The Flanagan memo -- RE: Campaigning to "walk the walk," but how about those times when we shouldn't, plus, a return of Jane, sweet Jane and I can't wait.

Ah, Jane Eyre. It is a tale of love and loneliness by Charlotte Bronte that was turned into a play. This week, it opens at the Guthrie Theater for a nice little stay. The show is scheduled to close Nov. 10.

And so begins my story.

It takes place in 1947 and is about Cedric Adams, who for many years, was THE columnist on this newspaper as well as chief newscaster on WCCO. Cedric was truly a character and he loved new experiences. When he was asked to take the leading role of Sheridan Whiteside in "The Man who Came to Dinner," he said yes.

But when director Arthur Sircom of New York told Cedric that he had to learn the lines and not read them, as he intended to, he said, "NO." And that was that.

Sircom, who had been the favored director of Gertrude Lawrence, the Broadway star, had a new idea. "We will do 'Jane Eyre'," he said. We all gasped. You see, we were members of the North Star Drama Guild, a theater group that enjoyed the services of lots of amateurs and a few pros.

His next announcement got to me. "You, miss," he said, pointing at me, "will be Jane." And I was, believe it or not. Some stalwarts in our production included the late Ken Senn and Ed Viehman. Our reviews were good; well, not so bad.

When I blurted this story out to Stacia Rice, the Guthrie's Jane, she was understanding. Rice will be playing her first leading role in Jane Eyre and, of course, she is excited and I assume a bit nervous.

Rice is a Minneapolitan, who attended school in Edina and worked in an ad agency until she decided to try for the Guthrie. That was five years ago. On Saturday, she takes on a wonderful role. I salute her and as I said before, I can't wait.

Walking Foundation has its work cut out

The first priority of the new Walking Minneapolis Foundation is to make walking in downtown Minneapolis easier to navigate. Well, I am for that.

There is a problem, however. It is the people who disobey the "don't walk" signs and signals. They are placed everywhere and are aimed at over-zealous walkers.

Don't misunderstand. Cars and their drivers can be and are a problem. But walkers only add to the mess when they pound across the streets when the sign is telling them to stay put. Cars that want to turn right legally are often stopped by walkers who either don't care or can't read.

You will hear more about the foundation as it is planning several events this fall. It is asking for private support and has a hotshot lineup on its advisory committee including Dan Avchen, Burt Cohen, Sage Cowles, Judy Dayton, Chuck Denny and Judge David Doty, to name a few.

New biography of Jack Hawley

The late John B. Hawley, who was always known as Jack, told his wife-to-be how to get a job.

"Look directly into the eyes of the interviewer," he said, "have a firm handshake and answer all questions ... Don't ask them."

Zita Hofmeister Hawley Wright followed his directions and soon was flying as a "stewardess" for Pan American Airlines. She worked a couple of years and then married Jack. He was 44. She was 20. There was much chitchat about it, but they were married 34 years until his death. And they had four children.