Being from the Bronx, I’ve definitely enjoyed watching this. I couldn’t help but reminisce about my time growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. From going to the movies at the Lowe’s paradise the valentine A plethora of Yankee games, Break dancing in front of my building at 613 E. Fordham Rd. visiting family all over the Bronx. And embracing all of the cultures. The Bronx made us!
I'm 69 yrs old Born and raised in the Bronx. We lived on Holland Ave between Astor and Waring but Fordam/ Concourse was one of my stomping grounds. My first serious girl friend lived there. She worked as a nurse at what was Fordam Hospital at Southern Blvd. Man what memories. Thank you Avery.
What an amazing video. I really enjoyed this and I am so glad I am able to see your story. I grew up in Throggs Neck but I will never forget riding around the Bronx with my dad growing up. He brought me to the Bronx Historical Society and we bought my first Bronx history book, History In Asphalt and I would spend a lot of time reading about the early Bronx. My dad has a lot of Bronx Then and Now books too but seeing a video like yours brings it alive. Thanks!
used to live on Bryant ave 3 blocks from the 41 pct fort apache. used to hang around Boynton and Watson at syds luncheonette. we moved to college and 170 across the street from taft high. gramps lived at 1420 grand concourse overlooking taft high.after the service mom moved to 3540 de kalb ave off gunhill road. proud of being a Bronx guy. in the late 60's and seventies the neighborhoods started to deteriate with people who had no respect for anything. noisy, filthy, lowlifes moved in. the neighborhoods went downhill. proud of where I came from, it will never be like that again.
Ahhh... just great. My Bronx years were in the sixties - but much was the same - The Paradise, The Ascot, Candy stores. Poe Park... working on my own graphic novel called Bronx Boys... Thanks Avery
Grew up in N.J. but my maternal Grandparents lived on Bambridge Ave and other Grandparents lived on Webb Ave. Spent time during the 60's there. My Aunt was the Dean of the Fordham Library. Father went to Regis H.S. and Fordham U. Lotta good memories. Watching Mantle hit HRs was the best!
I grew up between 200 201st My grandparents lived at the site of the Lowe's Paradise before it was a theater. They had an apt. I attended St Phillip Neri on Grand Concourse for 8 years. My mother worked on Park Avenue and I basically was a latchkey child but had older siblings and allot of friends to play with after school until my parents came home from work. I loved the Botanical Gardens and know the park inside out. The zoo was also my favorite. Fond memories of the Bronx, thank you for sharing your experience
I'm from 199th & Decatur. Went to OLR cuz my mother didn't want me crossing the Concourse. Hayes for High School. I live in Vermont now, Big Difference! Last time I was in the neighborhood I noticed a big Southeast Asian presence.
Avery: Thank you for such a wonderful remembrance of your neighborhood. My wife grew up around the corner from you at 164 West 184th Street, and your description of "the old neighborhood" made her smile. She, too, went to PS 33 and her fondest memories are of her childhood watching the world go by from her bedroom window overlooking the Grand Concourse. We return to the neighborhood regularly and partake of a world that is very different from the Irish-Jewish-Italian neighborhood in which she grew up, yet in many ways it is still wonderful it all of its sights, sounds, and smells. Perhaps this is why she insisted that, after 30 years away, she has returned to the Bronx, with me, a native of Astoria now living happily in a community that I barely knew while growing up a short distance away. Best, Michael Gera and Christina Buckley
Thank you for watching and taking the time to respond. What is so interesting about that neighborhood is how much of everything is still standing as it always was, P.S. 33, the location of the storefronts, the same buildings, like a large time capsule.
I'm 61 now started my first 18 years in day bronx last place I lived 169th Sheridan Avenue one block off the grand concourse. Went to wade jr high and Taft high school's.
What a gem. Our family moved to The Bronx from Florida in the early 50's when I was in 4th grade. Morris Ave. Just south of 183rd. Went to the same schools, PS 33 then PS 79 until our family moved back to FL 4 years later. This really carried me back in time. Ring-a-ling-a-lario anyone?
,One of the reasons they won't open the Loews to the public is because it's one one of the worst areas in the Bronx. big crack/drug area. I also heard that the man that started restoring it ran out of money and no one wanted to invest in the theater in that neighborhood . I was there for a food show in Manhattan back in 2011 and no cab driver in Manhattan would drive me to the Bronx ( even for double the fare). So I took the D to Fordham rd and at night, you don't want to be there. I remember the place well. HUGE goldfish and the moving stars and clouds. What a place. Admission was hefty ( 50 cents). My theater in the Belmont section a block from Arthur ave was a quarter. We didn't go often even for a quarter. Why? No one had a quarter!! This is a great vid,ll thanks so much Mr. Corman...
What a great job and very informative. I learned some new things regarding the neighborhood. My stomping grounds in my teenage years. The stories were great.
“The Old Neighborhood” and “50”-my favorite books ever. Thank you, Avery Corman, for sharing your gift of writing, and a glimpse into the days of your youth.
Avery, I went to P.S. 33 for Kindergarten. I happened to start the Fall JFK was shot. Because of that I have very vivid memories of that day and the school even though my family moved further North and West in the Summer of 1964 and I ended up finishing my elementary school education at P.S. 122 (The Marble Hill School, now PS 310). I loved what you said about the teachers. Even in the 1960s and 70s we still had the best teachers. My husband, who grew up in Washington Hts. and I always say how privileged we were to get such a great education in public schools. Our teachers were top notch and extremely dedicated. Thanks for filming your take on this.
I appreciate your reaction. I went back to visit PS 33 a year ago. Strong emotions to be inside the place where you were once so little. You can barely take it in from a lifetime ago.
I loved your video, Mr. Corman. I'm from University Heights, lived on University Avenue between Fordham and 183rd Street for 18 years, and before that, grew up in Morris Heights from 1965 until 1978. I will always be a Bronxite.
That's a beautiful story! You are very lucky. I lived in that neighborhood for 11 years. I moved out almost 2 years ago. I really wish that things could go back to being the same as they were when you grew up there. If so, then I & a number of people might've been a lot happier living there.
The story about his mother regularly taking him to numerous sporting events although she herself really never had an interest in sports, to me, showed a truly self-sacrificing spirit in behalf of her son, as well as a strong desire to help him to grow up to be a well rounded man despite the fact that there was no man-figure in the household. Now, that woman was a true parent......A far cry from the so-called parents we see in modern society today, folks.
+TheChicagoL Thank you for your comment. My mother walking up the stairs with me to sit in the upper reaches of Madison Square Garden for a hockey game is one of the important memories of my growing up years.
Wonderful film! I grew up on East 72nd street in Manhattan. The Bronx was a million miles away. Thank you for sharing. Also--the black ensemble makes you look quite sharp. Good job, sir.
I loved this. Brought back so many memories of my growing up in The Bronx during the 60s and 70s. I loved shop. I was blessed to have had woodworking, cooking, sewing, graphic arts. I also, had art class, and worked the printing press on our little school newspaper. I was well known for my kickball, and handball skills; though classmates would nearly fight to not have me on their basketball, or volleyball teams. I was worse than horrible at both. Always the last pick left. 😂😂
Thank you for that explanation on how we viewed war back then. Is a far cry I believe in how people see what it means to be an American patriot was and meant. Again thank you sir.
Wonder video! Morris Avenue and 196th Street from 1956-1977. PS 86, Creston JHS 79, Bronx Science, Lehman College. Times, people, and places never to be forgotten!
Thank you. My father was born in 1935 and grew up in the Bronx somewhere near Grand Concourse. He also had a happy childhood there and played stick ball. He died recently so watching this touched me especially. But it made me happy to know he grew up in a friendly, warm place. He never became cynical and lived fully; He became a physicist.
I'm just so touched, I'm in tears🥺 Gen-Y here. I appreciate my parents and older siblings keeping the culture alive in my youth as Bronx residents. book covers, marbles, hand ball, even stickball.
You will never know how INCREDIBLY important this video is to me-you describe so much history-THANK YOU for taking time to do this video-PLS DO MORE as I know the Bronx and YOU have so much more history to share!!!!
Wow! I lived in the Bronx from 1965 till 1976. Remember the Ring Day my Senior class had where we all roller skated down the Grand Concourse to our school.. The Academy of Mt. St. Ursula. Lived ..224th Street and White Plains Road.
Thanks for watching and writing. Officials added an additional lane for parking, in addition to curbside parking, along the Grand Concourse--the length of the Concourse on the northbound and southbound sides of the Concourse. Looks like a long parking lot. Crazy.
I worked in MP Dairy on 218th and WPR from 1970 to 1972. My wedding reception was a Louies restaurant where they filmed that great Godfather scene. My uncle owned a deli on 241st and White Plains Road. Also Sal Mineo the actor was raised on 216th and White Plains road! Great days back then.
My Dad grew up in the Bronx - 700 block of 180th Street Tremont. He was born in 1928. I wish I could ask him more about those days but sadly I lost him in 1984. Really enjoyed this video.
I know what I like and I know when a author is pandering. Avery Corman can never be accused of the latter and has never disappointed regarding the former. A wealth of detailed knowledge. Watch it, it’s a wonderful trip to a time and place that is, like all true nostalgia, where we love to be and truly hate to leave.
An omission from the litany of candy store inventory: oak tag (15¢ in the 60s), a kind of flexible, white poster board that was sold rolled to a soft tube with a rubber band. It was often required for school projects and purchased late on Sunday for projects due on Monday.
I was born January 1939 lived on Beaumont Ave between 187 th and 188 th,I can't add a thing because he is spot on everything he said I remember and experienced .Great Story, oh one thing I can add On Fridays at p.s. 74 elementary school we used to march into the auditaurium who'll a teacher pounded on the piano Lets Remember Peal Harbor as we go to meet the foe.
Avery, this is so very good. I agree, the story about the index card at the library (Kingsbridge Road, as I recall) is indeed a class story. I'll always will love the BX; five years ago living on Bronx Boulevard, and loving every moment. Our building sup, Jose, always had a smile, worked hard, and would always take time say "hello". Many happy moments (from a Senior Citizen!)
Thank you Avery... 1959-1977 Davidson Avenue & Tremont Avenue and Grand Ave & 182 St. -- PS 26 / JHS 82 / DeWitt Clinton HS.. I am very familiar wit your experiences growing up in the Bronx.. Please don't forget Freedomland
Thanks for writing. Was back quite a few times over the years. Couldn't find any kids playing street games out in the streets anymore. Alas. All best...
My wofe and I reside in Westchester County and we frequently visit Arthur Avenue for excellent Italian food. As a kid, I played tennis at St.James Park. The Park had genuine red clay tennis courts ( very similar to Roland Garros) with fresh chalk lines applied daily. After playing, we walked over to Crumbs on the Grand Concourse for their soda fountain delights. Do you recall on a hot summer day walking up to the front door of Alexanders Dept. store just to get rush of very cold air, a momentary relief.?
I attended PS 33 in 1974. My goodness the school looks the same. My favorite teacher was Ms. Isola. I loved her so much that she inspired me to become a teacher.
Good Tuesday Afternoon Avery. Your tour and story touched my heart and rekindled so much of who I am as I listened to the tales that contributed to the man you are. You are a Bronx-born treasure. All my best to you. I am Sam Goodman on the Grand Concourse.
+Sam Goodman Ah, thanks for looking into it, Sam. Have had many people check out the TH-cam presentation. And of all ages, apparently. All best, Avery.
Hi Avery. It's remarkable how the world works. If you've forgotten me, I was Lester's friend and we have met several times. I believe that we talked at a Fieldston event and when I told you that my wife Linda was taping her mother's life, you rushed off to find her. There was also a time when I told you that I loved going back to my old neighborhood and walking and taking photos and you said "I never do that". Sometime after that you wrote the first "Neighborhood" book. Hmmm. The last time is when you spoke about your book at the Whitehall in The Bronx. I am a retired dentist now and I've always been an avid photographer. After Linda died, I realized she had squirreled away every photo I ever took. I began to go through them (1000s) and get rid of what I didn't like and digitalize those I did like. I came across several photos that I took of The Ascot Theater and its changes over the years when it was our go-to theater for foreign films to its demise. I posted them on Facebook and from the many comments made, there was one reference to this video. And so here I am. Thanks for doing this. It was a delight to watch (loved the close-ups). Even though I lived in the Pelham Parkway area (down the block from Regis) we would hang out on Fordham and the Concourse all the time. The last film I saw at the Paradise was "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World". I'm surprised you didn't mention Krum's, the great Fordham Library, the roller rink on Jerome, and that The Bronx was known as the "Borough of Universities". I hope that you and your wife are alive and well. I miss you.
Bravo Avery Corman for your heartbreakingly real evocation of a lost era that I shared in at precisely the same time in the Bronx as you!! I was down on Alexander Avenue and 139th street, a totally Irish enclave known as St. Jerome's Parish. The 40th Precinct station house was one block away, so we all felt quite safe in those comparatively crime-free days. The ONE thing you forgot to mention was- for me- the crowning glory of any candy store worth the name.... that is, the CHARLOTTE RUSSE whipped cream (fresh!) on a spongecake, surrounded by a white, thin cardboard cylinder with a crenellated crown. Downing one of those confections while seated on a whirl-able stool at the Candy Store counter, followed by a freshly made 'Egg-Cream', was my idea of heaven! ROBERT WHITE
The Old Bronx. First In War and First in Peace. Always at the ready. I'm from East 233rd St. My grandparents and other ancestors are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. I was Baptized at St Francis of Rome and went to school at St Anthony's on Richardson Ave where I made my first communion and served as an altar boy. I miss The Bronx.
Hey neighbor! I went to St Francis of Rome for 7th & 8th grades. Our Lady of Grace before SFR. I grew up at 715-719 East 233rd Street. We were the superintendent. It was right next to Lisa's Pizzeria. Small world.
I lived in the Bronx all my life Fox St.,Gerard Ave,Simpson,Edgar AveI love the Bronx it will always be home to me.My sister still live in the Bronx Kingsbridge Ave.I remember Alexanders my mom would shop in that store.Go to 161 st pay 15 cents to ride the subway but in reality to see the Yankees from the train platform until the Port Authority got wise and put up a higher fence around the station Ha Ha Those were fun days.
The Bronx will always be home to me, though I've lived all over the world. Attended Morris High Annex at 170th and Morris Avenue and graduated Morris High at 166th and Boston Road. Had a rough childhood but this place is still dear to my heart.
Dear Avery, Born and raised on Mosholu Parkway. Went to Clinton and summered at Rockaway. My novel, The Rockaway Boys and Maggie, takes place at the beach in '43.It was a semi-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel of the Year. The impact those years had on us is indelible. Almost everything you describe in your description weaves its way through the novel and my memory.. Every word you spoke resonated. Although the novel is readily available on Amazon, please let me make a gift of it to you. Don Kellin PS: I've taught our grand kids to play stick ball. We play against the Farmers Insurance Building just south of Wiltshire Boulevard. We call it Farmer's Field. You're welcomed to join us. I have spaldeens and fancy faux-broomsticks.
I too remember going to Rockaway and Far Rockaway as a child in the 60s. Nothing but fond memories! I also lived near Mosholu Parkway in the West Bronx in the late 60s and 70s
What a nice video, Mr. Corman. I especially loved the part in which you said that, as an adult and a published author, you went into the library in which you had attended story times, and saw a card from the card catalog with your name as the author.
Avery corman Mr. Corman, there's no need to feel embarrassed. If you remember, I also contacted you at Facebook, and you were gracious enough to reply. I mentioned how many people in my hometown of Yorktown, NY were from The Bronx, and how I wanted to get their stories. Take care.
My family lived @182nd and Clinton Avenue until 1964....then to 135 W 238th Street...near Bailey Avenue....been i Amalgamated Housing since 1976. Edgar Allen Poe's THE BELLS referred to the church bells on the Fordham University campus....the Poe Cottage was moved @50 years east to the Concourse...a better, drier site. I'm looking at deWitt Clinton H.S. as I type.
I lived walking distance. 181st & Morris Ave. Went to church at St. Simon Stock and kindergarten at PS 179. Two blocks from the Concourse and two from the Jerome Av. El. Took the 183rd St. Station to the old YS as a little kid.
Avery, You must have graduated with Gary M and Donny Isaacson. I graduated the year after you. I walked out of the Ascot changed forever after seeing Mr. Hulot's Holiday and The Seventh Samurai. Haven't listened to entire piece. I'm sure you mentioned The Windsor, egg creams and pretzels. don
The Bronx neighborhoods were the best to live in. Italian, Irish and Jewish. The best of Balls, Brawn and Brains. Somehow I wish it would never have changed. No wonder others want to live here. The best country in the world.
+Jeff Joseph Thank you. I was offered an egg cream as an extra management provides at the newly located Second Avenue Deli in Manhattan. It was bad. All best, Avery.
I loved your video I lived in the Bronx until I was 10. I lived on Corsa Avenue, and went to holy Rosary school on Eastchester Road. My grandmother lived on Creston Avenue across the street from St. James Park. I wish you had shown us that. She lived up the street from Alexander's and Fordham Road, or I don't remember maybe it was Boston Post Road.
I came fairly close. The part where I was outside the old Bronx High School of Science is actually a few blocks south of where your grandmother lived. They moved the Bronx High School of Science north of there. I appreciate your writing. Best, Avery
Fine presentation. Thank you. I see in the the class photo at 34:33 you were in the "SP" classes (Special Progress), where I think the 3 years were compressed down to 2, so you must have done something right. Someone must have had an anticipation of your talents. Did you have a Guidance class once a week? Thanks again for this detailed personal story.
Thank you Avery for bringing so many memories back to me. I enjoyed this. Tell me, was Mrs. Saslow teaching when you went to PS 33. Do you remember any of your teachers? I lived in the Bronx from 1953 until 1980. Moved upstate in 1980. Growing up in the Bronx was great. We lived all over but always around or near Fordham Road. I lived at 62 190th street. From 1958 til 1964. Went to PS 33 played in St. James Park. Shopped at Alexander’s, anyone remember Johns Bargain Store, Woolworths, a curtain store and more. In 1964 we moved to the Grand Concourse and 197th. Finished grammar school at PS 46. Then onto EEB, PS 115 better known as Everything But Boys. From there to Walton High School. I did not like Walton. Not because it was all girls but, I just didn’t like it. If you went to PS 33 do you remember any of your teachers? Mrs. Saslow always stood out to me in 5th grand. It was in that class that we learned that President Kennedy was murdered. Mrs. Saslow always had a yard stick and she would wack you with it. I never saw her do that but I was told. I wanted to be in her class. Everyone was scared of her, I wasn’t. We got along very well. I was heart broken when we moved and 6th grade was at PS 46. I missed all my friends. One boy I remember was expelled from 33 and ended up at 46. So I knew one person first day of school. 46 was good. My teacher, Mrs. Cox, had to take leave because she was pregnant with twins. I don’t remember who took her place. Growing up in the Bronx was great. I belonged to the CYA of Our Lady of Refuge. Dances at various churches every Friday night. I was on the softball team as catcher. We started a musical play but it was cancelled, I don’t remember why. Going to Poe Park for concerts and I think they had dances too. Going to the bars, Pick and Shovel on Webster I had my 18th birthday there. I had to lie and say I was 19. Lol Penny Whistle Pub for dancing. Going to Inward, going to the St. Jude feast, or St. Philip Neri Feast. Arthur Ave for Italian food. Tremont, Jerome Ave, Westchester Square, Altamont Ave. There were a lot of places in the Bronx that I didn’t know. We were a close family and lived near each other. In our little piece of the Bronx. The different restaurants, the shops, remember Robert Hall. Dollar Savings Bank, I could see the clock from my bedroom window when I lived on 190th Street. Wow so many memories that you brought back. The Black Thorne or Kelly’s a neighborhood bar owned by my friends parents. That might not be the right name. Because we used to go to a bar on 204th near Webster that might have been the Black Thorne owned by a guy named Rory. The crowd used to go to a lot of bars. Went to a place called, I think, Good Time Charley’s, upper Fordham Road passed Jerome Ave. not a good time when I went there. An Irish Bar which suited me well because I have a lot of Irish in me. But I remember this one couple dancing constantly almost knocking me over. I said “ one more time and I will knock you out”. I am not a fighter, I didn’t have big hair, but I had red hair. They moved. Oh good times LOL D
Your story at the end reminds me of one told by Jerry Lewis about when he was a young student in, I believe, Irvingtown NJ. His parents were vaudeville performers who shunted him around and as such, he was behind the other students in academics. At the end of the year, the teacher had all the kids who were being promoted line up and only Jerry Lewis was left sitting at his desk and humiliated. I believe the town honored him later and he had some choice words for the school. As you say, never humiliate a student, you never know!
With respect to the comment below: Sorry...I take it back. Dion and the Belmonts really were from the Bronx...and Belmont Avenue in the Bronx...not in Philly. One more illusion shattered.
Freddie and the boys used to sing in my aunts hallway on Lafontaine Ave. My cousins would join in. They lived above the Welcome Inn. I remember that place so well. I lived in the Bronx 1953 til 1980.
I like the part about Conscious teachers, that phrase really resonated with me. I too have had that privilege as an immigrant and try to be the same for my students. (I moved here at age 4 or 5 in 99' or 2000)
Wow! This is great! Very interesting. I wish more people from cities,boroughs,regions etc.. all around the country would document their memories as in this video. One question I have is concerning your accent. Has your accent changed over the years or has it always been as it is in this video. Thanks so much.
+corey wiley Thanks for your comment. Hmm. I have no idea if my accent has changed. I doubt it. My voice has changed, for sure, to the voice of a guy my age.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A YANKEE FAN, EVEN THOUGH THE FIRST BASEBALL GAME I EVER WENT TO WAS A METS GAME IN THE EARLY 1960's. I ALSO DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE YANKEES WAS THE LAST MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM TO SIGN A BLACK PLAYER. THIS MAN, AVERY CORMAN IS ABOUT NINE YEARS MY SENIOR. I'M A (BABY BOOMER), AND MOST OF THESE SCENES IN THIS VIDEO BRING BACK ALOT OF MEMORIES. I GREW UP PLAYING STICKBALL IN THE STREETS, (SKELLIES), (CRACKTOP), PUNCHBALL), (SLUGS). AND WE USE TO MAKE OUR OWN SCOOTERS , BY BREAKING DOWN THE OLD IRON ROLLER SKAT, AND NAIL THE WHEELS TO A TWO BY FOUR PIECE OF WOOD, AND NAIL A WOODE MILK CREATE TO THE TOP. WE ALSO PLAYED FOOTBALL IN THE STREET, TWO HAND TOUCH. RIGHT NOW I LIVE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM YANKEE STADIUM. I WORKED FOR 30 YEARS DOING EXCAVATION CONSTRUCTION PUTTING IN GAS MAINS, WATER MAINS, SEWER, AND ELECTRIC DUCTS, BUILDING FOUNDATIONS AND SUBWAY TUNNELS AND TRACKS. WHATS IRONIC IS, I DUG THE TRENCH AND PUT IN THE GAS SERVICE TO THE NEW YANKEE STADIUM.
My home was 188th St. and Creston Avenue. The only house that was an Island in the middle of the shops all around. I had a wonderful view of the parades from our bedroom fire escape! Watched the lines of people, waiting for cigarettes, or nylon stockings, forming outside of Alexander's , attended P.S. 33 and then Elizabeth Barrett Browning Junior high because I was a girl! As I watched and listened to all you said, I was back home in the Bronx! Thanks so much. What a small world we live in!
Chris A I remember Alexander's as well it was on the corner of Creston Avenue where my grandmother lived, I could see St. James Park looking out her living room window.
Thanks so much I moved my mom right across of Poe park at 229 Kingsbridge Road you can see Poe park from her window I loved the Bronx. Franky CAro 143. Thank you 4 taking back into time there was the. Lido Theater also
Life feels like it is moving faster these days and on those occasions I feel like a displaced bird needing to find a refuge. The only place for that feeling to subside is visiting familiar sections of the Bronx ie. a walk around the Jerome Park Reservoir or stroll from University Ave to Webster Ave on Fordham Road. On two occasions, I actually someone doing exactly what i was doing. Funny isn't it?
Humming thru the candy box in the movies. I forgot about that. Went to a parochial school and the nuns would pull that s%*it too. Punish and humiliate us with that first grade crap. Parents would always take the lying nuns word over ours.
Wow. This story take me back I️ was born an raised in the Bronx at 1572 Washington Ave. by Claremont Park way my name is Franky. Caro. Right by the Fenway movie Theater went 2. Ps 42. I️ will never 4 get where I️ cAme from. I️t was the. Best. I️ Alwys had pigeons. 👍14wys
God bless you for this video , world war 2 was a big thing in London and as a kid of 6 in 1973 I heard endless stories about the 1940s and all the crazy stuff that happened. The women that had sex with the butcher or baker to get more food ! My mother having a Mickey Mouse gas mask . The fact that my mother and grandmother lost their teeth. The endless bombing and prisoner of war camps on the end of the street … the Italian prisoners being good looking and nice singers
I remember a hobby shop my dad would take me to around the corner on Fordham. Shit the name escapes me. This was back in the 70’s. My Grandma and I saw Star Wars back in 77. I believe the Paradise. Alexanders etc. Now Fordham road is a dump. What a shame.
They renovated the Paradise for "special events" not movies, but it didn't stay in business that way and then was privately sold, no longer open to the public. Sad.
Being from the Bronx, I’ve definitely enjoyed watching this. I couldn’t help but reminisce about my time growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. From going to the movies at the Lowe’s paradise the valentine A plethora of Yankee games, Break dancing in front of my building at 613 E. Fordham Rd. visiting family all over the Bronx. And embracing all of the cultures. The Bronx made us!
I'm 69 yrs old Born and raised in the Bronx. We lived on Holland Ave between Astor and Waring but Fordam/ Concourse was one of my stomping grounds. My first serious girl friend lived there. She worked as a nurse at what was Fordam Hospital at Southern Blvd. Man what memories. Thank you Avery.
I love this story! I can relate to everything in this story!..and it touch in a way i thought was gone. Thank u Avery
+Mark Garcia Thank you for watching! AC.
What an amazing video. I really enjoyed this and I am so glad I am able to see your story. I grew up in Throggs Neck but I will never forget riding around the Bronx with my dad growing up. He brought me to the Bronx Historical Society and we bought my first Bronx history book, History In Asphalt and I would spend a lot of time reading about the early Bronx. My dad has a lot of Bronx Then and Now books too but seeing a video like yours brings it alive. Thanks!
used to live on Bryant ave 3 blocks from the 41 pct fort apache. used to hang around Boynton and Watson at syds luncheonette. we moved to college and 170 across the street from taft high. gramps lived at 1420 grand concourse overlooking taft high.after the service mom moved to 3540 de kalb ave off gunhill road. proud of being a Bronx guy. in the late 60's and seventies the neighborhoods started to deteriate with people who had no respect for anything. noisy, filthy, lowlifes moved in. the neighborhoods went downhill. proud of where I came from, it will never be like that again.
Ahhh... just great. My Bronx years were in the sixties - but much was the same - The Paradise, The Ascot, Candy stores. Poe Park... working on my own graphic novel called Bronx Boys... Thanks Avery
Joe Morrissey
Have it done yet...how I long for the old days...
I went to the Ascot in the 70s. Wholesome family friendly films were NOT being screened at the time.
@@sugarjoe50 Nope.
Great, great documentary! Thank you, I've been here in the Bronx 40 years , my whole life, I can listen to great stories forever!
Grew up in N.J. but my maternal Grandparents lived on Bambridge Ave and other Grandparents lived on Webb Ave. Spent time during the 60's there. My Aunt was the Dean of the Fordham Library. Father went to Regis H.S. and Fordham U. Lotta good memories. Watching Mantle hit HRs was the best!
I grew up between 200 201st My grandparents lived at the site of the Lowe's Paradise before it was a theater. They had an apt. I attended St Phillip Neri on Grand Concourse for 8 years. My mother worked on Park Avenue and I basically was a latchkey child but had older siblings and allot of friends to play with after school until my parents came home from work. I loved the Botanical Gardens and know the park inside out. The zoo was also my favorite. Fond memories of the Bronx, thank you for sharing your experience
thank you, it used to be such a great and fun place. Not so much now. Sigh....
I'm from 199th & Decatur. Went to OLR cuz my mother didn't want me crossing the Concourse. Hayes for High School. I live in Vermont now, Big Difference!
Last time I was in the neighborhood I noticed a big Southeast Asian presence.
Avery: Thank you for such a wonderful remembrance of your neighborhood. My wife grew up around the corner from you at 164 West 184th Street, and your description of "the old neighborhood" made her smile. She, too, went to PS 33 and her fondest memories are of her childhood watching the world go by from her bedroom window overlooking the Grand Concourse. We return to the neighborhood regularly and partake of a world that is very different from the Irish-Jewish-Italian neighborhood in which she grew up, yet in many ways it is still wonderful it all of its sights, sounds, and smells. Perhaps this is why she insisted that, after 30 years away, she has returned to the Bronx, with me, a native of Astoria now living happily in a community that I barely knew while growing up a short distance away.
Best,
Michael Gera and Christina Buckley
Thank you for watching and taking the time to respond. What is so interesting about that neighborhood is how much of everything is still standing as it always was, P.S. 33, the location of the storefronts, the same buildings, like a large time capsule.
I'm 61 now started my first 18 years in day bronx last place I lived 169th Sheridan Avenue one block off the grand concourse. Went to wade jr high and Taft high school's.
took my SATs at Taft haha!
i graduated taft hs in 1968
@@michelleritter7712 I was a grad in 77 . 7 and a half months later I joined the army.
What a gem. Our family moved to The Bronx from Florida in the early 50's when I was in 4th grade. Morris Ave. Just south of 183rd. Went to the same schools, PS 33 then PS 79 until our family moved back to FL 4 years later. This really carried me back in time. Ring-a-ling-a-lario anyone?
,One of the reasons they won't open the Loews to the public is because it's one one of the worst areas in the Bronx. big crack/drug area. I also heard that the man that started restoring it ran out of money and no one wanted to invest in the theater in that neighborhood . I was there for a food show in Manhattan back in 2011 and no cab driver in Manhattan would drive me to the Bronx ( even for double the fare). So I took the D to Fordham rd and at night, you don't want to be there. I remember the place well. HUGE goldfish and the moving stars and clouds. What a place. Admission was hefty ( 50 cents). My theater in the Belmont section a block from Arthur ave was a quarter. We didn't go often even for a quarter. Why? No one had a quarter!!
This is a great vid,ll thanks so much Mr. Corman...
What a great job and very informative. I learned some new things regarding the neighborhood. My stomping grounds in my teenage years. The stories were great.
Thank you for posting this. I loved the stories.
“The Old Neighborhood” and “50”-my favorite books ever. Thank you, Avery Corman, for sharing your gift of writing, and a glimpse into the days of your youth.
***** A very generous response. It's a shame I only just got to looking at the responses to the video so I first saw it today. Thank you.
Avery, I went to P.S. 33 for Kindergarten. I happened to start the Fall JFK was shot. Because of that I have very vivid memories of that day and the school even though my family moved further North and West in the Summer of 1964 and I ended up finishing my elementary school education at P.S. 122 (The Marble Hill School, now PS 310). I loved what you said about the teachers. Even in the 1960s and 70s we still had the best teachers. My husband, who grew up in Washington Hts. and I always say how privileged we were to get such a great education in public schools. Our teachers were top notch and extremely dedicated. Thanks for filming your take on this.
I appreciate your reaction. I went back to visit PS 33 a year ago. Strong emotions to be inside the place where you were once so little. You can barely take it in from a lifetime ago.
I loved your video, Mr. Corman. I'm from University Heights, lived on University Avenue between Fordham and 183rd Street for 18 years, and before that, grew up in Morris Heights from 1965 until 1978. I will always be a Bronxite.
+Glycon 53 Thanks for watching. Once a Bronxite, always a Bronxite is most true. Best, AC
That's a beautiful story! You are very lucky. I lived in that neighborhood for 11 years. I moved out almost 2 years ago. I really wish that things could go back to being the same as they were when you grew up there. If so, then I & a number of people might've been a lot happier living there.
Thank you for sharing your story of growing up in the Bronx.
I grew up on the Concourse and Kingsbridge in the 60s and 70s and can relate to quite a bit. I would have liked to have heard about the trolley cars.
Living in a very small town I have to say The Bronx is a different world to me
The story about his mother regularly taking him to numerous sporting events although she herself really never had an interest in sports, to me, showed a truly self-sacrificing spirit in behalf of her son, as well as a strong desire to help him to grow up to be a well rounded man despite the fact that there was no man-figure in the household. Now, that woman was a true parent......A far cry from the so-called parents we see in modern society today, folks.
+TheChicagoL Thank you for your comment. My mother walking up the stairs with me to sit in the upper reaches of Madison Square Garden for a hockey game is one of the important memories of my growing up years.
Wonderful film! I grew up on East 72nd street in Manhattan. The Bronx was a million miles away. Thank you for sharing. Also--the black ensemble makes you look quite sharp. Good job, sir.
A
I loved this. Brought back so many memories of my growing up in The Bronx during the 60s and 70s. I loved shop. I was blessed to have had woodworking, cooking, sewing, graphic arts. I also, had art class, and worked the printing press on our little school newspaper. I was well known for my kickball, and handball skills; though classmates would nearly fight to not have me on their basketball, or volleyball teams. I was worse than horrible at both. Always the last pick left. 😂😂
Thank you for that explanation on how we viewed war back then. Is a far cry I believe in how people see what it means to be an American patriot was and meant. Again thank you sir.
I love it I'm from "170 Grand Concourse the Bronx.....
Wonder video! Morris Avenue and 196th Street from 1956-1977. PS 86, Creston JHS 79, Bronx Science, Lehman College. Times, people, and places never to be forgotten!
i went to 86!
Thank you. My father was born in 1935 and grew up in the Bronx somewhere near Grand Concourse. He also had a happy childhood there and played stick ball. He died recently so watching this touched me especially. But it made me happy to know he grew up in a friendly, warm place. He never became cynical and lived fully; He became a physicist.
Went to PS 79 in 1957. Wonerful memories. Thank you.
PS 91 for me
I'm just so touched, I'm in tears🥺
Gen-Y here. I appreciate my parents and older siblings keeping the culture alive in my youth as Bronx residents. book covers, marbles, hand ball, even stickball.
Actually, I was a so-so stickball player, a so-so handball player, but playing was the idea above all.
You will never know how INCREDIBLY important this video is to me-you describe so much history-THANK YOU for taking time to do this video-PLS DO MORE as I know the Bronx and YOU have so much more history to share!!!!
Thank you very much. Glad you liked it. I wanted to get this piece of history out there while I still could.
Wow! I lived in the Bronx from 1965 till 1976. Remember the Ring Day my Senior class had where we all roller skated down the Grand Concourse to our school.. The Academy of Mt. St. Ursula. Lived ..224th Street and White Plains Road.
Thanks for watching and writing. Officials added an additional lane for parking, in addition to curbside parking, along the Grand Concourse--the length of the Concourse on the northbound and southbound sides of the Concourse. Looks like a long parking lot. Crazy.
I worked in MP Dairy on 218th and WPR from 1970 to 1972. My wedding reception was a Louies restaurant where they filmed that great Godfather scene. My uncle owned a deli on 241st and White Plains Road. Also Sal Mineo the actor was raised on 216th and White Plains road! Great days back then.
My Dad grew up in the Bronx - 700 block of 180th Street Tremont. He was born in 1928. I wish I could ask him more about those days but sadly I lost him in 1984. Really enjoyed this video.
Not far from where I grew up, actually. Thanks for the comment.
Avery corman thank you so much for letting me know that! Now watching this video holds an even more special meaning !
Lot of John gottis in that neighborhood
wow that was a great story I really enjoy it.
Extremely heart felt...Thanks for expounding on this...
Fabulous documentary, informative, and well narrated. Thank you Avery!
Thank you Avery for sharing.
I know what I like and I know when a author is pandering. Avery Corman can never be accused of the latter and has never disappointed regarding the former. A wealth of detailed knowledge. Watch it, it’s a wonderful trip to a time and place that is, like all true nostalgia, where we love to be and truly hate to leave.
An omission from the litany of candy store inventory: oak tag (15¢ in the 60s), a kind of flexible, white poster board that was sold rolled to a soft tube with a rubber band. It was often required for school projects and purchased late on Sunday for projects due on Monday.
Ah, yes, thanks for the reminder.
I was born January 1939 lived on Beaumont Ave between 187 th and 188 th,I can't add a thing because he is spot on everything he said I remember and experienced .Great Story, oh one thing I can add On Fridays at p.s. 74 elementary school we used to march into the auditaurium who'll a teacher pounded on the piano Lets Remember Peal Harbor as we go to meet the foe.
Avery, this is so very good. I agree, the story about the index card at the library (Kingsbridge Road, as I recall) is indeed a class story. I'll always will love the BX; five years ago living on Bronx Boulevard, and loving every moment. Our building sup, Jose, always had a smile, worked hard, and would always take time say "hello". Many happy moments (from a Senior Citizen!)
I enjoyed listening to your memories.
Thank you Avery... 1959-1977 Davidson Avenue & Tremont Avenue and Grand Ave & 182 St. -- PS 26 / JHS 82 / DeWitt Clinton
HS.. I am very familiar wit your experiences growing up in the Bronx.. Please don't forget Freedomland
Thanks for writing. Was back quite a few times over the years. Couldn't find any kids playing street games out in the streets anymore. Alas. All best...
My wofe and I reside in Westchester County and we frequently visit Arthur Avenue for excellent Italian food. As a kid, I played tennis at St.James Park. The Park had genuine red clay tennis courts ( very similar to Roland Garros) with fresh chalk lines applied daily. After playing, we walked over to Crumbs on the Grand Concourse for their soda fountain delights.
Do you recall on a hot summer day walking up to the front door of Alexanders Dept. store just to get rush of very cold air, a momentary relief.?
I even remember when the movies had sort of fake air conditioning they called "Air-Cooled."
Great presentation.
Just sort of fell into this today. I really enjoyed your commentary. Thank you
Absolutely charming, absolutely honest, absolutely heartfelt...
Much thanks. AC
I attended PS 33 in 1974. My goodness the school looks the same. My favorite teacher was Ms. Isola. I loved her so much that she inspired me to become a teacher.
Lovely. Amazing the school looks the same as when I graduated in the 1940s!
i love this!
Good Tuesday Afternoon Avery. Your tour and story touched my heart and rekindled so much of who I am as I listened to the tales that contributed to the man you are. You are a Bronx-born treasure. All my best to you. I am Sam Goodman on the Grand Concourse.
+Sam Goodman Ah, thanks for looking into it, Sam. Have had many people check out the TH-cam presentation. And of all ages, apparently. All best, Avery.
Hi Avery. It's remarkable how the world works. If you've forgotten me, I was Lester's friend and we have met several times. I believe that we talked at a Fieldston event and when I told you that my wife Linda was taping her mother's life, you rushed off to find her. There was also a time when I told you that I loved going back to my old neighborhood and walking and taking photos and you said "I never do that". Sometime after that you wrote the first "Neighborhood" book. Hmmm. The last time is when you spoke about your book at the Whitehall in The Bronx. I am a retired dentist now and I've always been an avid photographer. After Linda died, I realized she had squirreled away every photo I ever took. I began to go through them (1000s) and get rid of what I didn't like and digitalize those I did like. I came across several photos that I took of The Ascot Theater and its changes over the years when it was our go-to theater for foreign films to its demise. I posted them on Facebook and from the many comments made, there was one reference to this video. And so here I am. Thanks for doing this. It was a delight to watch (loved the close-ups). Even though I lived in the Pelham Parkway area (down the block from Regis) we would hang out on Fordham and the Concourse all the time. The last film I saw at the Paradise was "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World". I'm surprised you didn't mention Krum's, the great Fordham Library, the roller rink on Jerome, and that The Bronx was known as the "Borough of Universities". I hope that you and your wife are alive and well. I miss you.
Nope, I haven't forgotten you. Just now getting around to these comments. I remember talking at the Whitehall. Hope you are well. Thanks for writing.
Lovely stories!
Thank you for watching. Most appreciated. AC
Bravo Avery Corman for your heartbreakingly real evocation of a lost era that I shared in at precisely the same time in the Bronx as you!! I was down on Alexander Avenue and 139th street, a totally Irish enclave known as St. Jerome's Parish. The 40th Precinct station house was one block away, so we all felt quite safe in those comparatively crime-free days. The ONE thing you forgot to mention was- for me- the crowning glory of any candy store worth the name.... that is, the CHARLOTTE RUSSE whipped cream (fresh!) on a spongecake, surrounded by a white, thin cardboard cylinder with a crenellated crown. Downing one of those confections while seated on a whirl-able stool at the Candy Store counter, followed by a freshly made 'Egg-Cream', was my idea of heaven! ROBERT WHITE
The Old Bronx. First In War and First in Peace. Always at the ready. I'm from East 233rd St. My grandparents and other ancestors are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. I was Baptized at St Francis of Rome and went to school at St Anthony's on Richardson Ave where I made my first communion and served as an altar boy. I miss The Bronx.
Thanks for writing. Much to miss. Neighborhood life has changed so greatly. Best, Avery
Hey neighbor! I went to St Francis of Rome for 7th & 8th grades. Our Lady of Grace before SFR. I grew up at 715-719 East 233rd Street. We were the superintendent. It was right next to Lisa's Pizzeria. Small world.
I visit my sisters and go back to the old neighborhood where I grew up great memories.
Thank you so much 👏🏻❤️
I kinda miss The Bronx it was my home for nine years and I know everything about it. I’m in Queens now, it’s different.
i always wonder what it would be like to live in another borough
Ah, yes. You never know who the kid is going to turn out to be. A reason for teachers to be kind.
I lived in the Bronx all my life Fox St.,Gerard Ave,Simpson,Edgar AveI love the Bronx it will always be home to me.My sister still live in the Bronx Kingsbridge Ave.I remember Alexanders my mom would shop in that store.Go to 161 st pay 15 cents to ride the subway but in reality to see the Yankees from the train platform until the Port Authority got wise and put up a higher fence around the station Ha Ha Those were fun days.
The Bronx will always be home to me, though I've lived all over the world. Attended Morris High Annex at 170th and Morris Avenue and graduated Morris High at 166th and Boston Road. Had a rough childhood but this place is still dear to my heart.
The place is still dear to my heart too. Thank you.
Dear Avery,
Born and raised on Mosholu Parkway. Went to Clinton and summered at Rockaway. My novel, The Rockaway Boys and Maggie, takes place at the beach in '43.It was a semi-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel of the Year. The impact those years had on us is indelible. Almost everything you describe in your description weaves its way through the novel and my memory.. Every word you spoke resonated. Although the novel is readily available on Amazon, please let me make a gift of it to you.
Don Kellin
PS: I've taught our grand kids to play stick ball. We play against the Farmers Insurance Building just south of Wiltshire Boulevard. We call it Farmer's Field. You're welcomed to join us. I have spaldeens and fancy faux-broomsticks.
Don Kellin Thanks for responding. And thanks for the gift offer of your book. Will look into it on my own. All best to you, A.C.
I too remember going to Rockaway and Far Rockaway as a child in the 60s. Nothing but fond memories! I also lived near Mosholu Parkway in the West Bronx in the late 60s and 70s
i am from here, this is awesome!
What a nice video, Mr. Corman. I especially loved the part in which you said that, as an adult and a published author, you went into the library in which you had attended story times, and saw a card from the card catalog with your name as the author.
josnaz1 It's so long ago you wrote this, it's embarrassing, but I just got to responses. Thank you for writing.
Avery corman Mr. Corman, there's no need to feel embarrassed. If you remember, I also contacted you at Facebook, and you were gracious enough to reply. I mentioned how many people in my hometown of Yorktown, NY were from The Bronx, and how I wanted to get their stories. Take care.
This made me nostalgic for the old Bronx--and I never lived there.
My family lived @182nd and Clinton Avenue until 1964....then to 135 W 238th Street...near Bailey Avenue....been i Amalgamated Housing since 1976. Edgar Allen Poe's THE BELLS referred to the church bells on the Fordham University campus....the Poe Cottage was moved @50 years east to the Concourse...a better, drier site. I'm looking at deWitt Clinton H.S. as I type.
This guy is at the Army recruiting station on Fordham rd. and Grand Concourse, I walked there many times.
Me too!
I lived walking distance.
181st & Morris Ave.
Went to church at St. Simon Stock and kindergarten at PS 179. Two blocks from the Concourse and two from the Jerome Av. El. Took the 183rd St. Station to the old YS as a little kid.
I was a Tremont Boy - just off the Grand Concourse - corner of Morris Ave. The Art Theatre just two blocks down on the other side of Jerome.
Weird. He starts off by talking about WWII, right in front of the Army recruiting station, where I signed up in '66.
Please keep on reminiscing, I live through you. S.P.S 31 141st street Grand Concourse, I.S 151, & Already E. Smith Vocational H.S.
Avery, You must have graduated with Gary M and Donny Isaacson. I graduated the year after you. I walked out of the Ascot changed forever after seeing Mr. Hulot's Holiday and The Seventh Samurai. Haven't listened to entire piece. I'm sure you mentioned The Windsor, egg creams and pretzels. don
The Bronx neighborhoods were the best to live in. Italian, Irish and Jewish.
The best of Balls, Brawn and Brains. Somehow I wish it would never have changed. No wonder others want to live here. The best country in the world.
❤️love this video it’s great ❤️👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
great video!
Reading your book now. Lived a few blocks from Dyre ave 1939 to 1954. What I wouldn't give for an Egg Cream now.
+Jeff Joseph Thank you. I was offered an egg cream as an extra management provides at the newly located Second Avenue Deli in Manhattan. It was bad. All best, Avery.
+Jeff Joseph Same here. Vanilla or chocolate?
I loved your video I lived in the Bronx until I was 10. I lived on Corsa Avenue, and went to holy Rosary school on Eastchester Road. My grandmother lived on Creston Avenue across the street from St. James Park. I wish you had shown us that. She lived up the street from Alexander's and Fordham Road, or I don't remember maybe it was Boston Post Road.
I came fairly close. The part where I was outside the old Bronx High School of Science is actually a few blocks south of where your grandmother lived. They moved the Bronx High School of Science north of there. I appreciate your writing. Best, Avery
I went to Holy Rosary as wel! For camp and during the public school strike. I'll never forget. I learned the Rosary although I wasn't Catholic.
Beautiful.
Lovely!
Thanks a lot. AC.
Fine presentation. Thank you. I see in the the class photo at 34:33 you were in the "SP" classes (Special Progress), where I think the 3 years were compressed down to 2, so you must have done something right. Someone must have had an anticipation of your talents. Did you have a Guidance class once a week? Thanks again for this detailed personal story.
Thank you Avery for bringing so many memories back to me. I enjoyed this. Tell me, was Mrs. Saslow teaching when you went to PS 33. Do you remember any of your teachers?
I lived in the Bronx from 1953 until 1980. Moved upstate in 1980. Growing up in the Bronx was great. We lived all over but always around or near Fordham Road. I lived at 62 190th street. From 1958 til 1964. Went to PS 33 played in St. James Park. Shopped at Alexander’s, anyone remember Johns Bargain Store, Woolworths, a curtain store and more. In 1964 we moved to the Grand Concourse and 197th. Finished grammar school at PS 46. Then onto EEB, PS 115 better known as Everything But Boys. From there to Walton High School. I did not like Walton. Not because it was all girls but, I just didn’t like it.
If you went to PS 33 do you remember any of your teachers? Mrs. Saslow always stood out to me in 5th grand. It was in that class that we learned that President Kennedy was murdered. Mrs. Saslow always had a yard stick and she would wack you with it. I never saw her do that but I was told. I wanted to be in her class. Everyone was scared of her, I wasn’t. We got along very well. I was heart broken when we moved and 6th grade was at PS 46. I missed all my friends. One boy I remember was expelled from 33 and ended up at 46. So I knew one person first day of school. 46 was good. My teacher, Mrs. Cox, had to take leave because she was pregnant with twins. I don’t remember who took her place. Growing up in the Bronx was great. I belonged to the CYA of Our Lady of Refuge. Dances at various churches every Friday night. I was on the softball team as catcher. We started a musical play but it was cancelled, I don’t remember why. Going to Poe Park for concerts and I think they had dances too. Going to the bars, Pick and Shovel on Webster I had my 18th birthday there. I had to lie and say I was 19. Lol Penny Whistle Pub for dancing. Going to Inward, going to the St. Jude feast, or St. Philip Neri Feast. Arthur Ave for Italian food. Tremont, Jerome Ave, Westchester Square, Altamont Ave. There were a lot of places in the Bronx that I didn’t know. We were a close family and lived near each other. In our little piece of the Bronx.
The different restaurants, the shops, remember Robert Hall. Dollar Savings Bank, I could see the clock from my bedroom window when I lived on 190th Street. Wow so many memories that you brought back. The Black Thorne or Kelly’s a neighborhood bar owned by my friends parents. That might not be the right name. Because we used to go to a bar on 204th near Webster that might have been the Black Thorne owned by a guy named Rory. The crowd used to go to a lot of bars. Went to a place called, I think, Good Time Charley’s, upper Fordham Road passed Jerome Ave. not a good time when I went there. An Irish Bar which suited me well because I have a lot of Irish in me. But I remember this one couple dancing constantly almost knocking me over. I said “ one more time and I will knock you out”. I am not a fighter, I didn’t have big hair, but I had red hair. They moved. Oh good times LOL
D
Your story at the end reminds me of one told by Jerry Lewis about when he was a young student in, I believe, Irvingtown NJ. His parents were vaudeville
performers who shunted him around and as such, he was behind the other students in academics. At the end of the year, the teacher had all the kids who were being promoted line up and only Jerry Lewis was left sitting at his desk and humiliated. I believe the town honored him later and he had some choice words for the school. As you say, never humiliate a student, you never know!
With respect to the comment below: Sorry...I take it back. Dion and the Belmonts really were from the Bronx...and Belmont Avenue in the Bronx...not in Philly. One more illusion shattered.
Freddie and the boys used to sing in my aunts hallway on Lafontaine Ave. My cousins would join in. They lived above the Welcome Inn. I remember that place so well. I lived in the Bronx 1953 til 1980.
I like the part about Conscious teachers, that phrase really resonated with me. I too have had that privilege as an immigrant and try to be the same for my students. (I moved here at age 4 or 5 in 99' or 2000)
Sedgwick ave. by the #3 bus lol
Wow! This is great! Very interesting. I wish more people from cities,boroughs,regions etc.. all around the country would document their memories as in this video.
One question I have is concerning your accent. Has your accent changed over the years or has it always been as it is in this video. Thanks so much.
+corey wiley Thanks for your comment. Hmm. I have no idea if my accent has changed. I doubt it. My voice has changed, for sure, to the voice of a guy my age.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A YANKEE FAN, EVEN THOUGH THE FIRST BASEBALL GAME I EVER WENT TO WAS A METS GAME IN THE EARLY 1960's. I ALSO DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE YANKEES WAS THE LAST MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM TO SIGN A BLACK PLAYER. THIS MAN, AVERY CORMAN IS ABOUT NINE YEARS MY SENIOR. I'M A (BABY BOOMER), AND MOST OF THESE SCENES IN THIS VIDEO BRING BACK ALOT OF MEMORIES. I GREW UP PLAYING STICKBALL IN THE STREETS, (SKELLIES), (CRACKTOP), PUNCHBALL), (SLUGS). AND WE USE TO MAKE OUR OWN SCOOTERS , BY BREAKING DOWN THE OLD IRON ROLLER SKAT, AND NAIL THE WHEELS TO A TWO BY FOUR PIECE OF WOOD, AND NAIL A WOODE MILK CREATE TO THE TOP. WE ALSO PLAYED FOOTBALL IN THE STREET, TWO HAND TOUCH. RIGHT NOW I LIVE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM YANKEE STADIUM. I WORKED FOR 30 YEARS DOING EXCAVATION CONSTRUCTION PUTTING IN GAS MAINS, WATER MAINS, SEWER, AND ELECTRIC DUCTS, BUILDING FOUNDATIONS AND SUBWAY TUNNELS AND TRACKS. WHATS IRONIC IS, I DUG THE TRENCH AND PUT IN THE GAS SERVICE TO THE NEW YANKEE STADIUM.
My home was 188th St. and Creston Avenue. The only house that was an Island in the middle of the shops all around. I had a wonderful view of the parades from our bedroom fire escape! Watched the lines of people, waiting for cigarettes, or nylon stockings, forming outside of Alexander's , attended P.S. 33 and then Elizabeth Barrett Browning Junior high because I was a girl! As I watched and listened to all you said, I was back home in the Bronx! Thanks so much.
What a small world we live in!
+Anneliese DiGiacomo I appreciate it. I remember very well the Cars-to-the-Track candy stores on 188th Street.
Anneliese DiGiacomo did you live across from St. James Park I'm going back from 1947 to 1952? I think the address was 3624 Creston ave.
Chris A I remember Alexander's as well it was on the corner of Creston Avenue where my grandmother lived, I could see St. James Park looking out her living room window.
Anneliese DiGiacomo in in
Well done.
I still live there.was east 183st.park ave.then Webster.now Wakefield 233 street.
I grew up at 715 E 233rd & White Plains Road right next to Lisa's Pizzeria. Miss it.
Nice memory😍🙌😘
great video
My grandfather was an editor for the Bronx Home News. 💌
We used to read it every day!
Thanks so much I moved my mom right across of Poe park at 229 Kingsbridge Road you can see Poe park from her window I loved the Bronx. Franky CAro 143. Thank you 4 taking back into time there was the. Lido Theater also
Vary nice. I’m also from Da Bronx I.e. Throggs Neck Projects!
Life feels like it is moving faster these days and on those occasions I feel like a displaced bird needing to find a refuge. The only place for that feeling to subside is visiting familiar sections of the Bronx ie. a walk around the Jerome Park Reservoir or stroll from University Ave to Webster Ave on Fordham Road. On two occasions, I actually someone doing exactly what i was doing. Funny isn't it?
Wow, thank you f your history bout ur childhood on t Bronx.
My thanks for watching.
Humming thru the candy box in the movies. I forgot about that. Went to a parochial school and the nuns would pull that s%*it too. Punish and humiliate us with that first grade crap.
Parents would always take the lying nuns word over ours.
Wow. This story take me back I️ was born an raised in the Bronx at 1572 Washington Ave. by Claremont Park way my name is Franky. Caro. Right by the Fenway movie Theater went 2. Ps 42. I️ will never 4 get where I️ cAme from. I️t was the. Best. I️ Alwys had pigeons. 👍14wys
Thanks for writing. Loved those neighborhood movie theaters. Best...
God bless you for this video , world war 2 was a big thing in London and as a kid of 6 in 1973 I heard endless stories about the 1940s and all the crazy stuff that happened. The women that had sex with the butcher or baker to get more food ! My mother having a Mickey Mouse gas mask . The fact that my mother and grandmother lost their teeth. The endless bombing and prisoner of war camps on the end of the street … the Italian prisoners being good looking and nice singers
I remember a hobby shop my dad would take me to around the corner on Fordham. Shit the name escapes me. This was back in the 70’s. My Grandma and I saw Star Wars back in 77. I believe the Paradise. Alexanders etc. Now Fordham road is a dump. What a shame.
They renovated the Paradise for "special events" not movies, but it didn't stay in business that way and then was privately sold, no longer open to the public. Sad.
In bronx in Nereid Avenue Mount Saint Michael in the Bronx
Class of 75 all boys school.
Wait a minute! @ 25:52 Dion and the Belmonts were from Philly...Belmont avenue near Fairmount Park
Do you remember Olinsky's supermarket on University? It was my uncles store.
Sorry, but those pre-mega store places were great.
I don't remember Olinsky's, but there were customer-friendly places in all those neighborhoods.
I work for olinskys on Jerome ave in the Bronx the manger was Vito I work for the produce dept my name is Anna rufino I work for mike the owners son
Remember those two side-by-side stores, one a deli and the other hardware with the signs and arrows, one saying Lox and the other Locks?