Members of theGracie Cole band wait to welcome Kay Starr - 1953. Newspaper photo by New Musical Express.
Gracie (Trumpet) on left and Lena Kidd (Tenor) on right.

The Case of the Missing Starr!

This is The Case of the Missing Starr-1. All hands were assembled to meet the boat train into Paddington on Tuesday (11th ). On board was to be Kay Starr. There was the greatest assembly in ages of newspapermen and photographers to greet the American star; the London Palladium was officially represented; there were song-pluggers, publicity men, friends, VIP's, and the Gracie Cole Band to play Miss Starr in with"Side by Side."

By 12.15 the assembly was gathered, at 12.30 it was learnt that the train would arrive at 12.55 p.m. Twenty minutes later, the news came that the train would pull in at 1.20 p.m. The arrival platform was altered, and the train steamed in. The Band played (the NME picture above shows them doing it), the fans cheered, the camera-bulbs flashed, but Kay was not on the express. She had stayed on board the "lIe de France" and travelled to Cherbourg for a holiday before coming here.

The pay -off is that it was afterwards learned that the news of her non-arrival was known in London at 8 am. - but someone forgot to mention it!

The Case of the Missing Starr - 2. On Wednesday, as we were closing for press, we telephoned the London Palladium to find out when Kay would be arriving.
They couldn't tell us, for the Starr was right in the middle of the French strike and it was as impossible to get into Communication her and difficult for her to travel. All they could say was: "Don't worry; she'll definitely be in London in time for her opening on Monday - even if we have to go over in a private plane to get her!"

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