from Joe Bruno, aka Mooney, aka Joey Caps
TONY DANZA (REAL NAME ANTONIO SALVATORE LADANZA) WAS A MIDDLEWEIGHT BOXER WHO WAS MANAGED BY MY GOOD FRIEND JOHNNY CHIARCIA (CHA CHA) FROM MULBERRY STREET. TONY HAD A GREAT PUNCH AND REGISTERED MANY MORE WINS THAN LOSSES. HIS RECORD WAS 9-3 WITH 9 KO'S.
BUT ALAS, TONY DID NOT HAVE THE BEST CHIN IN THE WORLD AND WAS KO'D IN ALL THREE LOSSES. ONE LOSS WAS TO LATER-NATIONALLY RANKED JOHN LOCICERO, WHO TONY HAD DOWN BEFORE LOCICERO LOWERED THE BOOM IN THE FIRST ROUND. TONY'S BIGGEST WIN WAS A KNOCKOUT AGAINST THE CAPABLE ROCKY GARCIA. TONY GOT OFF THE FLOOR TO WIN THAT FIGHT TOO.
WHILE TRAINING FOR A FIGHT, TONY WAS SPOTTED IN THE GYM BY A CASTING AGENT, AND IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, TONY DANZA BECAME A HOT COMMODITY ON THE TV PROGRAM TAXI.
IN 1980, WHILE STILL A TOP TV STAR, TONY DECIDED TO FIGHT ONE LAST FIGHT AT THE FELT FORUM AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. IT WAS TO BE THE MAIN EVENT, THE THE OPPONENT WAS NOT TO BE TOO TOUGH, OR THE SCRIPT WOULD NOT GO ACCORDING TO PLAN.
THAT IS, TONY WOULD HAVE TO WIN, OR ALL THE MOVIE STARS WHO ATTENDED THE FIGHT WOULD BE VASTLY DISAPPOINTED. LIKE NOTRE DAME LOSING AFTER BEING IMPLORED TO “WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER.”
I WANTED TO DO A PRE-FIGHT ARTICLE ON TONY, AND AFTER GOING THROUGH CHA CHA, I WAS GRANTED THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.
TONY WAS TRAINING AT THE GRAMERCY GYM ON 14TH STREET, NEXT TO LUCHOW'S RESTAURANT. SINCE NY CITY WAS IN THE GRIP A A LONG TRANSIT STRIKE, I WALKED FROM KNICKERBOCKER VILLAGE TO THE GRAMERCY GYM, ABOUT A 45-60 MINUTE WALK.
I DID MY INTERVIEW, BOTH WITH TONY AND CHA CHA AND AS I WAS READY TO LEAVE, TONY ASKED ME HOW I WAS GETTING BACK TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I TOLD HIM I WAS WALKING. HE SAID FOR ME TO WAIT WHILE HE DRESSED AND HE'D GIVE ME A LIFT IN HIS BLACK SPORTS CAR. IT WAS EITHER A CHEVY CAMARO OR A PONTIAC TRANS AM. THEY BOTH LOOKED THE SAME TO ME. I REMEMBER IT HAD A STICK SHIFT TRANSMISSION.
TONY DROPPED ME OFF IN FRONT OF THE PARKING LOT I OWNED AT 31 MONROE STREET. I ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED SOMETHING TO EAT OR DRINK AT THE BAR TWO DOORS DOWN FROM MY PARKING LOT, WHICH WAS THEN CALLED PATRICK HENRY'S PUB, FORMERLY RAMOS' BAR. TONY SAID SURE.
HE PARKED HIS CAR IN MY LOT AND JOINED ME IN THE BAR. SINCE TONY WAS IN TRAINING, HE ONLY HAD A COKE, BUT HE DID HAVE ONE OF THE FINE HAMBURGERS THE BAR WAS FAMOUS FOR.
THE FUNNY THING, TONY LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE A NEIGHBORHOOD GUY, NONE OF THE MEN IN THE BAR RECOGNIZED HIM. TO TELL THE TRUTH, MOST OF THE BAR'S CLIENTELE WERE NOT THE TYPE TO WATCH TELEVISION COMEDIES IN THE FIRST PLACE, UNLESS THERE WAS A HORSE RACE THEY COULD BET ON DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAKS.
THE BARTENDER, MIKE MARUFFI, DID LOOK AT TONY QUIZZICALLY AND ASK, I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEPLACE. ARE YOU FROM THE 4TH WARD, OR THE 6TH WARD?”
TONY AND I BOTH CHUCKLED. I TOLD MIKE HE ASKED TOO MANY QUESTIONS AND TO MIND HIS OWN BUSINESS, WHICH WAS A BAD IDEA, SINCE THE NEXT DRINK HE SERVED ME TASTED KIND OF FUNNY. LUCKILY, I HAD ALREADY EATEN THE HAMBURGER.
TONY FOUGHT AT THE FELT FORUM SOON AFTER, KNOCKING OUT A MUMMY NAMED MAX HORD IN THE FIRST ROUND.
THERE WAS A CELEBRITY-STUDDED PARTY AFTERWARD AT A DISCO ON PARK AVENUE SOUTH AND 17TH STREET (I THINK IT WAS CALLED THE PINK ELEPHANT AT THE TIME.)
TONY INVITED ME AND GARDEN MATCHMAKER GIL CLANCY UP TO THE VIP ROOM. THERE IN THE VIP BATHROOM, WITH TONY AND CHA CHA STANDING BEHIND ME, A LITTLE SQUIRT, I NEVER SAW IN MY LIFE, TURNED AT THE URINAL WHERE WE WERE BOTH STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER, AND TINKLED ON MY SHOES, YELLING “JOE BRUNO!!!!”
TONY AND CHA CHA, WHO HAD SET UP THE WET JOKE ON ME, GRABBED ME BEFORE I COULD STRANGLE THE RUNT. I FOUND OUT HIS NAME WAS DANNY DEVITO, A STAR OF THE SHOW TAXI.
WHO KNEW??
I HAD TO ADMIT TO TONY AND CHA CHA THAT I HAD NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN HIS SHOW TAXI.
I WAS TOO BUSY BETTING THE HORSES.
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