Knickerbocker Village

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Knickerbocker Village: Phoenix Arizona Media Star

If you come to the April 6th reunion you'll be able to see this Department Of Energy media star in person. Contacted on the spur of the moment to reflect on power outages in Florida he jumped into action without aide of his makeup and wardrobe department. A real KV man of action.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Not This Day In Knickerbocker Village History: Murder At The Madison Street Boys Club, 3/8/1927

Interesting is that at this time the famous Epstein Twins, who were born on Market Street, just a few doors down from PS 177, were living at 245 East Broadway at this time. Was the murder later part of the plot for some of their screenplays? Did they belong to the Madison Street Club?

Come Blow Your Horn

Sammy Cahn's (Samuel Cohen of Madison Street) body of work certainly deserves a horn to be blown in salute:
* (Love Is) The Tender Trap
* Ain't That A Kick In The Head
* All My Tomorrows
* All The Way
* An Old Fashioned Christmas
* And Then You Kissed Me
* As Long As There Is Music
* Autumn In Rome *
* Available
* Brooklyn Bridge
* California
* Call Me Irresponsible
* Come Blow Your Horn
* Come Dance With Me
* Come Fly With Me
* Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
* Come Waltz with Me
* Crazy Love
* Day by Day
* Dick Haymes, Dick Todd, and Como
* Don't Be a Do-Badder (Finale)
* Ev'rybody Has The Right To Be Wrong
* Everyday I Love You
* Five Minutes More
* Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
* Hey! Jealous Lover
* High Hopes
* How Are Ya' Fixed For Love?
* I Believe (I Believe, I Believe In Wishing Wells)
* I Could Make You Care
* I Couldn't Care Less
* I Fall In Love Too Easily
* If It's The Last Thing I Do
* I Like to Lead When I Dance
* I Should Care
* I Wouldn't Trade Christmas
* I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her
* I’ll Walk Alone
* I've Heard That Song Before
* Indiscreet
* It Gets Lonely Early
* It’s Been A Long Long Time
* It's Magic
* It's Nice to Go Trav'ling
* It's The Same Old Dream
* Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
* Let Me Try Again (Laisse Moi le Temps)
* Look To Your Heart
* Love And Marriage
* Love Makes Us Whatever We Want To Be
* Mister Booze
* Monique
* My Kind Of Town
* Name It And It's Yours
* No One Cares
* Nothing in Common
* Only The Lonely
* Our Town
* Please Be Kind
* Pocketful Of Miracles
* Ring-a-Ding-Ding
* Same Old Saturday Night
* Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night
* Saving Myself For You
* Say Hello
* Searching
* So Long, My Love
* Some Other Time (I Could Resist You)
* Star
* Style
* Teach Me Tonight
* The Best of Everything
* The Boys' Night Out
* The Charm Of You
* The Christmas Waltz
* The Impatient Years
* The Last Dance
* The Look of Love
* The Same Old Song And Dance
* The Second Time Around
* The September Of My Years
* The Tender Trap
* The Things We Did Last Summer
* There Goes That Song Again
* They Came To Cordura
* Three Coins In The Fountain
* Time After Time
* Tina
* To Love And Be Loved
* Until the Real Thing Comes Along
* What Makes the Sunset
* When No One Cares
* When Somebody Loves You
* You Never Had It So Good
* You’re My Girl
* You, My Love

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Shelter Drill Time

Not Necessarily This Day In KV History: 1/6/36

I just missed the 73rd anniversary of this. No relation to the Karneys. It's probable that Mrs. Carney was part of the original staff, since if you add the numbers she started in 1903.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Another Knickerbocker Author

The book was not a big seller and is out of print. I found an image of the cover online and added the titling.

Trommer Beer

More on Trommer Beer which was being sold in 1950 at 21 Pike Street:
from rusty cans

One of my favorite late 1940s cans. I like the design, especially the medals on the front. I think these are actually TWO medals, both back and front showing. The ones on the left read "S.A.R. Madame Contesse" and "Exposition Internation (sic) Envers 1911." The ones on the right read "International Dalimentation Exposition Et Dmygiene Paris 1912" (I think, those are TINY letters!) and "Grand Prix." The center medalion reads "Internale D'Alimentation 29th Exp."
Once again we have the story of a German immigrant who sailed to America and became a giant. of the brewing industry (I'm sensing a pattern here). John F. Trommer immigrated from Hersfeld, Germany in the 1840s and settled in Portland, Maine where he worked in a small ale brewery. He eventually moved to Boston and worked in several breweries there. He moved to Brooklyn's Bushwick district where a number of breweries were congregated at some point and became brewmaster for William Ulmer. By the late 19th century there were 58 breweries in a 12 block stretch of road in this area along what was called "Brewer's Row." In 1897 Trommer bought an interest in a new company called Stehlin & Breitkopf and soon changed the name to J.F. Trommer's Evergreen Brewery. John Trommer didn't have time to enjoy his success, however, as he died in 1898 and his son George Trommer took over the brewery. speakers!
At first making only lager beer, Trommer's beer was an all-malt beer. Here's how a buddy of mine who is a professional brewer explained it. Brewers called beers (in the old days, made with 100% barley and wheat malt) "all-malt" or "malt" beers to differentiate them from the newer, cheaper beers using proportions of corn, rice, or cane sugar. Any grain can be malted (germinated to grow like the grass seed that it is, just until all the starch in the seed has been solubilized and the enzymes made to break down the starch) to use for growth, then (cruelly, to the seed) kilned and dried to kill the growth and keep the starches intact). This all happens by the time the root is 1/8 in or so long. Wanna make cheaper beer, that's lighter in body and flavor than an all-malt beer, that will appeal to more people? Use adjuncts (add junk!) like corn grits, corn starch, cane sugar, rice, rock candy (Belgium), millet if you're in Africa, you name it. Old-fashioned or wintertime hearty brews called themselves all-malt to distinguish themselves as a mark of quality. Trommer's continued making an all-malt beer until they closed in 1951. It was a constant them in their advertising.

Who's Almost Who In Knickerbocker Village History: Sammy Cahn

I always knew that Sammy Cahn, born Samuel Cohen in 1913, was a lower east side boy. He went to Seward Park High School. I didn't realize he lived close enough to qualify for the "Almost Knickerbocker Village" tag. I found him in the 1920 census living at 338 Madison Street, right near PS 12 and PS 147. He wrote the lyrics to this under appreciated song. Julie Styne wrote the melody. Here it's sung by Mel Torme

Like the folks you meet on
Like to plant my feet on the Brooklyn Bridge
What a lovely view from
Heaven looks at you from the Brooklyn Bridge
I love to listen to the wind through her strings
The song that she sings for the town
I love to look up at the clouds in her hair
She's learned to wear like a crown
If you've been a rover
Journey's end lies over the Brooklyn Bridge
Don't let no one tell you
I've been tryin' to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge
All the folks in Manhattan are sad
'cause they look at her and wish they had
The good old Brooklyn Bridge

If you've been a rover
Journey's end lies over the Brooklyn Bridge
Don't let no one tell you
I've been tryin' to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge
You'll miss her most when you roam
`cause you'll think of her and think of home
The good old Brooklyn Bridge

Pike Street Guys?

A young Sol Hellman is on the right. Sol's father had the Sewing Machine Shop at 19 Pike before he did, so Sol had a long history on Pike Street. I just recently found his census record. In 1920 he lived at 10 Montgomery Street. He was born in 1915. Neal told me his dad knew Zero Mostel and that they went to Seward Park High School and CCNY together. Zero lived on Columbia Street and was also born in 1915. The two of them probably knew Sammy Cahn as well.

Note: I don't know if this was taken on Pike Street or not. A slightly a gayish pose by the guy on the left, but in the 1930's when I suspect this pic was taken I don't think so. Not that there's anything wrong....yada, yada