I remember one time as a young girl my friends and I were sitting in the Colonial coffee shop having iced tea when one of the neighborhood boys, Lou Criscuolo, was bragging about his close relationship with the singer Vic Damone. Vic was appearing at the Waldorf Astoria at that time. Lou was determined to become an actor and he said he went down to the Waldorf every night to meet with the singer. Well, this sounded really impossible to us. A number of people from our neighborhood had made it in show biz, among them Tony Francioso, who later married Shelly Winters.
Tony Francioso & Shelly Winters
Another handsome man from the neighborhood, James Luisi went
on to become a successful actor who had several parts on television and even
once appeared on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
James Luisi
But Lou’s looks were not the leading man type. We
teased him
mercilessly,
saying things like, “Waldorf Astoria? You must mean the Waldorf cafeteria.” He got really angry and said ‘I’ll meet you
right here tomorrow night and take you down to the Waldorf.”
I went home and told my family about it and
my Uncle Eddie immediately set out to check on Lou. But the neighborhood guys
told him not to worry, Lou was a good guy. So the next night my friend Anna and
I met Lou at The Colonial and he hailed a taxi and told the driver, “Waldorf
Astoria Hotel, 51st and Park.” Wow! We finally believed him!
When we arrived Lou took us straight to the
elevators and up to the penthouse roof, where Vic was about to perform. We
stayed in the back of the room until Vic made his entrance. As he walked past
me, he stopped for a moment and stared at me in my black and white checked suit
and then said, “Hey, Sexy! Wait for me after the show!” Well, that was a shock and a
surprise. Then he turned and walked down the steps singing one of his hits, Vagabond Shoes to wild applause. Lou
laughed and said to my friend Anna, “Now she’s going to tell everyone what Vic
said.” Well, yes I was, but I had to
get home first, so we left soon after. It was such a fun night.
Vic Damone
As for Lou, he really did get into show business
and appeared in many TV shows and in movies. As I said, he wasn't a “leading
man” type, so he was usually cast as a taxi driver or some sort of blue collar
worker. But he was a very good actor and his Hollywood dreams were fulfilled.
Another local boy made good!
Lou Criscuolo
(Listen
to Vic Damone singing Vagabond Shoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAroevQWkX4)
Tina, no one can say you didn't lead an interesting life. You know, as I try to imagine the scenario in my head as I read this, I see your adventures, growing up in NYC, like Laverne and Shirley. I say that in the MOST respectful way, as they are my absolute favorite tv characters of all time. When I was a little girl, I thought Tony Francioso was the MOST handsome man on tv. What a wonderful time to grow up in the city! Thank you for once again starting off my Sunday morning with a big smile!!
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ReplyDeletei think this blog could use a few pics of tina in her heyday. she had movie star good looks and seeing her would be a great addition.
ReplyDeleteLori, I was thinking the same thing. I'm not sure how Tina would feel about it though, LOL. She's actually getting a bit shy from all the attention her blog is getting. But I"ll see if she'll allow me to post at least one photo.
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