Spoke to to my older brother Ed (somehow he is now my younger brother). He thinks he remembers a Charlie Eckhardt. However, he says the landlord was Mr. Hardey (not Halsey). He brought the building in the mid 50’s. He spent a lot of money putting in central heating and hot water. The “slumlord prior to that was Mr. Giagantie.
Spoke to someone at work. He remembers a gang called the Halsey Bops. THe only gang I remember was the Chaplins.
I don’t know who the statue was. If I remember correctly it was a woman in robes, holding something up with her left hand (maybe a light). She may have had a wreath around her head.
Pax et bonum,
Kevin
PS: The BROOKLYN Dodgers (Dem Bums) only won 1 World Series (God bless Johnny Padres!!!)
The park supervisor was Mr. Jackson. Poor guy had his hands full with the wino parkies that worked there. Myself, Rickie and Billy were going to egg his car. Unfortunately, my eggs broke climbing onto the roof.
Was anyone there the day the place went nuts? The day the Dodgers won the World Series.
We lived on the 2 floor left. I have a picture of my grandmother looking out the window. You didn’t say want years the Eckhardts lived there. We moved out in 1962. I will ask my older brother if he remembers them.
Sevearl years ago a couple of guys cut up the bronze statue in Saratoga park in broad daylight and took it away. If I remember correctly it was 6 feet tall. I didn’t believe it so I went back to see for myself.
I was born in Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in 1948 and lived at 859 Halsey Street (between Saratoga and Howard) until 1962. I attended Our Lady of Good Counsel between Madison and Putnam (between Ralph and Patchen) and graduated in 1961. It is now an SRO. Here are a few comments, as best as I can remember:
• Halsey Theatre later became a factory for Merrimakers (spelling?). My mother worked there until 1963. They made party favors. On New Years Eve, she would point out the hats she made when we watched Guy Lombardo on TV. It took several months before she got rid of the “sparkle†on her person.
• Broadway Arena was where the fights were held.
• The chapter “Limo To Bushwick” is true. Gleason visited the block and sat in Saratoga park telling stories about the “old neighborhoodâ€. I believe it was before 1961.
• The interior of Lady of Lourdes, (grotto behind the altar) was the most beautiful sight I remember as a child.
• Joe the bartender was actually the bartender at Proces’s bar on Halsey and Saratoga
• Frank Fontaine was not a member of Gleason’s original show. He came along later. I believe he developed the character, Crazy Guggenheim, before he joined Gleason’s show. I doubt that it was based on anyone Gleason knew from Bedford-Stuyvesant /Bushwick.
• Al’s Billard Academy on Broadway and Halsey was where Gleason learned how to shoot pool.
There was a great bakery on Saratoga towards Decatur, but I cannot remember the name.
I searched for the Halsey because of the 50 anniversary of the Dodgers winning the World Series.
It was converted into a factory (Merimakers). My mom worked there in the early 50’s.
Zitch,
Spoke to to my older brother Ed (somehow he is now my younger brother). He thinks he remembers a Charlie Eckhardt. However, he says the landlord was Mr. Hardey (not Halsey). He brought the building in the mid 50’s. He spent a lot of money putting in central heating and hot water. The “slumlord prior to that was Mr. Giagantie.
Spoke to someone at work. He remembers a gang called the Halsey Bops. THe only gang I remember was the Chaplins.
Pax et bonum,
Kevin
I don’t know who the statue was. If I remember correctly it was a woman in robes, holding something up with her left hand (maybe a light). She may have had a wreath around her head.
Pax et bonum,
Kevin
PS: The BROOKLYN Dodgers (Dem Bums) only won 1 World Series (God bless Johnny Padres!!!)
The park supervisor was Mr. Jackson. Poor guy had his hands full with the wino parkies that worked there. Myself, Rickie and Billy were going to egg his car. Unfortunately, my eggs broke climbing onto the roof.
Was anyone there the day the place went nuts? The day the Dodgers won the World Series.
Pax et bonum,
Kevin
Zitch,
We lived on the 2 floor left. I have a picture of my grandmother looking out the window. You didn’t say want years the Eckhardts lived there. We moved out in 1962. I will ask my older brother if he remembers them.
Sevearl years ago a couple of guys cut up the bronze statue in Saratoga park in broad daylight and took it away. If I remember correctly it was 6 feet tall. I didn’t believe it so I went back to see for myself.
Pax et bonum,
kevin Westley
I was born in Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in 1948 and lived at 859 Halsey Street (between Saratoga and Howard) until 1962. I attended Our Lady of Good Counsel between Madison and Putnam (between Ralph and Patchen) and graduated in 1961. It is now an SRO. Here are a few comments, as best as I can remember:
• Halsey Theatre later became a factory for Merrimakers (spelling?). My mother worked there until 1963. They made party favors. On New Years Eve, she would point out the hats she made when we watched Guy Lombardo on TV. It took several months before she got rid of the “sparkle†on her person.
• Broadway Arena was where the fights were held.
• The chapter “Limo To Bushwick” is true. Gleason visited the block and sat in Saratoga park telling stories about the “old neighborhoodâ€. I believe it was before 1961.
• The interior of Lady of Lourdes, (grotto behind the altar) was the most beautiful sight I remember as a child.
• Joe the bartender was actually the bartender at Proces’s bar on Halsey and Saratoga
• Frank Fontaine was not a member of Gleason’s original show. He came along later. I believe he developed the character, Crazy Guggenheim, before he joined Gleason’s show. I doubt that it was based on anyone Gleason knew from Bedford-Stuyvesant /Bushwick.
• Al’s Billard Academy on Broadway and Halsey was where Gleason learned how to shoot pool.
There was a great bakery on Saratoga towards Decatur, but I cannot remember the name.
I searched for the Halsey because of the 50 anniversary of the Dodgers winning the World Series.