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[gentle orchestral fanfare]

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♪

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[resonant strings lead 
building orchestration]

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(male narrator) 
Welcome to Our State ,

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a production of UNC-TV

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in association 
with Our State magazine--

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for over 80 years,

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bringing readers 
the wonders of North Carolina.

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On this edition...

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(Andy Griffith) 
And what I seen--

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(narrator) 
...illustrator Rich Powell 
draws new life

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out of Andy Griffith's 
classic monologue...

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(Griffith) 
Lookin' at one other

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across this pretty, 
little, green cow pasture--

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[audience laughing]

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(narrator) 
...Letters From Home,

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honoring veterans with music 
and dance from a bygone era...

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♪ Callin' me, callin' me 
to my old mountain home ♪

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(narrator) 
...and the Lonesome Road Band

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serves up an earworm

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inspired by a North Carolina 
mountain childhood.

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♪ I was 
born ♪

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♪ Down 
in North Carolina ♪

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[group harmonizing] 
♪ Blue Ridge Mountains ♪

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♪ I call home ♪

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[old-time arrangement 
concludes]

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♪

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[gentle piano melody]

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(male announcer) 
Since 1872,

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BB&T has been supporting

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the people and communities 
of North Carolina.

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From our small-town roots

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to the banking network 
you see today,

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we've always been here 
for all our clients,

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stretching from Manteo...

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to Murphy.

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We're proud of our heritage

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as the oldest bank 
in North Carolina,

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and we're very proud 
to provide funding

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for Our State .

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♪

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Quality public television 
is made possible

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through the financial 
contributions

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of viewers like you,

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who invite you to join them 
in supporting UNC-TV.

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[placid acoustic guitar score]

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[accordion supports guitar]

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♪

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(narrator) 
Meet Rich Powell,

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an illustrator 
with an imagination

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that never seems 
to take a rest.

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His daydreams 
end up on greeting cards,

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in newspaper comics, 
on T-shirts,

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even in Mad magazine.

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Some are lifelike,

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and some have 
the tongue-in-cheek whimsy

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he's become known for.

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(Rich) 
I would say,

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it's more of an offbeat 
sense of humor,

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really kind of 
a slapstick thing.

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I'm no Mark Twain 
as far as the writing goes--

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heh.

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(narrator) 
In time, he left 
his native New Jersey

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and eventually 
found our state,

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where he settled in Asheboro 
and poured himself

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a healthy dose 
of Southern culture.

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(Rich) 
When I got here,

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I started drawing cartoons 
for the local papers.

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Originally, the first cartoons

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were about humor that related 
to the Southern experience.

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Started going 
to a local coffee shop

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every morning to see 
a group of fellas there.

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They had 
a great sense of humor,

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and they gave me 
so much material.

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Growin' up here, 
if you had a cut,

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kerosene'll cure everything, 
or they smoke this stuff

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called rabbit tobacco 
I'd never heard of

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and chiggers 
an 
d all of these things.

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There was so much material

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that it was easy.

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You could come up with a gag 
by goin' for a walk.

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When the pollen comes down 
here, it's so ridiculous!

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Definitely have to do 
a pollen cartoon.

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So it's good to draw 
what you know,

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and what I knew 
at the time was,

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I was getting used 
to living in the South.

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♪

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We have a wonderful 
antique mall downtown,

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and on the wall

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was the record 
from Andy Griffith,

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"What It Was, 
Was Football."

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I didn't know about it

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until I moved 
to North Carolina.

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(narrator) 
Long before 
The Andy Griffith Show

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made him a household name,

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Andy wrote 
and began performing

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a whimsical essay 
after his graduation

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from Chapel Hill in 1949.

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"What It Was, Was Football" 
is the tale of a man

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who didn't know 
a football game

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from a glass of sweet tea

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when he arrived unbeknownst 
at the site of one

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and got swept up 
in all the enthusiasm.

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(Rich) 
It was a pretty 
unique record, you know?

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It wasn't George Carlin, 
you know?

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It was a comedy record 
you could get for your family.

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Everybody could sit 
and listen to it

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and get a kick out of it.

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(narrator) 
Andy's down-home style

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and his description 
of that fortunate dilemma

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was endearing to listeners 
and started him on the road

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to becoming 
a true national treasure

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when "What It Was, 
Was Football"

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was first released in 1953.

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So here's what we've got:

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Andy Griffith, storyteller

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of Southern idiosyncrasies 
par excellence

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and Rich Powell, illustrator

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of Southern idiosyncrasies 
par excellence.

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Uh-huh, sounds like 
a natural fit to me.

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[accordion concludes piece]

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(Rich) 
Andy was a very tough 
character to draw.

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With Andy 
being like the 13th apostle

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in North Carolina, 
I was pretty nervous

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about getting Andy right 
but not just do

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the perfect shot 
of Andy Griffith.

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You know, it has to look 
like my style of cartooning.

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[acoustic guitar groove]

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(Griffith, Southern accent) 
It was back last October, 
I believe it was.

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We was a-gonna hold 
a tent service off--

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off at this college town,

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and we got thair 
about dinnertime on Saturday.

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(Rich) 
Well, you have 
to pare that down.

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You gotta pick what part 
of that you can draw.

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It took place in the '50s, 
and it was North Carolina.

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You really had to think back 
to the older days.

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When you're done 
with that first sketch,

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you just like it; 
it has life and energy to it.

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(Griffith) 
And different ones of us

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thought that we 
ought to get us

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a mouthful to eat before 
that we set up the tent.

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And so we got off the truck

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and followed 
this little bunch of people

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through this small, little 
bitty patch of woods there,

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and we come up on a big sign.

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It says, 
"Get somethin' to eat c'here."

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And, uh, I went up 
and got me two hot dogs

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and a Big Orange drink,

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and before that I could take 
ary mouthful of that food,

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this whole raft of people 
come up around me

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and got me to where I couldn't 
eat nothing up like,

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and I dropped 
my Big Orange drink.

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I did.

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Well, friends, 
they commenced to move,

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and there warn't so much 
that I could do

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but move with 'em.

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Well, we commenced to go 
through all kinds of doors

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and gates 
and I don't know what all,

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and I looked up 
over one of 'em,

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and it says 
"North Gate."

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And we kept on a-goin' 
through there,

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and pretty soon, 
we come up on a young boy,

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and he says, 
"Ticket, please."

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And I says, "Friend, 
I don't have a ticket.

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I don't even know 
where it is that I'm a-goin'!"

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[audience laughing]

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I did.

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(Rich) 
So we will get the whole story 
in one picture.

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We'll have the ticket boy.

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We'll have him 
being swept along,

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and we'll fill it full 
of all sorts of crazy stuff...

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people's legs 
and arms stickin' out.

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In the old Mads, 
they'd stick a lotta stuff

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like that in there 
and call it "chicken fat."

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So we'll throw 
as much chicken fat in there

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as possible, 
make it as funny as possible.

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(Griffith) 
Well, he says, "Come out 
as quick as you can."

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And I says, "I'll do 'er.

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I'll turn right around 
the first chance't I get."

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[audience laughing]

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Well, we kept on a-moving 
through thair,

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and pretty soon, 
everybody got where it was

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that they was a-goin',

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and what I seen 
was this whole raft of people

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a-settin' on these two banks 
and a-lookin' at one another

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across this pretty, 
little green cow pasture.

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And somebody had took 
and drawed white lines

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all over it 
and drove posties in it

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and I don't know what all, 
and I looked down thair,

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and I seen five 
or six convicts

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a-running up and down 
and a-blowing whistles.

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They was.

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And then I looked down thair, 
and I seen these pretty girls

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wearin' these 
little bitty short dresses

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and a-dancin' around, 
and so I sat down

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and thought I'd see what it 
was that was a-gonna happen.

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And about the time 
I got set down good,

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I looked down thair, 
and I seen 30 or 40 men

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come runnin' out 
of one end

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of a great big outhouse 
down thair.

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[audience laughing]

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They did!

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And everybody 
where I was a-settin'

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got up and hollered!

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And about that time, 
30 or 40 come runnin' out

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of the other end 
of that outhouse,

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and the other bankful, 
they got up and hollered.

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And I asked this fella

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that was besettin' 
beside of me.

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I says, "Friend, what is it 
that they're a-hollerin' for?"

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Well, he whopped me 
on the back,

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and he says, 
"Buddy, have a drink!"

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[laughter]

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Well I says, "I believe I will 
have another Big Orange."

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[laughter]

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And when I got thair again, 
I seen that them men

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had got in two little bitty 
bunches down there,

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they had, rail close together,

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and they voted.

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[laughter]

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They did.

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They voted 
and elected one man apiece.

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[laughter]

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(Rich) 
Well, I think the good gag 
we can do here is,

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00:08:52,832 --> 00:08:54,467
we can have a close-up

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00:08:54,567 --> 00:08:57,036
of one of the groups of guys 
pickin' their man.

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And I think I'm gonna 
make our man in front

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00:08:59,772 --> 00:09:02,842
this little guy that's sort of 
reluctant to go out there.

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00:09:02,942 --> 00:09:04,310
In the back, we're--

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they've already 
picked their man.

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He's gonna be 
a monster of a guy.

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(Griffith) 
And them two men come out

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00:09:10,316 --> 00:09:12,885
in the middle of that 
cow pasture and shook hands

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00:09:12,985 --> 00:09:15,821
like they hadn't seen 
one another in a long time.

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00:09:15,922 --> 00:09:18,758
And then, a convict come over 
to where they was a-standin',

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and he took out a quarter,

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and they commenced 
to odd-man right there!

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Both bunches-full 
of them men

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wanted this funny-lookin' 
little pumpkin to play with.

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Hah, hah, hah!

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00:09:30,102 --> 00:09:33,072
(Griffith) 
They did, and I know, friends, 
that they couldn't a-eat it

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00:09:33,172 --> 00:09:34,941
because they kicked it 
the whole evenin'

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00:09:35,041 --> 00:09:36,576
and it never busted.

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[audience laughing]

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And one bunch got it, 
and it made the other bunch

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just as mad as they could be,

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and friends, I seen that 
evenin' the awfulest fight

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00:09:46,452 --> 00:09:48,654
that I have ever seen 
in my life!

249
00:09:48,754 --> 00:09:50,256
I did!

250
00:09:50,356 --> 00:09:52,124
This is the best part now.

251
00:09:52,224 --> 00:09:54,927
This is where I get 
to really have fun and draw.

252
00:09:55,027 --> 00:09:56,996
I'm just gonna draw 
this massive pile on

253
00:09:57,096 --> 00:09:58,598
with all sorts of guys

254
00:09:58,698 --> 00:10:00,333
getting slammed 
and bit and cut.

255
00:10:00,433 --> 00:10:02,401
You don't have to draw 
the full figure.

256
00:10:02,501 --> 00:10:04,804
You can have a face 
poppin' out of nowhere

257
00:10:04,904 --> 00:10:06,672
and work into this giant pile

258
00:10:06,772 --> 00:10:10,409
of action 
and stuff flyin' around.

259
00:10:10,509 --> 00:10:12,278
(Griffith) 
They would run at one another

260
00:10:12,378 --> 00:10:14,580
and kick one another 
and throw one another down

261
00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:16,182
and stomp on one another

262
00:10:16,282 --> 00:10:18,084
and grind their feet 
in one another

263
00:10:18,184 --> 00:10:19,819
and I don't know what all,

264
00:10:19,919 --> 00:10:22,755
and just as fast 
as one of 'em would get hurt,

265
00:10:22,855 --> 00:10:25,424
they'd tote him off 
and run another one on!

266
00:10:25,524 --> 00:10:27,460
[spirited laughter]

267
00:10:28,427 --> 00:10:33,399
Well...they done that 
as long as I set there,

268
00:10:33,499 --> 00:10:34,767
but pretty soon,

269
00:10:34,867 --> 00:10:36,969
this boy that had said 
"Ticket, please,"

270
00:10:37,069 --> 00:10:39,138
he come up to me, 
and he says,

271
00:10:39,238 --> 00:10:40,973
"Friend, 
you're gonna have to leave

272
00:10:41,073 --> 00:10:43,442
because it is 
that you don't have a ticket."

273
00:10:43,542 --> 00:10:47,246
And I says, "Well, all right," 
and I got up and left.

274
00:10:47,346 --> 00:10:49,015
[mellow acoustic guitar tune]

275
00:10:49,115 --> 00:10:52,251
And I don't know, friends, 
to this day what it was

276
00:10:52,351 --> 00:10:54,253
that they was a-doin' 
down thair,

277
00:10:54,353 --> 00:10:56,489
but I have studied about it,

278
00:10:56,589 --> 00:10:59,825
and I think that it's 
some kindly of a contest

279
00:10:59,925 --> 00:11:02,528
where they see 
which bunchful of them men

280
00:11:02,628 --> 00:11:04,330
can take that pumpkin

281
00:11:04,430 --> 00:11:07,333
and run from one end 
of that cow pasture

282
00:11:07,433 --> 00:11:10,503
to the othern without either 
gettin' knocked down

283
00:11:10,603 --> 00:11:12,805
or steppin' in somethin'.

284
00:11:12,905 --> 00:11:14,874
[laughter and applause]

285
00:11:14,974 --> 00:11:18,544
♪

286
00:11:20,446 --> 00:11:22,682
[low horn melody leads 
dramatic orchestration]

287
00:11:22,782 --> 00:11:26,585
♪

288
00:11:26,686 --> 00:11:29,155
(man) 
It was very, very foggy 
when we went in,

289
00:11:29,255 --> 00:11:31,457
and we didn't know 
exactly where we were going.

290
00:11:31,557 --> 00:11:33,859
They didn't tell us exactly 
where they sent you--

291
00:11:33,959 --> 00:11:35,361
just a beach landing,

292
00:11:35,461 --> 00:11:38,164
and when we went in, 
we hit the beach

293
00:11:38,264 --> 00:11:40,900
and went to shore 
as quickly as possible

294
00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,236
and kinda dodged those things 
goin' overhead all the time.

295
00:11:44,336 --> 00:11:46,405
They were throwin' 
shells a lot.

296
00:11:46,505 --> 00:11:48,474
They had big guns up there

297
00:11:48,574 --> 00:11:51,644
in the bunkers up 
on top of the hills.

298
00:11:51,744 --> 00:11:53,646
They were throwin' 
big shells at us,

299
00:11:53,746 --> 00:11:56,082
and you don't dodge those.

300
00:11:56,182 --> 00:11:58,217
♪

301
00:11:58,317 --> 00:12:01,387
(narrator) 
As World War II 
fades deeper into memory

302
00:12:01,487 --> 00:12:03,889
and its veterans 
slowly pass away,

303
00:12:03,989 --> 00:12:05,925
it's all too easy to forget--

304
00:12:06,025 --> 00:12:07,927
perhaps even 
take for granted--

305
00:12:08,027 --> 00:12:11,230
the sacrifice made 
by so many on our behalf.

306
00:12:11,330 --> 00:12:13,232
♪

307
00:12:13,332 --> 00:12:16,001
(Dewitt) 
And they would 
make us stand someplace

308
00:12:16,102 --> 00:12:19,105
where we had 
a good chance of firepower,

309
00:12:19,205 --> 00:12:22,541
and we'd make a stand, 
and our tanks would come up--

310
00:12:22,641 --> 00:12:25,644
the M3 tanks would come up 
and battle their tanks.

311
00:12:25,745 --> 00:12:27,747
They'd have 
a tank fight, and--

312
00:12:27,847 --> 00:12:30,116
and we'd have infan-- 
infantry fight.

313
00:12:30,216 --> 00:12:33,018
And, uh, then we'd move on.

314
00:12:33,119 --> 00:12:35,821
(narrator) 
As the war 
ground toward its conclusion,

315
00:12:35,921 --> 00:12:38,023
the earth still trembled 
with uncertainty.

316
00:12:38,124 --> 00:12:40,426
Yet men like Dewitt 
soldiered on,

317
00:12:40,526 --> 00:12:43,796
carrying the world's freedom 
on their backs.

318
00:12:43,896 --> 00:12:45,965
But there were 
light moments too.

319
00:12:46,065 --> 00:12:48,801
The USO was 
a home away from home

320
00:12:48,901 --> 00:12:52,371
for our servicemen and -women 
and a source of entertainment,

321
00:12:52,471 --> 00:12:54,940
welcome relief 
from the horror of war.

322
00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,643
And no one sang 
as convincingly of home

323
00:12:57,743 --> 00:12:59,779
as the Andrews Sisters.

324
00:12:59,879 --> 00:13:02,481
[big band horns introduce 
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"]

325
00:13:02,581 --> 00:13:04,583
♪

326
00:13:04,683 --> 00:13:07,920
[harmonizing] 
♪ He was a famous trumpet man 
from out Chicago way ♪

327
00:13:08,020 --> 00:13:10,990
♪ He had a boogie style 
that no one else could play ♪

328
00:13:11,090 --> 00:13:13,359
♪ He was the top man 
at his craft ♪

329
00:13:13,459 --> 00:13:15,094
♪ But then 
his number came up ♪

330
00:13:15,194 --> 00:13:17,096
♪ And he was gone 
with the draft ♪

331
00:13:17,196 --> 00:13:19,465
♪ He's in the Army now, 
a-blowin' reveille ♪

332
00:13:19,565 --> 00:13:22,401
♪ He's the boogie-woogie 
bugle boy of Company B ♪

333
00:13:22,501 --> 00:13:24,336
♪ Mr. What-ya-call-em, 
whatcha doin' tonight? ♪

334
00:13:24,436 --> 00:13:26,138
♪ Hope you're 
in the mood ♪

335
00:13:26,238 --> 00:13:27,940
♪ Because I'm feelin' 
just right ♪

336
00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,776
♪ How's about a corner 
with a table for two ♪

337
00:13:30,876 --> 00:13:32,411
♪ Where the music's mellow ♪

338
00:13:32,511 --> 00:13:35,214
(narrator) 
Meet Erinn Diaz 
and Serah Haley,

339
00:13:35,314 --> 00:13:37,216
headlined 
as Letters from Home,

340
00:13:37,316 --> 00:13:40,853
or, if you'd rather, 
America's Bombshell Duo.

341
00:13:40,953 --> 00:13:42,721
Our mission 
is to tour the country

342
00:13:42,822 --> 00:13:44,156
and honor our veterans,

343
00:13:44,256 --> 00:13:45,891
active military heroes, 
and their families

344
00:13:45,991 --> 00:13:48,961
by paying tribute to the music 
and the spirit of the 1940s.

345
00:13:49,061 --> 00:13:50,930
(narrator) 
Erinn and Serah 
were performers

346
00:13:51,030 --> 00:13:52,698
practically from birth.

347
00:13:52,798 --> 00:13:56,769
Erinn was born on the road, 
in a car in a snowstorm,

348
00:13:56,869 --> 00:13:59,505
no doubt with tunes 
playing on the radio.

349
00:13:59,605 --> 00:14:01,173
Serah and her family

350
00:14:01,273 --> 00:14:03,642
sang harmony 
on their vacation trips.

351
00:14:03,742 --> 00:14:06,645
I started doing tap dancing 
when I was three years old,

352
00:14:06,745 --> 00:14:08,714
and I just tapped 
my entire life.

353
00:14:08,814 --> 00:14:10,783
I sang; 
I did a lot of musicals,

354
00:14:10,883 --> 00:14:12,852
and I just had a lot of fun

355
00:14:12,952 --> 00:14:15,020
being on stage and performing, 
but especially tap-dancing.

356
00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:16,689
It's something 
that's always been

357
00:14:16,789 --> 00:14:18,457
near and dear to my heart.

358
00:14:18,557 --> 00:14:20,559
Through school, 
I always sang at school.

359
00:14:20,659 --> 00:14:22,661
I always 
was in choruses and choirs

360
00:14:22,761 --> 00:14:24,730
and, you know, 
did different kind of honors

361
00:14:24,830 --> 00:14:26,565
and national choruses 
like that.

362
00:14:26,665 --> 00:14:28,601
♪ Sing, sing, sing, sing ♪

363
00:14:28,701 --> 00:14:30,469
♪ Everybody start to sing ♪

364
00:14:30,569 --> 00:14:32,004
(narrator) 
These young women

365
00:14:32,104 --> 00:14:34,406
have no direct recollection 
of the 1940s,

366
00:14:34,506 --> 00:14:36,675
yet they have come 
to inhabit it

367
00:14:36,775 --> 00:14:40,379
as if somehow 
it was meant to be.

368
00:14:40,479 --> 00:14:42,381
The idea 
for Letters from Home

369
00:14:42,481 --> 00:14:44,717
came from Erinn's dad, 
Pat Dearth,

370
00:14:44,817 --> 00:14:46,418
a Coast Guard vet.

371
00:14:46,518 --> 00:14:48,153
(Erinn) 
I had always put together

372
00:14:48,254 --> 00:14:49,889
a lotta different 
kinds of shows,

373
00:14:49,989 --> 00:14:52,892
and I wanted to think 
of a new idea for shows

374
00:14:52,992 --> 00:14:54,894
that we could take 
into retirement homes

375
00:14:54,994 --> 00:14:56,896
and communities 
and things like that,

376
00:14:56,996 --> 00:15:00,399
and my father said, 
"You have to do 1940s music.

377
00:15:00,499 --> 00:15:02,334
"You've gotta do 
that kind of music.

378
00:15:02,434 --> 00:15:03,702
"It's my favorite.

379
00:15:03,802 --> 00:15:05,571
"Listen to this song, 
'Pistol Packin' Mama,'

380
00:15:05,671 --> 00:15:07,439
and this song, 
'Swinging on a Star,'"

381
00:15:07,539 --> 00:15:10,009
and he just starts pulling out 
all these great songs.

382
00:15:10,109 --> 00:15:11,877
I thought, 
this is a great idea,

383
00:15:11,977 --> 00:15:14,446
and Monday rolled around, 
and I was hired to do

384
00:15:14,546 --> 00:15:16,215
an after-school 
theater program

385
00:15:16,315 --> 00:15:18,450
at Forsyth Country Day School 
in Winston-Salem.

386
00:15:18,550 --> 00:15:20,753
And I was gonna be 
in Miss Haley's classroom.

387
00:15:20,853 --> 00:15:22,621
I didn't know 
who Miss Haley was

388
00:15:22,721 --> 00:15:24,924
because we had known 
each other in high school

389
00:15:25,024 --> 00:15:27,226
but we had lost touch; 
we both got married.

390
00:15:27,326 --> 00:15:29,161
We both had 
different last names,

391
00:15:29,261 --> 00:15:31,030
and I walked 
into her classroom

392
00:15:31,130 --> 00:15:32,765
on Tuesday and-- 
Whoa!--surprise!

393
00:15:32,865 --> 00:15:34,633
I was sitting, 
working at my desk,

394
00:15:34,733 --> 00:15:36,502
and I looked up, 
and there's Erinn,

395
00:15:36,602 --> 00:15:38,570
and I said, 
"Erinn? Is that you?"

396
00:15:38,671 --> 00:15:40,940
I was like, "What 
are you doing here?"

397
00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:43,375
And so she came over, 
and she said,

398
00:15:43,475 --> 00:15:44,810
"Are you still 
performing?"

399
00:15:44,910 --> 00:15:46,545
and I said, "I guess so.

400
00:15:46,645 --> 00:15:48,147
What are you thinkin' about?"

401
00:15:48,247 --> 00:15:50,449
She started tellin' me 
a little bit about it.

402
00:15:50,549 --> 00:15:52,618
(Erinn) 
I said, "We're gonna sing 
and tap-dance,"

403
00:15:52,718 --> 00:15:54,687
and she says, "No, 
I don't tap-dance."

404
00:15:54,787 --> 00:15:56,555
I was like, 
"I can teach you,"

405
00:15:56,655 --> 00:15:58,290
and she said, 
"No, you can't.

406
00:15:58,390 --> 00:16:00,492
You don't understand; 
I don't dance."

407
00:16:01,327 --> 00:16:04,296
(narrator) 
Well, that might 
have been true at one time,

408
00:16:04,396 --> 00:16:07,633
but in true trouper fashion, 
the show must go on...

409
00:16:07,733 --> 00:16:09,969
in VA hospitals, 
theaters, schools,

410
00:16:10,069 --> 00:16:12,237
VFW and American Legion halls,

411
00:16:12,338 --> 00:16:14,673
on cruise ships 
and military bases,

412
00:16:14,773 --> 00:16:17,710
and at patriotic events 
across North Carolina

413
00:16:17,810 --> 00:16:20,813
and 19 other states so far.

414
00:16:20,913 --> 00:16:23,482
Wherever they go, 
like here in their hometown

415
00:16:23,582 --> 00:16:25,484
at the Winston-Salem Air Show,

416
00:16:25,584 --> 00:16:27,286
veterans 
from all service branches

417
00:16:27,386 --> 00:16:30,622
and all wars 
flock to hear Serah and Erinn.

418
00:16:30,723 --> 00:16:33,192
(Serah) 
And I have never 
gotten to do this show

419
00:16:33,292 --> 00:16:34,927
for my grandfather, um.

420
00:16:35,027 --> 00:16:36,462
[voice breaking] 
He actually...

421
00:16:36,562 --> 00:16:37,997
passed away 
one month

422
00:16:38,097 --> 00:16:40,199
before we started 
performing the show,

423
00:16:40,299 --> 00:16:42,534
so I never even 
got to tell him

424
00:16:42,634 --> 00:16:44,269
that we were doing it,

425
00:16:44,370 --> 00:16:49,074
so it's really neat to do it 
and honor a memory of him

426
00:16:49,174 --> 00:16:51,477
and reaching back 
to World War II

427
00:16:51,577 --> 00:16:54,880
and a time that I know 
he so would have appreciated,

428
00:16:54,980 --> 00:16:56,849
and so it's really special.

429
00:16:56,949 --> 00:16:59,184
[tapping and singing 
over jazz recording]

430
00:16:59,284 --> 00:17:02,588
♪

431
00:17:02,688 --> 00:17:05,257
(narrator) 
They may make it all 
look easy,

432
00:17:05,357 --> 00:17:08,927
but making it look easy 
takes a lot of hard work,

433
00:17:09,028 --> 00:17:11,263
the song part 
and the dance part.

434
00:17:11,363 --> 00:17:14,400
That's why they rehearse 
over 20 hours a week.

435
00:17:14,500 --> 00:17:18,170
♪

436
00:17:18,270 --> 00:17:20,172
But rehearsals 
don't stop there.

437
00:17:20,272 --> 00:17:24,043
With over 100 shows a year 
and a constantly changing act,

438
00:17:24,143 --> 00:17:25,878
you can find 
the girls practicing

439
00:17:25,978 --> 00:17:27,880
most anywhere 
they can snatch a moment:

440
00:17:27,980 --> 00:17:30,582
in the driveway, 
even the backseat of the car.

441
00:17:30,682 --> 00:17:32,384
[duo singing faintly]

442
00:17:32,484 --> 00:17:34,319
(Serah) 
And sometimes, 
when we're on tour

443
00:17:34,420 --> 00:17:36,188
and we can't 
get into the studio,

444
00:17:36,288 --> 00:17:37,890
we miss that rehearsal time.

445
00:17:37,990 --> 00:17:40,759
We can't stop, 
so along the way in the car,

446
00:17:40,859 --> 00:17:42,127
we'll be singing,

447
00:17:42,227 --> 00:17:45,531
or we'll be moving our feet 
and practicing our steps

448
00:17:45,631 --> 00:17:47,533
in our seats, and always--

449
00:17:47,633 --> 00:17:51,470
we always want to...make 
the show more exciting

450
00:17:51,570 --> 00:17:53,372
the next time 
somebody sees us.

451
00:17:53,472 --> 00:17:55,674
(Erinn) 
We travel in a truck 
and a trailer

452
00:17:55,774 --> 00:17:57,743
that has all our sound 
equipment and costumes

453
00:17:57,843 --> 00:17:59,478
pretty much 
all over the country.

454
00:17:59,578 --> 00:18:01,447
(Serah) 
And we couldn't be happier.

455
00:18:01,547 --> 00:18:04,049
(narrator) 
Behind most good acts, 
you probably know,

456
00:18:04,149 --> 00:18:05,951
there's usually someone 
who takes on

457
00:18:06,051 --> 00:18:08,120
all the unsung 
but oh-so-critical

458
00:18:08,220 --> 00:18:09,788
organizational stuff.

459
00:18:09,888 --> 00:18:12,324
In this case, 
that's Erinn's husband Nelson,

460
00:18:12,424 --> 00:18:13,892
an Air Force veteran

461
00:18:13,992 --> 00:18:17,196
who manages Letters From Home 
plus loads the car,

462
00:18:17,296 --> 00:18:19,965
drives them to gigs, 
organizes air travel,

463
00:18:20,065 --> 00:18:21,700
sees to their bags,

464
00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,770
and on and on--heh, heh.

465
00:18:24,870 --> 00:18:27,406
Actually, I think 
one of Nelson's 
biggest strengths

466
00:18:27,506 --> 00:18:30,109
is the ability to 
completely tune us out.

467
00:18:30,209 --> 00:18:31,777
[both laughing]

468
00:18:31,877 --> 00:18:33,846
There's so many things 
you could've said!

469
00:18:33,946 --> 00:18:35,280
I didn't-- 
hah, hah!

470
00:18:35,380 --> 00:18:37,449
He will be driving 
along for hours,

471
00:18:37,549 --> 00:18:39,818
and we will be 
"dip, dip...dip" nonstop,

472
00:18:39,918 --> 00:18:41,386
and we'll say, "Nelson,

473
00:18:41,487 --> 00:18:43,122
what do you 
think about that?"

474
00:18:43,222 --> 00:18:44,857
(Erinn) 
He'll go, "About what?"--hah!

475
00:18:44,957 --> 00:18:46,592
(Serah) 
So 
metimes he doesn't 
ev 
en respond!

476
00:18:46,692 --> 00:18:49,394
We have to actually 
tap him on the 
shoulder and say,

477
00:18:49,495 --> 00:18:51,063
"Hey, you're 
welcome to come

478
00:18:51,163 --> 00:18:53,398
into this 
conversation now--" 
hah, hah, hah!

479
00:18:53,499 --> 00:18:56,101
["Ballad of the Green Beret"] 
♪ Trained to live ♪

480
00:18:56,201 --> 00:18:58,837
♪ Off nature's land ♪

481
00:18:58,937 --> 00:19:00,639
(narrator) 
As you might expect,

482
00:19:00,739 --> 00:19:03,242
every soldier has a story 
and a song,

483
00:19:03,342 --> 00:19:06,645
a tune they likely carried 
in their heads and hearts

484
00:19:06,745 --> 00:19:09,548
after leaving our state 
for the war front.

485
00:19:09,648 --> 00:19:11,383
We were at a VA hospital

486
00:19:11,483 --> 00:19:12,851
in Asheville,

487
00:19:12,951 --> 00:19:14,953
and as we were singing, uh--

488
00:19:15,053 --> 00:19:16,455
we finished our show.

489
00:19:16,555 --> 00:19:18,524
I walked past someone, 
and he stood up

490
00:19:18,624 --> 00:19:20,893
out of his wheelchair 
to give me a hug.

491
00:19:20,993 --> 00:19:22,895
All the nurses 
came flooding around,

492
00:19:22,995 --> 00:19:26,231
and they ran up to him, 
and they were grabbing him,

493
00:19:26,331 --> 00:19:28,433
and it looked 
like something was wrong.

494
00:19:28,534 --> 00:19:32,104
And Nelson spoke to the lady 
not too long after that,

495
00:19:32,204 --> 00:19:34,206
and he's like, 
"Is everything OK?"

496
00:19:34,306 --> 00:19:36,542
And she said, 
"Yeah, everything's OK.

497
00:19:36,642 --> 00:19:39,044
"He has not stood up 
by himself

498
00:19:39,144 --> 00:19:40,812
in over three years."

499
00:19:40,913 --> 00:19:43,882
He was so moved by the music 
that he just stood up,

500
00:19:43,982 --> 00:19:46,552
and then we went back 
to that same VA hospital

501
00:19:46,652 --> 00:19:48,787
to perform our Christmas show 
six months later,

502
00:19:48,887 --> 00:19:51,957
and he was walking 
down the hall with his walker.

503
00:19:52,057 --> 00:19:54,426
The music 
literally changed him.

504
00:19:54,526 --> 00:19:56,528
(narrator) 
It's a privilege 
for Letters From Home

505
00:19:56,628 --> 00:19:58,864
to treat these vets 
to musical memories,

506
00:19:58,964 --> 00:20:01,266
but there are 
some continuing challenges,

507
00:20:01,366 --> 00:20:04,102
one of which is coming up 
with the funds necessary

508
00:20:04,203 --> 00:20:05,938
to fuel their journey.

509
00:20:06,038 --> 00:20:07,673
There's more 
that goes into

510
00:20:07,773 --> 00:20:09,408
simply getting 
to a place

511
00:20:09,508 --> 00:20:11,743
than a lot of people 
would think.

512
00:20:11,843 --> 00:20:14,479
So last year, 
we set up what we're--

513
00:20:14,580 --> 00:20:16,782
we call the Veterans 
Performance Fund,

514
00:20:16,882 --> 00:20:20,319
and it's an opportunity 
for somebody to either donate,

515
00:20:20,419 --> 00:20:23,188
or all of our merchandise 
that we have,

516
00:20:23,288 --> 00:20:26,425
our CDs, our posters, 
pictures, patches, calendars--

517
00:20:26,525 --> 00:20:29,494
anything we have-- 
every bit of that money

518
00:20:29,595 --> 00:20:32,431
goes towards that Veterans 
Performance Fund.

519
00:20:32,531 --> 00:20:36,168
And that fund helps us 
to go to places like that

520
00:20:36,268 --> 00:20:38,170
or to VA hospitals, 
for example.

521
00:20:38,270 --> 00:20:41,206
It's not a project, 
but it's a place that--

522
00:20:41,306 --> 00:20:42,975
you know, 
we've all heard

523
00:20:43,075 --> 00:20:44,910
that there's not 
great funding

524
00:20:45,010 --> 00:20:46,378
for things 
like that,

525
00:20:46,478 --> 00:20:47,746
so they obviously

526
00:20:47,846 --> 00:20:49,481
won't have extra money 
for entertainment

527
00:20:49,581 --> 00:20:52,384
or things like that, 
so it gives us the ability

528
00:20:52,484 --> 00:20:55,320
to go to those 
places and reach out 
to those people.

529
00:20:55,420 --> 00:20:56,755
Who really need it.

530
00:20:56,855 --> 00:20:58,123
mm-hm

531
00:20:58,724 --> 00:21:00,525
(narrator) 
People like Dewitt Wells

532
00:21:00,626 --> 00:21:03,195
of the 90th Division, 
359th Regiment,

533
00:21:03,295 --> 00:21:06,331
who you can bet 
has a song of his own

534
00:21:06,431 --> 00:21:09,167
and a story to go with it.

535
00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:12,437
Back in, uh, '45...

536
00:21:12,537 --> 00:21:14,906
'46, uh...

537
00:21:15,007 --> 00:21:17,342
we used to go dancing-- 
USO dances,

538
00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:18,944
and one of the dances,

539
00:21:19,044 --> 00:21:20,946
they, uh, sang 
"Sentimental Journey."

540
00:21:21,046 --> 00:21:24,616
We decided, we'd claim 
that song for our song,

541
00:21:24,716 --> 00:21:26,585
and every time 
we ever hear it,

542
00:21:26,685 --> 00:21:28,654
we would go on 
and waltz to it.

543
00:21:28,754 --> 00:21:30,088
It's a beautiful song.

544
00:21:30,188 --> 00:21:31,823
They'd play it 
on the television

545
00:21:31,923 --> 00:21:34,393
or the radio, 
and we'd go in the living room

546
00:21:34,493 --> 00:21:36,061
and start dancing, 
start waltzing,

547
00:21:36,161 --> 00:21:38,397
and, uh, 
she was a good waltzer.

548
00:21:38,497 --> 00:21:40,399
I had to keep up with her.

549
00:21:40,499 --> 00:21:43,635
♪ To renew old memories ♪

550
00:21:43,735 --> 00:21:45,237
♪ I got my bag ♪

551
00:21:45,337 --> 00:21:46,938
You talk about running water.

552
00:21:47,039 --> 00:21:49,675
I had water 
comin' out of both eyes.

553
00:21:49,775 --> 00:21:51,743
It was just a precious song,

554
00:21:51,843 --> 00:21:54,179
for them to stand there 
in front of me

555
00:21:54,279 --> 00:21:57,115
and sing it to me, 
and I love it.

556
00:21:57,215 --> 00:21:58,417
♪ Journey home ♪

557
00:21:58,517 --> 00:22:00,719
(narrator) 
So the next time 
you get hankerin'

558
00:22:00,819 --> 00:22:03,388
for some tunes 
from the '40s and more,

559
00:22:03,488 --> 00:22:05,757
keep your ears out 
for when Letters From Home

560
00:22:05,857 --> 00:22:07,626
is appearing in your town.

561
00:22:07,726 --> 00:22:09,227
You can pretty much bet

562
00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:11,897
that Serah and Erinn 
will know your song too.

563
00:22:11,997 --> 00:22:13,398
[applause]

564
00:22:15,233 --> 00:22:17,636
[gentle guitar plucking]

565
00:22:17,736 --> 00:22:19,938
♪

566
00:22:20,038 --> 00:22:23,175
(man) 
When I write a song, it, uh...

567
00:22:23,275 --> 00:22:26,445
it is an emotion 
or an experience that, uh--

568
00:22:26,545 --> 00:22:28,714
that's tryin' to come out.

569
00:22:28,814 --> 00:22:33,752
♪

570
00:22:33,852 --> 00:22:35,687
The thing 
that's important to me

571
00:22:35,787 --> 00:22:38,924
is to try to write a song 
that people can connect with,

572
00:22:39,024 --> 00:22:42,260
but give 'em something of it 
they can go back--

573
00:22:42,361 --> 00:22:45,263
maybe collect thoughts on 
and take 'em back to--

574
00:22:45,364 --> 00:22:48,100
to a--to another time, 
a happier time.

575
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,002
♪

576
00:22:51,103 --> 00:22:53,205
I would overhear my wife 
tellin' stories

577
00:22:53,305 --> 00:22:55,307
to our children 
about what it was like

578
00:22:55,407 --> 00:22:57,843
growin' up on the mountain 
with her grandmother.

579
00:22:57,943 --> 00:23:00,212
They lived 
in a one-room cabin up there

580
00:23:00,312 --> 00:23:02,114
with no running water, 
no electricity.

581
00:23:02,214 --> 00:23:03,482
[driving guitar rhythm]

582
00:23:03,582 --> 00:23:07,319
♪ I was born 
down in North Carolina ♪

583
00:23:07,419 --> 00:23:11,356
♪ Blue Ridge Mountains, 
I call home ♪

584
00:23:11,456 --> 00:23:15,527
♪ Bright, sunny days 
make a life worth a-livin' ♪

585
00:23:15,627 --> 00:23:17,162
♪ Cool, 
starry nights ♪

586
00:23:17,262 --> 00:23:19,297
♪ Make me 
miss my home ♪

587
00:23:19,398 --> 00:23:21,133
♪ Cool, 
starry nights ♪

588
00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:24,169
♪ Make me miss 
my home ♪

589
00:23:24,269 --> 00:23:27,372
[voice-over] 
My wife tellin' stories 
about up on the mountain

590
00:23:27,472 --> 00:23:29,641
inspired me to write 
a few lyrics down

591
00:23:29,741 --> 00:23:32,944
based off events 
of my wife's childhood.

592
00:23:33,745 --> 00:23:35,480
♪ Back 
in the hills ♪

593
00:23:35,580 --> 00:23:38,049
♪ Life didn't 
come easy ♪

594
00:23:38,150 --> 00:23:39,918
[harmonizing] 
♪ Corn wouldn't grow ♪

595
00:23:40,018 --> 00:23:42,354
♪ On dry, rocky ground ♪

596
00:23:42,454 --> 00:23:44,022
♪ Grandma's 
old cow ♪

597
00:23:44,122 --> 00:23:46,291
♪ Goes dry 
in the summer ♪

598
00:23:46,391 --> 00:23:50,328
♪ Coon dogs at night, 
how I love that sound ♪

599
00:23:50,429 --> 00:23:53,865
♪ Coon dogs at night, 
how I love that sound ♪

600
00:23:53,965 --> 00:23:56,168
[guitar takes melody]

601
00:23:56,268 --> 00:24:02,174
♪

602
00:24:02,274 --> 00:24:04,176
♪ Hot summer 
days ♪

603
00:24:04,276 --> 00:24:06,645
♪ Spent swingin' 
on grapevines ♪

604
00:24:06,745 --> 00:24:08,580
[harmonizing] 
♪ Cowboys and Indians ♪

605
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,349
♪ With my cousins and me ♪

606
00:24:11,450 --> 00:24:13,185
( Larry) 
♪ Suppertime, Grandma prayed ♪

607
00:24:13,285 --> 00:24:14,920
♪ O'er 
our table ♪

608
00:24:15,020 --> 00:24:19,124
♪ We're poor, we're poor 
but as happy could be ♪

609
00:24:19,224 --> 00:24:22,794
♪ We're poor, we're poor 
but as happy could be ♪

610
00:24:22,894 --> 00:24:25,997
♪

611
00:24:26,097 --> 00:24:28,200
[bell clanging]

612
00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:30,836
♪

613
00:24:30,936 --> 00:24:32,871
♪ Sunday mornin' ♪

614
00:24:32,971 --> 00:24:35,073
♪ We'd all walk together ♪

615
00:24:35,173 --> 00:24:37,409
[in unison] 
♪ To a little mountain church ♪

616
00:24:37,509 --> 00:24:39,778
♪ Where we'd sing 
and we'd pray ♪

617
00:24:39,878 --> 00:24:41,513
♪ "Victory in Jesus" ♪

618
00:24:41,613 --> 00:24:43,648
♪ Was Grandma's favorite ♪

619
00:24:43,748 --> 00:24:45,517
♪ You'd hear her 
a-singin' ♪

620
00:24:45,617 --> 00:24:47,919
♪ Half a mile 
away ♪

621
00:24:48,019 --> 00:24:51,456
♪ Hear her a-singin' 
half a mile away ♪

622
00:24:51,556 --> 00:24:59,764
♪

623
00:24:59,865 --> 00:25:02,434
♪ Grandpa had 
brown crocks ♪

624
00:25:02,534 --> 00:25:04,269
♪ Full of homebrew ♪

625
00:25:04,369 --> 00:25:06,104
[harmonizing] 
♪ He didn't care ♪

626
00:25:06,204 --> 00:25:08,206
♪ That Grandma knew ♪

627
00:25:08,306 --> 00:25:10,108
(Larry) 
♪ One Sunday morning ♪

628
00:25:10,208 --> 00:25:12,477
♪ Grandpa met 
an old preacher ♪

629
00:25:12,577 --> 00:25:14,279
♪ Now "Victory 
in Jesus" ♪

630
00:25:14,379 --> 00:25:16,715
♪ Is his 
favorite too ♪

631
00:25:16,815 --> 00:25:18,416
♪ "Victory 
in Jesus" ♪

632
00:25:18,517 --> 00:25:20,418
♪ Is his 
favorite too ♪

633
00:25:20,519 --> 00:25:30,395
♪

634
00:25:30,495 --> 00:25:32,731
♪ Wild roses 
bloomin' ♪

635
00:25:32,831 --> 00:25:35,133
♪ Along 
the fence line ♪

636
00:25:35,233 --> 00:25:36,668
[harmonizing] 
♪ Honeysuckle smells ♪

637
00:25:36,768 --> 00:25:39,271
♪ Like sweet perfume ♪

638
00:25:39,371 --> 00:25:40,939
♪ Summer 
rains ♪

639
00:25:41,039 --> 00:25:43,174
♪ Made me run 
for the doorstep ♪

640
00:25:43,275 --> 00:25:45,377
♪ We'd lie on 
that feather bed ♪

641
00:25:45,477 --> 00:25:47,646
♪ In her room ♪

642
00:25:47,746 --> 00:25:51,049
♪ Lie on that feather bed 
in 
her room ♪

643
00:25:51,149 --> 00:26:01,927
♪

644
00:26:02,027 --> 00:26:13,772
♪

645
00:26:13,872 --> 00:26:15,674
♪ Sometimes 
at night ♪

646
00:26:15,774 --> 00:26:18,109
♪ As I sit 
by the fireside ♪

647
00:26:18,209 --> 00:26:20,045
♪ My mind 
wanders back ♪

648
00:26:20,145 --> 00:26:22,180
♪ To a time 
long ago ♪

649
00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,182
♪ Seems 
I can hear ♪

650
00:26:24,282 --> 00:26:26,384
♪ Her voice 
in the darkness ♪

651
00:26:26,484 --> 00:26:28,286
♪ Callin' me, 
callin' me ♪

652
00:26:28,386 --> 00:26:30,555
♪ To my old 
mountain home ♪

653
00:26:30,655 --> 00:26:32,424
♪ Callin' me, 
callin' me ♪

654
00:26:32,524 --> 00:26:35,226
♪ To my old 
mountain home ♪

655
00:26:35,327 --> 00:26:39,864
♪ I was born 
down in North Carolina ♪

656
00:26:39,965 --> 00:26:41,967
[harmonizing] 
♪ Blue Ridge Mountains ♪

657
00:26:42,067 --> 00:26:43,768
♪ I call 
home ♪

658
00:26:43,868 --> 00:26:47,072
♪

659
00:26:47,172 --> 00:26:49,307
[playing concluding melody]

660
00:26:49,407 --> 00:26:52,344
♪

661
00:26:54,079 --> 00:26:56,114
[guitars lead 
loping arrangement]

662
00:26:56,214 --> 00:27:10,662
♪

663
00:27:10,762 --> 00:27:19,037
♪

664
00:27:19,638 --> 00:27:21,840
[glockenspiel supports 
upbeat guitar plucking]

665
00:27:21,940 --> 00:27:34,753
♪

666
00:27:34,853 --> 00:27:38,189
Caption Perfect, Inc. 
www.CaptionPerfect.com

667
00:27:38,289 --> 00:27:41,393
♪

668
00:27:41,493 --> 00:27:44,295
(announcer) 
To subscribe 
to Our State magazine,

669
00:27:44,396 --> 00:27:48,133
visit the Web site 
ourstate.com or call...

670
00:27:52,303 --> 00:27:54,773
[strings support 
gentle piano melody]

671
00:27:54,873 --> 00:27:58,376
From the time BB&T 
opened its doors in 1872

672
00:27:58,476 --> 00:28:00,178
in the town of Wilson,

673
00:28:00,278 --> 00:28:02,313
we've supported 
the people and communities

674
00:28:02,414 --> 00:28:03,915
of North Carolina

675
00:28:04,015 --> 00:28:06,985
from the Outer Banks 
to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

676
00:28:07,085 --> 00:28:09,888
We've been in business 
for 136 years,

677
00:28:09,988 --> 00:28:12,957
making us the oldest bank 
in North Carolina.

678
00:28:13,058 --> 00:28:14,859
We're proud 
of this distinction,

679
00:28:14,959 --> 00:28:16,761
and we're also very proud

680
00:28:16,861 --> 00:28:19,397
to provide funding 
for Our State .

681
00:28:19,497 --> 00:28:21,599
♪

682
00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:24,602
Quality public television 
is made possible

683
00:28:24,703 --> 00:28:26,104
through the financial 
contributions

684
00:28:26,204 --> 00:28:27,706
of viewers like you,

685
00:28:27,806 --> 00:28:30,675
who invite you to join them 
in supporting UNC-TV.