Slim Novel 2 - http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage
27. Route Sixty-six
27. Route Sixty-six
While Kimura drives, Ali switches on radio for music and turns about in seat looking over right shoulder out window. She traces map route to New York City Nevada
“Just driving through, Mr. Officer. We’re doing cross-country and stopped off. Now we’re gonna rejoin Sixty-Six.”
He hands them a welcome pamphlet and waves them on.
Ali returns to the map and, locating the origin of Interstate Route Sixty-Six at St. Louis, she traces it back towards where they are now. Putting her finger on each city point on the route, she moves it from Joplin Missouri to Oklahoma City, Next, Amarillo Texas, and Gallup, New Mexico. Then, Flagstaff Arizona; "Oops! Forgot in-between Winona", she exclaims “Now we follow the road south, Hon,
“Route Sixty-Six.” Kimura turns it in his mind. “Good title for my first article.”
Ali, head lolling back in seat, dozes.
Some time later, Kimura slows car to the next exit then gets on to Route 66 heading east. He glances at Ali who sleeps with contented expression and he feels quiet happiness. A bump wakes her. Looking at the big approaching overhead sign she bids Kimura stop and reads: Exit for Winona. “Why don’t we turn off here? Let’s do Winona for supper and sleep there.”
Ten minutes later they enter city limits. “WINONA MOTEL” proclaims a sign. Kimura pulls up and parks.
Ten minutes later they enter city limits. “WINONA MOTEL” proclaims a sign. Kimura pulls up and parks.
28. Ole Banjo Eyes
Inside their motel cabin, they relax on the beds. They are wrapped in yukata gown with blue storks on white background, taken from the Imperial Hotel. True to their vows they have stopped smoking.
: Ali turns on the bedside radio and hears familiar voice singing:
“I like to spend each Wednesday with you
As friend to friend when Tuesdays are through.”
Radio Announcer: “It’s the Eddie Cantor Show. Ole Banjo Eyes himself.”
Kimura comments, “I like Kanta, especially in The Kid from Spain
“Yeah, every Wednesday. In da Bronx I used to tune in. Sensaysh! Listen, here’s his song about Susie. And this Susie sounds like Suzy but she spells it Susie.” She ups the volume.
If you knew Susie,
Like I know Susie,
Oh, oh, oh what a gal!
There’s none so classy,
As that fair lassy.
Oh, oh, Holy Moses what a chassee!
“Chassee?”
Ali turns down radio. “Yeah! The American way of saying chassis. A built!”
“A built? Is Susie some kind of mechanical robot?”
“No, silly, she’s a girl! But has she got a built! If I were a truck driver I’d say this Susie is built like a brick shit house. I mean solid tits and ass. But nice young ladies like me don’t talk dat way.”
Kimura laughs long and Ali realizes he is joking. She turns up the radio again.
Announcer: “Eddie, I just met a guest who claims to be a very important radio executive.”
Cantor: “Really? Who is he? Who could he be? Who?”
Enter the Mad Russian: “Ha choo yoo doo!” (Audience laughs loudly at the Russian’s mimicking a sneeze)
Cantor: “Russian! You came over to help me celebrate my eighth anniversary in radio?”
Russian: “Your anniversary?”
Cantor: “Yes.”
Russian: “Let me be the first to ignore you! Cantor, by a strange coinki-dinki, eighteen years ago I went to NBC to ask for a job. So this is my wooden anniversary.”
Cantor: “Why do you call it ‘Wooden?’”
Russian: “Dey wooden hire me.” (Audience laughs)
Cantor: “Russian?”
Russian: “Yes.”
Cantor: “Have you heard about this new medium, television?”
Russian: “I – the Russian – invented it!”
Cantor: “You? Invented Television?”
Russian: “Not only that! Recently I invented something that goes a step further than television. It is called 'Hear-a-vision'.”
Cantor: “This is interesting. How does it work?”
Russian: “When you tune in a program you don’t see anything on a screen, you just hear it.”
Cantor: “But, Russian! That’s radio!”
Russian: “How do you like that! I invented radio too!” (Laughter)
Ali turns down the radio and Kimura comments: “The roots of humor are cultural. Mad Russian does not sound like any Russian I ever heard: he fractures words and uses the first person possessive pronoun like a German and you Americans laugh. Seems to me it is you Americans who are mad – as our militarists say – Demo crazy. How do you explain it, Ali-san? You are one of the Americans. Or are you?”
“It’s ethnic humor, peculiar to America New England Titus Moody and Jewish Mrs. Nussbaum. And Amos ‘n Andy are supposed to be two colored guys but are actually white men talking in vernacular. Of course since colored people are really being oppressed it seems unfair and stupid to make fun of their accents and lack of learning but Amos ‘n Andy is kinda witty despite that.”
“But why Mad Russian?”
“It’s a guess, Hon, but I think America Russia
“He was the first one. The radio Russian is Bert Gordon. What a howl! And did you get the invention part? The Russians are always claiming to have invented everything from Baked Alaska
A knock interrupts. It is a waiter with Pepsi and frankfurters, the slim sausage Americans call hot dog.
(To see & hear Eddie Cantor do If You Knew Susie, click the below YouTube. And don't forget when it is finished to click the reverse arrow usually in upper left corner of your screen to return to the chapter reading)
(To see & hear Eddie Cantor do If You Knew Susie, click the below YouTube. And don't forget when it is finished to click the reverse arrow usually in upper left corner of your screen to return to the chapter reading)
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