Remembrances
September 1966. Scott Henderson was our new music teacher. Mr. Raba had left at the end of the previous school year. I was very annoyed that there was a new teacher. I liked the old one. Boy, was I ever dumb.
The first day of our sophomore year of high school I walked up to him standing nervously at the music room door and said, "Hi. My name is Trudy. You don’t know me now, but you will." Prophetic, positively prophetic.
Carol remembers walking up to the two new music teachers and asking, "Which one of you is Scott Henderson?" (Orbie Ingersoll was the other one). Scott identified himself and Carol announced that she was quitting girls ensemble. She had been accepted into the drill team and felt that she could not be involved in that as well as music. Scott asked her if, 30 years from then, she would be in the shower singing or marching? With that compelling argument he talked her into staying in music. (She wonders now if he later regretted talking her into it.)
He was an excellent music teacher. He was the best choir director I have ever had, bar none. He demanded the best we had, which was even more than what we thought we had. He introduced us to wonderful music: Handel’s Messiah, Drum Taps, Song of Democracy, Carmina Burana, plus lots of sacred and popular music as well. For the first time in I don’t know how long, when we performed at the high school Christmas assembly, not only did the audience not throw pennies, they actually applauded. They actually liked us!
Fresh out of college himself and coming from a musical family, Scott had big plans and big dreams. He was appalled at the lack of "culture" in our little town, and made it a one-man campaign to not only shape up our high school but to bring music into Camarillo in a big way.
Camarillo High School had the usual high school plays every year, but never in the history of the school had there been a musical production. Scott’s first year at Camarillo high, his first year of teaching school, he determined that it would be a good idea for us to put on the musical West Side Story. As part of our choir repertoire we were working on a medley of songs from that show and in our naiveté we believed we had half the work involved in such a production done because we already knew the music! Scott must have been amused by our innocence.
Somehow he managed to convince the administration of the school as well as the other teachers in the fine arts department that we should present West Side Story. It was a HUGE undertaking. From our limited perspective we had no clue what all was involved, but looking back I can begin to appreciate all the work by so many people that was required for that show…
West Side Story was our introduction to Dennis Wilkerson. What a wonderful, kind, fun and talented man! A friend and classmate of Scott’s, he came from the University of Arizona, where he was Technical Director of Theater, to direct staging, design sets and choreograph West Side Story. He also was a blast to be around. Dennis slipped into our hearts and from that time forward has been "one of us."
One of Carol’s fond memories of West Side Story is when she got her license and was allowed to take her family car, the corvair, to rehearsal one Saturday. When the day was over and she went out to the parking lot, her car was gone! The boys had picked it up and carried it behind the snack bar.
I remember trying out for the part of "Anybodys," the foul-mouthed tomboy gang-member wannabe. I didn’t get it…I think it was because I couldn’t-or wouldn’t-spit.
In one scene of the play the character Anita, played by Rosie Taylor, is surrounded by a group of boys and screams. During one rehearsal Scott was laying across several chairs in the audience, directing. Rob Kohler noticed that his shirt and Rosie’s were the same color, so as the boys surrounded her and she screamed a particularly blood-curdling scream, a shirt, appearing to be Rosie’s, flew into the air. Scott almost fell off the chairs!
There was a party at someone’s house after the last performance. As I recall, many people fell, were pushed, or jumped into the swimming pool - all fully clothed of course.
West Side Story was a huge production - the biggest ever at Camarillo High School. It was also a huge success, the first of many successes for Scott Henderson, and the beginning of his reputation for quality and excellence in every endeavor.
Scott had the idea to form a group designed to perform popular songs - with choreography yet. The Choraliers were born. In the beginning the choreography was mostly from Scott’s imagination. Some was pretty good, some pretty corny. But it was a nice touch. Something new. It had never been done before by any singing group at the high school. And of course we had to have costumes. Our first outfits were white bottoms (pleated skirts for the girls, slacks for the boys) light blue sweaters and red dickies. The audience liked the Choraliers even more than the choir.
Scott managed to talk the administration into allowing the Choraliers to be a regular class by the fall of 1967 and we got down to serious work and serious fun.
It would be difficult to top West Side Story so Scott’s idea for this year was a small workshop production, The Fantasticks, produced entirely by the Choraliers class. Every member would be involved - as actors, stage crew, make up, set designers, lighting, publicity, whatever. Once again, Dennis came to our aid with his multiple talents. He did the stage direction and supervised the efforts of all the members of the class as we attempted a professional-caliber production.
John Stanewich and John Lassen were double cast as the boy in the play and Jane Graves and I were double cast as the girl. Among my fond memories of The Fantasticks is the time at a rehearsal in which Scott was so angry with me that he threw his baton in frustration (fortunately, not at me). Seems I wasn’t giving it my all. He felt strongly about that sort of thing. I think I tried harder the next time.
(I remember one time in choir when he actually threw his baton AT me!…I was talking.)
Mark Fazio and Ralph Beck played the cockney Indian and old actor in the play. They emerged from a box where they were stashed until well into the first act. The first time we actually used the box in rehearsal, Scott, who was playing El Gallo, said the line that introduced the team - "Something will turn up. I can feel it in the air…" At this point Mark was to begin pounding on his drum and he and Ralph would emerge from the box. Only it didn’t happen. So Scott tried the line again, "Something will turn up…I can feel it in the air…" Still nothing. Once more, louder this time. "Something will turn up…I can feel it in the air!" Finally, someone went over and opened the box , where both Ralph and Mark were sound asleep - passed out - from lack of oxygen! (Large holes were subsequently drilled in the box to allow for air).
Scott was perfect as El Gallo. His rendition of "Try to Remember" is still a favorite of my mom (and undoubtedly everyone else who heard him.)
During rehearsals sometimes the boys couldn’t resist being…boys. Jedd Bennett and Dave Jewkes liked to add extraneous choreography to their songs. Decorum prohibits me from getting into the details here, but it made us all laugh.
Another favorite memory from The Fantasticks was the night of the performance that the wooden sword, with which the boy, Matt, was to fight off the actor, the Indian AND El Gallo, broke to a nub. Amazingly, he still managed to fight off all three!
The Fantasticks was another hit. It was sold out the first week and held over for another weekend. Chalk up another one for Scott.
As the Choraliers began performing around town we got noticed. We were soon appearing in the Camarillo Daily News with amazing frequency. Even our new outfits rated an article in the paper. The whole town loved us. We were in parades, and performed at every local businessmen’s club around. Then we expanded outward and started getting bigger and better gigs.
Somehow we got invited to sing at the California State Fair in Sacramento. (Now I don’t know if we were actually invited, or if Scott used his charm to convince someone we needed to be there.) The day we were to perform in Sacramento was the first day of the senior year of high school for many of us. Two days before we were to leave we still weren’t sure how we were going to get there. A bus had been arranged with volunteer drivers, but at the last minute the drivers were no longer available. Another bus was appropriated but did not pass the safety check. In my minds eye I can see Scott on the phone trying to get parents to drive, or calling people desperately to finance bus tickets to Sacramento. At any rate, quite late the evening before we were to perform we each got a call that the trip was canceled. Even the great Scott Henderson couldn’t pull this one off.
Wait…what am I saying??
The morning of our first day back at school, when we probably should have been mentally gearing up for another academic year, we arrived at school with our heads hanging low. Then mid-morning we somehow all got the word - we WERE going!! David Jewkes’ father had come through. With a few "anonymous donors" (who I believe to be the Jewkes and Scott Henderson), the entire contents of the treasury of the Choral Patrons of Camarillo and a $10 contribution by each Choralier, airline tickets were purchased for all of us and we were flying to Sacramento! We somehow managed to get home, get our outfits, get back to school, get to LAX., board a plane (for the first time for most of us), fly to Sacramento, get to the state fair, find our performance location, perform (along with a very tipsy Jerry Van Dyke), get back to the airport and fly home.
Carol remembers that performance well. When we arrived at the State Fair she realized she had left her Choralier dress in the airport. An adult with us took her back to the airport where she was able to locate her dress and miraculously manage to get back to the stage in the nick of time…However, she could not find her shoes! Carol, being the professional Scott had trained us all to be, did her best in our biggest, most important performance yet-with naked feet. (She did manage to find her shoes for the subsequent two performances.)
"Would you believe 22 Camarillo High School Choraliers provided the in-flight entertainment for a commercial airline flight Tuesday night on their return from a successful engagement at the Sacramento State Fair?
Scott Henderson said stewardesses were sitting in the aisles with part of the crew and passengers as the Choraliers gave their entire concert. Many passengers said it was the ‘greatest flight they’d ever made.’" (Camarillo Daily News, the next morning)
Talk about a busy first day back at school! As I look back now, I can visualize steam coming out the ears of the administrators of good ol’ Camarillo High. But it was certainly the best, most memorable first day of school I’ve ever had!
Naturally, since we had wiped out the treasury of the Choral Patrons of Camarillo, we had to begin work on a benefit concert which would allow us to raise the money to pay back what had been borrowed. And our first big solo concert - It’s Today! - began in the imagination of Scott Henderson.
Our format was to begin the show with popular tunes and finish it with production numbers from Broadway musicals, such as Hello, Dolly!, Oklahoma, 110 in the Shade (what?). We had several costume changes during performances.
I don’t know where Scott got the idea, or where they came from, but for It’s Today! the girls wore paper dresses over tights as our costumes for a number in which we all danced to the Mission Impossible theme. In the end, Carol Farrington was carried off-stage by a bunch of people, while doing karate chops in the air. (!!!)
At dress rehearsal in the Oxnard auditorium we were dancing away while Dennis Wilkerson played with various lighting possibilities. All of a sudden we performers heard hysterical laughter from the audience. We couldn’t figure it out and just kept our professional attitude and finished the dance, all the while wondering what was so funny. It seems that while he was experimenting with the lighting Dennis had tried blue (ultra violet) lights. What that did was shine right through the paper dresses, so that the net effect was of underwear dancing across the stage!
Never satisfied with second best, Scott called in the big guns for the Choraliers and It’s Today! Phil Azelton put together some wonderful arrangements for us, and David Evans brought our choreography new life and professionalism. Once again, Dennis Wilkerson was contributing toward our success with his talent by doing the sets, lighting and staging. Then of course, professional musicians had to be hired to accompany us. I’d be real surprised if we actually made money on that concert. In fact, I’d be surprised to learn we didn’t end up further in debt…
But we were hot stuff in Camarillo. We continued to perform for various venues and to be in the newspaper frequently. More often than not, it seems now, I would emerge from my bedroom first thing in the morning to the sound of my mother saying, "You’re in the paper again."
The order of things gets blurry in my mind but sometime at the end of 1968 or the beginning of 1969 Scott decided to change the name of the group to The Today Generation, and make it a non-profit corporation. I only know about that what I read in the paper. From my perspective as a kid it was all in the performing…
Phil Azelton wrote us a theme song, called, not surprisingly, "The Today Generation." A wardrobe designer/seamstress for Hollywood movie studios happened to live in Camarillo and Scott used his charm to convince her to sew us some costumes. Some were pretty elaborate - like our Edwardian pants suits. When I look back I wonder how much all this stuff cost and how he pulled it off.
Scott entered us in a contest for singing groups-The Festival of Sounds at Knott’s Berry Farm. We rehearsed like crazy for that. I remember going to school, staying after school for rehearsals, going home to eat and coming back for evening rehearsals. I’m sure some parents were pretty upset, but we loved it. I suspect our grades suffered (I’m sure mine did), but we still loved it. We performed at Knott’s Berry Farm, competing with two other groups, and won!.
Now we were "the award winning" Today Generation!
We prepared even harder for the second performance and won that one too. Then came the rehearsals for the finals. We thought we had given all we had to give in the first two, but Scott showed us that we could do more and better. We would have ultimately competed against over 200 southern California singing groups.
After singing for the final time we had to wait for the other finalist groups to perform. We watched the performances and worried, because the other groups were good - really good. And they were college-aged or older. Then we wandered around Knott’s Berry Farm, trying to choke down some food, trying to have a good time and not think about the competition. It didn’t work. All that was on our minds was the competition.
We waited for the judges decisions. We had brought TG groupies (parents and friends) from Camarillo down with us. We all assembled at the performance area and waited…Finally, after what seemed like hours , the runner up was announced (oh dear - it wasn’t us), then the grand prize winners - "Scott Henderson’s The Today Generation!" Now that was exciting! The grand prize was $1000.00 which back then seemed like a lot of money (and probably was). But it was the acclaim, the recognition, the affirmation that we really wanted and loved.
Now we were in the big time. We got invited to perform at the Ahmanson Theater at the Los Angeles Music Center for the United Fund kick off show with some big name entertainers. And we were definitely in demand in Ventura County for various shows and concerts, also with some big names.
We did a tour of "Southern California, Arizona and Mexico." Basically, Scott called people he knew in various places and got them to arrange performances for us. There was Mount St. Mary’s College in L.A., thanks to Dennis Wilkerson, a high school in Yuma, AZ, thanks to another college friend of Scott, a show in Tucson, etc., etc. Back home we did shows, car washes, spaghetti dinners, and had a "Spaghetti Sweepstakes" contest (a story in itself!) to earn money for the tour. There was quite a campaign in Camarillo. We were in the newspaper practically daily. Writers and editors rooted for us and encouraged people to support our "Goodwill Tour." (The TG-GT, so to speak)
There was a minimum dollar amount that had to be raised in order for us to be able to make our "Goodwill Tour." Getting close to the wire it began to look as if it was not going to happen. Then we were invited to sing at the $100 a plate Camarillo Boys’ Club benefit dinner at the Los Posas Country Club. The following article appeared in the paper the next day:
"It must have been their finest hour. They were absolutely at their prime. They’re always great, but this time they outdid themselves. Exceptional. They received a standing ovation, produced an encore, and the show was over - they thought.
Then Boys’ Club backer Spencer Honig stood up and said many warm words about the teen-age singers. He explained they were short about $1,500 of the money they needed for a trip to Mexico, and more than one voice shouted out to pass the hat. It was a truly spontaneous thing.
Earlier Honig had said if he were president of the Chamber of Commerce he’d use the position to help the kids out. So Chamber President Don Livingston reacts, announces he will do something, and rips off a check. One check led to another, two punch bowls were produced, and $1155 rolled in. One local businessman kicked in $200, $100 for each of two businesses he operates. A home builder writes out a check for $100. Cash flows out of wallets.
Yup. It had to be their finest hour, and the best pay they ever got for a performance."
So once again Scott managed to pull it all off and we boarded a bus and took off. Of course there were plenty of adventures on the way. There was the time the bus broke down in the desert. The only car that stopped was a VW bug. We pictured the 25 of us piling all our selves and our stuff into a VW. When we were in Tucson Scott discovered that our Mexico connections had disconnected. We were supposed to go to Guadalajara but that fell through, seemingly at the last minute. In Nogales I remember going to the train station and waiting there for hours. We had no idea where we were bound for or when we would be leaving. But we were together so it really wasn’t all that bad. Because we lived together night and day for two weeks we got close, real close. Actually, we had already been through so much together and we already were close, but the tour cemented our relationships.
We stayed in individual homes and in hotels. I have a picture in my mind of staying in a motel in Nogales, Mexico. Somehow some of us (Jane and I) ended up in the hall in just our underwear (I don’t remember how that happened) and were locked out of our room. The outcome is also unclear in my mind. I assume we got back into our room and got our clothes. I suppose it was a dare or a prank or something. After all, we were mature high school kids, right? (p.s. nobody saw us.)
There were numerous impromptu performances. In Nogales, we sang at a restaurant after we ate - right at the tables. I hope that wasn’t in lieu of paying the check!
We ended up in Mazatlan, Mexico (oh, too bad!) where we had a good time and some of us got Montezuma’s revenge. Somehow, undoubtedly through Scott’s charm and persuasion, we were invited to sing at a world-famous resort. As I recall we were well received. We also crammed into a little television studio and performed on Mexican TV. The rest of the time we walked along the beach and just played.
Many of the events of the tour have faded in my memory, but one picture that is so clear is when we arrived back in the parking lot of the high school late one night on the bus. We just stayed in our seats and sang "Softly, As I Leave You." I don’t think there was a dry eye in the group. There was silence, then a lot of sniffing…Then we all laughed and piled off the bus and TWISTED in the parking lot! Even girls were allowed to be honorary members of the "Twister’s Club" just this once.
The Twister’s Club was a "men-only" organization (back then you could do that). Being a girl myself, I wasn’t privileged to know all the secret details of this exclusive group, but I remember that whenever someone called out "TWIST!", the guys would stop whatever they were doing and all twist like crazy. It was quite a sight to behold. The Twister’s handshake was the standard greeting among members (the boys). There was also something about John Wayne (I think he was the revered hero and role-model for the club).
Naturally, the guys all assumed that the girls were extremely envious and secretly longed to be a part of this exclusive club. Once in a great while, on very special occasions, the guys would deign to allow us females to be a part of this group. On those occasions we were allowed to practice the handshake or to "twist" in public spectacle as they did. Wow. It was heady.
Since this page was created on October 8, 2001, you are visitor:
