I am looking for a short story collection and I am not sure of the
title. I believe it would have been published in the 1940's or
1950's. I remember the title as "Kaleidoscopes," but I have not been
able to find it under that title. I do remember that one of the short
stories in the collection was titled "The Date Catcher." Any chance
of locating this collection? |
Request for Question Clarification by
bobbie7-ga
on
11 Dec 2002 16:00 PST
Hi
Is the “The Date Catcher” about a girl who buys a ribbon for her hair
(called a date catcher)?
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
11 Dec 2002 17:11 PST
Was this a teen-oriented short story collection?
I've located two teen-oriented short story collections that contain
"The Date Catcher." However, neither collection has a name like
"Kaleidoscopes" while both were published slightly later than the
'50s. Would you be interested in these books?
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
11 Dec 2002 17:32 PST
This was a collection written for young adults/teenagers. "The Date
Catcher" was about a young woman in high school who bought a barette
for her hair called a date catcher. She is so proud of it that she
holds her head differently and is noticed by the school heart throb.
It turns out that she has dropped the barette earlier and that it is
her confidence that attracts him rather than the date catcher. I
remember the plots of other stories, but unfortunately, not their
titles.
Does this help any?
Thanks.
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
11 Dec 2002 17:34 PST
In answer to the other comment, I read this book many years ago and
for some reason the word Kaleidoscope sticks in my mind, but it is
entirely possible that my memory is not accurate. I would be
interested in the titles of any collections that contain that story
(date catcher), but I am most interested in this particular
collection.
Thanks again.
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
11 Dec 2002 18:09 PST
I just received another email request for clarification. I have given
you all of the information that I have. Is there a particular point
that I could clarify that would help?
Thanks.
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
11 Dec 2002 20:49 PST
Hello Hood.
I've located a short story collection that includes "The Date Catcher"
and was probably first published in the '40s or '50s.
Here are titles of several of the other stories included in the
collection:
"Papa Was A Riot"
"Rah Rah Roger"
"Ah Love Ah Me"
Do any of these sound familiar?
The title of the collection is not "Kaleidoscope(s)", though.
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
12 Dec 2002 11:41 PST
Juggler,
Thanks for the update. I do not recognize any of the other story
titles, but again, that may not mean anything. Is it possible to get
the author of that story and then see if he or she has stories in
other collections?
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
12 Dec 2002 18:38 PST
Well, back to the drawing board...
I notice that you previously stated, "I remember the plots of other
stories." Could you provide some details about your recollections of
the other stories?
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
13 Dec 2002 09:04 PST
Juggler,
Am I the questioner from hell? The plots that I remember are as
follows:
A young woman goes off to school and discovers popularity and becomes
a bit snobbish about her background and family. Her parents ask her
to come home because her grandfather is dying, and she bitterly
resents having to go. When there, her grandfather, who is barely
alive, reaches for the flowers she is wearing and and shares a memory
of his youth with her. The quote is something like, "The dykes around
[the young gir's] heart broke." She suddenly rediscovers her love of
family and where she came from.
Another story is about a young girl who has found a chum at school
that is reinventing her. At a time before this she had overheard her
mother and aunt reminiscing about their younger and wilder days and
commenting on how the story's heroine, their daughter and niece, will
never be a problem because she's a bit square. So the girl finds a
friend to make her more with it, and the friend even arranges a
boyfriend for her. She then decides to take on another young woman in
the school who is as shy and awkward as she was. But before she can,
she learns that her boyfriend is actually interested in the shy and
awkward girl.
I'm sorry if these summaries are a bit vague. I haven't read these
stories for 25 years. I do remember that when I was reading this
book, I was also reading "Fifteen" by Beverly Cleary and the Tobey
series, "Practically Seventeen" and "Class Ring." So that might tell
you something about the age of the intended audience.
Do you know the author of "The Date Catcher"? Is that a possible
route we could take?
Thanks for all of your trouble.
Hood
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
13 Dec 2002 09:08 PST
Juggler,
One other thing. I was looking back over one of your previous
messages, and now, after a bit more sleep than I had had when I first
read it, I think "Rah Rah Roger" does in fact sound familiar. I
cannot say for sure that it is the collection I am looking for, but it
is possible. Where do we go from here?
Hood
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
13 Dec 2002 18:15 PST
Sorry to be so late on getting back to you on this.
I don't have the author of the "Date Catcher" yet, but I can probably
get it. At this point, I'm going to try to find out the names of the
other stories in the book that I've located.
Do you have any memory of the cover of the book?
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
14 Dec 2002 14:07 PST
You're going to love this. My memory is that the cover was a drawing
or photo of a kaleidoscope. Either that word had something to do with
this book, or I am obviously in the middle of some sort of weird
kaleidoscope obsession. I appreciate all of your trouble.
Hood
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
15 Dec 2002 12:07 PST
Hello.
The anthology that I've found contains these stories:
Ah Love! Ah Me! by Max Steele
Rah Rah Roger! by Mary Dirlam
Reflection of Luanne by Marjorie Holmes
That's My Boy by Jerome Brondfield
Dear Gay Head by Peter Brackett
The Tiger by Mary Dirlam
The Date Catcher by Frederick Laing
Kid Brother by B. J. Chute
Magic Night by Rosemary Howland
Papa Was A Riot by A. J. Ciulla
Saturday Night At Eight by Betty Kjelgaard
The Pay-off by Peter Brackett
Since finding out that Frederick Laing wrote "The Date Catcher," I
have determined that the story first appeared in the magazine
Collier's under a different title: "The Beau Catcher."
At this point, though, I'm tapped out. If you're interested in the
anthology mentioned above, I can post further details (title, where to
buy, etc.) about it as an answer. The anthology was a popular,
teen-oriented paperback that was reprinted several times during the
'50s and early '60s.
Let me know if you're interested.
Thanks.
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Clarification of Question by
hood-ga
on
15 Dec 2002 17:39 PST
That is absolutely it. I remember several of those titles, so it is
certainly the same anthology. I appreciate so much all of your
trouble and am ready for the answer. I never thought I would find this
book again, so I am terribly grateful. I guess the next time I post a
question, you will fervently avoid it.
Thank you again.
Hood
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