E
riu EXTRA
Mnrdoy, February 7, 1949
Page Three
am sDe'scen s rol', M HO louds
Depie72
Year Histor
Dance Started
By Two Fiddles
By PIL DAWSON
J-Hop, "the country's greatest
formal," has traveled a rough road
from its humble beginnings in
1877 in Hank's Emporium on Main
Street.
Two violins and a piane made:
enough music for the 20 couples
at that first edition of the now
traditional shindig.
BY 1891 THE DANCE had ac-
quired two orchestras and moved
into the ice rink, where some 300
persons danced waltzes, polkas,
galops and shottisches until the
wee hours.
The decorations were tasteful
- potted plants in different
parts of the rink added greatly
to its appearance-and dancers
had the use of "Gibson's Art
Parlors" as reception rooms.
But men were advised not to
wear silk hats because of insuffi-
cient storage space.
THE J-HOP progressed onward
and upward, sometimes run by the
fraternities and sometimes by the
junior class, until 1896 when tem-
pers flared in heated controversy
about the gala event.
In that year the Board of Re-
gents ruled that the nine major
fraternities should share man-
agemaent of the dance with the
independents and the remaining
fraternities.
The nine were disgusted. They
made plans to hold their own ball
in Toledo, while the others dog-
gedly went ahead with the official
version in Waterman Gym.
The upshot of the controversy
was that the junior class took
over, except in 1899 when The
Daily reported:
"It is far worse that our present
J-Hop Committee, under the lead-
ership of a sophomore, has suc-
ceeded so poorly in maintaining
the high standards set by its pre-
decessors... .
"Due to the inability of the dec-
orator to fulfill his contract,
strangers were kept busy wonder-
ing which of the color combina-
tions represented the colors of
Michigan . . . Refreshments were
a wafer and a glass of water .. .
The lighting was poor. . . Pro-
grams looked like a cross between
cardboard and leather."
Tired,.Happy Revelers
Relax after Gay Weekend
By HAROLD JACKSON -
Ann Arber has returned from Olympus.
The mystic aura of J-Hop color and enchantment which lifted the
campus to a ulhvgropnd of gcds for three memorable days faded with
yesterday's twkilight.
Gene are the amber streets and ivory towers; gone the film of
dreams, the w'eb of spherelike melody; gone the crimson fantasy and
sulky shade-s of a week-end never to be forgotten.
OVER SIX THOUSAND REVELLERS turned out to make the
1949 Hop one of the largest in campus history. Three thousand
1couples alone parked the I-M Building to dance to the famous trum-
pat of Charlie Spivak and the superb piano of Elliott Lawrence. Count-
less more celebrated at smaller parties which stretched all the way
to Detroit and Jackson.
The pleasure seekers began gathering Friday afternoon, many
boasting colds, sore muscles and hangovers from the Winter Car-
nival. Dinner was the first order of business and filet mignons
and fish disappeared a la Emily
Post in prodigious quantities all -
ever town. CAT
Next came white tie, tails and
sleek satins for the first contin-
gent of J-Hoppers, and equally
noisy private parties for the rest. J ~ ~ a
THE I- Building was a "Stair-
ray to the Stars" from 10 till 2. Ann Arbor's first legalized "open
Black coats, flashing smiles, bare season on students" was a bitin
shoulders and gleaming formals
pressed past blue walls and silver success, Alderman Pinias Clamp
stars into the main ballroom. told the city council last night.
The special ordinance requiring
Celestial blue and white was
the main color theme, augmen- a merchant "planning to rob stu-
ted by soft greens, warm reds dents any more than usual to first
and pale yellows in the lighted buy a special hunting license" put
the city in the black this week-end
columns lining thce dance floor.fo
Glittering blue letters marked for the first time since 1890.
each white fronted booth and *x * *
Daily-Alex Lmanian !
- J-Hop Chairman Joyce Atchison and Escort Bob Schultheiss -
By LILI ASHE
Executive huddle in the Patrons' Booth: President Ruthven and glistening metallic cloth draped IT TOOK the city fathers al-
w Pry a nickel out of legislative the bandstands. most three-quarters of a century
Gov. Williams-ROT dtscussing how to pto figure out a way to cash in on
tightwads-instead debating the relative merits of Scotch plaid and A canopy of stars formed an the J-Hop gravy.
polka-dot bow ties, overhead path to the brilliant sky-
r like effect set against the North "It hurt us to hear the mer-
Wall where Mars, Saturn, and chants' cash register concerto
Dr. Margaret Bell roaming around the dancefloor making Venus leaped between light and drowning out the music ina the
mental notes on coeds: eligible for this year's grand "posture darkness through the magic of I-M Building and not hear even
award." blinking lights. a lonely echo in the city vault,"
1-. ::'* * Alderman Stanley Snare com-
Dean Alice Lloyd waltzing to the strains of the Blue Danube THE FRIDAY WHIRL -stopped plained.
withHumpreytheBetaBullog.only after the last breakfast donut
with Humphrey. the Sets BtlldOg. Naturally every merchant had
to buy a license or miss his share
Ed Shaffer, leading local liberal, representing the preletariat On the Alr of the J-Hop loot-thereby jeop-
ardizing his spring trip to Ber-
at this capitalistic function-looking smart in his top hat, white The 1949 J-Hop hit the air- muda.
tie and sweatshirt. waves for a broadcast of music
5 '5 0 from 11:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
J-ep Committee "has beens" led by last year's chairman Bobby both Friday and Saiuray over LEADING license buyers were:
Ream, ad mngriate"habel eachoerthlatthye'scfarsaloo Station WHRV. The programs Restaurants "for permission to
Ream, admitting privately to each other that "these favors looked were handled by John Carroll, sell tooth picks 3 for a dime."
like something out of Woolsorth's, the drinking water is warm, and pecial events director of th .
the damned old decorations probably aren't even fireproof." station and former announcer to ake stu cos or a bette
- - for the University Marching ride than usual-charging "3
S.i bu Sith"hfrsto wateh.well Band. _- .
wean nromage running auout i w e stp anwi
oiled and advancing all the clocks twenty minutes.
Humphrey, the Beta bulldog, frdntically signaling for a cut-in
THOSE WERE the days when from a brother.
spectators were admitted to the '-
galleries for a small fee. One of the university's efficiency experts painting "No Exit" signs
spotlight explode and set fire on all the exits. He was the one that put "Stairway" signs on the
See ZANY, Page 5 elavator shafts in the new Administration building.
FOR MORAL SUPPORT:
Strapless Insurance Secures Dancers
The 1949 J-Hop made world- What's more, Lloyd's sent an SQUINT CARRIED a satchel
wide social history-it was the adjuster all the way to Ann full of tape, elastic, wire, glue
first dance to ever offer "strapless Arbor to assure immediate set- and chewing gum which he felt
maurance to all its customers. tlement of claims. E. Willoughby sure would take care of all emer-
Through a special deal engi- Squint, a descendant of the
neered by publicity chairman original Lloyd, flew here from gencies. "One case was so bad,
Donna DeHarde, the famed Lloyds London, arriving at noon, Fri- however, I had to give up my sus-
of London completely covered the day. penders," he reported, adding that
Ann Arbor social front. Squint, in cooperation with the "some of those dresses were def-
a a Ann- A,'bo' PosliceDeoartment es- initely not good risks to begin
had been dunked and wild shouts
of glee faded into lazy 4 a.m.
silences.
Saturday saw a city of p.m.
risers and slow starters but af-
ternoon gatherings followed by
more banquets soon had the
second spin well underway.
While the second group attend-
ed the I-M Building, the rest
roamed the town from party to
party, serene and wearying but en-
joying to the utmost carefree and
"car free" independence.
REVERIES BEFORE friendly
fires, quiet breakfasts, wanderings
in the early morning air amid lazy
snowflakes and a fragmentary
moon-all bridged the gap from
dance to dawn.
At 4 a.m. club wielding house
mothers cleared their porches of
vagrants and exhaustionover-
took the city. Sunday church
services were well attended-by
those over 30.
The weekend stretched into
Sunday dinner for some, afternoon
movies for more, but by sundown
even the hardiest of the revellers
was ready to quit, and the 1949
J-Hop slid easily into history.
cents per mile per revolution of
each wheel, and four cents extra
if the cab has a spare tire."
Ice companies "for blackmailing
students under threat of telling
the University who bought ice
cubes."
Bookstores "in order to mark
up used books to three times their
original cost instead of two and
sell them to J-Hoppers as valen-
tines.
Clothing stores, seeking to "sell
left over 'Bundles for Britain' at
Fifth Avenue prices."
Dime Drive Short
As this special edition of The
Daily goes to press, the Ann
Arbor March of Dimes drive is
lagging far behind its quota,
according to Mrs. J. E. Stowe,
local chairman.
Although today theoretically
ends the campaign,.only $4400 -
has been collected towards the
city's quota of $13,000.
"We at present haven't
enough money to pay for the
new respirator we ordered,"
she said.
Contributions are still being
accepted. Mrs. Stowe's phone
number is 2-0622.
THE MERE PURCHASE of a
J-Hop ticket entitled each gentle-
man's date to ironclad insurance
against "all mechanical or struc-
tural failures by strapless for-
mals which might lead to the em-
barrassment of the female in
question."
tablished an emergency strapless
road service for all coeds attend-
ing the Hop. If a policyholier felt'
things slipping, she called police.
The call was relayed by radio to a
prowl car in which Squint was pa-
trolling the city and he rushed to
her assistance.
with."
After going without sleep for 48
hours, Squint indicated .he was
not sorry to see J-Hop end. "It
was a most harrowing ordeal," he
confessed, confiding that "my field
in the past has always been
battleships."