Remember this project from a couple of years ago, which I made in conjunction with a 1920s serial story posted on the All Things Vintage forum on Ravelry? Short recap: one of the group’s wonderful moderators transcribes serial stories from early twentieth-century newspapers into a dedicated forum thread, one chapter a day, and she and the readers comment and discuss it and add everything from fashion photos to other newspaper headlines to silent film links for historical and cultural perspective (and fun, obviously.)
Well, the current story is… drum roll, please… the 1929 novelette “Short Skirts” by Rob Eden (the pen name of the husband-and-wife duo of Eve and Robert Ferdinand Burkhardt.) It recounts the thrilling adventures of Sue Allan, who crashes Daddy’s car in the first chapter, gets both arrested and disinherited, and spends the night in jail. There, she makes the acquaintance of Nell Bannister, a girl who has been around the block many more times than sweet, innocent Sue and takes her under her wing.
It’s thrilling, it’s exciting — and it enjoyed an incredible promotional campaign by the newspaper, including an essay-writing contest:
a “find-the heroine-on-the-real-life-street” contest (I really hope no women were actually “captured”):
and my favourite, a theme song written especially for the story and performed live in a moving DeSoto motor-car by singing twins Laverne and Lorene Cady, accompnying themselves on ukeleles:
The sheet music to the song was printed in the newspaper too, so you could cut it out and “Try it on Your Piano”:
Of course, I had to sing it! Here’s a little living-room recording, featuring the wonderful Willy Schwarz on the accordion:
What does any of this have to do with Stitchcraft, the 1960s, or knitting, you ask? The answers: 1) nothing, 2) the 1960s were also a decade of short skirts, and 3) I’m knitting a shorter version of a retro-1930s chevron-pattern dress from the 1967 issue of Stitchcraft for both this blog and the accompanying All Things Vintage “Short Skirts” knit-along. That will have its own blog post, so this post is just a fun excursion. If you’re on Ravelry, definitely check out the All Things Vintage forum and the “Short Skirts” serial, and say hi to me (onkelscotty) if you’re there! Many thanks to lavs on Ravelry for posting this story, and giving me the sheet music, and for all the promotional photos and extra information.
The Stitchcraft Sixties 
What an awesome post! Your recording of the theme song made it come alive! Thank you.
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