PB is the champ on New York City lore. We had a nice little exchange about "Sweet Smell of Success," a truly great film with Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster set in the streets of midtown Manhattan. It opens with Tony reading the paper and sipping a fruit drink at a fast food place in Times Square. I wondered if it was Elpine or Benedict--chains that were big in the Fifties but had long since folded. PB, the champ, fished out video and stills that showed it was Elpine. Probably seems like obscure stuff to most, but to old New Yorkers like me (and not-so-old ones like PB), it's the Nectar of the Gods.
You're too kind as usual, TB
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And yeah, I love "Old New York" as much as you do. But it's my Dad who deserves the credit for unraveling the "Sweet Smell" mystery.
As you may remember, he's going to be 85 in November. And it was his ABSOLUTE INSISTENCE that it was Elpine that led me to pop the dvd into my laptop and break it down frame by frame. Once I had the time of the Elpine shot, it was easy enough to track down on Youtube.
Love "Sweet Smell" more every time I see it. For me, the whole film peaks right at the end with the shot of the old Budweiser billboard. Now THAT'S "Old New York"
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