Bogie in Bloomingdale
The "One from the Vault" feature plumbs the archives of back issues of Block Association newsletters for the benefit of new neighbors and lovers of our community and its history. To read other pieces from the vault, click on the category at right.
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By Caitlin Hawke
Hearing the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group's talk last week about our neighborhood's cameos in the moving pictures as presented by Gary Dennis and Jim Mackin, I was transported to the days of the Movie Place. I remember ungodly hot summer days -- on Fridays after work -- heading over there to load up on videos, a full pile, to watch in a cool, dark place while Mother Nature had her scorching way with the city. My first floor window on Riverside Drive had bars, and so the only A/C I could use was neither deep-bodied nor powerful since it had to fit in a very tight spot. |
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Remember the Easy-Bake Oven that operated on the wattage of a lightbulb and actually baked your treat? Well, the output of this A/C was the cooling equivalent of baking with a lightbulb. Eventually, if I didn't move around and if I sheeted off the back half of my beloved first studio to keep the "cool" air contained, I could bring the temperature down just enough to sit there and not drip...while I watched my cache from the Movie Place.
Ok, so back to my point. Gary Dennis, who came to own the Movie Place, as many neighbors well know, and who grew up around here, was driven by his film obsession to commemorate the old residence of the boy who would become Bloomingdale's biggest Hollywood legend, Humphrey Bogart. Bogie's childhood home is 245 West 103rd Street. And there, thanks to Gary, you can see the plaque.
Below, a September 2006 Block Association newsletter article -- one from the vault -- by David Reich tells the whole tale of the commemoration. David shared the color photo at the bottom of this post.
The whole affair makes me want to whistle a cheer. You know how to whistle, don't cha?
(Remember, to see embedded videos if you are receiving these posts by email, you have to click on the title of the post above and view in your browser.)
Ok, so back to my point. Gary Dennis, who came to own the Movie Place, as many neighbors well know, and who grew up around here, was driven by his film obsession to commemorate the old residence of the boy who would become Bloomingdale's biggest Hollywood legend, Humphrey Bogart. Bogie's childhood home is 245 West 103rd Street. And there, thanks to Gary, you can see the plaque.
Below, a September 2006 Block Association newsletter article -- one from the vault -- by David Reich tells the whole tale of the commemoration. David shared the color photo at the bottom of this post.
The whole affair makes me want to whistle a cheer. You know how to whistle, don't cha?
(Remember, to see embedded videos if you are receiving these posts by email, you have to click on the title of the post above and view in your browser.)
NYCHA photographer Kevin Devoe's shot of Bogie's Bacall as she was escorted to the 2006 plaque unveiling on West 103rd Street and an undeterred crowd of film enthusiasts!
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