More than a half century ago, HG’s very late night (and after hours) hangout was Dubiner’s, a saloon in New York’s Lower East Side (located on Stanton Street east of Allen). It was a hangout of night crawling journalists (like HG) and Jewish tough guys. The tough guys included “shys” (loan sharks); the simian looking fellows who interviewed, so to speak, recalcitrant clients of the “shys’; bail bondsmen; bookies. Beer, whiskey and vodka were served. The only food HG recalls was excellent gefilte fish (with powerful horse radish) and chopped liver with raw onion and chicken fat. No juke box. No TV. The clientele provided the entertainment. A gentle fellow, Natie O., was a mob driver among other trades. Surprisingly, he had an Irish tenor voice and a vast stockpile of Irish songs. For some reason this went over big with the 100% Jewish customers (he also did splendid versions of “Roumania, Roumania!!” and “Beltz, Mein Shtetele Beltz” for the nostalgia addicts in the room).
The unquestioned star of Dubiner’s was my companion, Alice C., a pretty (but bedraggled) Broadway press agent with a beautiful voice (she had been a Las Vegas entertainer when she was in her teens). Miss C .had a very serious alcohol abuse problem. At some point in the early ayem (after numerous vodkas), Alice would do a super schmaltzy (choking back the tears and other bits of shtick) version of “My Yiddishe Mama”, that thoroughly phony exaltation of Jewish mothers. In the patois of stand-up comedians: She Killed. Tears rolled down the faces of the tough guys. Encores were demanded. Best of all, we were showered with free drinks and had to, almost literally, crawl to a taxi at closing. There are scores of recorded versions of “My Yiddishe Mama” (good ones are by Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson, Billie Holliday, Billy Daniels, Tom Jones…the best is by Charles Aznavour). But, none can touch the Alice C. version.
So, what happened to Alice C.? Here’s the kicker. She gave up booze. Cleaned up. Somehow got a college degree. Went to medical school. Became a doctor specializing in pediatrics. Married (happily) with two children. That’s HG’s Yiddishe Mama tale. Happy ending.
Leave a Reply