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Love your website! Lots of neat stuff and information.
Along those lines, I thought you might like to take a look at a poster my friend
John Dudak (a top local designer and Hazel Park '67 grad) and I (a local commercial photographer and life-long Detroiter) put together. It was quite a challenge. To my knowledge there is nothing like it available anywhere.
We have it listed with the Woodward Cruise people and for sale at the
Detroit Shoppe at Somerset Mall. They are available in two sizes:
Occasionally I receive emails I feel would be of interest
to our Detroit Memories Newsletter subscribers.
With permission from the authors, I'll publish them.
~~~~~~~~
In my youth, I was a Detroit Tigers batboy and Lions waterboy in the 50's.
I proudly have a picture of me sitting in front of the entire 1953 Tiger team including co-worker Jackie Robb. This picture was taken at Briggs Stadium and hangs on my studio wall at the radio station.
My singing group, The Four Scores, played the Roostertail right after the Tigers won the World Series in 1968. Mickey Lolich joined our group for that appearance along with many teammates including Bill Freehan, Joe Sparma, Mickey Stanley and others who jumped on stage to participate in the grand finale. The Detroit News ran a great picture of that performance. Ernie Harwell once told me that the picture hangs in the Detroit Tigers exhibit in the Baseball Hall of Fame at Coopersville. I have never been there so am not sure if that is still true. My tenor, Norm Mailloux lives in my old neighborhood in
St. Clair Shores. We are the only two of the Four Scores left.
I'm now semi-retired in Lakeland, Florida (which I discovered while covering the Detroit Tigers in spring training for so many years) but have a morning deejay show on www.wonn.com. Many Michigan retirees are also in this area. When
I tell Michigan stories between tunes, I always get a big reaction from my listeners.
I loved going back in time through your research. Thank you so much. You made my day.
Jim Hendrick
Lakeland FL
WANTED: Your Pony Pictures!
Ed Golick and younger brother Joe
Wesson St., Detroit
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the 1950s and 60s, a man would go door-to-door in Detroit neighborhoods
taking 'cowboy' and 'cowgirl' photographs of the children on his small pony.
Do you have a photo that looks similar to this one?
SEND ME YOUR PONY PIC!
Email it to me along with your name, age, year, and location.
I'll upload it to the Detroit Memories Webshots album called
This album is viewable by everyone, not just Newsletter subscribers.
WANTED:
YOUR HOLIDAY PICTURE!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
52nd Hudsons Thanksgiving Day Parade ~ 1978
with Sonny Eliot and Dick Purtan
Eileen,
I had tears in my eyes reading Detroit Memories. As a sportscaster on WJBK-TV, WWJ-TV, a former Detroit Pistons play-by-play announcer on WKBD CH 50, doing sports radio in the area, entertaining with my group, The Four Scores, in many Detroit clubs like the Roostertail, doing radio/tv broadcasts of the Detroit boat races, and being involved nationally on ESPN, I have known many of the people whose names appear on your website.
Like many teenaged boys of the late 1960's, Playboy Magazine and the Playboy Clubs were well known; it was a place I'd dreamed about. The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago on 116 E. Walton Street on the leap year night of February 29th 1960. The Detroit Playboy Club (officially called "The Stockholm Playboy Club") opened on December 28, 1963. I been reading the magazine for several years (just for the articles and interviews, of course) and here was an opportunity to work in a club with Detroit's most beautiful young ladies, the Playboy Bunnies.
I entered the building and approached the hat check Bunny, explaining that
I was there to apply for a job. She sent me up the front stairway to the executive office where I'd be interviewed. I'll never forget that stairway to the main showroom where Leroy Neiman prints lined the walls all the way up to the second floor. A number of Bunnies were running around (well, they didn't actually run; they had a special way of walking in their high heels and tight bunny costumes) so I stopped for a moment to observe the action.
After several interviews, I was notified that I was hired to work the busiest nights, Friday and Saturday at about a dollar an hour (maybe less), plus the Bunnies contributed part of their tips to the non-Bunnies: the barboys, busboys and bartenders. Training occurred before my first shift and I was fitted for the required apparel: an orange busboy's jacket. Two extra benefits we enjoyed were a meal before every shift (very important to a college student) and a free copy of Playboy magazine each month (very important to a male college student).
During those years, there were a lot of misconceptions about the Playboy Bunnies. First, it wasn't an easy job. They were outfitted in extremely tight bunny costumes with high heels, hose, and, of course, the ears and beautiful, fluffy tail. It must have taken an hour just to get dressed and apply makeup. Then they had to work from 5 pm to after closing at 2:30 am. I'm sure many of the them lived a lifestyle far beyond what they'd expected. The best clothes, expensive shoes, comps at all the restaurants and bars, and designer costumes. Although theywere not permitted to "date" customers, the Bunnies would tell us of their experiences with the rich and famous in Detroit on occasion.
A few of my more memorable experiences at the Club:
The Detroit Playboy Club was one of the only clubs where a visitor did not need a "key," so we had a cross-section of clientele: the rich and famous of Detroit to people just off a farm from upstate.
There was a club-run valet service and the fellows who parked the cars had a habit of taking a fancy car for a joy ride through downtown on occasion. One night the car parker hit the accelerator instead of the brake and crashed a new Corvette into a wall several blocks from the club. He did not show up to pick up his final paycheck.
The men's and ladies' restrooms on the second floor were staffed by an older couple who handed out hand towels and aftershave to patrons. Many had never seen such a service and did not know how to respond or that they should leave a tip.
One night a customer walked out without paying his check. I watched a Bunny kick her shoes off and race down the stairs to the parking lot to collect it.
The entertainment on the Playboy circuit was topnotch. I saw George Carlin (one of the funniest comedians ever), Professor Irwin Corey (he kept the audience roaring with laughter) and singer Damita Jo (a beautiful lady with a wonderful voice who gave a present to every busboy in the club). Some nights the comedians would hit their stride and have a great show and go past the closing hour. Room manager Jimmy Reese would try to figure out how to bring the show to an end. He generally sent a Bunny out to close the festivities.
The music at the club was unbelievable. The Matt Michael's Trio performed in the main showroom every night, backing up a different singer every week. They could improvise anything.
I was amazed at the volume and range of drinks that went through the service bar. The customers asked for some of the strangest drinks, but the bartenders knew them all. They were masters of their trade.
The last page of the Bunny Manual reminded Bunnies that "Busboys will be extremely helpful in efficient service of your customers. They'll do everything possible to assist you in your job...provided you remember that busboys work with you, not for you."
During my two years at the Playboy Club, I worked with some of the nicest people, saw some of America's greatest entertainers, but, best of all, I was the envy of all of my buddies!
Andy Dubill
I remember it as if it were yesterday. I'd picked up a copy of the Wayne State University student newspaper between classes during my first quarter of college and my eyes were drawn to an ad in the "Help Wanted" section. The Detroit Playboy Club on 1014 East Jefferson in Detroit had immediate openings for barboys and busboys. I decided not to tarry. When opportunity throws itself at you, one needs to act with speed and enthusiasm! I jumped into my 1967 Volkswagen and drove down to the Club.
Photo
courtesy of
Lee Dixon
Join Richard Bak, Tim Kiska, author of From Soupy to Nuts!,
