MOVIES

On Saturdays the kids on my street (West Fifth St.) would gather together and head either to the Strand Theater on East Broadway or the Broadway Theater on West Broadway. There would always be 2 movies mostly Westerns, a cartoon, RKO News ( about the progress of the war) , a short by Pete Smith and the Action Series where every week the hero faced certain death(he miraculously survived the following week). The part I remember is that it was audience participation. We cheered, stomped our feet and yelled at the top of our lungs whenever the Cowboys killed the Indians. Not politically correct these days. We also booed when the hero kissed the girl (we were only 8 after all). When we got up to leave our feet would be stuck to the floor from all of the soft drinks deposited there

SLEDDING

·         Snow reminds me of the excitement I felt as a young boy when school was called off. That meant we could go sledding all day. West Fifth St. where I lived was ideal for sledding. All of us kids would gather at the top of the hill near Dorchester St. and take turns hurtling down the street.
 For some unknown reason the plows never came and ruined it for us. Nobody could afford a car anyway so that wasn't a problem. The first snowfall we got off I took my Flexible Flyer and waited my turn. Now those of us that were daring took a running start with our sleds held close to our chests then hit the ground running on the fly.
So I ran as fast as I could, hit the ground but my sled didn't cooperate. It stayed in place and I went down the hill ass over tea kettle. The steel runners had rusted since I had used it the previous year. The whole street roared with laughter and I had to live with that for the rest of the season. That was my first lesson in Physics---Friction

 

GUSTIN GANG

My father told me a story once that is still etched in my brain. Long before Whitey ruled Southie there was the Gustin Gang run by the Wallace brothers. Their heyday was the Prohibition era of the 1920's. My father worked the night shift at Joe's Spa which during weekdays closed at midnight. Once at closing time the Gustin Gang came in and demanded dinner. My father explained that the kitchen was closed and he was about to head home. One of the Wallace brothers pulled out his revolver and placed it on the counter. My father arrived 2 hours late that night. That is Steve Wallace in the mug shot. I worked the same shift with my father years later but never encountered anything like that.

 

CARNEY HOSPITAL

·         Very few families on the street that I lived (West Fifth St.) had a family doctor. What we did have was the Carney Hospital on Old Harbor St. run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. If you broke a bone or needed stitches to close a wound the emergency room was minutes away. If you had the flu or a runny nose then the morning clinic was available. However before you saw the doctor you had to pass the muster of Mother Superior who ran a one person Triage. As a young boy I never feared anyone more than the Nun with the winged white hat. Only years later when a First Sergeant barked at me during basic training at Fort Dix, NJ did I experience a similar fear. Had the Mother Superior been involved in WWII I am sure it would have ended 2 years earlier.

CARDINAL CUSHING

Cardinal Richard James Cushing was born in South Boston and grew up near “M” St. Park. He was a close friend of the Kennedy family and presided over the marriage of then Senator John Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier and sadly presided at the burial of President Kennedy. As Archbishop of Boston he was the most revered catholic in the city. When he walked the streets of South Boston he always attracted a crowd. It was as if the Pope himself was present. I even got to kiss his ring once. When he started to raise funds for a larger and more improved Carney Hospital the residents of Southie gave generously because they knew the value of a good hospital in the neighborhood. When he moved the hospital to Dorchester he lost some of his luster and although still revered was somewhat tarnished.

HELEN RUTH

·         I spent a lot of time at the Boys Club. When I was there I often heard the boys say that Babe Ruth's wife was buried in the cemetery across the street. Later when reading about the Babe an author confirmed the story. Had he done some serious research he would have learned she was actually buried in the Old Cavalry Cemetery in Boston. Babe Ruth was in attendance at her burial.

DOROTHY RUTH

·         Some of you have asked about Babe Ruth's daughter Dorothy. Others about the rumors that Babe Ruth killed his Wife Helen. I understand the hatred the Woodruff family had for Babe Ruth. After all he had abandoned his wife and daughter to live with his girl friend in New York, the woman he married only 3 months after burying Helen. Babe Ruth was a known womanizer, drinker and of little or no moral character. But he was not a murderer. Helen died in a fire of smoke inhalation and burns. The Fire Marshal found no evidence of arson and 2 separate Medical Examiners found no evidence of foul play. Think about it. At the time of her death in 1929 Babe Ruth was probably the most well known celebrity of the time. To believe he could get to Helen's apartment in Watertown unnoticed makes no sense. There was no gas can or traces of flammable fluid found. What was found were frayed electrical wires which the Fire Marshal believed caused the fire? Dorothy lived with her father, his new Wife Claire and her daughter. Dorothy married twice and had several children. Pictures are of her. She died in 1989 at 67.