July 30, 1944 letter to Art from Frank Eisenberg

July 30, 1944 letter to Art from Frank Eisenberg

Frank Eisenberg causally references the war when he tells Art that he picked up an old schoolmate from Talmud Torah, Sammie Kantor. Said, Sammie was recently discharged, had a lispe and planned to attend Miller Vocational. Said Sammie told him a guy he knew, Arthur Goldstein, left for Farragut (where Art is stationed) last Thursday and to look him up.

Later in his letter, Frank said that he warned Art about the sort of fellow he might run up against once he was in the Navy. That a good sock goes a long way and that he wished that Art could take up boxing in the Navy.

 Two other things also worth nothing in Frank’s letter. He told Art that he planned to listen to the Philco Hour and suggested that when Art called next week for his birthday, August 6, 1944, that he call Collect.

The Philco Hour was a once a week radio show that featured the Philco Orchestra. Here's a YouTube link with the orchestra playing a favorite from, “Connecticut Yankee that musical version of Mark Twain’s story, Thou Swell.”  Philco Hour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NkKD8aUxRs

A collect call was a telephone call where the calling party called at the called party’s expense. At that time collect calls were only possible as an operator assisted call. A person-to-person call was an operator-assisted call in which the calling party asked to speak to a specific party and not simply to anyone who answered. The caller was not charged for the call unless the requested party was reached. This method was popular when telephone calls were relatively expensive. Station-to-station was a method of placing a telephone call, with or without assistance, in which the calling party agreed to talk to whoever answered the telephone. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operator_assistance




Frank Eisenberg

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives; Archives & Special Collections in the University of MInnesota Archives.
Box 449, File 2.

Jul 30, 1940 (sic) Jul 30, 1944

,DOC

English

.doc

Letter

Sunday
July 30, 1940
(sic)
July 30, 1944

Dear Art:

Just back from the office where I grabbed a flock of thin thin paper; On Plymouth this morning I picked up Sammie Kantor, you went to Talmud Torah with him. He is discharged, lisps badly, and is going to Miller Vocational. He told me to tell you that Arthur Goldstein left for Farragut last Thursday. You may get a chance to look him up since Sammie says you know him also.

We are just taking it easy today, are rather tired from getting in so late Friday nite, we wrote you we were at Doc Littman’s’ that night. We are wondering if you will call us today, altho mother says she wrote you next Sunday is my birthday and you might want to call then. Call whenever you can get a line, someone will always be here, but don’t call person to person. Call our number Collect and we can accept or refuse the call at regular rates, then if we want to take the call, you will know someone is here to talk, otherwise, have them call you back later when someone will no doubt be at home.

We will send you a newspaper of the Aqua as soon as we get one downtown, mother says the kids on the street collected the money and then didn’t send the papers. We will go direct to the paper office.

- - - - -

6:00 P.M.

We had a lazy day, didn’t so a thing till late in the afternoon when we ran over to Sam Bight’s to leave his sister a box of candy, had a nice visit, then to Sam Broud’s, Max’s brother, who had a serious operation, we should have gone before, but when we finally did make it, he had gone to work today for the first time so we didn’t see him after all. Then to Plymouth for bread and here we are home again, wondering yet if we will talk to you. Listening to the Philco Hour now, and will then let this go for a while when we will add a few words and drive to the P.O. mailing. Will try not to forget stamps today, last night we forgot.

I hope the friends you are making are nicer boys, I told you a thing about what you would run into. Wish you had a chance to take up boxing in the Navy. I still think a good sock goes a long way with a fellow and wish you had a chance to develop one for yourself. Brot (sic) brought a flock of thin paper from the office so we will be able to write longer letters, and I didn’t get the idea from your gramp, believe, me. More later

Dad