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Al Schacht was a Major League pitcher
for the Washington Senators from 1919
to 1921. He later became a 3rd base
coach, and his comedic antics from the
coaching lines with fellow Washington
coach Nick Altrock, earned him the
nickname of "The Clown Prince of
Baseball." During WWII, wearing a
battered top hat and ragged tails,
Schacht took his act on the road,
touring to entertain the troops
overseas. On the home front Schacht was
involved locally, attending events to
raise money through War Bonds. The
Clown Prince of Baseball entertained
the crowd of 50,000, at the 1944
Dodgers Yankees Giants Tri-Cornered
Baseball Game, a War Bond exhibition
played at the Polo Grounds.
In 1942 Schacht cited that tire and gas restrictions, rationing for the
war effort, forced him to abandon his
diamond antics and he decided to open a
cafe in New York. September of 1942, Al
Schacht Restaurant opened at 102 E. 52
Street, New York City, NY. It soon
became a popular destination for local
sports stars and celebrities. The Restaurant operated into the 1960's.
The top of this "Score Card" restaurant menu reads: "Menu used at the
Circus Saints and Sinners Luncheon,
(Waldorf-Astoria") HONORING AL SCHACHT
as FALL GUY." Circus Saints and Sinners
was a charitable
organization which was founded
originally to help needy circus
performers and since then had spread
its 'Charity from fun' over various
fields as wide apart as cancer research
and the Boy Scouts'. Al Schacht
was he Fall Guy at the monthly tongue
in cheek roast style luncheon held on
May 25, 1948, at New York's
Waldorf-Astoria.
The bottom of the menu reads: "Al Schacht's RESTAURANT, Where the Screw
Balls Meat, 102 East 52nd St., New York
City, DEMOCRATIC WAITERS-REPUBLICAN
PRICES." The humor continues through
the menu inside. Stated at the top "If
you can't smell it, We ain't got it."
and "Not responsible for Hats, Coats,
or Kidneys."
Food served from the menu includes Sea Food such as; Dizzy Trout, and
Connie Mackerel. Entrees offered
include Pepper Martin Steak, Zach Wheat
Cake's and Roast Beef with Bobby Brown
Gravy. If you're in the mood for "foul"
you can choose; Duck Medwick Vitt
Appling Sauce, or Chicken a la Clyde
King. You can finish your meal with Pie
Traynor, Napoleon Lajoie, Yogi Berries,
or Del Rice Pudding for dessert.
The back of the menu lists "Melodies with your Meals, Music by Muschacht"
songs. Slogans listed include "At
Schacht's The Customer Is Always
Tight... Try Our Oysters. If You Find A
Pearl, You Might Break Even... We Know
Its Tough To Pay $4.75 For A Steak, But
If You Want Something That's Really
Tough, Try Our $2.00 Steak."
Because the restaurant featured a
baseball theme, Schacht decorated it
with various pieces of sports
memorabilia, including many game-used
garments. A gentleman passing by the
restaurant a short time after it had
closed witnessed workers bringing out
piles of garbage to a dumpster on the
street. Among the debris being carried
out were many old uniforms. Being a
baseball fan, he politely asked one of
the workers if he could take some of
the uniforms they were throwing away
and was told to help himself.
Rescued from the dumpster; a Circa 1930s/1940s Johnny Murphy Yankees home
jersey, a 1940s Johnny Lindell Yankees
home jersey, a 1955 Frank Leja Yankees
home jersey, a 1955 Jerry Coleman
Yankees home jersey, and a Circa
1940s-1950s New York Yankees Game-Used
Pants Collection of
4, with Turley and Dressen. We
live in different times.
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