South Philadelphia

The Great Photo Album Adventure (Part 10B): John the Barber

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(Continued from Monday, March 14.   Click here to see Part 1…)

When word got around that South Philadelphia nightclub musician John Valente, Sr. had a local barbershop,  visiting stars began dropping in.

16_03_17 1 John the Barber Valente DC_4068(John the Barber, Jr. reflected in a shop mirror below photos of his –
and his dad’s – famous customers.)

ALL-STAR  ROSTER…

Soon John, Sr. and John, Jr.  (who joined his dad full-time after graduating from St. John Newmann High School in 1959)  began cutting the hair of South Philadelphia celebrities like singers Bobby Rydell and Al Martino;  comedians Guy Marks,  Al Fisher and Lou Marks….

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The Great Photo Album Adventure (Part 10A): John the Barber

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When I first shared Arthur Tavani’s fabulous mid-1960s photo album,  there were local faces that every South Philadelphian recognized:  Singers Bobby Rydell,  Fabian and Al Martino;  boxer Joey Giardello;  comedian Guy Marks.

“So who’s the guy in the white coat standing next to your brother and Jerry Vale?  A doctor?  A dentist?”  I asked Virginia Tavani Romano,  Art’s sister.

“That’s John the Barber!”  she immediately replied.

16_03_14 1 Jerry Vale John Valente Jack Baldschun(From left: South Philadelphia nightlife writer Art Tavani,  singer Jerry Vale,  John the
Barber,  and Phillies relief pitcher Jack Baldschun in John’s shop around 1964.)

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The Great Photo Album Adventure (Part 9): The Stars Shine on Philly

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Over the past 9 months,  we’ve introduced you to a magical 1960s photo album….and told you some of the stories behind it.

Back around 1964,  South Philadelphia nightlife columnist and photographer Arthur Tavani collected over 200 photos of himself with nationally and locally famous singers,  comedians,  athletes,  politicians,  judges,  business people and more.

16_02_28 1 Art Tavani Album(Art Tavani greets South Philadelphia’s Al Martino,  bottom right.  Not all the stars
were locally grown:  That’s Art with Tony Bennett,  top,  and Bob Hope,  bottom left.)

Many of the best-known entertainers – ranging from Bobby Rydell and Fabian,  to Al Martino and Guy Marks – were South Philly natives.  Today,  we’ll show you Art’s photos with famous out-of-towners… Continue reading →

South Philly Celebrity Windows Are Up!

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Bobby Rydell,  Fabian,  Al Martino,  Buddy Greco….Ed Hurst,  Cozy Morley,  Len Barry….Phil Jaye,  Guy Marks,  Al Fisher and Lou Marks….Joey Giardello,  the Day Brothers….

16_01_04 1 Bobby Ryell_3632
(“Wildwood Days” and East Passyunk nights: It must be Bobby Rydell…)

Fifty years ago,  you couldn’t walk down a South Philadelphia street – or enter a club – without encountering one or several of them.

And now,  for the month of January,  they’ll be smiling back down on the neighborhood.

16_01_04 2 Al Martino & Fabian_3710(Native sons Al Martino & Fabian Forte)

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Light Up Your Life on Smedley & Colorado Streets

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The gifts have been opened and the leftover turkey is  (thankfully!)  gone,  but there’s still plenty of holiday magic in Philadelphia…

2015_12_28 1 Smedley DC_3672

(The 2700 block of Smedley Street in South Philadelphia is a stroller’s delight.)

In earlier posts,  we told you about South Philadelphia’s  Miracle on 13th Street  between Morris and Tasker Streets and  our own neighborhood window display  at E. Passyunk Avenue and Tasker.

But there’s more – way more – holiday fun a mile away,  in the area of Smedley and Colorado Streets…  Continue reading →

Take a photo tour – then visit “The Miracle on South 13th Street”

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They call it Philadelphia’s  “Miracle on South 13th Street”  and – when you see our website photo tour – we know you’ll agree….

15_12_09 Miracle on South 13th_3045(The view up South 13th Street, looking north between Morris and Tasker Streets.)

Every year –  from the Saturday after Thanksgiving,  until the first week of January –  the 1600 block of South 13th Street is transformed into a holiday wonderland that’s touted as one of the best places in town for Christmas lights.  Continue reading →

Neighborhood Holiday Windows Are Up!

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They’re back!  On Sunday,  we lit our 27 holiday windows with portraits of the many great neighbors,  shop owners, and dogs  (lots of dogs…)  we’ve met since moving to South Philadelphia in 2012.

So,  if you’re dining or playing near the  “Singing Fountain”  between now and New Year’s Day,  we hope you’ll check out our windows at East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street.

15_11_23 1 Tasker Street Windows(Our first holiday window display in December, 2013.)
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The Great Photo Album Adventure (Part 8): Lou Marks

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It was the last weekend of November,  2014,  and we were celebrating our new holiday display:  26 lighted photos of South Philadelphia celebrities  –  drawn from our star-packed 1960s photo album  –  looked down from our windows onto E. Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street.

15_11_16 1 Celebrity Windows(And, yes, everyone from Bobby Rydell and Fabian, to Al Martino and
Joey Giardello,  will be back in our windows in January, 2016.)

Feeling festive,  we headed out to Stogie Joe’s Tavern for a square pie with sausage and broccoli rabe.

It was the perfect choice:  Stogie Joe’s Passyunk Avenue building once housed the gym where boxer Joey Giardello trained,  and Joey was among our window celebrities.

But,  like everything related to Art Tavani’s magical South Philadelphia photo album,  the coincidences didn’t end there….

“NICE  LOOKING  MUSSELS!”

Soon we were comparing appetizers with the people at the next table.

“Be sure to check out our holiday windows on your way home,”  we told them.  “We’ve got everyone from Bobby Rydell to Fisher and Marks up there!”

15_11_16 2 Fisher & Marks(Singer and dancer Al Fisher,  left,  was the semi-straight man to comedian and jitterbug champ Lou Marks)

“Fisher and Marks?”  one of the men asked.  “I’m friends with Lou’s son!”  Continue reading →

The Great Photo Album Adventure (Part 7)

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When a friend gave us a fabulous photo album crammed with Philadelphia area nightlife photos from the 1960s,  we had no idea how to identify the hundreds of celebrities, politicians and “just plain folks” in its pages.

But that’s before we learned that  –  while the rest of the world operates on six degrees of separation  –  Philadelphians know just about everyone in this city of neighborhoods.

“HE’S  A  BUM….HE’S  FROM  BROOKLYN!”

Early on,  we took our album slide show to the South Philadelphia Older Adults Center and the Charles Santore Library,  both on Passyunk Avenue and both filled with longtime residents.   (And many thanks to Older Adults program director Deborah Hoffer and librarian Jeanne Hamman for setting up those shows.)

Audience members identified everything from South Philly’s Venus Lounge to middleweight world boxing champion Joey Giardello,  whose life-sized statue stands on Passyunk Avenue.

15_11_04 1 Giardello Carter(Joey Giardello,  left,  and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter before their legendary 1964 bout.  That’s Arthur Tavani,  the original owner of the photo album,  at center.)

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The Great Photo Album Adventure (Part 6): Carmen Dee

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One of the perks of researching our fun and fabulous 1960s South Philly photo album has been meeting the families, friends and fans of the many entertainers, athletes and other public figures it contains  –  and,  a half-century later,  meeting some of those same celebrities ourselves.

FINDING  CARMEN  DEE

Last year,  we were charmed to meet Carmen Dee,  the celebrated bandleader at South Philadelphia’s famed Palumbo’s restaurant and nightclub for over 30 years.

15_10_25 1 Palumbo's Postcard(A Palumbo’s postcard from the late 1930s.  Palumbo’s opened in 1884 as a hotel
for Italian immigrants,  and morphed into a top entertainment and wedding venue.
And, yes, that should actually read “Catharine” Street.)
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