Tag Archives: skits

Performing the Peace Corps Way

 

During the fall of 1965, Anne Williams was part of a group training for service in India at Columbia University. Two of her trainers, Murray Frank and Peggy Gruenbaum, had just gotten married, and of course, the trainees and staff of India Urban Community Development Group XXIII wrote and performed a play to express their congratulations—and worries over the coming assessments.

The play contained six scenes—with volunteers playing the parts of other volunteers—and several original musical numbers. Various scenes played off of common tropes about the Peace Corps, anxiety over placement, and teasing of other volunteers. Some scenes are reproduced here:

Scene 1
Opening Song (sung by the entire cast) to the tune of Hello Dolly.

Hel-lo trainees, and hel-lo staffers,
It’s so nice to have you both with us tonite,
We’re so tired, but we’re still tryin,
Speaking Hindi till we’re just about to drop.
We feel the room swayin, with the trainees stayin,
‘til assessment sends them on their way back home,
Sooooh, grab a seat fellas, ready yourself for a treat fellas,
Training will never be like this again.

Hel-lo Murray, and hel-lo Peggy,
Its so nice to surprise you both this very nite
You’re still smiling, with your wedding brewin’,
And the trainees wish to toast to you tonight.
While Murray Franks livin, we’ll have a short Thanksgiving,
While he’s away on his long honeymoon.
So take your wife Murray, it’s late in life Murray,
Bombay will never be the same again!

Cast

Roles Actors
Narrator Taradash
Barda Loren
Linas Falstein
Langdon Kevin
Ryan Nelson
Ladd Grear

Narrator: Sets scene, composite room introduces characters. Scene opens as the alarm goes off. Ladd, Ryan and Linas come staggering in, wine bottles in hand, singing “Irish Eyes.”

Barda: Jumps up with a start and says “Ap kaun hair? (Short pause, then) No good man, no good.”

Meanwhile Ryan, Linas, and Ladd staggering and trying to sing “Irish Eyes.”

Ladd: “Gotta go to goddam Hindi class.”

Linas: “No let’s go get another beer.”

Barda: “No good man, no good.”

Langdon: “Reaches in the laundry bag, pulls out a shirt, smells both pits, grabs the can of Right Guard and sprays it down, and says while putting the shirt on “cough, cough, mumble, mumble.”

Everyone sings Sixteen Words and Exits.

Sixteen Words”
You learn sixteen words,
And whaddya get;
Another day of Hindi
Another day of sweat.
Don’t push us Mr. Carr
‘Cause last night we spent in a bar.
We hope you don’t expect us to get very far.

“Officer Doris”
Chorus:
Gee Officer Doris, we’re very upset
We never had the chances that the others did get
And now that assessment’s about to take place
Now is the time to set forward our case. 

Solo:
Dear Officer Doris, you must understand, 
My local draft board is getting way out of hand.
They want me to fight, the Vietnam way, 
Ho-ly Mo-ses, must get to Bombay!

Chorus:
Gee loveable Doris, there’s much more to say,
There are other reasons we must get to Bombay.
So therefore you mu-st heed our pleas,
And when selection comes, no ginahis.

Solo:
Well Officer Doris, I’m sure up a tree
The girl I thought I’d left behind is now chasing me.
I don’t want to marry her, she’s really a pig,
Ho-ly, Je-sus, my plight you must dig!!

Solo:
Dear Officer Doris, we’ve had all our shots
Our arms are all aching, and hurting a lot
What good will the typhoid, plague and jaundice do,
If we’re all cut and sent back to school?

Chorus:
Well Officer Doris, our fate’s In your hands.
We’ve tried to get across, our various stands
Have nothing left to say that we feel we should, 
Gol-ly Do-ris, you must believe we’re good.

Scene VI

Cast

Roles Actors
Murray Loren
Peggy Morey


Narrator-
sets scene, after a hard day’s work Peggy and Murray finally get a chance to relax together.

Peggy: “Ho, Murray, I love to sit her and run my fingers thru your head.”

Murray Frank: “Yeah, they used to call me Furry Murray.”

Peggy: “Murray, do you think we’re too old?”

Murray Frank: “No, we’re not too old. (Pause) Too old for what?”

Peggy: “Well let me articulate it for you.”

Murray Frank: “Oh, no, I can’t stand it when you articulate it.”

Peggy: “Well, let me try anyway. I love you…hmmm?”

Murray Frank: “You love me? Hmm. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

Peggy: “Will you Murray me? (Wistfully)

Murray Frank:  Let me ask the Panchayat [village council, in Hindi]. I usually let them make the important decisions.”

Peggy: Pats him on head. “Oh, angel lambie pie cutie, honeydoll.”

Murray Frank: “Oh moonie Grunie”

Peggy: Pats him on belly. “How’s your tankie  Frankie?”

Murray Frank: “Listen Peggy, I understand your name is Gruenbaum.”

Peggy: “That’s right, Murray, but I’ll be Frank with you.”

Entire cast comes out and sings “Tonight.”

Tonight
Tonite, Tonite, is not just any nite,
Tonite, is the eve of assessment.
Tonite, tonite, our fates with you tonite,
And for some, dreams will stop where they are.
Sometimes the reading goes so slowly,
The Hindi drags along, yet still our hopes are high,
Peace Corps, our life, and the goals we
Seek tonite, may go-on, to-nite.

So thus tonite, we hope you like tonite,
Cause tonite, we had to let off some steam.
And Peg and Murray, we toast with you tonite,
For your love, to go on, for ever more,
Now we’ll end our little skit, and
Drink and dance along, with
Our hopes in our hearts,
O staff, think twice, and let
Our goals to go to Bombay, Gi Ha!

Before donating her materials to the Peace Corps Community Archive, Williams briefly noted where her fellow volunteers ended up.

Most of the cast members finished their training and departed for Bombay (now Mumbai), including Joseph Barda, Richard Falstein, Daniel Grear, Linas Jurcys, Kevin Kane, Michael Ladd, David Langdon, Kathleen Morey, Joseph Ryan, and Alan Taradash. In India, they did a mix of urban community development and traditional social work.

For information about all the the India 23 trainees see the Biographical Sketches booklet (kindly scanned by Eric Souers).

Anne Williams in India

Name: Anne Williams
Country of Service: India
Place of Service: Bombay and Calcutta
Dates in Service: 1965-1967
Keywords: Community Development, Health

Accession Date: January 24, 2020
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet

Document Types
• Correspondence
• Photographs
• Scrapbooks
• Reports
• Publications
• Sound
Biographical sketches

Additions to Collection:
Accession Date: September 7, 2021
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 0.01 linear feet

Document Types
• Correspondence
• Documents

Finding Aid

** in front of an item shows it was created by Anne D. Williams 

  1. account books 
    1. ** ADW personal 
    2. ** food & household, ADW and Betsy Franzen 
  2. Peace Corps Application Materials/Documents including 
    1. ADW Peace Corps Application 
    2. Letters of acceptance to join training  
    3. Physical fitness assessment 
  3. India 39 book of trainee photos, bios 
  4. India 23 training materials/documents including 
    1. Documents pertaining to training dates, preparation, and expectations (18 items) 
    2.  book of trainee photos, bios and sketches  
    3. training info, 11 pages 
    4. Columbia U campus map 
    5. immunization worksheet for ADW 
    6. W.H.O. vaccination card for ADW 
    7.  daily schedule for trainees supervised by Marvin Sicherman 
    8. ADW report on training placement 
    9. skit by volunteers 
    10. ADW certificate of training at Columbia U. 
    11. Peace Corps Handbook 
  5. ADW weekly letters to family 
    1. ** Jan 1966-Oct 1967 from India 
    2. ** Oct 1967-Nov 1967 from stops on my travel home 
  6. ADW work in Bombay: 
    1. Police Maternity Hospital & Welfare Center,  3 reports 
    2.  ADW planned daily schedule at Police Welfare Center 
    3.  PC memo to Police Welfare Center with PCV info, re requested furnishings for PCV housing 
    4.  Feb 1966 press clipping re ADW PC service 
    5. ** May 1966, ADW report to Peace Corps 
    6. ** July 1967 ADW proposal for record keeping 
    7. ** Sep 1967 ADW survey report to Police Welfare Center 
  7. 1-year seminar materials (Goa, Jan 1967) 
    1. announcements of seminar (2) 
    2.  India 23 PCV’s description of placements 
    3. 10 articles prepared by India 23 PCVs: Harriet Bissell, Don Cline, Doris Cort, Georgia Drakes,
    4. Dick Falstein, Barry & Gretchen Johnson, John Maddaus, Eric Souers, various others 
    5. Final Seminar Report, including transcripts of most discussions
  8. Items from PC India offices, USIS 
    1.  PC India Mar 1967 Handbook Supplement 
    2. PC India Apr 1967 Medical Handbook  
    3. Apr 1967 report on India Volunteer forum & evaluation 
    4.  17 personal communications 1966-67 
    5.   American-Hindi cookbook 
  9. Other reports on India 23 activities 
    1. Ghatkoper community development project, by Bob Ungerleider 
    2.  Potters Colony project, by Frank Matricardi 
  10. June 1967 trip to Nepal 
    1. ** ADW essay 
    2. US embassy’s map of Calcutta to Nepal route 
  11. Termination of Service Documents 
    1. 16 items pertaining to completion of service and return to the U.S. 
  12. Indian press clippings on India 23 basketball team 
  13. miscellaneous 
    1. ADW passport used 1966-1967 
    2.   ADW ID card, Youth Hostels Assn. of India  
    3.  ADW permit to consum liquor in Ootacamund  
    4. 5 receipts or stationery from places ADW visited 
    5. 9 banknotes from countries ADW visited 1967 
    6. unused ballot from Bombay election in 1966-67 
    7.  ADW income tax exemption certificate, 1967 
    8. health exam report for cook, Mary Rodrigues 
    9. ** ADW recommendation letter for cook, Mary Rodrigues 
    10. Gateway, Aug 1967 issue (India PCV magazine) 
  14. directories 
    1.  1981 RPCVs in Maine 
    2. 1988 Friends of India (Returned PCVs) 
    3.    1989 Friends of India (Returned PCVs) 
  15. Reunions, and information on other India 23 volunteers 
    1.  reunion notes: 1980, 1987, 1993, 1999, 2003,  
    2.    1993 Note and drawing by Marby Connet Selwitz 
    3.  2007 DVD compiled by Dick and Willo Falstein of India 23 service and reunions 
    4.  obituaries 
  16. India 17-18-19 photos 
  17. ADW essays 
    1. ** 2020 overview of PC experience 
    2. ** 1966 draft article for ADW high school newspaper (SSSAS in Alexandria, VA) 
  18. **Slide Index 
  19. audio recording **audio tape of sounds from India that I sent home in 1967 
  20. photos most taken by ADW 
    1. ** photo album 
    2. ** slides (about 1,300) taken in India and Nepal Jan 1966-Oct 1967 
    3. ** slides (about 400) from 1967 trip home (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Greece, Rumania, USSR, Japan) 
    4.  slides (about 200) taken by other India 23 PCVs