I've spent the afternoon reading Ralph Blumenthal's fabulous book, THE STORK CLUB.
New York. The 40's and 50's. The War. And through it all the greats of movies, Broadway, politics and literature made their way to 3 East 53rd Street in New York. There was no club in the world more famous than the club at that address...The Stork Club.
I mentioned KEY WEST earlier today and I was surprised to read a Key West story I had never heard before in the very first chapter.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY was living in Key West during the heyday of the Stork Club and when he visited New York he was a regular at the club. The clubs colorful owner was Sherman Billingsley.
Billingsley mentioned to Hemingway that even his own nephew was trying to open a club in Key West and call it The Stork Club and he wondered if Hemingway to do anything to stop it.
About an hour later Hemingway called back and told the boss that "The Stork Club" in Key West had changed its name to "Billingsley's Cooked Goose".
Ah, yes. Those were the good old days.
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