Happy Birthday Chrysler Building

NY Times ^ | April 22, 2005 | James Stephenson

[M. Espinola]

Thank you for the graphic compliment :)

In terms of the last posting I did that was a b/w 1939 Chrysler (with skies attached in rear)

When most 'Boston Girls' were proper, refined young ladies, not raging, leftist battle axes.

Another 39.

1939, TV was placed on the back burner when the war broke out.

1939-April-NYTimes-Dumont-AD

TV/1939-DuMont-Model

Not a Chrysler but a 39 Olds.

[speedy]

Love those wide-screen Dumonts!! And especially the Philip Morris ad where "eminent doctors" found that Philip Morris does less damage to your throat than the other leading brands. And another great aerial view of NYC -- has any city been photographed so much, from so many angles?

[M. Espinola]

Cloud8: You were driving a man of living New York history. Many of these photos would have been like 'yesterday' for him.

Speedy: Maybe the only other city photographed over the years is Paris but they can't touch N.Y. :)

Herald Square 1920's

Waldorf-Astoria on 5th. Avenue in 1900...now home to the Empire State Building

Flatiron Building Under Construction New York’s Flatiron Building, seen here while under construction from 1901 to 1903.

The Automat, 977 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, February 10th, 1936

Chick Webb, Artie Shaw & Duke Ellington Uptown.

The Crash of 29!

N.Y. Jazz, 52nd Street>

The Cotton Club late 1930's

[Rockitz]

I've stayed at both of the "W" hotels on 39th with beautiful views of the Chrylsler building and many fond memories.

[speedy]

More great photos, thank you. I had never seen a picture of the Flatiron under construction. Right about then is when the Statue of Liberty's arm would have been sitting diagonally from it in Madison Square, where it was used for fund-raising before the completed statue went up in the harbor. I believe the building in the foreground is the Fifth Avenue Hotel, which was one of the early elegant NYC hotels. There is still a famous street clock from that era in front of the current building.

Really loved the music photos, especially the shot of 52nd -- just from the signs you can see, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Billy Eckstine and Jack Teagarden all performing on the same block -- man, I'd be digging deep to do some club-hopping there. Nice Cotton Club shot, too. They have a resurrected version on 125th now -- not close to the elegance of the original, but still fun, especially on Monday Big Band night. One old gem still in business is the Lenox Lounge, on 125th and Lenox, which I recommend to you if you haven't been there -- restored to its 1930s glory. At least as of a year or so ago, they got some decent acts in there on weekends.

[cloud8]

Great thread! Thanks for posting, Pharmboy, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[MinuteGal]

I'm adding my thanks to your thanks. This has been one of the bestest non-political threads on FR in a long time.

(.......a popular New York City myths is that the slang term "twenty-three skidoo" comes from the Flatiron Building at Twenty-Third Street and Broadway/Fifth Avenue. This is what the tour bus operators tell the passengers when they pass the building. Oh, well, if the myths persist, do not resist).

Twenty-Three Skidoo!

Leni

[M. Espinola]

..."just from the signs you can see, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Billy Eckstine and Jack Teagarden all performing on the same block -- man,"

Man is right, think of it, all those Jazz greats and who knows how many others all playing on 52nd Street, on the same night!

Thanks for the tip on the Lenox Lounge.

Billy Eckstine on a visit to his hometown Pittsburgh. Photo by Teeny Harris.

Dizzy Gillespie 1947

Once inside this link click 'artists' you will not believe the whose who.

Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa,

The one & only Miss Ella

[speedy]

Amazing group photo in Harlem -- that could have been one hell of a jam session. Funny how the neighborhood kids just wandered into the shoot. Jimmy Rushing ("Mr. 5x5") easy to pick out from a distance. Speaking of jazz legends, I am seeing on back to back nights in May McCoy Tyner and Dave Brubeck when they come to Boston. Hope they live long enough to make it!! I saw Ahmad Jamal a few weeks ago, and if anything he sounds better than he did on his 50s recordings. Thanks for more outstanding photos -- nice seeing Diz having a good time at the street sign.

[M. Espinola]

I thought that picture of so many Jazz artists in one grouping was amazing.

You are taking in some great Jazz there. McCoy Tyner and Dave Brubeck was be getting up there in age now. It's good to hear Ahmad Jamal still playing as well.

Well, maybe there will be another thread like this later on.

[speedy]

Well, I certainly hope there is another thread like this. It was educational and touched on some of life's most pleasant subjects -- New York, jazz, old movies and cars. BTW, if you do take in the NY jazz scene these days -- in addition to Lenox Lounge, which is great fun -- I am sure you know Village Vanguard and the Blue Note, which still bring in the big names (much better atmosphere at VV, plus it costs a lot less) -- but another excellent, lesser known venue which I loved is Smoke, which is way up on Broadway around 105th or 106th. Great talent, intimate atmosphere. Of course Iridium near Times Square gets big name acts in an upscale setting, but I prefer Birdland on 44th -- probably the closest to the Nick and Nora Charles ambience. Harlem has other fun clubs which occasionally get some good acts -- Showman's on 125th, as well as Robin's Nest nearby -- St. Nick's Pub used to be great, but last I heard it had closed -- maybe it has re-opened --great cramped atmosphere -- late night jam sessions would get unbilled appearances from people like Wynton Marsalis and Stevie Wonder. Arthur's in the Village used to have Eri Yamamoto on Saturdays -- no cover, fun trio, lots of jazz history. And the funky C-Note on 10th and C -- holds about 15 people max -- you can get any kind of music there, but early Saturday evenings they had this old jazz organist -- Gil Riggin? can't recall the name now -- he would rap up by 8 o'clock so he could get to bed, but loads of fun. I'll talk New York any time you want!! And thanks again for your encyclopedic collection of photos.

[cloud8]

> ...a popular New York City myth is that the slang term "twenty-three skidoo" comes from the Flatiron Building at Twenty-Third Street and Broadway/Fifth Avenue.

According to www.phrases.org.uk: "23-skidoo" came from an expression that construction workers used while building the Flatiron Building on 23rd Street in N.Y.C. 23rd Street is one of the wider streets in New York that is like an uninterrupted wind-tunnel between the East and Hudson Rivers. Frequently, when one is walking north or south on the avenues and comes to such an intersection, he can experience a sudden blast of wind as soon as he passes the wall of a corner building. Apparently, when the workers sat on the sidewalk to eat their lunches, they would watch women's skirts blow up from the sudden gusts.

The same site offers several explanations for 23-skidoo, including the following from the Death Valley Days: "The phrase originated in the Panimint Mountains in Death Valley in the early 1900s. The mining town of Skidoo had 23 saloons and if you were going to go get drunk you would try to get a drink at each of the saloons. This started the phrase of going "23 skidoo" if you were going to have a good time." (More on the Skidoo Mine here with some fine doggerel.)