort for a conference sponsored by Up with People.
These youth left their homes for a few weeks only to return with a commitment of more motivation and greater involvement in the world around them. Rather than "tuning out" they were out to change the world a little bit by changing themselves. Miracles happened making that delapidated island into a wonderful memory all participants won't forget.
My local sing-out donated a one-way ticket for me from Salt Lake City to New York on the assumption that I would be accepted into the "National" Cast of Up with People. We called it national but it was very much international. Visits by a national cast member, Dan Skuce, to my home town made me think I would be accepted for sure. I was. I did not have to pay any monies to join back then. UWP sponsored me. I even got paid $12.50 every two weeks for personal expenses.
We participated in all aspects of staging one of three national casts during the summer.
It was hot and humid on that Island in Long Island Sound. We went to bed under damp sheets due to the constant mist at night. The water of the sound was dirty and I never did swim on the one small beach we had. We worked long hours installing plumbing in the barracks, rehearsing, attending meetings, setting up stages, forced exercises at 6 am, shows in surrounding communities, larger shows in New Hampshire, Washington DC and Harlem. We each took turns working in the kitchen cleaning up, setting tables properly and cooking. Do you know how many eggs it takes to feed 2500 hungry teen-age mouths? It didn't take me long to learn how to crack 4 eggs at one time.
I tried so many different kinds of food, because we really had an international group from just about everywhere in the world. Curry was introduced to my palette in a variety of ways. Some I don't miss.
We travelled from the dock to the Island on a Ferry. Vip's used a small speedboat that was rumored to be in a James Bond Movie, (Goldfinger I believe). Vendors delivering groceries and supplies just drove onto the ferry with the passengers.
2-8-98
World Sing Out Festival
The World Sing out Festival that was held on the Island had influence
throughout the new York area. Casts of Up with People took to the road and
performed in surrounding areas to test out the show that they had staged
throughout the summer. I joined cast B and my first show was in New Hampshire.
We performed at Mountain View Country Club. (At the end of one song we yelled
"Ya hoo, Mountain View" mirroring a TV slogan about Mountain Dew). From there we went to White Plains New York
and eventually to Washington DC (Constitution Hall). We always did something that may sound odd to anyone else, but it was normal to us. We ran wherever we went. It was run off the bus into the theater, run to the restaurant, run to do this, run to do that. It did draw attention to us. It did say "something is different about these youth. We had a parade in the main street of New Rochelle. We handed out flyers to people on the sidewalk as we ran along with the trailer carrying the musicians. People sometimes didn't know what hit them.
Something else we did that was different. The last day we stayed in a hotel or a host's house we stripped the bedding and folded up the sheets. To this day I want to do this, though I don't always. It said something to even the maids in the hotel that we were different. We were proud that we were different, and we were proud of who we were and what we stood for.
Most of us were happy to speak out about our convictions and our cause if asked. Frequent radio interviews or classroom discussions were the norm. I remember strong convictions from the stage were shared by cast members to the audiences.
"Take it On" was a catch phrase of the day. This was usually accompanied by the slight slap of the back of one hand in the palm of the other. This movement of the hands usually meant an increase of involvement or conviction when saying something like; "I feel to discipline myself and take on this new job with all I have to give."
I remember a leader of the cast speaking to thousands of potential contributors and audience something like, "Some have said they are right behind us, we don't want you right behind us, we want you right at the side of us". or, "Up with People is out to change the world and make it the way is should be." or "We are dedicating our lives to making this world a better place. Putting the petty things behind us and taking on the challenge of leading this world in a positive new bold direction."
MRA
Moral Re-Armament (MRA) was the organization first staging Up with People. Later in 1968 Blanton and friends split and went their own way. This move left MRA with no sounding board. No vehicle. While the people who ran MRA were in the wings watching and supporting UWP, they no longer were the parent sponsor organization.
Much of the leadership and life blood were now gone. The past leaders were gone and the plays that were once international favorites were history. The costumes of a past vibrant MRA troupe were lying dirty in old closets in the PACE Building theater. Unused and un-noticed except by curious residents. I remember enough costumes to start a costume rental company including a full indian chief headress (to the floor) that lay wasting in the huge dressing room closets. I still regret not asking for it. I probably could have had anything I wanted. It was just wasting away.
Actually, I liked the premise of MRA. The foundation of MRA was built on four absolute standards; Absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness and absolute love. The idea was great. The only problem I saw was that these absolutes were often interpreted by its various leaders to be the way he or she wanted them to be.
One concept that I really liked that was both used and abused was the concept of "guidance". While MRA was not a religion, it seemed to have it's foundation on very similar principles. It boasted that all religions of all people's were welcome. This concept of guidance seemed a little like a religious principle, yet I have always felt that it can be used by all people's from all nations, creeds or religions.
03-29-03
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