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Hm BarawtU PtopU^—ti—U Barawlt a. C- TliirWay. Arngmai If, lfS7 HEAVENLY DAYS FOR THE JORDANS Marion and Jim—‘Fibber McGee and Molly’ to You—Hit the Top in Radio After Years of Labor, Love and Laughter., IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL UNDAY chool Lesson By R Dea Here's Planned Prettiness REV. HAROLD li LUNDQU1ST. n ot tha Moody Bible Inatttut* ot Chicago. C Western Newspaper Union. By WILLIAM C. UTLEY SSTIT'HY don't you forget VV about that guy Jordan?” a suitor asked Marion Driscoll, about 18 years ago. ‘‘He'll never amount to anything. If you m$rry him, you’ll be living out of a suitcase all your life.” That settled it. For \ there was nothing Marion Driscoll would rath er have done for the rest of her life than live out of a suitcase—with her Jim. It was a good thing for you and me, too. If this swell romance hadn’t blossomed into happy and lasting marriage, we would have had to do without two of the most good-humored and welcome visitors who “call” at our homes—Fibber McGee and Molly. Marion and Jim Jordan “lived out of a suitcase” and worked like the dickens for a good many years be fore, as Fibber and Molly, they be came one of the five or six top- ranking radio teams. In the rural areas and small communities they rank first. “We’ve got a bigger audience than even Jack Benny has,” is the way Jim puts it. Fibber Born on Farm. No wonder, either. They’ve al ways been “small town folks,” even though they’ve lived in Chicago for a long time. Like Fibber and Mol ly, the Jordans themselves are as genuine as the eggs in a home-made cake. One indication is sufficient: During the leaner years when they sometimes worked f9r $35 a week, the Jordans and their two children —Katherine, seventeen, and Jim, Jr., thirteen—lived in an unpreten tious residential district on Chi cago’s northwest aide, where they had a lot of friendly neighbors, plain, ordinary folks like them selves. When they suddenly found themselves in the “big money” class at last, did they buy a fine man sion on the Gold Coast, with more servants than closets? They did not They built a little seven-room house right in their old neighbor hood; It was HOME to them, and that was important. Fibber (or Jim. if you prefer) eras born on a farm near Peoria. UL, and worked on It until he wae twelve; he hod seven brothers and sisters to help him out. Marion was a Peoria girl, the youngest save one of a family of 11. Now there hardly lives a gal who doesn’t like to look Into n mirror once in a while, and Marion was no exception. At oftEtnan aha wae a very pretty girl and hod a voice good enough to land her In the church choir. It woe at choir prac tice one day that aha caught her- •elf aneeking a peek Into tho glass above the piano. And whan aho Lesion for August 22 THE PLACE OF RELIGION IN A NATION'S LIFE. % M •> WM Jr Fibber McGee . . . and Molly. for the one hundred twenty-second engineers, but sickness prevented his seeing service, and he was in a hospital when the Armistice was signed. Meanwhile, was Marion, back home in Peoria, merely twid dling her thumbs, awaiting his re turn? “Heavenly days!” says she. “I was that busy teaching piano to 50 pupils, some good and some bad, I didn’t have a moment to myself!” They decided to get out of the show business when Jim came back, but it was no go. Jim wasn’t very successful finding steady work and, with his brothers-in-law con stantly taunting, “When are you go ing to get a job?” he soon found himself behind the footlights again. He and Marion had real success with their concert company, and no one complained that he was shift less any more. Aa Agent Gets Fired. Billed as a 15-piece ensemble, the company was literally that—a 15 piece affair—but there were only six people in it; some of them played eeveral instruments. This led to complications. An advance man preceded them on tour and arranged for their billing. When they arrived they usually met a stage crowded with IS chairs and a manager stirred with indignation at finding only six musicians. At this point Jim would become highly incensed at tho au dacity of his agent in permitting so gross a misrepresentation. Loudly and righteously, in the sight of all concerned, he would discharge the agent. Marion and Jim estimate that this hardy soul was “fired” m such a manner twice a week for four year*. There followed more success, thia time as a harmony team In vaude- vtlie. Then the algid which was to open up new and miraculous vistas to them. They were playing cards with friends In Chicago in 1934 An old m. 1 Marion says thsss candid camera shots of Jim and her are typical of a Jordan day at home. saw s slim youth of seventeen look ing over her shoulder her heart beat like a studio gong; she decided right there that Jim Jordan (for that’s who it was) was the man for her. It must have been a two-way mir ror, for Jim Jordan decided the same thing. Jim sang with a quartet which was rehearsing with the choir. They had their first date on New Year's eve. Marion can’t suppress a little giggle whenever she thinks of it. They Still Tease. “His mother went along with us, and took him home afterward!” she laughs. Even after 20-odd years this charge still makes him hot un der the collar. “Oh, here now,” he objects. “Cut that out I” Then, with a grin: “Anyway, didn’t you always bring your big brother along on our dates after that?” For three years they courted be fore they were married, and for 19 years since. Before their marriage, Jim toured in vaudeville with a musical act called, “A Night With the Poets.” He sang on the Chau tauqua circuits, and later started a concert company that toured the tank towns, an experience which may have developed some of the “tank town tourist” flavor which characterises the McGee and Molly Shortly after their marriage Jas left tar France as a uplsruwewt battery radio set was blatting away. Conversation was all but impos sible as what might or might not have been a harmony team strug gled with the notes in the upper rimges. Jim Wins a Bet. Jim stood it as long as he could. Then: “Dad rat it!” he cried. “We can do better than that!” His host was a doubting Thomas with a bit of sporting blood and bet Jim they couldn’t. So the next day found them seeking an audition at the sta tion to which they had been listen ing—old WIBO, , "the top of the dial,” in Chicago. They clicked immediately, and soon made their debut in a com mercial program on the ether waves as the O’Henry twins—at $10 a broadcast! They collected the $10 they had * bet, too. Those were the days before any body got fat eating on a radio star’s salary. Marion and Jim for eight months broadcasted two hours a day for $35 a week. They were known under dozens of different names, and it is a tribute to their amazing versatility that they did not run out of things to do. They sang songs, acted out little skits, dialogs and monologa, and Marion played the microphone for another year in the theaters. Then when WENR went on the air they returned, never to leave. The character of Fibber Mc Gee may be traced by veteran lis teners to that of an old man named Luke in one of their early broad casts. Molly is much the same character as Mrs. Smith in their old skit, “The Smith Family.” They had another program called the “Smackouts,” which they intend to bring back to radio some day. All this time it might be supposed that the national networks were overlooking them; in fact it has often been reported that they never had a chance at the networks untl Fibber and Molly came to life. Nothing could be further from the truth, Jim insists. They simply made so much money off loca broadcasts plus theater appear ances that they avoided the net works. When NBC bought WENR they went to WMAQ, where they could remain a local team, but when NBC bought WMAQ, aa well, Jim had to hit the national hookup as “Mr. Twister.” Mariea Has Msay The first Fibber McGee and Molly broadcasts was in March. 1935. The a "natural” from the they left the “show •tart. That It has remained so, In fact has never ceased to add to ita popularity, testifies to Jim Jordan's showmanship. The sponsor wanted to base the show on Fibber’s “fish stories” and out land iah lies, but Jim saw that the listeners would soon tire of them and refused. Instead we hear this quaint Irish couple, genuine, witty, and at all times sympathetic, surrounded by some of the funniest characters radio ever has known. Fans have learned to love end laugh at the little girl whoae tiny voice can ask the moot embarrassing questions on earth; Geraldine, the tittering bride; Grandma, the old lady with the chorus girl philosophy; sirs. Weary* bottom, who always seems as If she will surely run down like an old- time phonograph before she finishes a sentence, but never does, quite; and Molly, herself, an able toil for the cocky McGee. All of these and more are played by Marion herself! Horatio K. Boomer, the small time big shot; the raspy Russian, who says “HaUo. Petrushka! Hal lo, Tovarich!”; the Scotchman, and other dialect characters, are played by young BUI Thompson, whom Jim discovered. Silly Watson, the po litely uproarious blackface come dian, is Hugh Studebaker, who nev er acted at all until he got into radio—he was a pipe organist. Studebaker also has a show of his own, "Bachelor's Children.” Harpo, the announcer who loves to "spoU” Fibber’s favorite jokes by “sneaking in” a commercial announcement, la Harlow Wilcox, who is Harold Isbell in real life. Fibber, of course, is Jim Jordan. Cola Many ’Catch Phrases.* You’ll find no "mother-in-law” jokes on the Fibber McGed 1 and Molly program. “ ’Taint funny, McGee 1” Molly said, and that was that. And you’ll never hear any thing on the program that you wouldn’t want your children to hear; Marion and Jim have children of their own. Don Quinn, who has written the Jordan scripts for seven years, has taken a lesson from the honest-to-goodness romance that has followed the pair throughout their married life. You will never hear any serious arguments be tween Fibber and Molly; it’s very apparent that they love each other, and you love them for it. Seldom has any troupe in the show business coined so many catch phrases that have become by-words throughout the nation. Among all classes of people today you may hear repeated almost any time Mol ly’s “Heavenly days, McGee!” and “ Tain’t funny, McGee!”; Fibber’s “Dad rat it!”; the little girl’s “I betcha!” and Grandma’s “Hi, Skip- pyl” They’re riding on top of the world right now, the Jordans. But would they quit if they could > “Just give me a chance,” says Jim. “Boy, I’d like to go right back where I start ed. I’d like to live on a little fans by s lake and taka life easy.** “Heavenly days!" says Marion ’’You tot.** Jim repUasi LESSON TEXT—Exodus 25:1. 2. S. •; 29:43-46; 40:34-38. GOLDEN TEXT—Blessed Is tbs nation whose God Is the Lord. Ps. 33:12. PRIMARY TOPIC—The MeeUng House. JUNIOR TOPIC—The House ot the Lord. INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC —Why a Nation Needs Religion. YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC— The Place of Religion in e Nation's Life. The nation of Israel was under the direct government of God- theocracy as distinguished from a monarchy, or a democracy. God spoke to them through his servant Moses, biit his relationship to the people was far more intimate than that of a distant power delivering laws through a representative. God dwelt in the midst of his people* and today we consider how he made provision for a place in which to meet with them, for a holy priest hood to minister before him, and made known his personal presence by a manifestation of his glory. I. A Place to Meet God (Exod. 25:1, 2, 8, 9; 29:43-46). Every place of worship, whether the tabernacle in the wilderness, or a church on a busy city street, testifies to the fact that man is indeed “incurably religious.” He is a spiritual being, made by God for fellowship with himself. He is never satisfied until he meets God. The pattern or plan for the taber nacle was given by God (v. 9), and was to be followed in every de- talL But note that the people were to make a willing offering of all that was needed for its construc tion. God gives man the glorious privilege of partnership with him. Shortsighted end foolish is the man who grumbles because the church needs money. A father might just as well grieve because his children outgrow their clothing. Thank God if your church is alive and grow ing, and be glad for the opportuni ty to buy It some "new clothes.'* Sacrificial gifts and faithful build- 1 n g according to God's ph I brought to completion a place of meeting which God sanctified and accepted. II. Priests to Minister to 0 (w 44,45). Note, first, that they were men called of God. Those who stand to minister to him for the people dare not appoint themselves, • r I seek an appointment by men. Ttoy | must to "God-cailed.” They were also sanctified, or or dained. by God. Only as men act In ! ! true recognition of God's selection end setting apart of his chosen i servants does ordination have real ; meaning. Finally, notice that the priests were “to minister to” God. His | ! servants are to serve him, and thus ' to meet the need of the people for | | whom they apeak. They are “put in trust with the gospel.” and there- fore to **00 . . . speak; not as ' j pleasing men, but God” (I Theta. 2:4). If you have that kind of a pastor, praise God for him, and | give him your earnest support and | encouragement. HI. The Presence of God (Exod. 1 29 45, 46 ; 40 944S). He dwelt in the midst of his peo- pie. Christians also know what It j means to have “God frith us,” for such is the very meaning of the name “Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14; Matt. | 1:23). He it was who as the living Word “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). For our further instruction and blessing let us observe that when God dwelt with his people his glory "filled the tabernacle’* (v. 34). Is that true of our churches? Have we so loved God and so fully yielded ourselves and our churches to him that he is free to fill the place with his glory? The word “abode” in v. 35 is significant. What blessed peace and assurance must have come to Is rael when they knew that God had come to abide with them. In this world of transitory things we need such an anchor for the soul—God’s abiding presence. But God’s people must move on. There are victories to be won, a promised land to take. So we read that the cloud arose when they were to move forward, and when it was “not taken up, then they journeyed not until the day that it was taken up.” The Psalmist tells us that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Ps. 37:23). I believe it was George Mueller of blessed memory who inserted three words —“and the stops.” The man, or the church, or the nation, that trust God, will have both “steps” and “stops” “ordered by the Lord.” V\ 11 IWI I F AUTUMN comes will you be left behind with faded summer frocks, Madam? No, no, many times no—that is, not if you will but accept this cordial invitation from Sew-Your-Own. It’a the easy way to become frock-sure of chic for yourself and your daugh ters, as well. So Madam, why not aew, aew, aew-your-ownl A Dutch Treat. It isn’t often mother gets a break (it’s beauty before age, you know) but this trip she does. Sew-Your- Own has designed, especially for her, an all-occasion frock (above left) that's simply lovely to look at. If father’s compliments have become a bit rusty from lack of use, thia frock will bring them back to their former brightness. It’s pretty in any fabric: gingham, •ilk crepe, rayon prints, percale, or sheer wool. Sweet V Simple. It's a treat, too, for mother when she finds a drees for Little &ia that’s as carefully planned ea the captivating model stove centi It gives the growing girl the fluffing out aha needs in the shoulders, end the prettily flared skirt offers her graceful poles Indoors, plus full freedom for activity out of doors. It’s adorable with the cellar end cuffs In white linen. It heightens I the contrast of her luscious healthy requires 2 yards of 35-inch mate rial, plus % yard contrasting. Pattern 1327 is designed for sizes 12 to 20 (30 to 38 bust). Size 16 re quires 4 Vi yards of 39-inch mate rial, plus 3Vi yards of cord for lac ing. With long sleeves, 4H yards required. Send your order to The Sewing Circle Pattern Dept., Room 1020, 211 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, DL Price of patterns, 15 cents (in coins) each. Plndt Way to Hava Young-Looking Skin at 391 The man who fears nnihlnf Is not leas powerful than to who ta feared by every one, flrhlfisc. M0R0UNE Chle for the CL F. And a tree! for aU concerned la the frock Sew-Your-Own has cre ated for The Girl Friend. She may be collegiate, high school iah, a ateno, mother's helper, or a young lady of leisure, but whatever the Is she’ll look the pert and prettier In e take-off on Pattern 13m. It Is new, novel, end easy to sew. It Is undoubtedly the frock to wear when your escort, the time, end the place ere important. Pattern 1372 is designed for sizes 34 to 46. Size 36 requires 4% yards of 35-inch material. Pattern 1967 la designed for sizes 4, 6, 6, 10, end 12 years. Sue 6 Beginning of Eternal Life Eternal life does not just mean that when our bodies die our souls last on. It means a kind of life which we can begin to live here and now, and which cannot be destroyed by death because it is united with God.—A Day Book of Prayer. Always aa A little girl was once teased by a skeptic,' Srho remarked that God bed not answered her prayer. “Yea,” aha said, “be answered. He Smiles Fancy Meeting Yon! Two friends met in midair. “Where have you come from?” greeted one. *Tve just dropped from an airplane.” “Oh,” replied the other, “I’m rising from my stove.” A doctor says we should never go to sleep In a bad temper. As the proverb didn’t pot it: “Surly to bed, surly to rise.** No Orders An old lady sat knitting at the end of the pier, from which a pleasure steamer was about to start. Suddenly the captain shouted: “All right! Cast off now!’* The old lady looked up sharply. “Thank you, officer,” she called, “but I’m quite capable of doing my own knitting.” Sentinels of Health rwvtj?tu , a!*» 4 *e jn* n VW *il!tM4MC*iwt > n* > *" 111 ** 5 baCiwrtic get ridaf « UWZWa Doans Pills WNU—7 Peace With Reason Peace rules the day, where rea son rules the mind.—Collins. 666 MALAIM fat three dare GOLDS LIQUID. TABLETS , salve, nose Dion Hssdieht, 80 ab Hot Weather is Here— Beware of Biliousness! Have you ever noticed that In very hot weather your organs of digestion and elimination seem to become torpid or lazy? Your food ■ours, forms cas. causes belching, heartburn, and a feeling of rest and Irritability. Them are aom* of the more common symptoms or warnings of biliousness or so-called liver." so prevalent in hot < Don't neglect them. Take tabs, the Improved calomel pound tablets that give von tho effects of calomel and mtta. o b::.e<l. You win be the prompt relief they