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1669-28 Social, Society, & Local News 1927-1945 . --- I I f 1: :_. -q_ opinion 21. I The seasonal music business in Miami moonlight • 1936 was a lean year in Miami.Work was Buddy Brooke played the saxophone—a 'which sat on the property. Now it was home in the jitney,I put the duck imide my scarce and paid little when it was available. slim,blonde young man from New Haven, convened into two apartments.We occup- coat and much to my surprise and pleasure, • The Dinner Bell restaurant in Miami served Conn. A good musician, but he was an ied the lower apartment and Mr.and Mrs. the duck was quiet.Not a quack.We called a complete dinner,including dessert,for 35 alcoholic and could not hold a job in his Yinack,the owners, lived above us. This the two musicians at midnight and invited cents.Plus a nickel tip.And it was a good. hone town.So he drifted to Miami and building was at the end of a beautiful them over for a duck dinner for the hearty meal with many choices. Always a wound up at The Pig and Sax. garden which ran from Collins Avenue back following night. very busy place. The third man was Pedro Ramirez.He to the alley,at least 200 yards in length.The Freda and I filled the tub with water, The interurban streetcar ran from Flagler was a Latin from somewhere south of the Pinacks had bought the property and had figuring that any duck would take to water. Street in Miami across the Causeway to the boder.He never said where.He played the built the Fairmont hotel on the corner, But not this duck. He quacked loud and foot of Fifth Street on Miami Beach.Right string bass.But his string bass was made of turned the mansion into small apartments long and flew all over the bathroom, to the then-visible Atlantic Ocean. You aluminum and it sounded like the washtub and had a good commercial venture going. spattering us and the whole room with water could get a transfer to the local Toonerville string basses with one string that are used by and feathers.What do you do with a noisy Trolley which ran up Washington Avenue the country-music bands out in the Freda and I filled the tub duck at midnight when your landlord live and Pine Tree Urine to 41st Street. boondocks.Thump,thump,thump was all in the upstairs apartment? It was a bucolic atmosphere which that ever came out of that tinny instrument. with water,figuring that We took the duck and went out into the became absolutely somnolent during the Pedro had a few words of English but for the any duck would take to alley back of the house and walked next summer months. Only from December to most part he smiled a secret smile and door to the house of our friend and April did the two cities waken to the flow of thumped his metal bass,always using the water. But not this duck. neighbor,Mrs.Snows.She had a garage in tourists from the North.They stayed at the same notes, regardless of what song was He quacked loud and long back of her house that was used as a storage fine naae„ ,.., Is., as,,.„ .a._ •� Miura played. andfew all over the room.With a length of string we tied the Biltmore,the Nautilus,the Flamingo,the I was the fourth man. A law-school duck toa bedpost in the garage and left him Floridian and the Fleetwood on Miami graduate admitted to the bar in New York bathroom, spattering us and there.He was a lonesome duck and he kept Beach and in Miami at the Columbus and state, I played on an old, upright piano the whole room with water quacking assay.We planned to pick him up the McAllister where the horse players which sat on the side of the elevated in the morning,take him to a butcher to be congregated. If you went as far afield as bandstand in the parking lot of The Pig and and feathers. killed and plucked and dinner would be on Hollywood,the fine Hollywood Beach Hotel Sax. . its way. was a grand and sumptuous caravansary We played the current pop tunes, A one-block walk brought us to the Al daybreak,Freda and I went to the comparable to the best hotels in the country. Hawaiian songs and country-and-western ocean.No buildings between Collins Avenue garage to retrieve the duck.Someone had Rich or poor,it's nice to have money.And music. and Ocean Drive.An ideal spot for Bobby heard the ouack and had gotten there before even in Depression'ic-s,the S.srh Herd, We hail plenty of"ustmmers.They mould who was then five years old. He had the us.The string was there but the duck was tourists had plenty of the long green which sit in their cars in the parking lot. The whole garden in which to play, plenty of gone. they spent at the hex tracks, the dog carhops,dressed in red slacks and white people from the hotel to fuss over him Our frit to dinner that tracks,jai alai and at the gambling casinos. shirtwaists,would take the orders and come during the season and we could spend the spag cel. For this they got luxurious accommodations, out with the food and drink on a folding day on beautiful Miami Beach,swimming in succulent food and the finest of service. metal tray which would be firmly fixed over the ocean and resting on the sands under t Come April 15 when Tropical Park closed, the customer's car doors when the windows palm trees.All for$15 a month. Rudy Baum is a retired band leader mitt they disappeared and Miami and Miami were let down. Barbecued ribs and beer. I would leave the house at 7 p.m., k rarely writes about himself His stories Beach went back to sleep until the following Roast Beef, roast pork, fried potatoes, five blocks to Fifth Street, board a ney appear periodically on the OPINION page. season. hushpuppies.When we played, the carhops running to Miami and, for a dim ride Ile lives in Williamstown each summer. "But it's a long,long time from May to would bang on their metal trays with knife across the Causeway and get out t in December"was proven year after year in and fork, keeping time with the music. front of The Pig and Sax.At 11 I d Miami.Especially in the music business. Noisy,gay and friendly.They were out on conic hone the same way,usually g g editorial There were few year-round engagements. the town and for a half-dollar they had food, home well before midnight.Seven night The Baghdad,in Opa L deka,ran steadily drink and entertainment.And fresh air and week.But it was a good steady job and it year after year.The hours were from 8 p.m. Moon Over Miami.Thc moon always shone served our needs well. — s a a...,w. a concrete effort too a.m.,three shows nightly plus dancing, in Miami,no matter what night of the month • Early in October two musicians came underway to do something about the seven nights a week. Fifty-six hours each u happened to be. down to try their luck in Miami. Torchy dodge-'em.course called Spring Street. A week for$40.But it was a steady job. The ruling genius of The Pig and Sax was Clements came from Michigan. He was a plan by police, merchants and the town Maher McKay. He was a medium-sized very fine bass player.Doc Osborne was a manager to force delivery trucks to stop on I was the fourth man. A Irishman with a big,barrel chest and a big drummer from Rochester, N.Y. They the west side of the street only will be a race.When he yelled,which was often,he shared a room in a small hotel on Collins valuable experiment and a sensible idea. law-school graduate admit could be heard from one end of the place to Avenue and we met them several times on — Less sensible thinking seems to be ted to the bar in New York the other. His waitresses hopped fast to the beach.They did not have much succeess going on at the Sign Commission, whose state, I played on an old, serve the customers and the chefs and in finding work and as a consequence they members declined recently to even vote on a bartenders didn't waste any time when were living on spaghetti which they warmed requnt from the Water Street Merchants upright piano which sat on Mother McKay was on the job.Which was on an electric burner in their hotel room. Association to put directional signs direc- the side of the elevated all of the time.I never entered Thc Pig and We felt that we should invite them over ting shoppers to the street near the bandstand in the rktn lot Sax without seeing him there. for a home-cooked meal but could not figure intersections with Main Street and at the g At that time I weighed about 125 pounds out what we could afford to nerve. I Five Corners. of The Pig and Sax. We and did not look too well fed.Despite his mentioned the matter to Mother McKay played the current pop outward noise and bluster,Mother McKay and he said,enigmatically,"Let me think A casual observer around town might did not belie his name.He knew that 1 did about it."I let him think. note the large sign notifying tourists about tunes, Hawaiian songs and not really belong to that motley crew on the Once each week The Pig and Sax would Spring Street,signs at both ends of Mains country-and-western music. bandstand and after I worked there for a put on what was laughingly known as Road directing people to the Orchards and week or so. he Came over during an "Farm Night."They would sell raffle tickets even hand-lettered,paper signs Scotch-taped intermission and said,"Hey kid,how'd you to the customers in the cars and at about to posts on Spring Street announcing a Now The Pig and Sax drive-in was also a like to have a bowl of soup and a big meat 10:30 p.m.the tickets would be drawn from last-minute Williamstown Theater Festival steady job.It was situated on 13th Street sandwich every evening?" Kid! I was a hat amid ruffles and flourishes,and the show.What kind of fairness is it to deny near Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.At The probably older than he'was but everybody prizes would be a basket of sweet corn or local merchants a chance at a little modest Pig and Sax drive-in they served barbecued was "kid" to Mother Nick ay. "I would tomatoes or cucumbers ora six-pack of beer promotion? ribs, huge sandwiches, corned beef and really appreciate that,"I replied,drawing in and always a live chicken and a live duck. —Selectmen need to do some thinking cabbage,beer and wine and pop. my cheeks to look a little hungrier.So every The next Farm Night, Mother McKay about the proposed smoking ordinance they And music! ."am I had a good meal at The Hg and Sax came up to me,handed me a raffle ticket will be getting a look at next week. We sve were the music. The Rag-T ;r•.d Moeller 5'c1.:=y smiled sifter he saw-e and raid,"Temight y c-ii..t',:i'.?w,: cr u,•inir agree Lim, smoking siisauid be Quartette.Bill Kealahola,a refugee from eating and enjoying. He was a kind man No matter what ticket is pulled, your banned during meetings in town hall.Any Hawaii,played a four-string guitar tuned despite his rough exterior. And the $15 number will be called and you can take ordinance should go slow, however, at like a ukulele.He sang Hawaiian songs and salary was always on time at the end of the home the duck and feed your friends."lie legislating the layout of area restaurants. • an occasional pop tune when he could week. No tax. No deductions. Just cash winked and walked away. mud of which already recognize the rights of •remember the words.He couldn't sing and money. Sure enough, when the live-duck prize smokers and non-smokers alike.We don't he couldn't play but he was loud and large Freda. Bobby and I lived in a little came up,my number was called. I picked eat where we can't breath; most sensible and joshed with the customers who sat in apartment at 10th Street and Collins up the live duck,tied him to the piano leg. people we know don't either. A sensible their old cars in the parking lot in front of Avenue on Miami Beach. It had been the played the last set and packed up.The duck restaurant owner doesn't need a law to The Pig and Sax. senants quarters of an extensive mansion quacked in time to the music.On the way figure that one out. • Fs�/y yy�/� y�fir- az E PROF Pa Illi- Center241 Nash St..Punted,MA 01:01 /? \may & Pasko Gall�l�y ({t))442-2680 -:,-,'Y 1 Rua.2 6 1,Wdlumaruwm c...., .t' (arms. 1.1 ( 13)4589290 from 1896 soul F S SEASON RUNS 0 DellUll�.e' FOR RESERVATIONS THROUGH A..>Framed Artwork LABOR DAY I976,gea��y BOX OFFICE i (802)867-5777 1 Custom Framing Posters - Prints TINTYPES A MUSICAL delight! 1......1141110111601: . _ la.t.... - Open 7 days Through JULY 19 Mon.Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. - -.,n Sun.noon-4 p.m. Dorset Playhouse•Dorset\'t.Route 30•6 miles north of Manchester • 1 ••.. „ .. •_ 4 i v ,,cry y S .i:v yk,..v{ ?e`'rtussrr w ..