Update 4-10-07

All right,

First, a culinary correction, leading to a cookie conversation.

From Marc Jonas:  Errata in the last newsletter:  I wrote "black and white cookies," not macaroons.

[Rich --  Obviously, I guessed wrong about the cookies, and I noticed that in transcribing from your uppercase to my lower case lettering, I changed Mr. Greenberg's name to "Greenburg."  I'll fix it next week.
    Now tell me more about black and white cookies.  Vanilla cookies half-dipped in chocolate?  Or cookies made half of vanilla and half of chocolate dough?  The reason for my thinking they were macaroons is the guy I spoke with from Wall's alternately referred to the macaroons I ordered as "black and white" and as "chocolate dipped vanilla."]

Marc:  As the attached picture shows, the black and white cookie is a large round cookie / cake, with half vanilla and half chocolate icing, over a convex shaped vanilla cake.  They're a real New York specialty and were featured on at least one "Seinfeld" episode.

[Rich:  A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in this newsletter, it would only dump 150 e-mails into the spam folder.  So everyone's going to have to imagine the photo Marc sent.]

Marc:  From "The Dinner Party" episode of "Seinfeld":
JERRY: Oh, look, Elaine, the black and white cookie.  I love the black and white.  Two races of flavor living side by side [mumble?]  It's a wonderful thing, isn't it?
ELAINE:  You know, I often wonder what you'll be like when you're senile.
JERRY:  I'm looking forward to it.

[Rich -- And how long did it take me to eat five pounds of Wall's chocolate-dipped vanilla macaroons, with just a little help from my friends and neighbors?  About two weeks.]

Loosely related, from Eric Hilton:  You mentioned Wall's Bakery, which brings back great erotic memories.  When I was younger, my aunt would take me there for a huge black and white or chocolate chip cookie.  This was after dragging me into Lohman's, down the street, where I would sit in the dressing room watching in horror as size 18 women in long-line girdles and garter belts would try squeezing into size 6 dresses, which were on sale.  Not counting National Geographic, that was the first time I had ever seen a woman's breasts.  Don't adults know what those images do to a young man?  I think I was home on leave from the Navy at that time.

From Claire Brush Reinhardt: I know everyone has been writing in about favorite bakeries.  I remember a place in the Penn-Mill Shopping Center that we used to go to, lots of times, with Vince Tampio (Mr. "T") after play rehearsals for a burger and...  It was called the Noshery, or something like that.  I don't know if anyone from other classes would remember it.  Maybe it went out of business by the time you guys were seniors.

Hey, folks -- Moss in Maine here.  We got a late snowfall last night, and the drive to work this morning was incredible, snow-covered farmlands and pine trees.  It has been eleven years since I moved to Maine, and I am still in love with the state.  Anyway, on to more food memories.
    How about Len’s Charcoal Grill, right next to Newberry’s in the interior section of the Green Acres Shopping Center?  Remember the huge glass window in the front, so you could look in and watch them making those incredible hamburgers on the grill?  I haven't had red meat for almost twenty years, but the discussion of Peter Rosen’s hamburger and fries at Cookie’s and those images of Len’s burgers -- ooeeeeee -- makes me drool!
    Also, Nathan’s in Long Beach, during the summer.  I remember going with Barnet, Artie, and Elliot in his beautiful Ford Galaxie convertible (sigh!) and meeting up with more Falcons on some Friday nights.  Also I remember taking a few trips there with Stu Kandel in his family “luxury liner” BIG Buick Electra 225.  Are my memories correct, Stu?
    Also, the unlucky South High student who got hit by a car in front of Molly’s Sweet Shop one weekday morning.  That would be my sister Linda!  She was a senior when I was a seventh grader, so I don’t remember too much of the details, but she was pretty lucky -- just bruised and a bit shaken up.
    And back to old television shows:  I've been watching the DVD of the first season of “Wild Wild West," one of my all-time favorite shows.  CBS has done an incredible restoration job on the episodes, and they are still great.  The first and second seasons are now out, covering 1965-1966 and 1966-67.  The series ran two more years after that, and then it had two very successful reunion / made-for-TV movies in the 1970s.  There was great chemistry between Robert Conrad, as Jim West, and Ross Martin, as Artemis Gordon -- "the James Bonds of the Old West.”  Robert Conrad hosts the DVDs.  Regrettably, Ross Martin has passed away.

From Booker Gibson:  Thank you for correcting the misinformation about the three famous men.  I believed it without trying to investigate more.  Bob Keeshan used to visit the country club I played in for twenty-two years, and he was always quiet and respected.  The only person I knew personally who is buried at Arlington National Cemetery was the former South High history teacher / football coach, Joe Callahan.  Do you remember Joe?  Once, on a South High field trip, I toured the cemetery with South students.  Robert Fiveson, I couldn't resist posing next to the heavyweight champion Joe Louis' grave.

From Judy Hartstone:  Thanks for the truth about Lee Marvin and Bob Keeshan. I was pretty sure it was a load of hooey!  The Internet is certainly a boon in a lot of ways, but there will always be scoundrels subverting any new technology. Now, misinformation can be spread faster to more people than any time in history.  And that's the truth!

More from Eric Hilton:  Good morning from beautiful Sarasota, Florida. Thanks for reminding me about some wonderful dining experiences. I'd like to clear up a few issues that come to mind.  Jerry, if I remember correctly, Leo and Molly had the corner candy store down the block from me on Avondale Street, then moved to Mill Road by South High.  After closing that store, they opened a card store on Rockaway Avenue, about one block south of the old library, if anyone remembers where that was.  I think Molly passed away in the late 70s or early 80s.
    After the stock car races in Freeport, we would go to Jahn's.  The Kitchen Sink was a thing of beauty.  As a young fat kid, I was mesmerized by its grandeur.  It was like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time.  I couldn't move.  I just stared.  What started out as 1,400 scoops of every flavor ice cream turned into a melted, nauseating sea of unidentifiable liquid substance resembling the Exxon Valdez oil disaster.
    For our Chinese dining, the Bamboo Inn being too expensive, we went to Tim Chan's on Sunrise Highway.  It later became a club called the Back Barn. Tim Chan's was near Ed's Aquarium, a place I remember seeing a sixty-gallon fish tank with a sign saying "Rare Invisible fish only $2 each."  I started laughing hysterically, thinking what kind of idiot, what stupid moron, what putz would actually pay $2 each for something so outrageous?  Of course, I bought eight for $4 and paid $20 for a tank to keep them in.
    Marc, recently, for a birthday present, I ordered a chocolate cheese cake from Junior's, which could just make you plotz.  I remember Len's for having the best Hamburgers and vanilla ice cream soda.  As for TV, my friend's father was the head tape editor at Fox, and he often would get to meet Soupy Sales, who would come to his home on Long Island.  Does anyone remember who the famous TV personality was who helped officiate the ribbon-cutting opening of Green Acres shopping Center?  If my memory serves me well, as I was there with my parents, I think it was Private Doberman from "The Phil Silver's Show."  Is there any way to verify that?  Does Robert Fiveson or anyone have access to old Valley Stream records?
    Hope you all are well.  My warmest regards to all, and thank you for the great memories.

From Ryki Zuckerman:  It has come to my attention that the news we send you and you publish in the class of '65 newsletter is accessible to all in cyberspace, not just in the e-mails.  You probably knew this, but I didn't realize it.

[Rich -- How are our weekly newsletters accessible?  I haven't posted the updates on the class homepage for almost a-year-and-a-half.  I ran out of space.  Are you sure that people aren't simply reading old news?]

From Ryki Zuckerman:  It must have been old newsletters.  Google yourself, and it will come up.

From Stephen Lando, principal of South High, by way of his secretary, Liz King Giordano:  I'm pleased to inform you that our Awards Assembly will take place on Wednesday, June 6, 2007, at 7:30 PM, in South Hall.  We would greatly appreciate if you can let us know who will be making the formal announcement and presentation that evening for The Vince Tampio Theater Award and The Booker Gibson Music Award.
    Please contact our awards coordinator, Liz King Giordano, to let us know who will be presenting the awards this year.  I look forward to your participation in June.

[Rich -- I quickly wrote to Booker Gibson and Linda Tobin Kettering, who've been presenting these awards, to see if they were interested in continuing.  Linda wrote back first.]

From Linda:  It will be my pleasure!

And, soon after, from Booker:  Yes, I hope to be there, cane and all.  I may see Linda Tobin Kettering before then, since she also attends some of the Alumni Association meetings.  As you probably know, our weather has been lousy and cold lately, so it's hard to even imagine June yet.
 
[Rich -- So that's nicely set.  Which leads us to that time of year again.  We have 150 dollars in the Vince Tampio account, and 83 dollars in the Booker Gibson account.  That means we need 350 dollars from the folks who've promised to support Vince's award, and 417 dollars from the folks who like to remember Booker.  Checks should be made out to:  Rich Eisbrouch, and sent to me at:  23030 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California  91367.  In the bottom left corner of the checks, please indicate which award you're supporting or if you want your contribution split between the awards.  Liz King Giordano likes to get the money by mid-May, so that gives us five weeks to level the accounts.  As soon as we reach the intended goals, I'll let everyone know.  I hate holding on to other people's money over the course of the year.]

Finally, also from Booker:  Rich, I hope you escaped the most recent big Los Angeles fire, near the famous Hollywood sign.

[Rich -- Actually, I live about fifteen miles from the sign, about as far as South High is from the Empire State Building.  But Barnet Kellman lives considerably closer to the sign, and downwind.  So think about him.]