Billy Rose, Billy Calvert and Me
Memories of Old New York
William Samuel Rosenberg, better known as Billy Rose, was born September 6, 1899 in the Bronx, N.Y. Harry Hahn, better known as Herbert Hahn or Herb Hahn, was born March 29, 1932 in the Bronx, New York. They did not know each other.
One of Billy's many contributions to the arts is the Billy Rose Art Garden at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Another contribution to the arts was his Diamond Horseshoe Nightclub in New York City's Paramount Hotel located in Times Square.
It was a BIG money maker from 1938 to 1957. The female dancers, known as Long Stemmed Roses, were all 6 foot 2 or taller. One of those dancers was Cathy Calvert. She was married to my friend Bill Calvert. Bill was the sales manager of a radio station for which my firm was the sales rep.
Bill was born and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – a very Jewish neighborhood. My aunt and uncle lived on South 3rd Street in Williamsburg and I often visited them there. They shared backyard clothes-lines with the neighbors on South 2nd Street. You have probably heard of some of them – famous comedians like Alan King and Mel Brooks.
Anyway, all of Bill's friends were Jewish. He learned he was not Jewish when his friends were having bar mitzvahs and he was not.
My wife Lenore suggested that I invite Bill and Cathy for dinner to our home in Pomona. N.Y. Lenore made Beef Bourguignon. Bill was a charmer with big blue eyes and Cathy was outright beautiful. Bill dug in and said to Lenore "Is this what you call gedempte flaish?"
Next they invited us to their home for dinner in the New Jersey heights, overlooking Manhattan. After dinner, Bill drove us in to the city and Little Italy where we had canoli pastry and expresso coffee for dessert.
Back to Billy Rose. One of the women he married was the legendary performer Fanny Brice. She was the inspiration for Funny Girl played by Barbra Streisand. Gene Kelly, the star of "Singing in The Rain" got his first full-time job as a choreographer at the Diamond Horseshoe.
The Diamond Horseshoe is now long gone and so is Billy Rose. The Paramount Hotel still exists, and thank goodness so do I, yours truly, Herb Hahn. Bill Calvert passed away while doing what he liked to play – golf. He died on the golf course. But Times Square is still booming. A new addition to the area is the Margaritaville Resort Times Square at Seventh Avenue and West 40th Street, at the edge of the Garment Center. In fact, it has an onsite synagogue, but that is another story. Another block east is Bryant Park and the main branch of the New York Public Library.
Back in the summer of 2018 we went to see (and hear) Escape to Margaritaville, the musical. I bought a CD of the original Broadway cast recording. Some of the lyrics are a little raunchy. From time to time, Jimmy Buffett would show up as a cast member. He was the original inspiration behind the show. Sadly, Jimmy passed away this past September. He was 76. His Coral Reefer Band plans to continue touring.
In case you are wondering, Jimmy was a good friend of Warren Buffett but they were not related. Jimmy was an early investor in Warren's firm, Berkshire Hathaway. Yes, Jimmy was a millionaire.
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