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E-MAIL MEMORIES, PAGE 31




DIANE AHTEN, Class of 1962 Warren Easton:
Hi Bob...Just wanted to say I enjoyed every minute of your web site, brought back so much. I graduated from Warren Easton in 1962. I am the owner of it's back to the 50 & 60's web site.

We also have a ladies group..WEE Sorority...Warren Easton Eaglettes who meet for a Brunch Dinner, or gathering once a month for anyone that would like to join us.

I just put on the class of 1961-62-63 Class Reunion at the Hampton Hotel in New Orleans which a big hit and lasted 3 days. I was also a drum majorette for Easton. I was not a letter girl. I was one carrying a baton. There were 7 of us back in 60-61-62: Diane Ahten, Mary Mike Galway, Lurlyn Hickey, Carol Bennet, Philippi Cusimano. Linda Eilers and Jane Arbisi. Hey we were just as good .....should I say more...lol. I did fill in a few times with a letter...which was the E since I was shorter.

I am also in the Hall of Fame committee. One of the Eagles sent me your web site. I'll pass this on to the web site group.

I also went to all the dances that you mention, good friends with Eddie Roth, Chuck Como & Roland (Stone) LeBlanc... I love "Just A Moment Of Your Time". We had their new band Flip Side play for us at the reunion. One of our own Easton Eagles, Guy Trippi, plays with them..this group is made up from many of the older groups.

Thanks for the Great memories.

All the Warren Easton web sites are here:
60's Eagles
Easton Eaglettes
Easton Eagles '64-'68

BOB:
Warren Easton certainly did produce an abundance of musical talent...and good looking majorettes and Letter Girls for sure!


JOHNNY SCHUBERT, Deer Park, Texas:
Bob, love the site. Brings back a lot of memories for me. Been living in Deer Park Texas for the past 30 years, but I get back to the Big Easy to visit the family. Seems I was the only dummy to leave New Orleans.

I was born in '52. Some memories I have are listening to my clock radio my parents bought me when I was around 6. I'd listen to WTIX till I fell asleep, then my mom would come in my room and turn it off for me. The radio and WTIX came in handy after watching Morgus on a Saturday night. WTIX would keep me company until I fell asleep.

Got to experience most of the good stuff growing up there. Seeing Mr. Bingle at Maison Blanche (and visiting Santa). Hanging out at Shakey's Pizza on the West Bank. Going to Cafe DuMonde on the last leg of a date. Of course, the submarine races at the Lakefront could pre-empt the beignets!!!! Sneeking off to the parking lot at the College Inn to get a couple of daquiris. Driving down Bourbon Street (when you still could) trying to get a peek while the barkers held the doors open. The flashing yellow beacon at Binder's Bakery (hot French bread right out of the oven). The St. Bernard drive in. Pat O'Brien's. The Bali Hai. Ponchartrain Beach (Laugh-in-the-Dark). My Uncle's camp on Lake Catherine on Chef Menteur Hwy (less than a mile from where Jane Mansfield died). Going to see a movie at the Saenger, Joy or Loew's Theaters. A drive through City Park on my Honda 350 (around '69 and '70). A drive along Lakeshore Drive on a sunny afternoon on my Honda. Eating at Bruning's or Fitzgerald's with family and friends. Hap Glaudi, Buddy Diliberto, Wayne Mack, Henry Dupre (I was on his Popeye and Pals show) Sid Noel (Morgus) and many others.

I see that Craig Roberts is on your missing persons list. Well, he's somewhere in the Houston area or was until a year or 2 ago. Craig was a sportscaster at one of the Houston TV stations (either KHOU, KTRK or KPRC). He's been here for many years, but he's not on the air anymore. Believe it or not, Craig was my very first flight instructor. I started flying lessons at Lakefront Airport back around '72. Craig was working at one of the flight facilities at Lakefront and took me for my introductory flight. I still have that log book with his signature.

Thanks for the memories and allowing me to flood you with more of them. Your website is a permanent bookmark and I visit it at least once a week.

BOB:
Craig Roberts may have been the most talented air personality I ever worked with. He was certainly the most popular flight instructor at Caudle Aviation.


ELEANOR MILLER:
Bob, my mother was a singer with the Dawnbusters. We think it may have been sometime in the 1940's. Her name was Eleanor Albro. If she was with the group when married her name would have been Eleanor Hennessey. She died at a young age. We would love to know if anyone has any memory of her in the group. I know some may have pictures. My brother and I are both musicians and we would love to know if there are any recordinga at the time she would have been with the group. I'm not sure if you can help with this information. It would mean so much to know about our Mom and we appreciate anything you can do!

BOB:
What a great show your mom was a part of. It's sad but I don't think any recordings of the great "Dawnbusters" shows exist, though I's live to have some clips online for listening. If someone remembers your mom or has pictures, I hope they contact me here for you.


DENIS MURPHY, Tampa, FL:
Bob, love your site! As a N.O. expatriate now living in the Big Easy's sister city - Tampa, it is a real lift. I grew up in the 50's in St. Rita, N.O. parish so many of the old haunts you have on your site have good memories for me too.

I didn't think anybody remembered "Tunies". We all ate them on Friday (no meat).

How about Miss Hirsch the usher at the Popular. She kept order with her flashlight. And Arnaud's Drugs, the only all night pharmacy in town besides Waterbury's.

In all of your many encounters with up and coming local talent, did you ever run across a young black singer in '59 named Joyce Bailey? She was our housekeeper, but she moonlighted singing at Lincoln Beach and elsewhere. I would love to find her. She would probably be in her 60's now. If you have any ideas on how I could locate her, please advise.

In any event, keep your good work up. We need all the stimulus we can get these days for good vibes.

BOB:
I don't remember Joyce Bailey but maybe somebody who does will see this and email me for you. Yes, Mrs. Hirsch was quite a fixture at the Poplar, and she ran it with an iron fist. I still remember how, at the Saturday matinees, they would put a free pass for the next week's matinee in lucky boxes of popcorn...and who's signature was on them? "P. Hirsch."


J. HEARD, Fernandina Beach, FL:
Mr. Walker, I ran across your website and was so interested in reading the recollections of the early days in New Orleans.

My first encounter with Leon Kelner was as a teenager growing up in Georgia and listening to him nightly from our living room radio broadcasting from the Blue Room. You could receive it loud and clear because it came on at 11 PM our time (Eastern). Don Lewis was the announcer and Jack Delaney played trombone and handled the vocals along with another band member, Jay Barry. Delaney sang the up tempo songs while Jay Barry usually handled the Ballads. He always opened with his theme song "Blue Room" and he closed the broadcast with "The Song is Ended". Don Lewis always dedicated songs during the broadcasts for listeners in different states. During the halfway break in the program, he always told you who was currently performing in the Blue Room and who was scheduled in the coming weeks. He played a variety of dance tunes, ballads, foxtrots, swing, latin and of course always featured a dixieland number. In the mid seventies, I was in town and had dinner and caught the show in the Blue Room, but by then it was the Dick Stabile Orchestra as the house band. I recall Leon Kelner had relocated to the Boca Raton Resort in Florida.

I knew Leon Kelner's brother, David Kelner who resided in Savannah, GA and played at the Wilmington Club. He looked and played the style just like his brother. He told me once he would occasionally fill in for Leon at the Blue Room and when dancers would ask for his autograph - he would smile and sign Leon's name. They never knew the difference. In the late 50's and 60's I taped a lot of the broadcasts of Leon Kelner of of the radio with a reel to reel recorder. They are excellent quality and I still enjoy playing them today I also taped broadcasts of other bands from the Blue Room such as Ray Anthony, Tony Pastor, Ralph Flanagan, Woody Herman, Russ Carlyle and Jan Garber .

In 1995 The Fairmont Hotel brought Leon Kelner and his Orchestra back and reopened the Blue Room for New Years Eve. I heard about it and flew out and met him for the first time. What a wonderful evening. It was just like the years I had heard him on radio, except Jack Delaney and Jay Barry were not there. I believe he played the next year and then soon passed away. His brother David passed away later. I wonder if Jack Delaney or Jay Barry are still alive? I wonder if anyone has a photograph of Leon Kelner Orchestra in the Blue Room? I would really like to have a copy.

Thanks for the wonderful memories of a great era in America and for the great website. Keep up the good work.

BOB:
If I recall correctly, Leon Kelner was working at the Broadwater Beach hotel in Biloxi when he passed away on March 8, 2000 at age 77. If I find a pic of Leon Kelner I'll post it on my site. And we'd sure love to get a copy of one of his old Blue Room broadcasts from you to post for listening, in addition to the only one we have up now!


JOSEPH ENROUGHTY, The Guy Lombardo Society:
Hi Bob-
I was looking at some of the New Orleans memories on your web site and saw a reference to Leon Kelner. I have all of his recordings, even the ones he made after he left the Blue Room in 1971. Leon played Piano with Peter Toma in the 40's before he took over as house band there. I have no recordings by Peter Toma, but do know he played more than just POLKAS! Leon told me before he died, that Peter's was a dance band like Lawrence Welk, and could play all styles very well. But people seem to think because Peter was an accordion player, he only played Polkas. Not so! Peter's band never included more than 10 musicians plus himself on accordion, but it was a very good one.

Leon made three albums while at The Blue Room. They were:
Cha-Cha With Leon Kelner and his Trio
Dancing In The Blue Room (Full Orchestra)
Requests Most Played In The Blue Room (Full Orchestra)

He made several other Trio albums after he moved to Biloxi, Mississippi to play at the Broadwater Beach Hotel with his trio. Years later, in the early 80's, he released an LP of a CBS Radio Broadcast he purchased from the studios of WWL in New Orleans. This was called "Around The World With Leon Kelner And His Orchestra". I assume the "Around The World" references the fact that WWL had such a strong signal and could be heard all over at night.

In 1996, Leon recorded a CD simply titled "Leon Kelner At The Piano". It was a dandy. Leon was a very fine pianist. As you probably know, he died in 2000 at the age of 77. I spoke with him several months before he died.

I have an autographed photo postcard of Leon and his orchestra from 1962 if you would like me to scan it in for your site.

Jan Garber, Paul Neighbors, and others, used to "fill in" for Leon when he would go on tour up and down the East Coast. I believe this was in the summer time. But they were never known as the "House Band" there. Jan Garber made many records for DECCA Records and I have most of them. One such record was titled "Music From The Blue Room". Paul Neighbors recorded for Capitol Records but his records have never crossed my path (excpet for one 45 which warped). Leon told me he became the official House Band at the Roosevelt in 1948 and remained as such until 1971 when they let him go. Herb Tassin's orchestra played there in the 80's, but was not as large a band as Kelner's. It was more like a quintet. Perhaps not always, but most of the time. I'm sure Herb could add or take away musicians as needed.

I have been in touch with Leon's son, Kirt, and he is a very nice person.

If you would like the postcard, please let me know and I'll scan it in for you.

BOB:
Yes, please do send the postcard of Leon Kelner and I will post it for all to share. Leon would be honored to know that so many people remember him so fondly!




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