Rock and Roll described as 'the mostest' by Susan Cecile and Pat Boone has Top Hit, while 'hockey night in Hogtown' bothered Bill McLeod in 1958

Pat Boone has done it again with his latest platter 'April Love' the number one song on the Hit Parade, according to James Ennis in his New on Wax column for the Chapleau High School News and Views newspaper in January 1958. On the flip side was 'When the Swallows Come back to Capistrano.'

Jim, who was also a member of the newly established high school orchestra, also told the "real cool cats" that the best in rock and roll was presented every night by 'The Round' at 150 on the radio dial, adding that for "you longhaired people there is music if one can call it that, on the famous CBC."

See if you can remember the words to some of the other songs on the Hit Parade in January 1958. They were 'Raunchy' by Billy Justice, 'You Send Me' by Sam Cook, 'Kisses Sweeter than Wine' by Jimmy Rodgers and rounding out the top five was old blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra with 'All the Way.'

In her column, Susan Cecile was writing about Rock and Roll claiming that it was "a most wonderful kind of music or as slang puts it, 'the mostest' and will last for a long time to come. There is a certain something about Rock and Roll's pulsating rhythm that makes a person (most likely a teenager, knowing what my mother thinks of this music) want to get up and dance."

Susan added there was a good deal of amusement drawn from perfecting the more difficult Rock and Roll steps and trying out newer ones. As an aside, her mother, Mrs. Renee Cecile, the longtime chair of the Chapleau Public Library Board and high school librarian, may not have liked Rock and Roll but we sure had some great house parties at their home at 'The Point.' Susan was also a great dancer.

Bill McLeod was angry with the CBC suggesting that if it changed its introduction to "From coast to coast in Hogtown..." (it was "From coast to coast in Canada.."), it would have a "catchy as well as more truthful phrase. But alas the powers bring the play of the Toronto Maple Leafs and ignore the Montreal Canadiens, world champions for the past two years." Bill recommended that the CBC alternate between the Leafs and the Canadiens on the Saturday night hockey broadcasts.

Bill was much kinder to the CHS All Stars hockey team which had lost two games to the Falconbridge Juveniles at the Chapleau Memorial Community Arena. In his sports column Bill wrote that although CHS was "outweighed by five pounds per man, (they) gave a wonderful exhibition of hockey." In a 7-5 loss, Charlie White, Earle Freeborn, Roger Mizuguchi, Doug Espaniel and David McMillan scored for CHS. In the second game Bill noted that fans saw one of the fastest games he had seen in many a season with superb goaltending by Eddy Bignucolo keeping the score from going much higher than 7-2 for the visitors. David McMillan and Charlie White scored for CHS.

Bill noted that "sharp refereeing" was also a feature of the weekend double header. Thanks Bill, 52 years after the games! I was one of the referees.

Ann Keays wrote that the school's Christmas Dance at the Legion Hall was a success, and that the "young men looked smart in their collars and ties -- and surprisingly enough not one choked contrary to all prophecies." In her social column, Joy Evans noted that "everyone appeared in best of finery to dance to the music of Jack Welsh and His Rhythmaires and also the CHS Orchestra which made its first public appearance." The CHS Orchestra became 'The Teenaires.'

Joy also commented on the success of the skating party and mocassin dance over the holidays at the arena as well as a dance at the Legion after the first of the two exciting hockey matches against Falconbridge.

Ann also noted that students home for the holidays included Aline Bouillon, Myrna Schafer, Aldee Martel, Robert Fink, Harry Richardson, Terry Murphy, Danny Morris and Ronald Foley from North Bay; Sandra Wright from Vankleek Hill, Lorraine Beaupre, Lorraine Cormier, Marie-Claire Chevigny, Ghislaine Longchamps, Ginnette Godin, Rejaine Roussel, Gisele Morin, and Norman Wright from Ottawa; Margaret Rose Payette and Jim Hong from Toronto, Thane Crozier from London and Audrey Newman from Guelph.

Some of the advertisers in the high school newspaper now gone from the Chapleau scene were Smith and Chapple Ltd., Fox Theatre, Mike's Sales and Service, Pellow Supply Company, A. Cosmano Shoe Repair, Chapleau Bakery, Old Reliable Barber Shop, The Marianne Dress Shop, Austin Lumber (Dalton) Ltd., Chapleau Electric Light and Power Company and Chapleau Beverages.

Just to bring back a few more old memories, here are the rest of Top Ten on the Hit Parade from January 1958: 'At the Hop' by Nick Todd, 'Peggy Sue' by Buddy Holly, 'Great Balls of Fire' by Jerry Lee Lewis, 'Silhouettes' by The Rays and 'Put a Light in the Window' by The Four Lads.

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Henry Byce commented on story about moving to Chapleau in 1900: "Great read Chief. My ancestors made that same trip, I think in 1898, landing on the shores of the back river."

Thanks to Joy (Evans) Heft for the CHS News and Views and to Michael and Alison (McMillan) McMullen for sending it to me.