Peter K
I also was born in the Bushwick Hospital in 1940 same as your dad. When I grew up in the 50s the Lutheran Church your father went to was the Lutheran Church of our Savior. The pastor was
Theodore Muller- I attended the Church and was confirmed there.
I lived at 16 Eldert and I could actually go to the church thru my backyard.
As to the characters such as Crazy Guggenheim, I do not know. However growing up near Chauncey St. many people knew Gleason and they all had stories about his characters. I do not think anyone however claimed tobe Crazy Guggenheim- hmmm I wonder why?
My mother remembered Gleason from the Halsey Theater as the kid emcee with the pimply complexion.
Memories I have of the area are shopping with my mom at Trunz’s butcher on broadway and Schaffer-she would give the butcher hell if he left his thumb on the scale, Sperling greengrocer run by Irv across from Trunz, Phils newstand on Halsey and Broadway, dish night at the Colonial( I was forced to see Gone with the Wind about ten times),stickball, punchball(I was one of the best),stoopball, egg creams, knishes at the stand on Broadway and Covert.The Brooklyn Day Parade on Bushwick Ave- I think it was on June 5th and I remember seeing General Mc Arthur there.
Kelso gym I do not know.
As for Brooklyn buddies, I would like the link.
Peter K, I stand corrected.I lived on Eldert St. between Broadway and Bushwick and that was BKLYN 7. As for Jackie Gleason he was a regular in the neighborhood in the 50s. He drove a baby blue Cadillac with a leather top. As times he would go to Als Billard Academy on Broadway and Halsey.I guess he went there to play Al who was former champ of billards in New York.Many of Gleason’s characters
were thought to be caricatures of local people. For instance Joe the bartender’s bar resembled Proces,s bar on Halsey and Saratoga. In fact Gleason mentioned Proce in his show many times.An interesting story of Gleaason occurred once when this kid, Maxey saw Gleason and tried to take his picture. Gleason stopped him, threw his arm over his shoulder and said- come here kid-
and then had someone else take the picture with him and the kid.
That was class and Maxey was proud of his picture and he probably is
still proud of his picture. That was one story from Brooklyn near the Halsey Theater.
During the 1950s, I delivered the long Island daily Press to 358 Chauncey Street.
The houses there were four story flat front tenement buildings. The apartments were the prototype for the Honeymooners.
As for Chauncey Street being in Bed Stuy, I think that it was in mail zone Bklyn 7, which is East New York.
Peter K
I also was born in the Bushwick Hospital in 1940 same as your dad. When I grew up in the 50s the Lutheran Church your father went to was the Lutheran Church of our Savior. The pastor was
Theodore Muller- I attended the Church and was confirmed there.
I lived at 16 Eldert and I could actually go to the church thru my backyard.
As to the characters such as Crazy Guggenheim, I do not know. However growing up near Chauncey St. many people knew Gleason and they all had stories about his characters. I do not think anyone however claimed tobe Crazy Guggenheim- hmmm I wonder why?
My mother remembered Gleason from the Halsey Theater as the kid emcee with the pimply complexion.
Memories I have of the area are shopping with my mom at Trunz’s butcher on broadway and Schaffer-she would give the butcher hell if he left his thumb on the scale, Sperling greengrocer run by Irv across from Trunz, Phils newstand on Halsey and Broadway, dish night at the Colonial( I was forced to see Gone with the Wind about ten times),stickball, punchball(I was one of the best),stoopball, egg creams, knishes at the stand on Broadway and Covert.The Brooklyn Day Parade on Bushwick Ave- I think it was on June 5th and I remember seeing General Mc Arthur there.
Kelso gym I do not know.
As for Brooklyn buddies, I would like the link.
Peter K, I stand corrected.I lived on Eldert St. between Broadway and Bushwick and that was BKLYN 7. As for Jackie Gleason he was a regular in the neighborhood in the 50s. He drove a baby blue Cadillac with a leather top. As times he would go to Als Billard Academy on Broadway and Halsey.I guess he went there to play Al who was former champ of billards in New York.Many of Gleason’s characters
were thought to be caricatures of local people. For instance Joe the bartender’s bar resembled Proces,s bar on Halsey and Saratoga. In fact Gleason mentioned Proce in his show many times.An interesting story of Gleaason occurred once when this kid, Maxey saw Gleason and tried to take his picture. Gleason stopped him, threw his arm over his shoulder and said- come here kid-
and then had someone else take the picture with him and the kid.
That was class and Maxey was proud of his picture and he probably is
still proud of his picture. That was one story from Brooklyn near the Halsey Theater.
During the 1950s, I delivered the long Island daily Press to 358 Chauncey Street.
The houses there were four story flat front tenement buildings. The apartments were the prototype for the Honeymooners.
As for Chauncey Street being in Bed Stuy, I think that it was in mail zone Bklyn 7, which is East New York.