JK Stories : Draft Transcript Story 045 - 050

Story No. (JKS-045  ___)the Pawn shop fixed post

 

My father had been assigned to the fixed post because there had been a series of hold ups of pawn shops.  He was in the back of the pawn shop when my friend Chester Murphy came in. He was going to redeem a typewriter that he had put in their O. week before.  He had received five dollars for it.  He had the five dollars now and he wanted to redeem it. but he saw my father in the back.  My father used to always kid us, and Chester thought if I go in their I'll never hear the end of it you know.  So he decided he'd better walk back out.  And comeback another time to get the typewriter.  That was 60 years ago, and he still hasn't gotten that typewriter back.

 

A K. K.:Chester was a good friend of yours

 

J. J. K.:    Yes, Chester was always over the house.

A K.:       how old was he about this time

J. J. K.:    he would have been about 20 years old

AK          :he was already 20 ?of

J. K.:       yes were already going to dances and everything

AK.:        did he ever tell your father the story?

JK.:         Yeah, Yeah later on

 

Story No. (JKS-046  ___)Story: caps on Girls in the Locker Room

I was getting dressed to go into team practice.  And all the sudden the girls walked into  the locker room, of course they saw us exposed their and they yelled and they beat it, see. And we went in and somebody told the coach about.  And when we came in the coach says to us what is this I understand about you guys giving a biology lessened to the girls?

 

 A K.: did it get out to the other kids what it happened?

J. K.: I don't remember that.

 

Story No. (JKS-047  ___)Story about  Lee Ross

Lee Ross was one of the lifeguards at Valley Stream State Park.  I used to speak to him quite a bit while he was working.  While he was on the dock there.  And he said to me, a Jack , come on up and talk to me.

I used to like to talk to him, I used to like to needle him at the same time, so I said to him: Why should I come up and talk to you there?  I can swim rings around any these guys here and I can't even get a job. He said I realize that, but come on up and talk anyway.  I said I am so interesting that if we get talking together, we won't know what is going on. First thing you know, someone will start to drownd in your area, and they will be going down and we will be so immersed in our talk that we won't even see the person going down.  He says: not to worry, who am I?  I say, Lee Ross, my great friend.  No, he says, Lee Ross, one of the fastest swimmers in the East. Right to, I said, yes,  but what has that got to do with us here?  And Lee says who was that down at the other end of the dock?  And I said: Howie Thompson, my great friend. Now he said its Howie Thompson your great friend, the most conscientious man on the beach. You and  I will be talking, a swimmer will start to go down in my area, Howie will start to see him going down.  He will blow the whistle, I will take off my parka.and quickly make the rescue. Come on, let's talk.  Laughter.

He is still going strong, Lee, at 84.

a.k..: where does he live?

In Manhattan, he has a very big apartment, very successful.  On Wall Street, made a lot of money.

 

Story No. (JKS-048  ___)The Hand Ball Difference

Vinney Dunleavy was about 32 years of age, when this transpired.  He had been a professional basketball star.  My brother George is about 21, at the time, he had just come back from overseas.  We were playing hand ball and I get a shot.  Vinny, and George were both at the back to the court in.  They went for the ball at the same time.  And George when by like a light..He made Vinney look like he was standing still. So I said  to Vinney later on, Jeese, he is quick! He says, when we are playing basketball one-on-one, I am four inches taller than him.  And yet he is so quick,he just comes along.  The difference in age. 21 and 32

AK:.what was your age at the time?  32, he was 21, 11 years difference

 

Story No. (JKS-049  ___) Street Fights Arthur Donovan

Arthur Donovan was a coach of the New York AC, boxing.  He was one of the foremost referees in New York State at that time.  In the 1930s.  Capt. Sheridan used her work out in the boxing room almost every day.  He boxed nearly 10 or 15 rounds a day.  He had a reputation of being a terrific street fighter, with great endurance.  And I said to Arthur one-day, how Long would Sheridan last against Joe Louis in a street fight? Donovan said you asked the wrong question.  The question should be: how long would Joe Lewis last in the street fight against Sheridan.  I've seen Sheridan in a street fight and he is a terror, he bites off your ear, he kicks you in the most sacred parts of your body. Lewis wouldn't have a chance there he would finish in a minute or two.

AK: Did they actually do a lot of Street fighting, in those days?

No, no, but you would hear about it from time to time.  Capt. Sheridan, had been a sailor, and he would get in fights with the guys on his ship, in his crew. He would beat the hell out of them.

 

Story No. (JKS-050  ___)Shot my grandmother.

There was a military mass, on the Elkon river, in Nevada, one Sunday. During the course of the mass, [a friend of ours , ,a doctor, who told the story] looked over and saw this beautiful grandmotherly, women about 60.  With gray hair.  And right next to her an angelic kid about 6. Obviously the grandson.  He looked like an angel,.  And during the course of the mass, and when it came to the consecration, it was not tingling of bells. What they did, they shot off a cannon. The canon was shot off so loud, I was upset, and threw my missile up into the air.  I wondered what was going on.  I looked over where the older women was, and there she was , she had fainted. And this little angelic kid, looks at his grandmother, and at the top of his voice, he says: Some Son of a Bitch Shot My Grandmother. Laughter.

Adhiratha: wasn't there another part of the story were you were in another city?

Yes, I was in Council Bluffs, in the Franciscan house up there, having dinner, and father Kenneth, used to kid me all the time.  He would ask me All the time. what happened in the big metropolis of Omaha?  So I told him  I have quite a story to tell now father. He says,  So must be quite a story if it's coming from Omaha.

Adhiratha: and he was from?  And where was this?

This was in Council Bluffs, Iowa which is a berg outside of Omaha. Council Bluffs was a little smaller then Omaha. We are having dinner, at a table, one guy is on one side.Father Kenneth is in the middle, and I'm on the other side.  It was a small room, you could not get out, you had to climb over somebody.  I started to tell the story, and when I came to the punch line, he was eating a piece of meat.  He started to laugh,he started to choke, and he couldn't get out, he climbed over me, and I was hitting him on  the back. To make sure he doesn't  choke.  That night we get into a meeting, and we have about a hundred and 25 guys there.  Okay, he says, I'm going to say the opening prayer and then Jack is going to tell you a story[from Omaha?]chuckle

 

Story No. (JKS-051  ___) Radio Praying – Listening to Mass from St. Patrick's, Kneel down it’s the consecration My mother had her friend - religious woman,

My mother had her friend, a very religious woman, one Christmas eve, she had broken her arm and the she could not go to the midnight mass there. Because it was slippery,