Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
The Art of Audio #9: "The Christmas I Saved Macy's"
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| The Joe Bev Experience |
The Art of Audio #9
I have told many holiday stories on radio over the years. (You can hear many of them on the bottom of this column today.) But the story I get the most requests for is this one I wrote and voiced, which aired on National Public Radio stations in December 2007. (See if you can find the mistake!)
The smell of cotton candy always makes me think of Christmas. It takes me back to the holiday season of 1964. I was three years old, Christmas shopping with my mom at Bamberger's department store in Newark, New Jersey.
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| Listen to "The Christmas I Saved Macy's" |
The store was founded in 1893 by Louis Bamberger, and the building, which was erected in 1912, had a big clock on it. Unlike the sprawling malls of today, Bamberger's took up the entire building and sold everything from ladies underwear to model homes.
In
1929, Bamberger's was purchased by R.H. Macy Co. of New York City, but
it wasn't until 1986 that the name was changed to Macy's when they went
national.
Today, there are
Macy's across the country, eight of them within driving distance of my
home in Napanoch. The store in the Galleria Mall in Middletown (NY) only
became a Macy's this year.
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| My first Beatles album bought in downtown Newark, NJ - 1964 |
And
you can thank me for it. That's right. The same year The Beatles
invaded America, I saved Bamberger's, so if it were not for me, the
Macy's we know today may not have existed.
My mom had brought me to downtown Newark so I could see my dad, who was a policeman, directing traffic, white gloves and all, at the intersection of Market and Halsey Streets, where Bamberger's was located.
My black Buster Brown shoes lifted off the sidewalk, as we passed the animated
outdoor window displays of Santa and his elves in their workshop, my mom
clutching my hand and shoving me through the revolving door into a sea
of legs scurrying frantically around me.
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| In 1964, nearly every kid wore Buster Browns! |
After
a nondescript visit with Santa, my mom took me into a world I had
before never seen—the ladies lounge. It was a handsome place with real
wood paneling, glass ashtrays on ornate brass stands and leather chairs
in which sat seven or eight Jackie Kennedy look-alikes, wearing pillbox
hats, half-jackets and white gloves. They had all kicked off their
spiked healed shoes and were rubbing their stockinged feet in between
puffs of their cigarettes. A sea of smoke floated above.
My
mom sat down, lit up a Marlboro and kicked off her spikes, as I
occupied myself by sitting on the carpet and pretending all those shoes
were racing cars.
Suddenly, I heard a woman scream. I looked up and saw flames coming out of one of the ashtray stands. The woman kicked over the stand and jumped up onto her leather chair. Now the carpet was on fire, too. All the woman screamed and jumped up.
“I can't! I don't have my shoes on!” replied another.
“Me either!” added a third.
I actually do not remember what my mother was doing at this moment, but I do remember the woman who pointed to me as she suggested, “Get that kid to do it! He's got shoes on!”
I stood up and quickly stamped out the fire. To shouts of “Thank God” and sighs of relief, the women descended upon me, lifted me up and passed me around the room while they hugged and kissed me.
Then, the woman who had suggested my act of heroism picked me up, kissed my cheek and smiled.
Her makeup smelled just like a delicious cotton candy.
I actually do not remember what my mother was doing at this moment, but I do remember the woman who pointed to me as she suggested, “Get that kid to do it! He's got shoes on!”
I stood up and quickly stamped out the fire. To shouts of “Thank God” and sighs of relief, the women descended upon me, lifted me up and passed me around the room while they hugged and kissed me.
Then, the woman who had suggested my act of heroism picked me up, kissed my cheek and smiled.
Her makeup smelled just like a delicious cotton candy.
MORE OF MY CHRISTMAS STORIES:
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| Buy my NEWEST Christmas stories! |
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| Listen to "The Joe Bev Holiday Treat" |
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| Listen to "Rockabilly Christmas" with Ray Campi |
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| Listen to "The Cartoon Carnival Christmas Party" |
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| Listen to"The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes" Christmas Special |
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| Buy all 10 half-hours of "The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes" |
Best to you all,
Joe Bev.
Joe Bevilacqua is a veteran award-winning actor, writer, author and
producer. His audio is available at Amazon, iTunes, and Audible for
Kindle, Blackberry, Android, iPhone, iPod or iPad download, or CD
purchase or rental. Find out more!
FREE AUDIO - DAY 12 - CELEBRATE the 12 days of Christmas with Waterlogg Prod.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!!!
Did you get a new Smart Phone, Blackberry, Android, iPhone, iPod or iPad
and you want to download something onto them NOW?
Well... listen to our last free Christmas Story...
Enjoy Christmas with the family...
We are posting each Pedro story for free
for the 12 days before Christmas.
for the 12 days before Christmas.
12th DAY: "Balloon Acrobatics" A contest of bugs and balloons.
(click to hear the free audio) 12 of 12
Visit Santa at the North Pole, witness the birth of Baby Jesus, go
inside Noah's Ark and more - with these 12 timeless short stories, by
noted Spanish children's author Pedro Pablo Sacristan. They'll charm and
entertain your whole family! Produced with wonderful sound effects and
music by veteran radio-theater producer Joe Bevilacqua, and performed by
husband and wife team Joe Bevilacqua and Lorie Kellogg.
Christmas stories include: "The Best Choice", "A Forced Christmas", "Bula the Traveler", "Christmas Presents", "The Please-o-Meter", and "The Little Christmas Star." There are also the stories "The Tidy Toys", "The Match and the Toy Men", "Problems on the Ark", "A Colorful Head", "A Drop of Water", and "Balloon Acrobatics".
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Pedro Pablo Sacristan is back with yet another collection of Spanish stories for children, translated into English. And just in time for the holidays, this collection includes 12 whimsical stories with a Christmas theme. This is my third Sacristan anthology and I have to say that I have enjoyed them all very much. Sacristan's stories are written in a simple style that children will love. And parents will love the important life lessons their children will gain from these tales. Audiobook Reviews from Audiobook-Heaven
©2011 Pedro Pablo Sacristan (P)2011 Pedro Pablo Sacristan, Joe Bevilacqua
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