STAR THEATER IN BAY SAINT LOUIS-FLIVERS,FLAPPERS AND WHOOP-TE-DO- In the language of a teenager in the 1920's, this meant cars, girls in short skirts, and kissing or making out. Miss Alice was quite a looker in her teenage days and attracted quite a few boyfriends.She particularly liked to talk about one beau, Jimmy. Earl Latimer, my mom's dad, organized a raccoon hunt, or a coon hunt, as it is spoken of in the south. Jimmy, Mom's date for the occasion, kept falling behind and forcing the party to wait for him. My mom grew frustrated with Jimmy and, in front of the others, chastised Jimmy for his failure to keep up. Jimmy, becoming frustrated himself, responded,"I can't help it Alice. Every bit of the elasticity has gone out of my garters." Earl Latimer loved to remind my mom of Jimmy and his elasticity or lack thereof. This painting depicts a scene which might have occured in front of the old Star Theater in Bay Saint Louis where I'm sure quite a bit of whoop-te-do took place.The Star also was where the Bay's most famous movie was shown and in the final scene of "This Property Is Condemned" the train is shown in a beautiful shot crossing the bridge headed to New Orleans. I'm sure this was a heart rending scene throughout the country, but in the Star Theater pandemonium broke out as the entire audience cried out,"You are going the wrong way!" Indeed, I doubt that eastbound train ever made it to New Orleans. (The old Star Theater was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 20005.)
