The Pittsburgh Press (March 9, 1945)
Gracie Allen Reporting
By Gracie Allen
I thought you folks in other parts of the country might be interested in knowing what our California Legislative is in heated debate over right now.
Yalta? No. Taxes? No. Post-war security? No.
They’re selecting a poet laureate for the state. They want someone with the talent of a Whittier or a Longfellow, but who has a Californian’s outlook. I can just imagine what Whittier might have written had he been a dyed-in-the-wool Californian:
Blessings on thee, little man.
Barefoot boy with cheeks of tan.
Where did you get the sun tan, pray?
Why, sir, in Californ-i-ay.
And Longfellow would probably come up with something like this:
By the shore of Santa Monica,
By the sparkling sea water,
Stand the wigwams of the movie stars,
Guides will show you for a quarter.