April 4, 1969 – a day that will live in my memory.
I had been a lucky teenager. I had gotten to know several
major nightclub entertainers of the late 1960’s and would occasionally work as
their opening acts in nightclubs and supper clubs in New York City, New Jersey
and in my hometown of Philadelphia. One common trait of all these entertainers
was their kindness toward me. They would “talk me up” to other entertainers and
recommend me to them and mentor me, helping me to make my act better.
One of the first of those mentors and friends was fellow
Philadelphian Buddy Greco. We had originally worked together at Scioli’s in
Philadelphia. Buddy knew all of the members of the famous Rat Pack and through
him I met and occasionally worked with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey
Bishop. Doing two 20 to 30 minutes shows a night opening for them and spending
time with them between and after shows was an education few ever had and I
treasure to this day.
As a result of opening for Sammy Davis, Jr. at the Latin Casino
in New Jersey, I got booked into the lounge at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas. Nothing terribly fancy - I performed three 30-minute shows each
night, mostly to the backs of the people playing the slot machines. But it was
a step up the ladder as a club performer and might have led to something more
if the military draft and Vietnam had not intervened.
About the middle of the week in Las Vegas, I got a call from
my mother informing me that one of the guys who lived on our street (and shared
a birthday with me) had gotten his draft notice, so I could expect mine any
day. Wanting to have some choice, I went to see the military recruiters and
ended up enlisting in the Army, with a report date of April 6. That night, I
told the members of the house trio that was playing for me about my upcoming
enlistment and that the last show on April 4 would be my last show before
reporting.
When we finished my closing song on the second show, I
noticed some strange looks from the trio, but I wasn’t sure what was going on
in their heads. Being employed by the hotel, they had seen a lot of
entertainers come and go and I was just one of many (or so I thought). I didn’t
know it, but they had plans for my closing show.
Finally, it was time for my last show. The trio started the
introduction to “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me” (still my opening song when
I perform today), I stepped out on the little stage, got maybe one note out of
my mouth, and a voice from the side of the stage yelled “Hold it!”. Out stepped
Joey Bishop. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, my friend here is going into the
Army in two days, so my friends and I thought we should stop by and give him a
proper sendoff.” He turned and out stepped Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Hugs
and handshakes all round and then the next 45 minutes were a blur. We all joked
and sang and laughed. The slot machines became silent as almost all the people
who had been playing stopped to watch, listen, laugh and applaud our impromptu
entertaining.
I have very few solid memories of that show – much of it was
and still is a blur – though I do vaguely remember doing a duet with Sammy on
“Me And My Shadow”. We ended and the four of us went out to eat together.
The next morning, Joey drove me to the Las Vegas airport and
I flew back to Philadelphia and the morning after I was officially sworn into
the Army and left for Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Four years later, when my enlistment was due to end, I had a
wife, a child and one on the way and almost all the nightclubs and supper clubs
had shut their doors, so I re-enlisted to make a living and support them.
But those crazy, wonderful nights performing in the clubs,
and especially that night in Las Vegas, will live in my memory forever.
