Dallas had it pretty good in 1968. We had NorthPark, Neiman Marcus and a thriving Love Field. My now-deceased father bought us a 1966 Mustang (which I have just finished restoring you'll know it is I when you see the vintage plates and Woodrow decal). There was little traffic. Downtown was vibrant. Did we really need all this subsequent growth? 1968 marked the first Woodrow musical I ever saw and I still consider it one of the best. ÒThe Wizard of OzÓ starring Betty Hausman Cejka as Dorothy, Rusty Brydon as the Cowardly Lion (you might remember his dad, the talented musician Russell II, Õ41), Rick Earnheart as the Scarecrow, Brad Taylor as the Tin Man and Harry Reinhold as the Wizard. Nancy Townsend Montgomery as Auntie Em drew her talent from the incomparable Doris Gwin Townsend (Õ41) and stealing the show was Nancy Battle Ewert as the Wicked Witch. I know her mom, the graceful lady of Lakewood Boulevard, Marianne Patterson Battle (Õ36) and sheÕs not wicked at all. Others in the cast were Ken Kuesel, Paul Dalton, Elizabeth Fagin Zaby, Gary Okeson and Steve Bones. Directing the Munckins (some of whom, like my sister Jana, Õ'8, were drawn from Lakewood and Stonewall Jackson Elementaries) was Phil Johnson, Õ43. He owned the Wilshire Dance Studio, which was behind the now-demolished Wilshire Theater on Mockingbird. One of the head Munchkins, Dinah DeWitt Gaspard, who just dispatched one of last year' Crazy for You stars Ð her son Todd, '97 Ð to Harvard might be a good example of why director Marca Lee Bircher has chosen this yearÕs show, ÒWizard of Oz.Ó More than half of the above 1968 cast members have children in Woodrow now or in recent years. I' excited about this 30th anniversary production (Woodrow really likes this show; it was also produced in 1963) and all alums and spectators are encouraged to return to Oz April 30-May 3.
Neighborhood resident and Woodrow graduate Kyle Rains writes about the school and its alums. Send comments to him at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214-823-8866; or e-mail to editor@advocatemag.com.
