50 years ago in Expo history: Belafonte delivers captivating performances at the Opera House

Harry Belafonte captivated the Expo ’74 crowds not just once, but three times in sold-out shows at the Opera House.

“The best piece in the show was a wild calypso, translated from the Portuguese without sacrificing any of the hysteria of the original rhythms,” said The Spokesman-Review’s critic. “Belafonte pranced wildly around the stage with ‘the whistle that starts and stops everything at carnival time in Brazil.’ ”

“The Belafonte conversational charm was also in full force, spellbinding anecdotes offered in sentences accented in dialect and punctuated with pauses, as is Harry’s unique style,” the Chronicle’s critic wrote.

He was accompanied by singers Rhetta Hughes and Letta Mbulu.

From 100 years ago: Hillyard’s city attorney, C.E. Collier, requested that local National Guard troops be stationed in Hillyard to prevent possible “riot, violence and bloodshed” when the city council was scheduled to meet later that night.

Collier was the city official who was warned to “pack up and get out” by a faction of Hillyard residents after the last city council meeting. He said he had received numerous reports that “there would be trouble at the council meeting tonight.”

As it turned out, the National Guard did not show up, nor did it need to. No angry faction showed up, and the meeting was routine. Yet Hillyard was still in the bizarre situation of having two competing city councils, each claiming the other was not legitimate.