Daniel Ellison and Terry Chartock

00:05 Hi, this is Terry chartic. I'm 50 years old. It is May 16th. 2017. And where is the Atlanta History Center with my dear friend Danny Ellis. Send.

00:18 My name is Daniel Ellison. I am 89 in my ninetieth year. And today is May 16th, 2017 at the Atlanta Historical Center and my friend Terry. Is it just a good friend of mine?

00:39 Danny there's so much to talk about. Oh my gosh, you've just met everybody have done so many things. I don't know if your story about Omar Sharif is so so impressive. Wow. Oh my god. Wow! Well, I was I was managing the showroom at the Conover hotel and suddenly this gentleman walks in and who is it? It's on my Sharif. He sits down at a table at a little thank at and he orders a bottle of Dom Perignon. So I called mr. Conover and I said almost your reef is here on the orders a bottle of Dom Perignon. I imagine you want to compliment. He said, yeah, he drinks the one bottle of Dom Perignon and he starts on the second bottle and Aid goes halfway through and and and then they asked me

01:39 He wants to go out with one of the girls in the show on it and it didn't turn out too. Well, so he left and he didn't even leave a tip that cheap guy, but that's okay.

01:50 They didn't did he want to meet at the answer was that I wanted a backup dancers in the show. Just the main dancer. Yeah, and he asked you to bring them together. She said no, she said to me that she meets her husband there after the show, but I didn't say that to him. I said she's previously engaged. Oh gosh, you think that had something to do with your tip? Probably it's all right. I took the other half a bottle of dump on your own home and myself and my wife Fleet Week finished. What about Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor? I was going to school in the East Side in New York. And that was about 10 years old and here comes

02:41 This man is driving a convertible.

02:45 And he's has his wife with him. And I looked and it's Eddie Cantor who is doing a movie at the Canal Street movie and he's got bags of pennies that he's throwing to all these poor kids in those days 1938-39. There was a you know, they were very lot of poor kids are so he's throwing out these bags of pennies to them. Very nice right in the city right on the street on Henry Street. Yeah. And did you met him again? Right? Did you play softball he was going to softball with was Eddie Fisher tell me about Eddie Fisher. Wow. Well, I was working up at grossinger's up in the Catskills at that time and we had a softball team between and the work is there and the people who were guests and he was on first base and I threw the ball to him and hit it and threw the ball to him and he dropped it and I said to him. Hey you

03:45 Philadelphia heck can't you hold onto a ball and that night. I forgot who put them on the stage. I don't know if it was George Jessel of George Burns and he sang and it was wonderful. It turned out to be he had a wonderful wonderful voice at that time. He couldn't have been more than 18 and 19 years old at the dating anybody at the have no idea what's grossinger's know for sure. We're in love with the Catskills and they know I work nephew would hotels there but it's been so long ago that I can't it Brickman's Hotel. There was quite a few of them that you were, I have a working Never Lie Browns used to go up to the Catskills in the summer and Miami, Florida in the winter time.

04:45 Snowbirds at that time in Miami. Did you say you worked at a ballet where you park cars for a deer run across anybody finding or any you ran across some interesting people the guy with a Cadillac and when you were parking the cars won't talk about that, but I did meet a lot of people live in in that before I got to Miami will go back to 1950 when I was working at the President Hotel in Atlantic City and Tito Puente was playing there and Bobby Roberts and I got to be good friends with Tito. He was a wonderful man, very good. In fact, the 40 years later was unbelievable. I had a dessert shop.

05:39 On the next to the Roxy Theater in Buckhead and he was getting Platinum award thing for all the records that he had made and I went in to see him the manager. Let me come in and visit Tito and it was amazing the way when I walked in they had all these Latinos there and I said hello pillow and he looked at me and he remembered my name. He said Danny and I was overwhelmed and grabbed a hold of me and hug me and was unbelievable. He was so nice. He was wonderful Peter Puente talking about Atlantic City and that area of the world and you got to the you were working at the Philadelphia Country Club. They are that somebody pretty famous there and I don't know if and when she was as she was only Grace Kelly, but you got engaged

06:35 To Prince Rainier of Monaco at that time and I worked on that party was only myself and the made every day and just the two of us. We took care of Grace Kelly and her father and a bunch of other dignitaries who were there at the time and we serve them mumm's Cordon Rouge champagne. And I mean it was a wonderful party. It was so good. In fact that John B Kelly at the end of the party. I don't know how it is. You came over to me and he slipped me a hundred-dollar bill and do nothing to him cuz he was the white brick man in Philadelphia buildings. He was made food made out of white prick so you followed her career and no I don't have a career but a month later when she got to be Princess raniere Princess Grace of Monaco. She came back.

07:35 To the hotel and I'm setting up in the dining room was nobody there but her and her sister walked in and looked around. Nobody God you anything. I'm surprised so I walked over to her and I asked to prove some autographs and my two little kids so she was so nice you gave me to order graphs and I said to her I had to ask you this. Is it possible? Can I kiss your hand and she looked at makes you so sure she gave me so I said to her I'm not I'm not washing my mouth. For 3 days. No, I haven't watched it yet. That's why I like cuz I was a huge highlight for you. But you know, she was pretty yes tell me about the Diplomat Hotel and I know you were there for Tony Martin.

08:35 And he was there with his wife's situation and they used to come into the lounge and during the during intermission of the show. And I remember that she yelled at him one time you cheap son-of-a-gun. You never pick up a check here. I'm leaving. I'm flying right back to Hollywood and I'm leaving right now because I hate to say what you call temperature was it true that they not pay their bill. No not pay the bill paid pay a check for the drinks that they ordered a couple of people come in with him, but he never paid know. How is he a good Tipper with you or what's the best tip you ever got from anybody?

09:21 Oh, no and Tylenol or something. Yeah, that's what you think. Those people are still alive or going to come go site how to get to Miami Beach. They're well, I drove in 1948. I picked up three fellows from Brooklyn. We had a big snowstorm in New York and we drove down to Miami for the first time in a 1939 Plymouth.

09:56 Which burned 140 quarts of oil motor oil and gas for air conditioning right in the car? I don't remember I don't think so. We didn't worry about air conditioning because it was winter time when you got there Drexel Plaza Hotel 13th and Drexel. Yeah, how much was that a night knew it was expensive was $45 a week something like that. Yeah. Well, I was three or four of us in the room. I think it was four of us in the room. So it's like $45 a week for each one of us. So it's like

10:42 If I would that they be upstairs looking down at me. Wow. Yeah, they're all gone serious. In fact, he invited me over to his Studio when he was doing interview them and he was doing his exercises with his dog. He had a White Shepherd named happy in the two of them and happy was doing exercise when he was wonderful Jack LaLanne when he was kind of inspired. You still have his booking that he sent me and he sent me a few little things got my name and address. We went for lunch that day after you finished and he was a wonderful wonderful guy wear to go to lunch. Remember, I think it was

11:34 What was the name of that restaurant across the street from where I was and 79th Street Channel 700 know I can't remember on the street. No, yeah. Yeah, and then when did you buy your first Vitamix blender blender? I bought that 1950 in Atlantic City is a matter of fact in the in the in the health food store their see you've been interested in health food for you. Well, that's why I'm still alive. Yeah, you are thank God I needed a lot of the same exercises like you followed Jack LaLanne's waited. So oh so then you worked at the Americana Hotel for 17 years. I met quite a few people there.

12:34 1959 or something like that. Yeah Natalie Cole. Yeah. She will I was before I went into the nightclub. I was managing the the karaoke Lounge was a little Lounge that we had there and this young lady came in a little girl that look like and we used to have an act come in through for 2 weeks, you know, and she came in and we talked for a minute and then she said, oh I have to be good for my father. Otherwise, she'll get mad at me. I said well who's your father? She says not called I said Nat King Cole is your father.

13:19 Haha. Yeah, I believe it. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah everything and she treated you well, or she was nice. He was only seventeen at the time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that wasn't 64 know what in the there was a Lady Edith bar. Wow. She was a number one single out of Lima Peru and she was a funny thing how I met her was unbelievable, but I'll tell you if a story about it. Well, I was working in a nightclub and I had waited on her. I didn't know who she was from a hole in the wall. So after the first show is over the lady from the ladies room though the girl who work that she came in and she handed me a note in Spanish which

14:19 I couldn't read it anyway, so I asked my friend.

14:23 Cuz we had all those Cubans working there real nice man, and he read it. And he said well, her name is Edith bar, and she's staying at 26th and Collins and she gave me he gave me the room the telephone number and he said for me to call her so I called her and she said come on over and I said what I can't come over till after the show is over after 1, so I went and picked her up and took her to we went up to the harbor Lounge up to the penthouse. We danced a little bit and then she sold my manager is here. I better get out of here. I don't want him to see me then. So we went out and blah blah blah and we had a

15:07 Haha, okay. We had A Fine Romance. She's looking for you or where what happened to you. I was fifty years ago. He still waiting for you so I could afford to fly over there. So then then what what what happened with Sammy Davis came in there? Oh, yeah. Send me Davis came in with his Entourage and I was taking care of him and he said hey candy called me kiddo. I'm older than him and he was much shorter than you owe. Yeah, they ordered three bottles of Jack Daniel's Black Label. That's all they drank of bourbon checked in. So then he said to me he could see if you can get some of these girls to go out with us after the show. I should send me.

16:07 Ran back there today. I said girls were all going out with Sammy after the show.

16:15 So about eight of them said, okay, we'll go so I called Mama Mama Vivi. She had an Italian restaurant. So we all went down we had some spaghetti that you save your nose and it's going on 2 in the morning. We will go up to The Hobbit lounge and we stay there till 6 in the morning dancing and and Sammy funny as he could be and loaded with gold from 10 fingers all loaded with gold up and down his arms. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was like Yeah Yeah Yeahs Danny and Sammy at the Americana Hotel. We're so much action. Obviously right across some sports guys there one of the greatest boxers Muhammad Muhammad Ali in 1968. They had a democratic convention and and

17:15 I was working out by the pool side during the day and I walked by and his Muhammad Ali. He's in his shorts. Just boxing around and Howard Cosell is lying there on the lounge, you know when they are kidding around and I walked up there said hey champ, how you doing? I said it looked at me. So I went over nights of my hand out to shake his hand so we can I said meant I don't want to hurt you. I said to him. I don't want to squeeze you and that's when he knocked you out. It was funny though renege. Nice. Well then, mr. Tom Jones came walking in his family was there watching the show with wife and kids and everything in it was working at the Fontainebleau singing and in between he came over to see the show for a minute to see his wife and kids. So I was taking care of his wife and the kids

18:15 And I said, hello mister Tom Jones at why I said I'm a very good fan of yours. You are terrific in my book. You know, you great so he, you know another handshake and you look good, right. Go outside for a very short, but it was nice. Nice guy. That's great.

18:43 What's oh my gosh. And then how in the world did you get to Atlanta how ya what made you come to the all the way from Miami free? I think it's 74 when they built the Peachtree Plaza Hotel. That was a big deal that time when there I was managing the Inner Circle lounge and one day walks in there. I had to look twice. It was Bob Hope. So my God, that was Bob Hope and he was with this beautiful young lady in the silk La maze outfit on give me a little table in the corner there. So, but he was nice.

19:43 And because it was brand new hotel, and he happened to be in Atlanta at the time so he came in and then Muhammad Ali and then did you meet Joe Louis to Joey Lewis? Wow, Frank Sinatra played him in the movie. I forgot the name of the movie and it was during the prohibition days. What was his name that gangster from Chicago alcohol? Yeah, he heard him singing in a in a nightclub. So he asked him he didn't ask him if he sent one of his cohorts to tell Joe Joey Lewis asked him to come and play for him to sing for him for in one of his night clubs. So Joey Lewis said, no he said,

20:43 I'm here and I'm happy here working for this felon and

20:49 So two nights ladies walking out in one of his hoods. One of Capone's hoods just sliced is throat Sally became a comedian see you soon gangsters. I met him some of the murder Incorporated and getting my Alaska he was a headband for the weirdest thing of Singapore Hotel. I met him every morning every morning. I used to come in for breakfast every morning Mile and remember what he ordered. No, I didn't infect the waitress. She took care of him and she loved it when he cuz he used to give her $10 tip every time he came in a little guy.

21:49 Yeah Yeah Yeahs live down there in a condo there and I forgot crystal house or something on Miami beach, but he was very nice she is lucky coming to know he was long gone by then. Yeah, they they put yeah nobody I don't know what happened to them they wouldn't let him get off the plane or something like the man in the in the in the ship that they wouldn't let off the ship he had to spend his life on a ship for Maya Danny going back. Alright, so you were born and what year 1928 okay and you grew up in what was your address of your house the address yeah, it was on 88th Street between 32nd and 33rd Avenue sunlight and you have a brother yeah and he Eli

22:49 And he's how old is 91. He's your older brother. Wow, but I tell you you talk about being I met the Don Rickles when he was so he was my next door neighbor when we were living there in the apartment building and his mother and my mother were very good friends and I moved cuz I'm a dime but it wasn't a comedian in those days. He was just an ordinary person. No, not at all. Well not really know. He learned his stick like from from Jackie Leonard. He was his mentor Don Rickles mother yet. I brought the what's your name? Sinatra's mother Dolly Sinatra in into the musketeer Lounge that I was managing at.

23:49 Deauville Hotel one summer when the night club was closed as managing the musketeer lounge and 64th 65th Street Cinema like that. So who's appearing at Don Rickles and like I say Downs mother brought a dolly in to hear him. So she really got to do is buy Rickles Don Rickles. So she brought Franklin to see him and that's how we got to know him. And then after that the he went from nothing to being a big star. Mr. Don Rickles Diner Clarks Rickles Max rectal if they gave us some funny claim with him.

24:49 Bothering code to his father too much because every time he finished his show Don Rickles, he's always talk about his mother, you know, but he never once mention this but never know they didn't get along too. Well and then when you are, okay shooting all the way back to Atlanta Atlanta High Museum, what were you at? You were at the High Museum and you saw Burt Bacharach or Burt Bacharach know we didn't I was working with the Affairs to remember Caterers and we were doing all that desserts my wife and Burt Bacharach was playing and we had a big array of deserts laid out and people are coming up there still. Dessert bar, and they were coming up to get there deserts are Burt Bacharach.

25:49 Stop playing and he yells out. If you people want to eat desserts now, I'll stop playing and you could also bring any more you keep playing at the Fontainebleau one year and we were invited up by the maitre. D there myself and a few others three of there were four of us and we were sitting right on top of the stage and in those.

26:25 I forget what your call is about the things that you are overlooking the stage and we were sitting in there and then

26:35 Yeah, and then we saw a Frankie and I was in a movie once but I was nothing I was running after him. He was a hole in the head was the name of the movie and we were just a bunch of extras and then I worked a couple of what was the name of the bear.

26:59 I don't know. What about Joey? Magnifico? Magnifico? Magnifico? Yeah, why is his name down there? And he showed me a picture of him and Frank when they were about 15 or 16 jumping into the East River cuz they were they were living and he was from New Jersey. What do you call and forget?

27:22 Exactly where but they were jumping in the river. So he showed me a picture of him till magnifico and Frank Sinatra together jumping into the East River Danny. Have you talking about Jack LaLanne in your health? Have you ever have you ever taken any for been prescribed any medicine? Not that I can remember? No say you're at your 89 and you've never been prescribed any medicine for wow. So what what what do you account at 2?

27:58 Well, the man upstairs he's not ready for he had he's taking good care of me and I take care of myself you go to the chiropractor. Yeah, once every three to three weeks yet. That's about the only one I go to the chiropractor. What do I give him?

28:16 You give him a block of havarti cheese on the table. You said you get off the table faster than these 30 and 40 year-olds. You said you were in good shape knock on wood. Yeah. What's a typical week for you? What are you doing Mondays? I go to the Roswell Adult Center and I play around there. We play Bocce and then we played pinochle and I go swimming or I go into the big Whirlpool they have there and I made a lot of people and then that's about it. Yeah. How about Tuesday's Tuesday's

29:02 Tuesday's enough to feed the birds. Oh, yeah. I always feed the birds everyday. I feed the birds outside my patio here. That's nice and every Saturday with a what do you do every Saturday where we're at. Temple Beth Tikvah the pulpit to do a special reading from the Torah and tell me about your your you tell me about your diet. What do you what do you eat magical diet? Cuz it's kept you off Madison and I have my fruit drink. I take a papaya mango kiwi pineapple and I put them in my Vitamix and I have that for breakfast.

29:55 Then I make myself some fresh vegetable juice, maybe two three four times a week in my Jacqueline mixer my

30:05 Well, what do you think? What do you think the problem is was some of the people today what they're eating. What's the what's the problem? Why is everybody on all these prescription drug? Well, they don't know. I mean they don't know.

30:23 The TV is so bias with everything until you take this drug and take that drug. If you have a cold take this or take that and it's all so so ridiculous. All it does is make you worse and makes you depending on all that stuff. And that Danny tell me about tell me about you. Tell me the names of your children starting with the oldest. The oldest is Bernie Bernie on Seneca and he says he lives not too far from you 66 now you live in Woodstock and who's the next round David David and he's married to

31:05 My

31:07 Second wife's daughter Karen. Yeah, and you have and then your third son is Mark Mark boys. You got a lot of grandchildren, LOL. Yeah, great girl children to how many great-grandchildren do you have? I can't count them all at the moment. Wow, it's difficult. But yeah, tell me about Tony Bennett. Wow. She's amazing to 1950 when I just came back to

31:55 Where was that Philadelphia? Right and I was working at the broadwood hotel for lunch and the weight of my friend Salvador. He came over to me and he said to come and want you to meet somebody. He's a friend of my good friend of mine. So I takes me over to this gentleman. He was sitting by himself at a little table and he said I want you to meet him. His name is Antonio Benedito, but they cut his name down to Tony Bennett. I said, oh, okay. I had never heard of them before it's 1950 and he hadn't started his career at night and he said he introduced me to him and I shook his hand and I said, well, my friend sallia tells me you have a wonderful voice and I hope that you know that everything goes well with you and the singing business which today I guess you've been singing for the last fifty sixty years and you still doing it so

32:55 That's good about the same age as you that greater. Yeah, just about I think he's has high eighties. Yeah, he has to be my just saw him last year at Chastain Park playing Lady Gaga. You look good. Yeah. Well, I saw him a few times to when he played at the Diplomat. I came in to see him that to my friend took me in there to see him. Yeah.

33:24 A lot of lot of people a lot of people and you didn't get a chance.

33:38 Not really know everybody. I mean how many people can you meet, you know people don't believe it when you tell him that you're matter all these people died approved for me and I know is it different now, like when you go to hear these, you know newer performers singing does it feel completely different than it did back then that I my TV I put on the the station, you know that play music that play 50 and fifties and I listen to all the old time. Do you meditate every morning for 20 minutes? Yeah. How do you how do you do that?

34:22 How you sit in a chair and your close your eyes and your just think of

34:28 The best things that can happen to you that happened in you, you know, you meditate you think of anything, you know, then you get up and you do your morning stretches like Jacqueline. He showed us that keeps you very positive. That's a big shark week water off to the Bandit 2 Bandit was the name of the boat that was in Miami Beach and 63rd Street what to do with that shark. They hung him up on a thing in the woman said you want to have a stuff that I should know. I don't want to stuff it later in your career. You you you had married a beautiful woman who was a paste pastry chef.

35:28 Have a lot of stories with that and those how big were those cakes weren't they just like how many inches about it quite a few wedding cakes? And and we did the big cakes and we opened up this restaurant for the Fest to remember with Ron Lazarus and his partner Scott. Ardolino's Cafe rotisserie. We were the first rotisserie restaurant in Atlanta, right all yeah. I forgot the other side of a condo and a house house house kind of Brookhaven Buckhead.

36:26 No, not really. I met a few people but

36:30 That didn't turn out too. So it's okay. But you had a bakery right on Peachtree Street right by that theater Roxy Theater. We had we had our dessert cafe sweet stuff dessert and then he later moved to Roswell Road. What was the what was the most popular cake or cheesecake? The Black Forest cakes? We made and wedding cakes and all kind of yeah, they were good. Yeah, we had a good time for the few years that we were there.

37:10 Wow, this is also I'm also looking at another pretty cool picture looks almost like Nick cassavetes in there. Where is that?

37:21 This matter be in Miami Miami Beach was driving along and you're in about yeah. Well, I'm driving a boat. We went to forget Bimini. We went fishing in Bimini few times. We we take off from the doctor. I just don't like it was a Gordon's or are you know, Jose should have stayed partners with him. He became big time right kind of at the bottom of know he got lucky when they say when you got to be at the right place at the right time. That's what happened to him. Because the Mater did Jose just

38:21 Fired in the afternoon to come in looking for a job and he was a good salesman and he talked his way into that job right away. Got to be the matter. They leave right away. Yeah. Did you go did you get to go there where you work? If you are there and back in the day, they only had male waiters. No, I'm not. I think it's Josie still mostly have a male weights that nobody wants to quit that job. That's a good job. Very cool picture. Tell me tell me about this day.

38:58 Oh, this is my old friend Steve Leslie. He was the president of the operating engineers local 25 in Tampa and in New York and then Virginia's it was wonderful. Wonderful man. He was wonderful. He was the best Tipper in the country boy. I mean you just talk to me and he give you $5,800 e-bond at the Americana and they would sit and have lunch and peppered salmon and

39:44 And

39:46 Yeah, he was great. Yeah. Yeah, he was great. He took me out a lot took me to the penthouse and took me to see some.

39:58 That's nice gloves you I don't really do that too much anymore.

40:08 The Danny thank you so much. I made it just you just said you changed my life in a lot of ways. We've had so much fun together. Wow. Yeah, you're a sweetheart. You are great stories are real cuz you are exactly the same when you repeat them right down to the to the wire. Yeah. I never really I never met anyone like you never did.

40:40 I need to get out more. It's been so nice.