~ Malden Musings ~ Malden 1972

By Peter Levine

It is said in “Malden Musings”… Malden Musings Redux – Malden 1972. (It was so good the first time around, why not a second?):

• The 43rd annual Saint Rocco Feast was held at Devir Park on one of the three nights; fireworks were held on Bruce Field, men played “morta,” drank wine and wore white tank tops.
• The women of Edgeworth still had big hair.
• King Neptune on Highland Ave. had the best seafood this side of Revere Beach and employed half the youth of Edgeworth, including all the Santo brothers.
• Malden is still reeling, one year later, from the tragic deaths of Beebe Jr. High School ninth-graders Al Owens and John Surrette.
• The beloved but dilapidated red brick “Bandstand” stood in the middle of Devir Park, shelter from the rain and a cool spot in the summer. Also, a good place to drink beer and play whist. Tended to lovingly by John Monte, who had a good sense of humor, wore the same green baseball cap all summer and had a son Richie who graduated MHS in 1973.
• The Malden City Council conspired to demolish the Bandstand in 1972; Mayor Kelliher vetoed it in early 1973.
• We continued to play whist on the Bandstand with Annette, Bethie, Rose Ann and Patti for the next five years.
• The “saucy sub” was born at the Big A!
• Best pompadours in the city – the two brothers that owned the Big A!
• Walter Kelliher was entrenched as Mayor but was being challenged by more progressive minded candidates, such as Councilor-at-Large Amelia Miclette. She will announce her candidacy for Mayor in 1973.
• Arguably some of the best young baseball players in the city are Steve Carpenter, Bobby Harrison, Francis “Buddy” DeMontier, Mike Carey, Gerry Robbins, Bobby Foley, Russell Hall, Joe Levine, Richie Hannon, Greg Lucey, Gary Twyman and Mike Plumbidis.
• Walter ruled Mike’s Cafe with an iron fist. The rules were fast and firm; if your money wasn’t green, you did not get served.
• Bobby “Nip” DiSerio was very good at whist.
• Local State Legislators elected in ’72: Reps Ed Markey, James Conway and John Brennan.
• Al’s Pool Room upstairs on Pleasant Street was where all the cool guys (and a few scary ones) hung out.
• The Centre Methodist Church at 7 Washington St. burns down.
• Top 40 radio is ruled by Don McLean’s “American Pie.” (We were not quite sure what the song was about, but we knew all the words).
• Lovers were listening to “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack.
• Hippies and cool kids were listening to “Layla” by Derek & the Dominos.
• The really cool kids (like Bobby Hench and David Surette) were listening to The Kinks.
• Forestdale’s Mike Upham loved to belt out Elvis Presley’s “Burning Love.”
• At the Carnival at Brother Gilbert Stadium, you could see “human oddities” (not to be confused with the “carnies” that worked the event) clash with your Medford neighbors, have your picture taken with your friends and have it placed on a 3″ round pinback (which I still proudly possess to this day) and eat (the original) Anna’s Fried Dough!
• If you were of age you could walk across the street and have a cold Ballantine Ale with Bill and Lucy Marinelli, owners of the old Stadium Cafe (pre-Billy Settemio).
• Lucy passed away at the ripe old age of 94.
• Mikey Powers was starting his stellar hockey career at Boston College in ’72.
• Florence Street resident Albert DiSalvo is doing time at Walpole State Prison as the “Boston Strangler” – will be found dead in his cell the following year.
• DiSalvo would stop by the West End Bar & Grille on Pleasant Street for a cold one on occasion.
• A 172-unit elderly project is in the works for the corner of Fellsway East and Pleasant Street; George (Grimes), Charlie (Femino), Buddy (LeRoux) and the rest of the Vista Street boys are not happy about this.
• Mahalia Jackson passed away in January.
• Roberto Clemente in December.
• The Yankees trade Danny Cater to the Red Sox for Sparky Lyle; the Yawkey curse doesn’t end for another 32 years.
• Bobby Crowley hung out at Al’s Pool Room, had outstanding vocals and wore killer clothes. (Bobby was very cool!)
• Franny Molis, Ronny Cox, Allan Wynne, Paul O’Toole and Brian Cox were saving the youth of Malden park by park as part of the Acid Outreach Group. And were, most likely, underpaid.
• Pot was smoked – everywhere – by everybody. Mostly in large circles, with Devir Park being Pot Central.
• Norman Greenbaum turns 30 and is rapidly on his way to the land of “One Hit Wonders.”
• Munich. Bloody Sunday. Watergate.
• Arguably some of the best young basketball players in the city are Bert Cioffi, John Stanasek, Mark Burns, Joey Hult, Billy Murray, Gary Twyman, Scott Hanley, Arthur Boyle, Greg Phaneuf, Norm Pashoian and Vance Ferratusco.
• The Lewis Candy Company on Commercial Street is scheduled for demolition under the Urban Renewal plan; it will be torn down in 1973 to make way (eventually) for yet (another) corporate coffee shop.
• Jackie Bottigie with one good hand was a better baseball player than most of us with two.
• Harvard Pastry on Highland Ave. was still run by the Dorsi family; they had the best biscotti, the best “spuckies” and best pan pizza in the city!
• Converse Rubber on Pearl Street employed all of Edgeworth at one time or another.
• It also seemed as though more sneakers are going out the back windows than the back loading dock.
• Frankie Molinari and Jimmy (Vinnie) Della Gatta were the best dancers in Edgeworth.
• Malden Square could still go toe to toe with any downtown in the Commonwealth.
• The city would flood Devir Park (and Ferryway Green) for kids to skate; the result: some of the best hockey players in the state came from Malden.
• The MHS Hockey Team wins the GBL Championship in 1973. Most of the team is from the West End.
• In the summer after a hard rain, the major league infield diamond at Devir was in great shape for “mud bowls” due to the flooding of the park in the winter.
• The legendary Ward 2 Councillor Billy Callahan would lead his famous holiday parade down Charles Street every 4th of July.
• Arguably some of the best young hockey players in the city are Matty Marden, Frank Hanley, Mike Powers, Joey Mayne, the Surette brothers, Dave Norton, Rob Buckley, Brian Rutledge and Richie Howard (from Edgeworth, not the future mayor).
• The prettiest girl in the ninth grade was Geraldine O’Connor – no argument (followed closely by Pam Picillo).
• “The Godfather” created Mafia chic in 1972.
• All the potheads down the park were talking about “Fritz the Cat.”
• “Deliverance” was unsettling for a 15-year-old in 1972.
• I saw “Ben,” “Frogs” and “Dirty Harry” at the Granada Theatre.
• Brigham’s Ice Cream in the heart of the downtown area (right next door to Schopell’s) is home to the best burgers in the Square; it will close up shop and make way for (eventually) another (you guessed it) corporate coffee shop.
• There was no Orange Line in Malden!
• Bruce Springsteen signed a record deal with Columbia Records, I became a fan three years later.
• Paul Coleman was the first Springsteen fanatic I knew.
• Rose Ann Tomasello and Bethie Sampson are being picked to play softball at the park before us guys!
• Everybody was talking about Sammy Davis Jr and his iconic encounter with Archie Bunker.
• The guys from “Acid” show movies at Devir Park.
• They hang a large white sheet over the front of the Bandstand and use a projector to show “B Movies.”
• A Devir Park hooligan sets the sheet on fire.
• There’s a riot goin’ on; Malden Square is the scene of youth disaffection rioting over the course of three days.
• The MPD are ill equipped to handle youth unrest; reportedly there are accounts of Malden’s little insurrection in Chicago dailies.
• Mom and Pops like Mal’s, Freddie’s Market, Columbia Food Store and Nelson’s Bakery had yet to be run out of town by corporate mega monsters.
• The average cost for a gallon of gas is 55 cents.
• Joe & Nemo’s is still charging 25 cents for a steamed hot dog.
• The James Montgomery Blues Band blew the roof off the Jenkins Auditorium.
• You did not go into or even near the Malden River and it is not to be confused with today’s “River’s Edge/Malden River.”
• At Beebe, Barry Hitchcock and Pam Picillo win “Friendliest.” Rest in peace, Hitchy.
• Charlie Farren is about to join his first professional band “Live Lobster.”
• Charlie is like, famous and still records and tours to this very day.
• John & Yoko cohost “The Mike Douglas Show” for an entire week in Feb. then appear on Jerry Lewis’ 7th Muscular Dystrophy telethon later in the year.
• Phil Longo, Phil Roderick, Ron Accettullo, Dick Robbie (Peter Robinson’s stepdad) and the “C Notes” are playing music for the “easy listening crowd” – getting people to shake, rattle and roll – while holding residency at the Copa Lounge on Rte. 1.
• An ugly, large concrete building has yet to be placed in the middle of Pleasant Street. “Old City Hall” was 89 years old.
• It is declared a National Historical Site. The city tears it down shortly after.
• WBCN is four years old.
• Anthony’s Restaurant (“Gennetti’s Spa” on Canal Street) is one year old.
• Attorney Scott Lucey is born.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – you could cruise in your 1966 Buick LeSabre (me) down Pleasant starting at Jordan Marsh; the Kernwood and Anthony’s Shoe Repair on your right, Woolworth’s and W.T. Grant on your left, Boston Leader on your right, Sparks on your left, the Y on your right, Edson’s on your left, Dandy Donuts on your right, the Fruit Stand on your left, Pleasant Bowling Alley on your right, First Congo on your left. Under the bridge – Jenny’s Pizza on your left, the Greeks Liquor Store on your right, “Bay Bob’s” house on your left, the A&P Supermarket on your right, the VFW on your left, Beebe Jr. High on your right – all the way to Medford Square and Tony Lucci’s without going around a large, ugly concrete building aka “The Beast That Ate Pleasant Street.” Happy New Year, Malden!