From the MSR Legacy Archives
As part of our celebration over the next several months of our 80 years of continuous publication, the MSR will be republishing notable stories from our extensive archives of more than 4,000 weekly issues of African American news in Minnesota. Many of our readers will be sure to recognize friends, family and neighbors from the distant and not-so-distant past — such as in the gossipy “Juvenile Jive” columns of young Mpls hipster Don Gates, who reminds his readers, “I’m a hep cat, follow these rules and you will be, too,” in the Minneapolis Spokesman editions of April 13 and June 22, 1945.
What say, swooners and crooners? Well, hep cats, shall we start our weekly debate about those cats that are gruesome and the chicks that rate? Two cats that really rated high Saturday night were Nathan Bonner and Willis Reed who were really digging that jive all right! Nelson McCoy was really tearing up at Hallie Q. Brown — not mentioning the chicks that were all around — and his brother, Chuck, was looking quite sad, mostly because his chick was mad-glad — or something.
C. R., you know, Minnesota has a weather all its own and tomorrow’s predictions are usually unknown. April is the time for birds, as no doubt you know. But what did we get April 4? A heck of a lot of snow. Quite right. There was a mad party last Saturday given by some hep cats of St. Paul who are Earl McGee, Edward Schuck, LaRahn Latimer, James Harris, Paul Ray, Robert Lewis, Milton Combs and several other handsome guys.
Bobby Randall is what we call the farmer type and to most hepsters he isn’t ripe, he’s a fighting cat so tip your hat to a boxing sender who is in his splendor when he can jump and shove with a boxing glove. Did you know to be a hepster you’ve got to be hep with jiving pep, to be a red hot sender in your splendor? You have to jump and jitter and let the ole feet pitter and swing and sway in any old way. Just be a good hep dancer and heart throb romancer. Listen, slick chicks and hepsters, too, I’m a hep cat, follow these rules and you will be, too.
Roland Grissom a handsome lad — a square from Delaware — that’s too bad, they say that he is the quiet type and that he is not quite ripe. But I’ve always thought he was really a mess and the girls all think that he’s really quite fresh. Caught sight of that beautiful Gloria Parker and enchanting Betty Lewis in St. Paul and they are also the quiet type — but definitely!
Henry McDuffy is really coming on lately with some hard clothes and no doubt calling on ??? everyday. Buddy Thompson, the handsome old mutt, you can always tell him by his fine haircut. Don’t forget if you see someone really hep write to me, take that tip. I’ll be there, write about a hepster and not a square. Sooo as the German said to his good ole gun, “Pick you up later, cause I’ve got to run” — Bye Bye Duke Donald.