[Fiji Hill]

The previous Saturday, December 9 (the calendar in 1939 reads the same as 2017), the USC Trojans, who had not lost a game since November, 1938 played the UCLA Bruins to a 0-0 tie in the Coliseum. The Bruins came away still winless against USC while the Trojans, hungry for a national championship, were looking forward to kicking off the new decade in the Rose Bowl, where they would face the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Bruin team included Jackie Robinson, a freshman from Pasadena who also played for UCLA on their baseball, basketball and track and field teams. The Trojan squad's captain was Joe Shell, who would rise to prominence within the conservative wing of the California Republican Party and run a strong primary campaign in the 1962 gubernatorial race against Richard Nixon.

Meanwhile, Trojan and Bruin fans alike were listening to these tunes:

Scatterbrain--Freddy Martin

The Jitterbug--Betty Hutton

My Prayer--The Ink Spots

Over the Rainbow--Larry Clinton & His Orchestra

South of the Border--Bert Ambrose & His Orchestra

[dr_lew]

Of those, I remember MY PRAYER ... plain as day.

... well, “... to the end of the day ...” ... then it gets a little hazy.

Just listened to it on You Tube, so thanks for the reminder ... 1939! ( Well before my day, of course. )