December 18, 2024 • 41 mins
Morgan White Fills In On NightSide with Dan Rea
You probably remember holiday shopping as a kid…your parents taking you to places like Mongomery Ward, Woolworths, Zayre, and even Radio Shack. Morgan reminisced with City View Trolley Tour Guide Jack Harte about all those great stores we used to shop in.
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!
You probably remember holiday shopping as a kid…your parents taking you to places like Mongomery Ward, Woolworths, Zayre, and even Radio Shack. Morgan reminisced with City View Trolley Tour Guide Jack Harte about all those great stores we used to shop in.
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's night Side with Dan Ray WBS Costin's new radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The temperature has gone down a degree. It's forty four
degrees now. It started at forty five when we began Nightside.
They say, we because I'm here with Jack Hart.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Hello Jackhart, Oh Hi, hello, oh Hi?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Tell people what we are doing.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
What are we doing?
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Well, we're talking about downtown what we now call downtown crossing,
the Downtown experience Downtown Boston in the in our in
our youths of fifty sixties, seventies, and what it meant
to so many.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
And I know a lot of you have incorporated other
areas like the South Shore Plaza. And my producer sitting
next to me is from Minnesota, so her memories were
of Minnesota stores and established. Sure, I think we want
(01:03):
to keep downtown as our focus point. But if you
want to mention that, you know, the Mammoth martin Brockton
did this or that or something in Stoneham, the Stoneham
Zoo decorated nicely for Christmas, you may incorporate that in
our conversation. Let's go to West Virginia and speak to
(01:23):
Tom Tom Good evening.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Good Morgan, how you doing. I'm doing fine, Tom, Hello Tom,
and Hello Jack, Hello Jack. Good to hear you.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Hello.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I moved to Boston after high school in seventy eight
and lived on Bowden Street, and well, my fond memories
definitely yeah, yeah, Well I paid my dues in life
my first night living in a rooming house on Bowden Street.
That room was forty dollars a week. Then it consisted
(02:01):
of a twin bed, a hot plate, a sink, one
outlet in a cubicle refrigerator, small cubicle refrigerator. At about
two o'clock in the morning, I felt something crawling across
my chest. I pulled a full chain light fixture and
there was about two dozen cockroaches that just scattered like
politicians when the lights come on a closing time.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
But you know, it's funny you say, I've worked across
the street from you at one hundred Cambridge Street.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Yes, where I worked at Cambridge Street.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Seventy five to eighty. I was a state employee.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
That the installed building.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Okay, yes it was, yes, it was yeah, absolutely, absolutely, yeah,
part of urban renewal when they yeah, yeah, they tore
down the West End back in the early sixties and
promised everybody in those three families. Oh, we're going to
get your new housing, and it never happened.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
They gave them back twelve apartments in the area two thousands.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Too late.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Yeah that's right.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
But anyway, getting back to the downtown crossing, you had
a caller earlier that was talking about a shoe place.
I believe that was Floorsheim Shoes. I don't know if
you mentioned that trying to call in then yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
McCann, Yeah, Floorsheim.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, there was a Floorsheim sold some.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Very Florsheim and thom mc cann each had a downtown location.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
Yeah, and you know they used to manufacture those shoes
if you go back to the sixties in Brockton, where
I still own a home, and uh, you know, that
was the shoe capital of the world. And anyway, you know,
the taft Hartley Act is basically what drove all those
jobs from the New England States down to the Southern States.
(03:58):
And then NAFTA drove those jobs from the Southern States
down to Mexico. So yeah, some things, yeah, some things
never changed. But no, I used to love going into
Filine's basement, Jordan Marsh and that part of Boston, and
I still remember the old wooden escalator. At the it
(04:19):
was either Park Street or the Washington Street station.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Was never Washington.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Street, yeah, it never, it never ever broke down. And
then they put in the up to date stuff. And
I don't care what tea station you go into one thing.
You know, the escalator ain't going to be working, yea.
But yeah, I missed that Boston of my youth. It
was affordable then. I mean I was making minimum wage.
(04:47):
I worked at TGI Fridays on the corner of Exeter
and Newbury Street, and that was the Fall of seventy nine.
And the guy who trained me to be a bus
boy was none other than w BZ Fame for Bradley
j Huh.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I'm going to have Bradley Jr. Next week. I forget
which day because I'm filling in for Dan all next
week and I think he is going, oh you are.
I think he's gonna be on with me Thursday or Friday, So.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
I will make it a point to call in because
he knew me as Tommy Toons back going like nineteen
eighty because I used to roller skate and used to
have those headphones on and literally skate backwards through downtown
Boston traffic that if you were a good roller skater
you could you could do stuff like that. And the
(05:40):
moment part was one, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I will mention that to him when I have him
on Tarmy toone I will. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Absolutely. But now, like I said, Boston was a livaboo
city back then, and unfortunately I googled my old apartment
in miss Hill off a Caliumet Street and what used
to go for seven fifty and ninety two for a
three bedroom now goes for thirty seven hundred dollars. It's
just disgusting. I agree with Yeah, it is awful. All right, guys, thanks.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
For the call, and happy holidays to you.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Mary Gris.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Yeah, and a merry Christmas of the both of you,
and a happy New Year as well. But I'll make
an appointment call on Thursday or Friday next week. Bye bye, guys,
thank you, good night.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
All right, one open line if you want to grab
it six one, seven, four ten thirty or eight eight,
eight nine to nine ten thirty. Jim in Boston, you
were next on Night Side.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
I'm a joint this show tonight. I've been listening to
well for people that had shortly identifying and i was
going to identify this one and that one, and people
ahead of the already have done it. But well, I
did say I used to go down there quite a bit.
And uh, I don't know if you remember they had
the record American was down there behind Kennedy's.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
They had the street.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
Yeah, and when I was a kid on a Saturday night,
you could go down there. You hang around the dark,
and the guys would You could work for the guys
and be a runner from when they went around the
city and dropped off, uh, the paper at all the locations,
and you always see the guys on the car and
are waiting for that paper because they had played the
number that night. There was a big pile of the
(07:31):
city back then. I don't know, I'm serious, I remember it.
That was kind of funny. Did anybody mention Mickey fans
down there this morning? Good store?
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Oh yeah, yeah I did.
Speaker 6 (07:45):
I didn't hear that.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Washington and West Street, yeah.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
And I think it was a store named Bonds near Kennedy's.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
I don't know if anybody mentioned that.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, I remember they.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
Were yeah, yeah, I remember that. And then I know,
if you like watching movies or playing pinball, Washington Street
was the place to go. They had more pinball machines
and the movies were like, so we're triple headed, you know,
and it's a wonderful experience. And anyway, I just started
(08:21):
keep you a call, and they're enjoying the show tonight,
and that's all I gotta say.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Thank you, Jim, thank you for your call. Merry Christmas
to you. Get it right. And look at the time.
I'm gonna take my break, Rob, I hope you're paying attention.
Every break has been dead on on time. Okay, so
uh you want that open line, it's already been taken.
(08:45):
Time and temperature here on night Side nine fifteen forty
four degrees.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Now back to Dan ray Mine from the Window World
Night Sex Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Dan is off tonight. I get to say that every
break because there are people who tune in in the
middle of the show. At the end of the show,
they've been with me all night. But I need to
let everybody know that I am filling in for dam
My name is Morgan. My buddy Jack Hart is here
with me and we're reminiscing about the look of downtown
(09:24):
back in the day, fifties, sixties, seventies. Let's go to
Weston and speak to Joan. Joan. Good evening, Good.
Speaker 7 (09:32):
Evening, gentlemen. I hope you don't mind. Someone who didn't
see the Enchanted Village, Well saw it in the nineteen fifties,
but my memories go back before that.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (09:46):
Oh, so I can remember something magical for me at
Jordan Marsh back in the nineteen thirties. And I don't
know if you remember, but Nickey Mouse had made his
debut in around nineteen thirty and by the middle of
(10:06):
that decade or around that time, he was really big,
and Minnie was introduced. So then was a thing, an
entertainment or just something available at Jordan Marsh where people
could buy a ticket and their child cougar in and
have tea with many mouse in a little house. And
(10:30):
my mother took me in, and I was half afraid
and half enchanted. And there was this house with a
center door and little windows with shutters and a roof
over it. And Minnie opened the door, and my mother
wasn't allowed in. She could look in through the window.
(10:50):
Then she looked in and saw it was inside, which
was just a table and two chairs. And I sat
down and had tea with many mouse I don't really
I think I ate or drank anything. I just looked
at her because she had one of those heads on
that you see at Disney Worlds, you know, and I thought, oh,
(11:11):
poor Minnie, she has a funny.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Head, you know.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
I was maybe three and a half, four and a half,
and I can remember that because it was so indelible
in my mind, and that was my experience at Jordan's
and then across in the nineteen fifties when I was
out of college. I remember seeing the enchanted village. But
later on, not later on, early on at Felleen. Someone
(11:39):
mentioned Fellen's restaurant well in those days, in order probably
to bring people into the store because people didn't have
much money in the nineteen thirties, they had these special
parties for children, and the whole restaurant was just two
giant long tables, and they were just dozens of children.
(12:01):
And I think they must have had seatings where the
kids were about the same age, because I can remember
being not overwhelmed by the older kids and not underwhelmed
by babies. They all seemed to be around my size
or age, and they had the most gorgeous ice sculptures
(12:22):
all the way down the table in beautiful colors, and
then you got these wonderful sandwiches with the crust cut off,
and of course the big thing at the end was
ice cream, because ice cream was still something special, very
special in the nineteen thirties. So I thought, you guys
would like to know some things that went on before
(12:43):
you were even born.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Wow, do Mini Mouse wear a red and white poka
dot dressed?
Speaker 8 (12:51):
Yes?
Speaker 9 (12:51):
She did.
Speaker 7 (12:52):
I was going to say she had a red dress
with white polka dots on it. And I listened to
the main Mickey Mouse program that occasionally came on the radio,
because of course that's all you had, and I just thought, oh,
I'm right here with the real people. It just was
(13:13):
amazing and scary at the same time.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Now did many speak?
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (13:19):
Yes, she spoke very very carefully and nicely, and a
little squeaky because of the head I think, you know,
I'm not sure the mouth was where her mouth was,
but you know, looking back, I didn't know that at
the time. I just felt sorry for But it was
really really kind of special and I'll never forget it, and.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I would imagine by it to all our family.
Speaker 7 (13:48):
M I seek y, yes, I think later. Thank you
so much. I remembered most all of those places along
Washington Street in the nineteen fifties.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Thank you for your call.
Speaker 7 (14:10):
Thank you you.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Going downtown was a full dress affair when I was
a kid.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
It was Jack, are you ready?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Am I?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Uh? Huh? Are you?
Speaker 4 (14:26):
I could be?
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Are you ready for the next call?
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Who's that?
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Florence, Florence, welcome tonight's side?
Speaker 4 (14:41):
Name morning, good evening Florence.
Speaker 10 (14:47):
Jack.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And did you notice how he knew it was He
knew it was you.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
I knew it was you.
Speaker 9 (14:54):
Did you expect me to call the two of you?
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Actually no, because this was an emergency. Normally I promote.
I promoted that Jack, what's going to be on with
me next Monday? I remembered that year, and I called
them to say, can you come on tonight? I need you?
And Jacket, you never ever told me no, never, That's right.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So now there's all kinds of people making, making cookies
and things making getting a snack ready for Monday, and
I won't even be there.
Speaker 9 (15:26):
I had just turned to on a little while ago,
and I thought, wait a minute, Morgan and Jack, what's
going on? And so what you were talking about old
times and post and I don't have a lot of memories,
(15:47):
but I think I mentioned once on your show, Morgan,
that years ago, when I was younger elementary school age,
my mom and dad took me into this store called
House of Nine if I got a now, and I
(16:10):
did some modeling in there, and that I remember. It
was upstairs in the building and they had a big window,
like a big just a huge window where you could
look out and see the street activity, you know. And
(16:38):
that I remember, and I remember Jordan marsh and so
I just thought, well, I'll call in and mention that, well,
thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
House of Nine were located at the corner of Washington
Street and Winter Street.
Speaker 9 (16:59):
It was, yeah, across from either of you have a
memory of them.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I remember that, I remember the name. I remember the name.
I don't I don't recall having having gone in there
for for any particular reason.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
And I remember, but I never I never went in it.
Speaker 9 (17:23):
It was clothing, you know, they had a dull clothing
and children clothing, and yeah, yeah, I don't know. I
was modeling dresses and I bet you you were stunning,
tell me you, I think I was. And then when
(17:46):
I was five years old. I was in a beauty
contest that myself and a little boy we both won.
It was yeah, and it's funny. I can't recall him now,
but you know, probably back at the time, I probably
(18:11):
didn't get a big charge out of it. You know,
when you're a kid.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
You've got a lot of memorable history.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Wow, you grew up in Boston.
Speaker 9 (18:27):
No One, Maldon. Oh okay, I was, you know, born
in Marlton, grew up in Marldon, and you know, it
was nice back then there. I liked it and moved
a few times and then this is my last stop
(18:52):
that my husband and I found this town just by
accident driving through it, and you know, it appealed to us,
and so we ended up, you know, by in a
house here, and you know, it's been good. He's gone now,
(19:13):
but I'll remain here. You know, I like it. I
like it. It's very quiet that appeals to me.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I mean nice, I mean, it's so Sincerely, I hope
twenty twenty five is your best year ever, and I
hope you have a very I'll say again, very happy.
Speaker 9 (19:38):
Holiday, and I wish the both of you a nice
Christmas and New y It's okay.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Very thank you, good night.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Out about good night. Florence's line is open six one, five, four,
ten thirty or eight eight, eight, nine to nineteen thirty.
Dial it and cheer some of your memories with Jackhart
and yeah me Morgan White Jr. Time and temperature nine
thirty forty four degrees.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on' WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Dan Ray is off to night. I think he has
a hint of laryngitis that started to develop last night.
And if you listen to him last night, you heard
him refer to that. I listened partially to his show
last night. I found it interesting that he spoke to
(20:37):
a guy who does rodeo for a livingis no, no,
no no, because Dan does the show from a remote location.
I think his home. As I do listant filling in
for Dan and your home, and you say on clear
(21:00):
as the.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Bell, Jack, Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And I'm actually on
my cell phone and I'm not even talking into a
like a microphone or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Let's go to gentlemen. Speak to Fred. Fred good evening,
Welcome to night Side.
Speaker 8 (21:22):
Thank you very much. It's fun listening to your show tonight.
I got a cute little story. I'm eighty four years old,
and I grew up. I grew up in Winthrop and
I'll never forget back. Around nineteen fifty three, my buddy
and I it was a Satdy afternoon and we heard
(21:43):
on the radio the rodeo was at the Boston Gardens. Well,
we didn't have much money, so each of us went home.
We found pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. I think we
had each one dollar one of two dollars for each
of us, plus all all a pocket full of change.
So we decided to get on the bus and Winthrop
(22:05):
back then, the Blue Line started it at Maverick station.
I went to bus, went all the way to Ori
to Maverick station. There was no such thing as Orient
Heights Blue Line back then. And then we got on
and we went a couple of stops to the Boston
Gardens and we went in there and we asked for
the two cheapest tea tickets, and I think it costs
(22:29):
like two dollars. And here I am pulling out a
dollar bill and a dollar in pennies, Nicholson dimes, and
he did the same thing.
Speaker 11 (22:40):
They took it and they say, have fun so anyway,
we got in what was the big draw for us,
gene Aufrey and Champion his horse Champion.
Speaker 8 (22:53):
That was a big draw for us. And that's when
I got shocked by Boston prices. I think an ice
cream was like four times the price that I pay
in Winthrop at a corner variety store. So needless to say,
we didn't buy anything in the Boston Johnsons. We found
a variety store towards the North End, and then we
(23:17):
just to have something in Boston and then we went home.
So we had a good time there. Another good story
is any kid who was a nerd back in the fifties,
you went to Scarlet Square and you went to the
radio shack, the very original radio shack, and it was
(23:38):
in the basement of a building. You literally went down
four rickety wooden stairs and there was part of the
store was a dirt floor, lots of barrels from World
War two radios, and the big thing was they ripped
out the crystals. But the guys in the store told
you if you bought the radio, it was a probably
(24:00):
the military paid bundles for it. You paid like five
dollars for it, and they told you what variable capacitor
you could put in it and you could listen to
the stations. Another famous thing that the kids did. You
got the plastic covered that cigarettes came in like camels
(24:20):
to protect your camels, Paul Malls or your Chesterfields. And
you took that and you bought from him a little
tuna and a couple of resists and a capacitor, and
you went back to school and he told you how
to wire it out, and you hooked one wire to
(24:41):
your radiator at your house and another wire out to
a golf club sticking up and you could get w
BZ on your radio with a little battery in it.
And that was the biggie for the nerds and science
back in the fifties.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Well it's a simple now with the devices that you
can buy.
Speaker 8 (25:02):
But oh yeah, much more. But it was really something.
They had bells of all time. The original radio check was
in Scarlish Square where it all started. Thank you for
the memory, Thank you, Thank you Sank you did wonderful program.
Thanks a lot.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Bye buys line. Whoops, Fred's line is open. And if
you call in six one, seven, two, five, four ten
thirty or eight eight, eight, nine, two nine ten thirty,
I guarantee Jack and I will get to you. With
the amount of time we have left. We have roughly
(25:41):
fifteen sixteen minutes of show to go. Right now, Let's
go to Winter and speak to Jerry. Jerry.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
Yes, Hi, Morgan, I used to talk to you and
to Jack. Thank you, Jerry. I Hi, Hi, you doing Jack?
I have a question goes back into the fifties. I
remember my mother would take me to what is now
downtown Crossing. I don't know if this questions being as yeah,
but there were four I don't know what's well, I
know it's there now. But in the fifties there were
(26:11):
four major stores, well, there were three that I remember.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
One was.
Speaker 5 (26:17):
Macy or Jordan mash Right across the street was Pileen's,
and then across the street.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
From there they were next to each other on the
same side of the.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Street, which which ones Jordan's and Vilenes were.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Next to each other, yes, well, the same side of
the street on Washington Street, but across the street from
each other on the on the summer street.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Right, oh yeah, right, right, right, okay, But then there
was another building which was Gilchrist's across right, but now
on the other corner. For the life of me. I
can't think of what that fourth store was if there
was any there. There was Jordan's, Vileens, Gil Chris, and
there was the.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Was just talking about House Nines, and then there was
something on the first floor there as well, which was
a hosiery store.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
I think, yes, oh, House of Nines? What is what
was House of Knines? Was that a clothing store too?
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Or a clothing store?
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I'm guessing nine mint size nine or less?
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Oh? Oh oh, okay. I remember my hopping us through.
I was only I think seven or eight years old
at the time. It took the some kind of a
subway to get there. But yeah, I remember going go
Christian fy Wins and and Jordan's. But I didn't remember
that fourth That's why it was the House of Nines.
That wasn't it what you said? The name of the
store was in the basement.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
The first flow is that was a hosiery store.
Speaker 5 (27:40):
Oh maybe ladies hose? Yeah they could get a hose. Okay, yeah, jeez,
I wouldn't think. I've been working about that for years
and I couldn't take that fourth store. But that's probably
why it's not as famous, I suppose, as.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
As the other Jack and I just helped you.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
Yesppreciate it. Thanks so much, great show. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Jerry, thank you all right, thank you to Boston and
speak to John by the Jerry. Hello to John, John,
Welcome to Well.
Speaker 12 (28:14):
You got me to call because I wondering if you
remember the joke shops in Boston.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
They're long gone. Oh yeah, five of them.
Speaker 12 (28:22):
Jack Shop, those two guys, little Corner Jack's.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Jack's Jokes Shop had a location on Tremont Street more towards.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Uh one or so. It was that Little Jack Horner.
Speaker 12 (28:42):
Well they moved, those guys had Jack moved a few
times before they gave up and retired.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
They and then there was little Jack Horner.
Speaker 12 (28:55):
Magic shop, remember them on South Street.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I remember tradicians boy, oh yeah, yeah, they were gone.
Speaker 12 (29:03):
Yeah, there's really nothing like that to buy anything. You know,
it's all online.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
And it was gone. They would demonstrate any and all tricks.
Speaker 12 (29:16):
And they were buying in the store. You got to
see it how it worked.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
And they knew how to do every trick, how to
pull out handkerchiefs that were different colors from your mouth,
how to make anything disappear and or reappear. They knew
how to do all their tricks.
Speaker 12 (29:40):
Well, it was gone as joke shopping Quincy. He's been
gone a few years.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
I think he passed.
Speaker 12 (29:45):
And he was a dinosaur down there, and.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
He was Jerry, the one right there was there just
just just a handful of years ago down there on
uh Hancock Street.
Speaker 12 (29:57):
And he's gone. Unfortunately, you know, he was the last
of them, I think, the last shop that had joke
shop on it, not smoke shop, joke shop.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
If you're young, if you're a young kid and you
you were fascinated by magic. Unfortunately, there are no stores
like that anywhere anymore. And that's a shame.
Speaker 12 (30:22):
Well, I rememberly two years ago. That's about it.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Wow. I think that's a bit far to go to
learn how to do the trick.
Speaker 12 (30:32):
Then then how about Joe and Nemo's hot Dogs. They
were around for years. You forgot that you were.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
And as a matter of fact, earlier we had a
caller who lived on Bowden Street and the last Joe
and Nemos was on Bowden Street, right there at that
little corner where the State House.
Speaker 12 (30:53):
Yes, I think that they were the nephews. I think
the original owners of that, you know, passed on and
then nephews try to take it, but they weren't successful.
They're keeping the business going. That was back in the nineties.
They were around a short time and they were gone.
There's nobody doing a.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Really good the resurrect they tried to resurrect the brand
a little bit.
Speaker 12 (31:13):
There's nobody doing a good hot dog that you could
go in, you know, any place, really good tasty hunt,
you know, satisfying her be a great.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Going, be a great place you can get a hot
dog and buy jokes and buy joke stuff.
Speaker 12 (31:26):
There was one at the corner downtown crossing. Well, let's
not forget the combat zone either, you know, you gotta
mention that. But yeah, you can go.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
You used to get to the heavy Body.
Speaker 12 (31:36):
There was a hot dogs stand there there too.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
There was There wasn't Joe Neimos down in the combat zone.
Speaker 12 (31:42):
No, but no. But there was a corner little stand
where they used to grill the bread, put mayonnaise on
the bread, and sell hot dogs. Only that was about it.
You could wash them, make them up, I know. And
there's nothing like that anymore a good hot dog stand
in Boston that I know of.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Let's let's pull the money and make let's pull on
money and make it happen.
Speaker 12 (32:05):
The three of us. Steam didn't be a hot dogs.
They had a great taste. You know. I wasn't a
beer drinker by any means, but the steam would give
the heart dog a great favor.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
I agree, John. I gotta take a break, but thank
you for Thank you John, the last break of the hour.
Mary in Boston, be patient, you'll be first after we
take this break. Time and temperature nine forty six forty
four degrees.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World night.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Side Studios on WBZ News Radio. No, Dan, tonight, you
got Morgan, and you got Jack, and you got Mary
in Boston. Mary, good evening to you. Yes, Hello.
Speaker 10 (32:57):
One day, I have a two story was that I
hadn't been mentioned so far. One is Grayson's that was
on Tremont Street.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Okay, what did Grayson sell?
Speaker 10 (33:10):
Grayson's was a lady's clothing store.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Okay.
Speaker 10 (33:15):
It was also across College, which was a fancy women's
clothing store.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
I remember that, I call that and what what years?
Speaker 3 (33:27):
What years are these?
Speaker 10 (33:29):
And this would be in the fifties.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
Okay.
Speaker 10 (33:32):
I didn't shot. I think my sister did.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Well.
Speaker 10 (33:37):
I was all I j Fox and R. H.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Stearns Sterns. They were located around Bailey's.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
Yes, as a.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
Matter of fact, they're they're they're some of their the
facade work is I think there's a Lambert's in there
now in the front of the store. And but they
still some of them decorate some things of.
Speaker 10 (34:04):
Just have everything in case in glass. Like if you
wanted to look at gloves, they were under glass. You
had to you had to ask to look at them,
and they would show them to you. Did you know that?
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Yes?
Speaker 10 (34:17):
Okay? And another thing is did you notice that the
lady who called who was talking about the nineteen thirties, Yes,
and there was downtown. She's pronounced Piles is Follen's, which
is what my mother used to.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Say, because the pronunciation affected by those who pronounced it
or mispronounced it, and in Boston we were famous for
mispronouncing things.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
That's right.
Speaker 10 (34:54):
Well, Fillen Lincoln Paullen was the one who started Williams
and he was a big promoter for the Girl Scouts
of America. Did you know that?
Speaker 2 (35:07):
I didn't. I thought it was what I thought it was,
William Filene's.
Speaker 10 (35:12):
No, Lincoln Lincoln.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
William was was was a sun. I think, oh, okay,
the shopping bags the girl scouts.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
I know that, okay, Mary, because the shopping on the
shopping bags. A lot of them said William w M.
Because I remember asking my mother what did w M
stand for? Because I'm in kindergarten. How do I know
how to spell William? You said, that's a short way
(35:45):
of spelling William. I said, oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 10 (35:52):
And the other thing I remember looking in the windows
of Jordan's with the the Christmas Time show that they
used to have with the with the Enchanted Village, but
it wasn't called that then. It was just you just
went to the window and there were people standing behind you,
(36:14):
and everybody was ooing and iry about what they were seeing.
It was. It was lovely, it was magical.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I think they had those windows settings going back to
the fifties. And then somebody said, you know, we should
take over our fifth floor and get people pay to
see all these things interacting with each other.
Speaker 10 (36:37):
Right, but this was in the fifties and I saw it.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Yeah, took over.
Speaker 10 (36:44):
Yes, Yeah, it was very nice though. And also I
had chicken pot pie at Leen's restaurant on the top
floor of Leens.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
And we had a wonderful restaurant up there and one
day we have it.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
We haven't mentioned yet in Jordan's those blueberry muffins. Oh
my goodness, they were so delicious and.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
You can you can still get them.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
But also mentioned about filings is people don't remember the
Red Land and Cafe in the basement.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
The Red Lands and down off of.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Cambridge Street, red Lan, Well there was the red there
was the Red Hat off off the off of Cambra Street.
But the Red Land and Cafe was just a little segment,
you little section and fine in Jordan's basement and it's well,
you know, sort a little sort of a little raised
platform there and they had you know'd be like tea
in little sandwiches for ladies and things. And I think
(37:52):
they might have had like an ice cream clown or
something like that for kids. But yeah, my mother would
go there and get t and date nutbreads with cream cheese.
Speaker 10 (38:03):
Asked question, are you from Boston originally of us? Because
there were hearts that lived on uh a couple of
doors down from from us on Blueville Avenue related to them.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
May very well have been my my my father died
when I was young and his family was, you know,
so scattered about a little bit. So they may very
well have.
Speaker 10 (38:28):
Been, okay, because it was a frank heart that I
knew name wart h A R T.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Okay. Yeah, no, they say I've got an E.
Speaker 5 (38:45):
Oh maybe maybe.
Speaker 10 (38:46):
It hadn't me. I don't really never send some carter.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
Yeah, yeah, no, there there are, there are. There are
a few different hearts. There are some hearts without the E,
some with some with the E, and some of them are.
Speaker 4 (38:56):
Related to us.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
But we're you know, they they they kind of kind
of driven. My father's father died in nineteen eighteen during
the Spanish flewback then as they called it, the COVID
of the time, and so the family kind of got
his family kind of got dispersed a little bit, right, Okay, all.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
Right, Mary, thank you for the call.
Speaker 10 (39:21):
Thank you very much. Bye, Thanks Forky.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Jack. You know, I cannot thank you enough. Last minute.
You have never told me no ever, and I've had
you on a dozen or more times. I thank you
for coming on tonight. You help me kick off the
four hours of Dan Rays show night side superbly well,
and I'm.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Happy to do it. It's my favorite thing to do.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
You know, I was to say in front of thirty
eight states and parts of Canada, thank you to you, sir,
thank you.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
It was thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
What do you want to tell all of your fans
about your upcoming holiday?
Speaker 3 (40:04):
Let me see listen for me on traffic, doing traffic.
I'll be working of the bulk of the holiday. So
Merry Christmas to everybody. May your holiday be great and
may and hopefully I can get you to where you
need to go safely and avoiding traffic.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
And I'm stealing a quote here, although it's been said
many times many ways, Jack Hart, Merry Christmas to you,
and thank you.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
Merry Christmas to you.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
You take care of Jack YouTube, good night, Next hour.
Bill Friedman is my guest. I've had him before. He
has written a number of books, but we're going to
speak about a his book on the Las Vegas Strip,
Thirty years of History on the Las Vegas Strip. And
(40:54):
he's got another book coming up within a year and
a half it should be finished about Las Vegas. Very
intelligent man, very easy to talk to. So if you're
of a mind, stay port. You've given me half of you,
I give me the other half. We're here till midnight.
Time and temperature forty four degrees well, that's backwards temperature
(41:20):
and time nine fifty eight
It's night Side with Dan Ray WBS Costin's new radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The temperature has gone down a degree. It's forty four
degrees now. It started at forty five when we began Nightside.
They say, we because I'm here with Jack Hart.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Hello Jackhart, Oh Hi, hello, oh Hi?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Tell people what we are doing.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
What are we doing?
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Well, we're talking about downtown what we now call downtown crossing,
the Downtown experience Downtown Boston in the in our in
our youths of fifty sixties, seventies, and what it meant
to so many.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
And I know a lot of you have incorporated other
areas like the South Shore Plaza. And my producer sitting
next to me is from Minnesota, so her memories were
of Minnesota stores and established. Sure, I think we want
(01:03):
to keep downtown as our focus point. But if you
want to mention that, you know, the Mammoth martin Brockton
did this or that or something in Stoneham, the Stoneham
Zoo decorated nicely for Christmas, you may incorporate that in
our conversation. Let's go to West Virginia and speak to
(01:23):
Tom Tom Good evening.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Good Morgan, how you doing. I'm doing fine, Tom, Hello Tom,
and Hello Jack, Hello Jack. Good to hear you.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Hello.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I moved to Boston after high school in seventy eight
and lived on Bowden Street, and well, my fond memories
definitely yeah, yeah, Well I paid my dues in life
my first night living in a rooming house on Bowden Street.
That room was forty dollars a week. Then it consisted
(02:01):
of a twin bed, a hot plate, a sink, one
outlet in a cubicle refrigerator, small cubicle refrigerator. At about
two o'clock in the morning, I felt something crawling across
my chest. I pulled a full chain light fixture and
there was about two dozen cockroaches that just scattered like
politicians when the lights come on a closing time.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
But you know, it's funny you say, I've worked across
the street from you at one hundred Cambridge Street.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Yes, where I worked at Cambridge Street.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Seventy five to eighty. I was a state employee.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
That the installed building.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Okay, yes it was, yes, it was yeah, absolutely, absolutely, yeah,
part of urban renewal when they yeah, yeah, they tore
down the West End back in the early sixties and
promised everybody in those three families. Oh, we're going to
get your new housing, and it never happened.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
They gave them back twelve apartments in the area two thousands.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Too late.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Yeah that's right.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
But anyway, getting back to the downtown crossing, you had
a caller earlier that was talking about a shoe place.
I believe that was Floorsheim Shoes. I don't know if
you mentioned that trying to call in then yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
McCann, Yeah, Floorsheim.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, there was a Floorsheim sold some.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Very Florsheim and thom mc cann each had a downtown location.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
Yeah, and you know they used to manufacture those shoes
if you go back to the sixties in Brockton, where
I still own a home, and uh, you know, that
was the shoe capital of the world. And anyway, you know,
the taft Hartley Act is basically what drove all those
jobs from the New England States down to the Southern States.
(03:58):
And then NAFTA drove those jobs from the Southern States
down to Mexico. So yeah, some things, yeah, some things
never changed. But no, I used to love going into
Filine's basement, Jordan Marsh and that part of Boston, and
I still remember the old wooden escalator. At the it
(04:19):
was either Park Street or the Washington Street station.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Was never Washington.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Street, yeah, it never, it never ever broke down. And
then they put in the up to date stuff. And
I don't care what tea station you go into one thing.
You know, the escalator ain't going to be working, yea.
But yeah, I missed that Boston of my youth. It
was affordable then. I mean I was making minimum wage.
(04:47):
I worked at TGI Fridays on the corner of Exeter
and Newbury Street, and that was the Fall of seventy nine.
And the guy who trained me to be a bus
boy was none other than w BZ Fame for Bradley
j Huh.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I'm going to have Bradley Jr. Next week. I forget
which day because I'm filling in for Dan all next
week and I think he is going, oh you are.
I think he's gonna be on with me Thursday or Friday, So.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
I will make it a point to call in because
he knew me as Tommy Toons back going like nineteen
eighty because I used to roller skate and used to
have those headphones on and literally skate backwards through downtown
Boston traffic that if you were a good roller skater
you could you could do stuff like that. And the
(05:40):
moment part was one, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I will mention that to him when I have him
on Tarmy toone I will. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Absolutely. But now, like I said, Boston was a livaboo
city back then, and unfortunately I googled my old apartment
in miss Hill off a Caliumet Street and what used
to go for seven fifty and ninety two for a
three bedroom now goes for thirty seven hundred dollars. It's
just disgusting. I agree with Yeah, it is awful. All right, guys, thanks.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
For the call, and happy holidays to you.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Mary Gris.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Yeah, and a merry Christmas of the both of you,
and a happy New Year as well. But I'll make
an appointment call on Thursday or Friday next week. Bye bye, guys,
thank you, good night.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
All right, one open line if you want to grab
it six one, seven, four ten thirty or eight eight,
eight nine to nine ten thirty. Jim in Boston, you
were next on Night Side.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
I'm a joint this show tonight. I've been listening to
well for people that had shortly identifying and i was
going to identify this one and that one, and people
ahead of the already have done it. But well, I
did say I used to go down there quite a bit.
And uh, I don't know if you remember they had
the record American was down there behind Kennedy's.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
They had the street.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
Yeah, and when I was a kid on a Saturday night,
you could go down there. You hang around the dark,
and the guys would You could work for the guys
and be a runner from when they went around the
city and dropped off, uh, the paper at all the locations,
and you always see the guys on the car and
are waiting for that paper because they had played the
number that night. There was a big pile of the
(07:31):
city back then. I don't know, I'm serious, I remember it.
That was kind of funny. Did anybody mention Mickey fans
down there this morning? Good store?
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Oh yeah, yeah I did.
Speaker 6 (07:45):
I didn't hear that.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Washington and West Street, yeah.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
And I think it was a store named Bonds near Kennedy's.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
I don't know if anybody mentioned that.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, I remember they.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
Were yeah, yeah, I remember that. And then I know,
if you like watching movies or playing pinball, Washington Street
was the place to go. They had more pinball machines
and the movies were like, so we're triple headed, you know,
and it's a wonderful experience. And anyway, I just started
(08:21):
keep you a call, and they're enjoying the show tonight,
and that's all I gotta say.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Thank you, Jim, thank you for your call. Merry Christmas
to you. Get it right. And look at the time.
I'm gonna take my break, Rob, I hope you're paying attention.
Every break has been dead on on time. Okay, so
uh you want that open line, it's already been taken.
(08:45):
Time and temperature here on night Side nine fifteen forty
four degrees.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Now back to Dan ray Mine from the Window World
Night Sex Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Dan is off tonight. I get to say that every
break because there are people who tune in in the
middle of the show. At the end of the show,
they've been with me all night. But I need to
let everybody know that I am filling in for dam
My name is Morgan. My buddy Jack Hart is here
with me and we're reminiscing about the look of downtown
(09:24):
back in the day, fifties, sixties, seventies. Let's go to
Weston and speak to Joan. Joan. Good evening, Good.
Speaker 7 (09:32):
Evening, gentlemen. I hope you don't mind. Someone who didn't
see the Enchanted Village, Well saw it in the nineteen fifties,
but my memories go back before that.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (09:46):
Oh, so I can remember something magical for me at
Jordan Marsh back in the nineteen thirties. And I don't
know if you remember, but Nickey Mouse had made his
debut in around nineteen thirty and by the middle of
(10:06):
that decade or around that time, he was really big,
and Minnie was introduced. So then was a thing, an
entertainment or just something available at Jordan Marsh where people
could buy a ticket and their child cougar in and
have tea with many mouse in a little house. And
(10:30):
my mother took me in, and I was half afraid
and half enchanted. And there was this house with a
center door and little windows with shutters and a roof
over it. And Minnie opened the door, and my mother
wasn't allowed in. She could look in through the window.
(10:50):
Then she looked in and saw it was inside, which
was just a table and two chairs. And I sat
down and had tea with many mouse I don't really
I think I ate or drank anything. I just looked
at her because she had one of those heads on
that you see at Disney Worlds, you know, and I thought, oh,
(11:11):
poor Minnie, she has a funny.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Head, you know.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
I was maybe three and a half, four and a half,
and I can remember that because it was so indelible
in my mind, and that was my experience at Jordan's
and then across in the nineteen fifties when I was
out of college. I remember seeing the enchanted village. But
later on, not later on, early on at Felleen. Someone
(11:39):
mentioned Fellen's restaurant well in those days, in order probably
to bring people into the store because people didn't have
much money in the nineteen thirties, they had these special
parties for children, and the whole restaurant was just two
giant long tables, and they were just dozens of children.
(12:01):
And I think they must have had seatings where the
kids were about the same age, because I can remember
being not overwhelmed by the older kids and not underwhelmed
by babies. They all seemed to be around my size
or age, and they had the most gorgeous ice sculptures
(12:22):
all the way down the table in beautiful colors, and
then you got these wonderful sandwiches with the crust cut off,
and of course the big thing at the end was
ice cream, because ice cream was still something special, very
special in the nineteen thirties. So I thought, you guys
would like to know some things that went on before
(12:43):
you were even born.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Wow, do Mini Mouse wear a red and white poka
dot dressed?
Speaker 8 (12:51):
Yes?
Speaker 9 (12:51):
She did.
Speaker 7 (12:52):
I was going to say she had a red dress
with white polka dots on it. And I listened to
the main Mickey Mouse program that occasionally came on the radio,
because of course that's all you had, and I just thought, oh,
I'm right here with the real people. It just was
(13:13):
amazing and scary at the same time.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Now did many speak?
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (13:19):
Yes, she spoke very very carefully and nicely, and a
little squeaky because of the head I think, you know,
I'm not sure the mouth was where her mouth was,
but you know, looking back, I didn't know that at
the time. I just felt sorry for But it was
really really kind of special and I'll never forget it, and.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I would imagine by it to all our family.
Speaker 7 (13:48):
M I seek y, yes, I think later. Thank you
so much. I remembered most all of those places along
Washington Street in the nineteen fifties.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Thank you for your call.
Speaker 7 (14:10):
Thank you you.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Going downtown was a full dress affair when I was
a kid.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
It was Jack, are you ready?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Am I?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Uh? Huh? Are you?
Speaker 4 (14:26):
I could be?
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Are you ready for the next call?
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Who's that?
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Florence, Florence, welcome tonight's side?
Speaker 4 (14:41):
Name morning, good evening Florence.
Speaker 10 (14:47):
Jack.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And did you notice how he knew it was He
knew it was you.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
I knew it was you.
Speaker 9 (14:54):
Did you expect me to call the two of you?
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Actually no, because this was an emergency. Normally I promote.
I promoted that Jack, what's going to be on with
me next Monday? I remembered that year, and I called
them to say, can you come on tonight? I need you?
And Jacket, you never ever told me no, never, That's right.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So now there's all kinds of people making, making cookies
and things making getting a snack ready for Monday, and
I won't even be there.
Speaker 9 (15:26):
I had just turned to on a little while ago,
and I thought, wait a minute, Morgan and Jack, what's
going on? And so what you were talking about old
times and post and I don't have a lot of memories,
(15:47):
but I think I mentioned once on your show, Morgan,
that years ago, when I was younger elementary school age,
my mom and dad took me into this store called
House of Nine if I got a now, and I
(16:10):
did some modeling in there, and that I remember. It
was upstairs in the building and they had a big window,
like a big just a huge window where you could
look out and see the street activity, you know. And
(16:38):
that I remember, and I remember Jordan marsh and so
I just thought, well, I'll call in and mention that, well,
thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
House of Nine were located at the corner of Washington
Street and Winter Street.
Speaker 9 (16:59):
It was, yeah, across from either of you have a
memory of them.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I remember that, I remember the name. I remember the name.
I don't I don't recall having having gone in there
for for any particular reason.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
And I remember, but I never I never went in it.
Speaker 9 (17:23):
It was clothing, you know, they had a dull clothing
and children clothing, and yeah, yeah, I don't know. I
was modeling dresses and I bet you you were stunning,
tell me you, I think I was. And then when
(17:46):
I was five years old. I was in a beauty
contest that myself and a little boy we both won.
It was yeah, and it's funny. I can't recall him now,
but you know, probably back at the time, I probably
(18:11):
didn't get a big charge out of it. You know,
when you're a kid.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
You've got a lot of memorable history.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Wow, you grew up in Boston.
Speaker 9 (18:27):
No One, Maldon. Oh okay, I was, you know, born
in Marlton, grew up in Marldon, and you know, it
was nice back then there. I liked it and moved
a few times and then this is my last stop
(18:52):
that my husband and I found this town just by
accident driving through it, and you know, it appealed to us,
and so we ended up, you know, by in a
house here, and you know, it's been good. He's gone now,
(19:13):
but I'll remain here. You know, I like it. I
like it. It's very quiet that appeals to me.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I mean nice, I mean, it's so Sincerely, I hope
twenty twenty five is your best year ever, and I
hope you have a very I'll say again, very happy.
Speaker 9 (19:38):
Holiday, and I wish the both of you a nice
Christmas and New y It's okay.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Very thank you, good night.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Out about good night. Florence's line is open six one, five, four,
ten thirty or eight eight, eight, nine to nineteen thirty.
Dial it and cheer some of your memories with Jackhart
and yeah me Morgan White Jr. Time and temperature nine
thirty forty four degrees.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on' WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Dan Ray is off to night. I think he has
a hint of laryngitis that started to develop last night.
And if you listen to him last night, you heard
him refer to that. I listened partially to his show
last night. I found it interesting that he spoke to
(20:37):
a guy who does rodeo for a livingis no, no,
no no, because Dan does the show from a remote location.
I think his home. As I do listant filling in
for Dan and your home, and you say on clear
(21:00):
as the.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Bell, Jack, Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And I'm actually on
my cell phone and I'm not even talking into a
like a microphone or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Let's go to gentlemen. Speak to Fred. Fred good evening,
Welcome to night Side.
Speaker 8 (21:22):
Thank you very much. It's fun listening to your show tonight.
I got a cute little story. I'm eighty four years old,
and I grew up. I grew up in Winthrop and
I'll never forget back. Around nineteen fifty three, my buddy
and I it was a Satdy afternoon and we heard
(21:43):
on the radio the rodeo was at the Boston Gardens. Well,
we didn't have much money, so each of us went home.
We found pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. I think we
had each one dollar one of two dollars for each
of us, plus all all a pocket full of change.
So we decided to get on the bus and Winthrop
(22:05):
back then, the Blue Line started it at Maverick station.
I went to bus, went all the way to Ori
to Maverick station. There was no such thing as Orient
Heights Blue Line back then. And then we got on
and we went a couple of stops to the Boston
Gardens and we went in there and we asked for
the two cheapest tea tickets, and I think it costs
(22:29):
like two dollars. And here I am pulling out a
dollar bill and a dollar in pennies, Nicholson dimes, and
he did the same thing.
Speaker 11 (22:40):
They took it and they say, have fun so anyway,
we got in what was the big draw for us,
gene Aufrey and Champion his horse Champion.
Speaker 8 (22:53):
That was a big draw for us. And that's when
I got shocked by Boston prices. I think an ice
cream was like four times the price that I pay
in Winthrop at a corner variety store. So needless to say,
we didn't buy anything in the Boston Johnsons. We found
a variety store towards the North End, and then we
(23:17):
just to have something in Boston and then we went home.
So we had a good time there. Another good story
is any kid who was a nerd back in the fifties,
you went to Scarlet Square and you went to the
radio shack, the very original radio shack, and it was
(23:38):
in the basement of a building. You literally went down
four rickety wooden stairs and there was part of the
store was a dirt floor, lots of barrels from World
War two radios, and the big thing was they ripped
out the crystals. But the guys in the store told
you if you bought the radio, it was a probably
(24:00):
the military paid bundles for it. You paid like five
dollars for it, and they told you what variable capacitor
you could put in it and you could listen to
the stations. Another famous thing that the kids did. You
got the plastic covered that cigarettes came in like camels
(24:20):
to protect your camels, Paul Malls or your Chesterfields. And
you took that and you bought from him a little
tuna and a couple of resists and a capacitor, and
you went back to school and he told you how
to wire it out, and you hooked one wire to
(24:41):
your radiator at your house and another wire out to
a golf club sticking up and you could get w
BZ on your radio with a little battery in it.
And that was the biggie for the nerds and science
back in the fifties.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Well it's a simple now with the devices that you
can buy.
Speaker 8 (25:02):
But oh yeah, much more. But it was really something.
They had bells of all time. The original radio check was
in Scarlish Square where it all started. Thank you for
the memory, Thank you, Thank you Sank you did wonderful program.
Thanks a lot.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Bye buys line. Whoops, Fred's line is open. And if
you call in six one, seven, two, five, four ten
thirty or eight eight, eight, nine, two nine ten thirty,
I guarantee Jack and I will get to you. With
the amount of time we have left. We have roughly
(25:41):
fifteen sixteen minutes of show to go. Right now, Let's
go to Winter and speak to Jerry. Jerry.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
Yes, Hi, Morgan, I used to talk to you and
to Jack. Thank you, Jerry. I Hi, Hi, you doing Jack?
I have a question goes back into the fifties. I
remember my mother would take me to what is now
downtown Crossing. I don't know if this questions being as yeah,
but there were four I don't know what's well, I
know it's there now. But in the fifties there were
(26:11):
four major stores, well, there were three that I remember.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
One was.
Speaker 5 (26:17):
Macy or Jordan mash Right across the street was Pileen's,
and then across the street.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
From there they were next to each other on the
same side of the.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Street, which which ones Jordan's and Vilenes were.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Next to each other, yes, well, the same side of
the street on Washington Street, but across the street from
each other on the on the summer street.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Right, oh yeah, right, right, right, okay, But then there
was another building which was Gilchrist's across right, but now
on the other corner. For the life of me. I
can't think of what that fourth store was if there
was any there. There was Jordan's, Vileens, Gil Chris, and
there was the.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Was just talking about House Nines, and then there was
something on the first floor there as well, which was
a hosiery store.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
I think, yes, oh, House of Nines? What is what
was House of Knines? Was that a clothing store too?
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Or a clothing store?
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I'm guessing nine mint size nine or less?
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Oh? Oh oh, okay. I remember my hopping us through.
I was only I think seven or eight years old
at the time. It took the some kind of a
subway to get there. But yeah, I remember going go
Christian fy Wins and and Jordan's. But I didn't remember
that fourth That's why it was the House of Nines.
That wasn't it what you said? The name of the
store was in the basement.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
The first flow is that was a hosiery store.
Speaker 5 (27:40):
Oh maybe ladies hose? Yeah they could get a hose. Okay, yeah, jeez,
I wouldn't think. I've been working about that for years
and I couldn't take that fourth store. But that's probably
why it's not as famous, I suppose, as.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
As the other Jack and I just helped you.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
Yesppreciate it. Thanks so much, great show. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Jerry, thank you all right, thank you to Boston and
speak to John by the Jerry. Hello to John, John,
Welcome to Well.
Speaker 12 (28:14):
You got me to call because I wondering if you
remember the joke shops in Boston.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
They're long gone. Oh yeah, five of them.
Speaker 12 (28:22):
Jack Shop, those two guys, little Corner Jack's.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Jack's Jokes Shop had a location on Tremont Street more towards.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Uh one or so. It was that Little Jack Horner.
Speaker 12 (28:42):
Well they moved, those guys had Jack moved a few
times before they gave up and retired.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
They and then there was little Jack Horner.
Speaker 12 (28:55):
Magic shop, remember them on South Street.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I remember tradicians boy, oh yeah, yeah, they were gone.
Speaker 12 (29:03):
Yeah, there's really nothing like that to buy anything. You know,
it's all online.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
And it was gone. They would demonstrate any and all tricks.
Speaker 12 (29:16):
And they were buying in the store. You got to
see it how it worked.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
And they knew how to do every trick, how to
pull out handkerchiefs that were different colors from your mouth,
how to make anything disappear and or reappear. They knew
how to do all their tricks.
Speaker 12 (29:40):
Well, it was gone as joke shopping Quincy. He's been
gone a few years.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
I think he passed.
Speaker 12 (29:45):
And he was a dinosaur down there, and.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
He was Jerry, the one right there was there just
just just a handful of years ago down there on
uh Hancock Street.
Speaker 12 (29:57):
And he's gone. Unfortunately, you know, he was the last
of them, I think, the last shop that had joke
shop on it, not smoke shop, joke shop.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
If you're young, if you're a young kid and you
you were fascinated by magic. Unfortunately, there are no stores
like that anywhere anymore. And that's a shame.
Speaker 12 (30:22):
Well, I rememberly two years ago. That's about it.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Wow. I think that's a bit far to go to
learn how to do the trick.
Speaker 12 (30:32):
Then then how about Joe and Nemo's hot Dogs. They
were around for years. You forgot that you were.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
And as a matter of fact, earlier we had a
caller who lived on Bowden Street and the last Joe
and Nemos was on Bowden Street, right there at that
little corner where the State House.
Speaker 12 (30:53):
Yes, I think that they were the nephews. I think
the original owners of that, you know, passed on and
then nephews try to take it, but they weren't successful.
They're keeping the business going. That was back in the nineties.
They were around a short time and they were gone.
There's nobody doing a.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Really good the resurrect they tried to resurrect the brand
a little bit.
Speaker 12 (31:13):
There's nobody doing a good hot dog that you could
go in, you know, any place, really good tasty hunt,
you know, satisfying her be a great.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Going, be a great place you can get a hot
dog and buy jokes and buy joke stuff.
Speaker 12 (31:26):
There was one at the corner downtown crossing. Well, let's
not forget the combat zone either, you know, you gotta
mention that. But yeah, you can go.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
You used to get to the heavy Body.
Speaker 12 (31:36):
There was a hot dogs stand there there too.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
There was There wasn't Joe Neimos down in the combat zone.
Speaker 12 (31:42):
No, but no. But there was a corner little stand
where they used to grill the bread, put mayonnaise on
the bread, and sell hot dogs. Only that was about it.
You could wash them, make them up, I know. And
there's nothing like that anymore a good hot dog stand
in Boston that I know of.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Let's let's pull the money and make let's pull on
money and make it happen.
Speaker 12 (32:05):
The three of us. Steam didn't be a hot dogs.
They had a great taste. You know. I wasn't a
beer drinker by any means, but the steam would give
the heart dog a great favor.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
I agree, John. I gotta take a break, but thank
you for Thank you John, the last break of the hour.
Mary in Boston, be patient, you'll be first after we
take this break. Time and temperature nine forty six forty
four degrees.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World night.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Side Studios on WBZ News Radio. No, Dan, tonight, you
got Morgan, and you got Jack, and you got Mary
in Boston. Mary, good evening to you. Yes, Hello.
Speaker 10 (32:57):
One day, I have a two story was that I
hadn't been mentioned so far. One is Grayson's that was
on Tremont Street.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Okay, what did Grayson sell?
Speaker 10 (33:10):
Grayson's was a lady's clothing store.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Okay.
Speaker 10 (33:15):
It was also across College, which was a fancy women's
clothing store.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
I remember that, I call that and what what years?
Speaker 3 (33:27):
What years are these?
Speaker 10 (33:29):
And this would be in the fifties.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
Okay.
Speaker 10 (33:32):
I didn't shot. I think my sister did.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Well.
Speaker 10 (33:37):
I was all I j Fox and R. H.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Stearns Sterns. They were located around Bailey's.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
Yes, as a.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
Matter of fact, they're they're they're some of their the
facade work is I think there's a Lambert's in there
now in the front of the store. And but they
still some of them decorate some things of.
Speaker 10 (34:04):
Just have everything in case in glass. Like if you
wanted to look at gloves, they were under glass. You
had to you had to ask to look at them,
and they would show them to you. Did you know that?
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Yes?
Speaker 10 (34:17):
Okay? And another thing is did you notice that the
lady who called who was talking about the nineteen thirties, Yes,
and there was downtown. She's pronounced Piles is Follen's, which
is what my mother used to.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Say, because the pronunciation affected by those who pronounced it
or mispronounced it, and in Boston we were famous for
mispronouncing things.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
That's right.
Speaker 10 (34:54):
Well, Fillen Lincoln Paullen was the one who started Williams
and he was a big promoter for the Girl Scouts
of America. Did you know that?
Speaker 2 (35:07):
I didn't. I thought it was what I thought it was,
William Filene's.
Speaker 10 (35:12):
No, Lincoln Lincoln.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
William was was was a sun. I think, oh, okay,
the shopping bags the girl scouts.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
I know that, okay, Mary, because the shopping on the
shopping bags. A lot of them said William w M.
Because I remember asking my mother what did w M
stand for? Because I'm in kindergarten. How do I know
how to spell William? You said, that's a short way
(35:45):
of spelling William. I said, oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 10 (35:52):
And the other thing I remember looking in the windows
of Jordan's with the the Christmas Time show that they
used to have with the with the Enchanted Village, but
it wasn't called that then. It was just you just
went to the window and there were people standing behind you,
(36:14):
and everybody was ooing and iry about what they were seeing.
It was. It was lovely, it was magical.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I think they had those windows settings going back to
the fifties. And then somebody said, you know, we should
take over our fifth floor and get people pay to
see all these things interacting with each other.
Speaker 10 (36:37):
Right, but this was in the fifties and I saw it.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Yeah, took over.
Speaker 10 (36:44):
Yes, Yeah, it was very nice though. And also I
had chicken pot pie at Leen's restaurant on the top
floor of Leens.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
And we had a wonderful restaurant up there and one
day we have it.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
We haven't mentioned yet in Jordan's those blueberry muffins. Oh
my goodness, they were so delicious and.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
You can you can still get them.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
But also mentioned about filings is people don't remember the
Red Land and Cafe in the basement.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
The Red Lands and down off of.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Cambridge Street, red Lan, Well there was the red there
was the Red Hat off off the off of Cambra Street.
But the Red Land and Cafe was just a little segment,
you little section and fine in Jordan's basement and it's well,
you know, sort a little sort of a little raised
platform there and they had you know'd be like tea
in little sandwiches for ladies and things. And I think
(37:52):
they might have had like an ice cream clown or
something like that for kids. But yeah, my mother would
go there and get t and date nutbreads with cream cheese.
Speaker 10 (38:03):
Asked question, are you from Boston originally of us? Because
there were hearts that lived on uh a couple of
doors down from from us on Blueville Avenue related to them.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
May very well have been my my my father died
when I was young and his family was, you know,
so scattered about a little bit. So they may very
well have.
Speaker 10 (38:28):
Been, okay, because it was a frank heart that I
knew name wart h A R T.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Okay. Yeah, no, they say I've got an E.
Speaker 5 (38:45):
Oh maybe maybe.
Speaker 10 (38:46):
It hadn't me. I don't really never send some carter.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
Yeah, yeah, no, there there are, there are. There are
a few different hearts. There are some hearts without the E,
some with some with the E, and some of them are.
Speaker 4 (38:56):
Related to us.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
But we're you know, they they they kind of kind
of driven. My father's father died in nineteen eighteen during
the Spanish flewback then as they called it, the COVID
of the time, and so the family kind of got
his family kind of got dispersed a little bit, right, Okay, all.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
Right, Mary, thank you for the call.
Speaker 10 (39:21):
Thank you very much. Bye, Thanks Forky.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Jack. You know, I cannot thank you enough. Last minute.
You have never told me no ever, and I've had
you on a dozen or more times. I thank you
for coming on tonight. You help me kick off the
four hours of Dan Rays show night side superbly well,
and I'm.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Happy to do it. It's my favorite thing to do.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
You know, I was to say in front of thirty
eight states and parts of Canada, thank you to you, sir,
thank you.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
It was thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
What do you want to tell all of your fans
about your upcoming holiday?
Speaker 3 (40:04):
Let me see listen for me on traffic, doing traffic.
I'll be working of the bulk of the holiday. So
Merry Christmas to everybody. May your holiday be great and
may and hopefully I can get you to where you
need to go safely and avoiding traffic.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
And I'm stealing a quote here, although it's been said
many times many ways, Jack Hart, Merry Christmas to you,
and thank you.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
Merry Christmas to you.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
You take care of Jack YouTube, good night, Next hour.
Bill Friedman is my guest. I've had him before. He
has written a number of books, but we're going to
speak about a his book on the Las Vegas Strip,
Thirty years of History on the Las Vegas Strip. And
(40:54):
he's got another book coming up within a year and
a half it should be finished about Las Vegas. Very
intelligent man, very easy to talk to. So if you're
of a mind, stay port. You've given me half of you,
I give me the other half. We're here till midnight.
Time and temperature forty four degrees well, that's backwards temperature
(41:20):
and time nine fifty eight
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