(2 of 6)
Exposition. With a parade of floats behind him and a pageant of Texas history "under six flags"* before him, Governor Allred will this week tell the world by radio that the Exposition has opened. There next week Franklin Roosevelt will make the major speech of his three-day visit to Texas. And there, if Dallas is to get her money's worth, a good many millions of U. S. citizens will see what Texas has to advertise and how she advertises it.
A $25,000,000 show is what Dallas advertises, but of that sum $12,000,000 is credited to exhibitors (largest: Ford $2,250,000; General Motors $950,000; Chrysler $500,000) and $5,000,000 to concessionaires. Actual amount put into the Fair by the management is somewhat less than $8,000,000, including Federal, state and city contributions. Head of the Exposition corporation is a hardfisted, onetime country banker, Robert L. Thornton. General manager of the Exposition is a onetime Dallas real estate man, William A. Webb. To start with they had the old State Fair grounds plus some 28 acres of condemned residential property, 200 acres in all. The old Fair Park stadium became the "Cotton Bowl," and the job of being bold enough to please the hearts of Texas' heroes, and to attract a profitable gate, began.
Three major difficulties stood in the way. First was that the Dallas Exposition comes right on top of two World's Fairs, Chicago's and San Diego's. Dallas stole their thunder. The Dallas Fair buildings are in a style reminiscent of the Century of Progress, but not quite so modernistic and spiced with a Mexican flavor. Indirect lighting on a grand scale is provided. The approach (admission 50¢) is past a 300-ft. lagoon, flanked by a Transportation building (emphasis on oil as motive power) and a Hall of Electricity, to a great State of Texas Building which will become a permanent historical building. Other not-so-novelties include a music amphitheatre, buildings of animal husbandry, poultry and agriculture, an art show assembled by Dr. Robert Harshe, who did the same for the Century of Progress.
For sex interest the Exposition will have a force of rangerettes complete with chaps and 10-gal. hats, who will act as ushers, tell timid matrons where to find comfort stations, etc. As official hostess was chosen 21-year-old Frances Nalle, with the title of Texas "Bluebonnet Girl."† And last week at San Antonio, Governor Allred crowned Janice Jarrat, artists' model (whose portrait appears on the cover of June Cosmopolitan) as the "Sweetheart of Texas Centennial" with the duty of acting as mistress of ceremonies at all the Fair's broadcasts, appearing at all major Centennial celebrations during the next three months.
More exceptional will be a Negro Life Building (culture, not insurance); exhibits of the oil industry, among which will be a Hall of Religion provided by Lone Star Gas Co.; a radio theatre where audiences can see and hear Fair broadcasting, provided by Gulf Refining Co.; a jungle full of life-size dinosaurs provided by Sinclair Oil.