tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post9180120764810314686..comments2023-10-26T09:58:01.275-04:00Comments on The Bowery Boys: New York City History: Mayor Jimmy Walker: a finer class of corruptionThe Bowery Boys - Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973633888975286268noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-62092049511291104722013-04-04T04:14:28.180-04:002013-04-04T04:14:28.180-04:00Jimmy Walker always enjoyed a good drink(in the mi...Jimmy Walker always enjoyed a good drink(in the middle of prohibition no less).<br /> One of the stories my mother told me was that when a broadway producer turned down my grandmother, Betty Compton(my maternal grandmother), for a part the producer found the street torn up in front of the theatre on opening nite!<br /> When I was growing up in New York, many a time I would mention my grandfather and older people would remember him kindly.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06089166370738217821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-61667777522596866842013-01-21T09:47:51.725-05:002013-01-21T09:47:51.725-05:00Very good story about Jimmy Walker. You're lu...Very good story about Jimmy Walker. You're lucky to have a dad who could, and did, tell you about the old days. Blessings on him.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11317448838880715203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-75711470738135910542012-09-26T20:01:15.443-04:002012-09-26T20:01:15.443-04:00My dad worked as an office boy for a downtown fina...My dad worked as an office boy for a downtown financial company. He was 16 years old in 1931 when his boss asked him if he wantd to earn some overtime. My dad lost his own father only the year before and was working to help his mom care for his 4 younger siblings; and his boss knew this and figured my dad could use the money. He was told to go home and tell his mom he would be working late and then to come back after 6 p.m. to get his dinner money, car fare and his assignment. The assignment was to deliver a cigar box that was closed with 7 rubber bands of various colors to a man at the Cotton Club in Harlem at 9 p.m. He was also given an envelope that he was to present at the door of the Cotton Club - this envelope had the name of the man he was to make the delivery to. He was not to open the envelope nor to open the cigar box or tamper with the rubber bands. My dad got to the Cotton Club at 9, handed the envelope to the gent at the door and found himself ushered to the table of Mayor Jimmie Walker. He gave Walker the cigar box and Walker gave my dad a $20 bill and told him he was a good fella. My dad made 5 such deliveries to Walker over the next few months. He always gave my grandmother the $20 bill, but she never believed him when he told her how he made the money, and always insisted that he was at the pool hall shooting pool with "gangsters". My dad told me all about Cab Calloway's orchestra and how gorgeous the Cotton Club girls were. He was a Brooklyn boy who took good care of his mom and brothers and sisters and grew to be a wonderful man who served his country, was wounded at St. Lo in NOrmandy, stayed married to my mom for 54 years and was the best dad my brother and me could have asked for. He gave me a love of history, old NYC, and Brooklyn - and used to laugh about how he was Jimmie Walker's 16-year old bagman!Annie R. From Queensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-18087570490274504762012-05-27T17:28:13.735-04:002012-05-27T17:28:13.735-04:00Perhaps a more appropriate movie recommendation th...Perhaps a more appropriate movie recommendation than BEAU JAMES would be THE NIGHT MAYOR (1932), starring Lee Tracy as a mayor clearly modeled on Walker.Cladrite Radiohttp://www.cladriteradio.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-74427581611508272662011-12-04T14:59:57.003-05:002011-12-04T14:59:57.003-05:00I wonder why there are not so many books about Jim...I wonder why there are not so many books about Jimmy Walker.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-57231854950322420892010-12-24T10:43:14.520-05:002010-12-24T10:43:14.520-05:00Mayor Walker gave my grandfather $100 when he was ...Mayor Walker gave my grandfather $100 when he was 11 yrs old after his father (my great grandfather) passed away. The money was used to support my great grandmother and his 4 siblings for 6 months. He also helped my grandfather get a job driving a milk truck and later delivering laundered aprons when he got his working papers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-51664409412776638902010-07-11T16:05:46.949-04:002010-07-11T16:05:46.949-04:00Jimmy Walker was also known as "The Midnight ...Jimmy Walker was also known as "The Midnight Mayor" for his predilection for nocturnal governance. He changed one of the eastbound streets in the East 60s to westbound so he could get to one of his haunts without the necessity of having to make a turn which would have interrupted his journey by a few minutes.<br />PRWnycPRWnychttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03591956818286277994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206380617235471991.post-35024875614507559462009-05-28T00:56:48.002-04:002009-05-28T00:56:48.002-04:00just want to let you guys know that your site is r...just want to let you guys know that your site is really appreciated as it is way cool to read your items that are posted.<br />how i wish i could afford to live in a Manhattan hi-rise and watch the world go by in the center of the universe that is NYC!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com