Re: John Wayne now thats a actor, and a real man !
When i was growing up ( i don't think i ever will ) well older, i worked,even before i could get my working papers.
I think a person must be 14 to get them. My family owned property upstate ny, the borsch belt.
Anyway, at 12-13 i worked at a chicken farm 2 summers worst job i ever had. At 10 i pumped gas. At 11, worked at Grossingers mopping floors, and working at the pool.
So i asked my aunt who spent the summer at The Concord Hotel, would she ask the owner to get me a job. I used to eat at the owners table every night saw the greatest shows.
The owner asked to see me, and when i met him, he asked me why i want to work at his hotel.
I said it beats shoving chicken sh-t, he fell outta his chair laughing.
Gave me a job busing tables the first year. His son was my age and we grew up together, and his father made him start at the bottom up, now i understand why, back then Bobby resented his dad for it. But he learned every job, the way it was supposed to be.
Great money. Easy work to me. And at the end of the summer, he came to me and said your a good worker i hear, next year your gonna get a better paying job.
At 15 i remember, like yesterday, the old man said your gonna park cars at night and during the day your gonna carry peoples golf bags.
So here comes the reason for the long prelude, i carried the most famous people in the worlds golf bags. And parked their cars.
Some were cheap. Gave me a quarter for carrying a heavy bag for like 5 hours. Peter Lawford cheap. The actors were cheap. The singers tipped good.
Jerry Lewis worked upstate ny in hotels got fired from every job, told off the guests that they were cheap. He was a good tipper.
Some were good tippers.
The best tipper was Frank Sinatra, everyone who worked in the hotel knew he never carried anything but 100 bills. And quarters..
He said to me after a real hot day of carrying his bag, want whats on the top of my roll in my pocket or 10 bucks you a gambler ?
I said ill take whatever you want to give me, but i don't gamble, if i had your money maybe i would.
Gave me a 100 bucks. That night i ate dinner with him and my aunt and uncle, who came up after work on friday. And stayed till sunday night. They always ate at the owners table, now i understand why back then was just giggles with me and Bobby.
My uncle owned trotters that raced all over,the country and he used to race the horses at Monticello raceway.
Sammy Davis junior gave me nothing cheapest man i ever met.
I parked his car, nothing.
Mohammed Ali trained at the Concord one year he was a great tipper.
To the end of the story, these famous people, really were just people to me, nothing special really.
When i could afford it i took my wife who i was romancing back then, to the Concord for the weekend as a guest in my brand new Trans Am. And by the way she grew up and went to other hotels upstate, lived about 7 blocks from me but i didn't know her than , i'm 8 years older then her.
We checked in the the maitre de who i worked for as a kid was still there.His name was Louchow, protugese guy.
You have to be seated and wear a suit for dinner, and we walked to his dias he said, Bobby asked that you eat with him that ok, i said how's he know i'm here for the weekend.
He said nothing happens in the hotel with out him knowing.
So we sit and he shows up with a very nice lookin woman i think he had 4-5 wives over the years this was #1.
We hug and i tell you my soon to be wife was impressed.
The old man came down to dinner and looked my wife over said not bad kid.
My aunt was still staying there the whole summer, and my uncle also came up for for the weekend firday nights.
Sat morning i get up early and go to get my golf bag outta the car to play a round of golf, i learned to play there at the Concord by not doing what those duffers do, anyway, out walks my friend Bobby the owner now, and his dad.
Their gonna be the first to tee off like i wanted to be,nothing like being the first with the dew on the grass and no foot marks or golf cart marks, they see me with the bag, and said common we'll play together.
Just like it was 20 years before that, when it was just me and Bobby sneakin out to be the first to play in the morning, was awesome.
Felt like i finally arrived.
