Dancing In The Dark

I can just imagine my Mom and Dad dancing to the beautiful tunes of the 20's and 30's: Mom in her gorgeous crepe dress of dark brown, with buegel beads cascading from the shoulder and her flapper type felt hat of the same color and Dad in his dark blue, double breasted suit and white shirt and tie. What a gorgeous couple they were. Daddy would sing and hum all these tunes, that's why I know them. All Cole Porter, Begin the Begin, Stormy Weather, what a era to grow up in. Glen Miller and his band, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, George & Ira Gershwin, all the ' greats.' I know I relate my parents to the music of their age, but it's because my family was so mucial. My three sister's had voices like angels and faces to match. All operatic, all sopranos. So even though my closest sibling was 6 or 7 years older than me, I grew up with Italian operas beging sung daily in my house along with Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Mario Lanza, Tony Bennet and many more. The music of my age was Rock 'n' Roll like the Beatles.

Just to set the record straight, I was wrong about my parents birth dates. Daddy was born Dec. 4th, 1911, and Mom March 23, 1914. I was off 9 years, (almost a decade), so I went to Ellis Island, New York Public Records and Social Security sites until I got the info I needed.

Beside living through the Geat Depression, Mom and Dad also lived through the ratification of Amendment 18, Prohibition. On Jan. 16, 1920, The Nation went Dry. This was prompted by 2 major forces, The Anti-Saloon League and The Women's Temperance Union. They believed that drinking was the major cause of wife beating and child abuse. Those who saw the opportunity to benefit from this awful law was President Woodrow Wilson who also banned the production of beer, citing it was to conserve grain for the 'War Effort', thereby making it a patriotic appeal. The other was Henry Ford because of the negative impact had on labor and productivity. The Anti Saloon League called Milwaukee brewers 'The Worst of All Our German Enimies" and labeled it 'Kaiser's Brew.'

The can of worms that was opened with Prohibition was long lasting and truly damaging to citizens, law enforcement and opened the door to greedy mobsters and opportunists. Prohibition cost the tax payers $5M. To enforce Prohibition cost $300M. It was an impossible task.

Speakeasies, smugglers, bootleggers, Moonshine, Bathtub Gin, Rum runners. That's what Prohibition did for our country. By 1927 there were 30,000 Speakeasies and 10,000 stills. Out of 7,000 people charged, there were 17 convictions. That is not a typing error. Fortunes were made by the Kennedy's. Idt fostered corruption and contempt for the law and law enforcers. Attorney General Dougherty took brides and Bootleggers had cops on their payrolls. Capone's Chicago operation took in $60M in 1927 with half of the police force on his payroll.

This insanity finally ended in 1933, Dec. 5th thanks to the then New York Govenor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, during his Presidential campaign. At this point even some of the proponents of Prohibition admitted it created evil consequences, lawlessness and corruption. The question is,
can government legislate morality? I know of no instance in history where it has been successful and without devistating results. What do you think? Should government take over the business of our spiritual well being by law like the Salem Witch Hunts? OUr country was created by men who escaped to America for this type of persecution and law, fighting for and laying down their lives for "Freedom" and separation of church and state. Would be happy to hear your thoughts. Do you think Prohibition was a 'Noble Experiment' or a misguided attempt to use government to shape morality? Will get off my soap box now.

Mom and Dad moved from Long Island City where they had their first apartment, to Astoria. Better neighborhood, better opportunities for them and the children yet to come. It was a huge, what they called at that time, rairoad flat. Hot water was made by a gaget like a small round gas stove that was attached to a boiler and there was an 'ice box.' It kept food cold by putting a huge block of ice in it. Although I've never seen one, I do remember the iceman coming to our neighborhood in his wagon pulled by a white horse. I used to wait for him to give his horse a carrot or apple. Also we would take chips of ice left on the back of the wagon, always trying not to get caught, but the truth of it was he expected the kids to take them. I also remember Mama's wringer type wash machine where you had to put the clothes thru this wringer that looked like a pasta maker to get the water out of your clothes. She would then hang them on the clothes line which was out on the fire escape. Her hands would be bright red in the winter months, frozen stiff. I think that's why she had such bad arthritis in her hands. The clothes would come in stiff also and amazingly, after they thawed, were dry.

I also remember the bright yellow kitchen where Mama did her best cooking. In one corner, she strung hot peppers for Daddy, and if you got too close to them they made your eyes water. When Daddy finished his route, (he was a Milk Man), in Manhattan, Mom would crush up 2 or 3 peppers and put them in olive oil in a pan and fry them with scrambled eggs. Then they went into half loaf of Italian bread. Daddy would eat it, occassionally stopping to blow his nose. These same hot peppers were the test for all the prospective husbands my sisters brought home. First there was Wighty. That was Ester's future husband. Daddy would ask, "do you like hot peppers?" Of course they always said 'yes.' Then he would motion to Mom to make him a hot pepper and hero sandwich. I'll never forget the look on Wighty's face when that first rush of pure hotness went down. He turned the brightest color red I've ever seen. Even his ear's were red. His eyes watered and he couldn't stop blowing his nose. My father felt bad and told him Mom would fix him something else, but he said 'no' and finished that whole hero. Then, of course, there was Elinor's Billie who refused a hero and Barbara's Richie who ate it and liked it. What a character my father was. So many memories, I still miss them so much.

And to answer my daughter Cher's question about that beautiful movie house I took her and Chris too, "YES." It was that fabulous movie house the Lowe's Theatre. I can't believe you even remember it. It was so long ago. But Grandfather DiMasi was a mason that worked on the building of the Lowe's. It really was an Icon and should never have been torn down.

Welcome to all who read the story of the DiMontova's. I welcome all comments.

Just Want to Set The Records Straight!