| |
Dubbed as Baseball's
unofficial headquarters, Toots
Shor's Restaurant was owned and
operated by Bernard "Toots" Shor at 51
West 51st Street in Manhattan from 1940
to 1959.
It was the place to be in New York
City, frequented by celebrities such as
Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Judy
Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Orson Welles,
Yogi Berra, and Ernest Hemingway. It
was also Joe DiMaggio's home away from
his hotel room, and a place of
gathering of sports and Broadway
figures, who came to see and be seen.
In the
eyes of Toots Shor, the
restaurants glory years were those when
the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants were
riding high in New York. Owner of the
New York Giants Horace Stoneham was a
regular as well.
On February 5, 1951, Toots Shor hosted a party held in conjunction with
the National League’s 75th birthday.
Hall Of Famers in attendance were the
likes of Kid Nichols, Charley Gehringer,
Mel Ott, Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Tris
Speaker, George Sisler, Pie Traynor,
Mickey Cochrane, Cy Young, Fred Clarke,
Jimmy Foxx and Ed Walsh. Before the
evening was considered ended, the old
greats—Cobb, Speaker, Hornsby and the
rest—pressed Shor for his king-sized
menus and table-hopped, getting each
other’s autographs.
From 1952 through 1959 the back of the Toots Shor Dinner menu featured a
picture taken at the 1951 party.
Pictured are: Jimmy Foxx, Mel Ott,
Mickey Cochrane, Ed Walch, Toots Shor,
Rogers Hornsby, Pie Traynor, Fred
Clarke, Arlie Latham, Cy Young. George
Sisler, Charley Nichols, Ty Cobb, and
Charley Gehringer.
The front of the menu depicts the
original Toots Shor's restaurant at 51
West 51st Street, which closed it's
doors in 1959. The following year Shor
opened at a new location at 33 West
52nd Street and tried to emulate the
decor and atmosphere of the original.
In 1971, authorities padlocked the
doors for nonpayment of federal, state,
and local taxes, then opened another
restaurant at 5 East 54th Street.
Each menu is dated on the lower right
corner. The one pictured below is dated
Tuesday, September 17, 1957.
|
|
