[Len6789]

'Ghosts' of the State Theater
by Len Bourret (Copyright 2004)

An 'epitaph' to the audiences of
every era.

Dedicated to Joanne Woodward
and Paul Newman, keeping their
'pants and panties' on--and their
'wits' about them--beyond Hud,
and A Kiss Before Dying.


Ladies, please remove your
hats.
Gents, please do not spit
upon the floor.
The theater's time-portal
door opens.
The smell of hot-buttered
popcorn.
Intermission's baton-twirling
hot dogs, doing acrobatics
across the 'silver screen'.
Can you 'spring' for the five-
cent admission?
Oh good, darlin', you're 'the
bee's knees',
before and after the 'flappers',
the 'Charleston, and the 'Good
News' of June Allyson, who
sang and danced 'The Varsity
Drag'. And she, along with
Margaret O'Brien, empowered
the audiences to cry and
laugh. And, audiences shared
both their thoughts and
feelings, not just one or the
other. Audiences expressed
their minds and hearts. And,
actors became their heros
and heroines, members of
their families--and not just
'phantoms' of some now-
forgotten 'opera'.

The audiences 'epitaph',
words inscribed on the
'sun-dancing' kids of
earth and in the 'auto-
racers' fume-filled sky,
on which can be found
this 'heavenly' message:
"I really love acting, but
I really love 'Joanne' and
'you' (my audience), even
more."
Acting is like Breathing,
and Breathing is like the
Art of Love.
An Actor keeps on Acting,
paying his 'Dues' on Life's
Stage, until he or she Dies,
struggling in Mystery, in
Imagery, and Surprise.
Never really knowing the
Ending, until Retrospect.
Never really having the
Answers to the question
Why's.
Was the 'Sun-Dancing
Kid' caught in 'Gunfight
at the O.K. Corral'?
The Actor, himself or
herself, found in Acts
of Love, on a Stage.
Engaged in a 'Passion
Play', while keeping his
or her pants or panties
'on', and not 'off'.
Experiencing Thoughts,
Feelings, Meaning,
and Purpose, but not
on an oh-so-temporary,
boring, mundane, and
redundant, repetitious
'Odyssey of Sexual
'Mis-Adventure'.
For the 'ghosts' of
the State Theater
can be found mingling
with the likes of
Joanne Woodward,
Burt Lancaster,
Kirk Douglas,
Paul Newman, and
Robert Redford.
the Gish Sisters,
Charlie Chaplin,
W.C. Fields, and
Judy Garland in
Burlesque.
Gloria Swanson
before and after
'Sunset Boulevard',
Bette Davis in
'Jezebel',
Katherine Hepburn
before the 'Calla
Lillies',
Al Jolson before
and after 'The
Jazz Singer'
started talkin',
Douglas Fairbanks
and Mary Pickford
were at 'Picfair',
while Clark Gable
and Vivien Leigh
were not really
'Gone', but were
really 'in the Wind',
all soon to be 'now
playing' at the State
Theater.

And, the Theater
Marquee revived,
proudly announces
that 'dreams still
come true', that
'fact and fantasy'
have survived.

===============