~ Malden Musings ~ Tribute to Torby Night

By Peter Levine

News flash… a “Tribute to Torby” — sponsored by the Democratic City Committee — will take place at the Granada Theatre on October 29, 1968.

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…” Not everyone knows that “Torby” — better known as Torbert Hart Macdonald — was not only John F. Kennedy’s Harvard roommate but also served in the 84th Congress representing Massachusetts straight out of Malden, Mass.! I had no idea a tribute had ever been held in his honor at the Granada… until Ed “Moose” Savage surprised me with the original program from that very same night. The name may not be familiar to Maldonia so please indulge me for a moment… These days, Moose calls Maine home — but if you came of age during the heyday of Boston’s garage rock scene, the name needs no introduction. You’ll remember his sonic fingerprints from bands like Ed “Moose” Savage and His Litany of Complaints, The Siamese Triplets and, of course, Moose and the Mudbugs.

Every now and then, when Ed stumbles upon a piece of Malden history way up in his corner of the woods, he sends it my way — because that’s what landsmen do! (Insert smiley face… and maybe a vintage 1980s Ed Moose Savage guitar or a kazoo riff.)

But I digress… The program is a fascinating time capsule; here are a couple of highlights:

• Kappy’s Liquor was a sponsor of the program with “prompt delivery” of ice cubes, cordials, liquors, beer and wine. Two locations in Malden: one at 334 Main St. next to the First National not far from the Centre Bar & Grille. Don’t bother Googling, it no longer exists. Gone in the name of progress.
• The Dem City Committee was chaired by John J. McCarthy, who “urged” all Maldonia to vote the “entire” Dem ticket — (Hubert) Humphrey and (Ed) Muskie — in the presidential election also. G. Edward Bradley was on the Governor’s Council; there were Representatives Edward M. Flanagan, (future mayor) James S. Conway and David Liederman. County Commissioners were Frederick J. Connors and John F. Dever, Jr., and Howard W. Fitzpatrick was Sheriff. Bring back middle names!
• Other sponsors were Converse Rubber, Malden Taxi at 445 Eastern Ave., the Sports Plaza at 488 Broadway, (George) Sparks at 90 Pleasant St., Attorney John P. Donnelly at 1 Salem St., Edgar P. Lewis & Sons, Inc. at 200 Commercial St., Stan Black, Sir Carlton Apartment Hotel at 33 Maple St., Attorney Walter J. Kelliher, Ward Meat Company & Custom Spice Company at 36 to 66 Charles St., Tony “Papa Tony” Spadafora, Attorney Richard Zelinsky (from whom in 1986 I purchased his 1975 bronze Buick LeSabre — it was huge!), Pine Banks Lumber and Supply Company at 55 Winter St., the Gold Coin, where you can get a “delicious charcoal broiled steak” as well as “Chinese food at its best!” (my note, yes indeed — their Chinese food was THE best!), Manny Ginsberg and Dave Todreas at Boston Leader. Don’t bother Googling, most are long gone in the name of — you guessed it — progress.
• The “Tribute to Torby Theatre Party” seemed like a rockin’ good time! Attorney John J. McCarthy greeted those in attendance; a presentation of flowers to Mrs. Torbert H. (Phyllis) Macdonald by Miss Nancy Kelliher was next; Mayor (Walter) Kelliher introduced Torby; then the movie “The Odd Couple” with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau was shown. Which was kinda odd, I thought. Insert smiley face!
• All were welcomed next door to the Kernwood for the after-party — I’m thinking probably for some serious 1968 insider-male-dominated-power-sharing, smoking cigarettes, eating rare steaks, then drinking copious amounts of booze until the wee small hours. Not far-fetched to believe that maybe “Papa Tony” opened the back door on Canal Street for the real men (and women) in the crowd for the real after-party (Albert — you remember this night?).
• The best takeaway from this program is a name that I have never heard of but, according to the listing, was “Edgeworth’s gift to entertainment — Billy Kelley.” On a side note, I always thought Dommy “Handsome Dom” Settemio was “Edgeworth’s gift to entertainment”! The picture of Billy is a good one: a head shot featuring a handsome young man in a suit — think Al Martino meets Ed Ames. Anybody ever heard of Edgeworth’s gift to entertainment, Billy Kelley? Was this a bit of self-promotion (not unusual by today’s standards, especially in Malden)? But in 1968 it seems a bit over the top. Insert smiley face.
• Ed Lucey? Arthur Kahn? Dom Fermano? Denise Russell? Neal Anderson? Barbara Tolstrup? I’m looking for additional info on this night. Youse guys remember the night?! Thanks in advance!

Some “Torby” Macdonald trivia you really should know… so we don’t forget:

• Raised in Malden, Torbert Hart “Torby” Macdonald was born June 6, 1917, attending Medford High School and Phillips Academy before graduating from Harvard, where he played baseball, captained the football team and was roommates with (future) President John F. Kennedy (even living with JFK for a short period of time in Malden). The two remained close friends throughout their lives.
• He served in the U.S. Navy as a PT boat commander and was awarded the Silver Star Combat Award, Purple Heart and Presidential Citation. Amazing!!
• After the war, he attended Harvard Law School and in 1945 married Hollywood actress Phyllis Brooks, raising four children in Malden.
• Phyllis shared screen time with Shirley Temple, Victor Mature and Ginger Rogers — also appearing in a couple of Charlie Chan movies.
• Torby was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-fourth Congress in 1954, serving as Majority Whip and as ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
• Often referred to as the “Father of Public Broadcasting,” one of the legislators primarily responsible for the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.
• Torby was also responsible for the “sports blackout bill,” which provides for the broadcast of local sold-out sporting contests.
• Also notable was his effort to reform campaign broadcasting practices, addressing his concern that competent candidates were being priced out.
• Reelected 10 times, tragically passing away in office on May 21, 1976, at just 58 years of age.
• Maldonia, did you also know that the memorial stone dedicated to Torby was originally dedicated in 1984 by the Italian Heritage Society, and was located at 200 Pleasant St. but moved to the Macdonald Stadium facility (due to the demolition of “The Beast That Ate Pleasant Street”) and placed alongside the memorial of Torbert’s late father, John G. “Jack” Macdonald, for whom Macdonald Stadium is named?

Torby’s daughter Laurie (formerly a member of the Stadium Commission) was — once again — kind enough to get back to me after I contacted her to see if she remembered the night: “Good afternoon, Peter, that’s a blast from the past, I must say, but I’m afraid I can’t add details. In 1968 I was already married and living in Cambridge, so I was ‘local,’ but I don’t remember such an event. Do you know who sponsored it? (Rotary, Hibernians, local Democrats, e.g.). He had an opponent named Bill Abbott that year, which means the event could’ve been part of Dad’s campaign, but you don’t indicate the date of the gathering which might inspire better recall. I have pictures from other events in earlier times, but nothing that stands out as being the one you’re investigating. The timing of your inquiry is notable, by the way; my father’s birthday is/was tomorrow (6/6/1917). As you know, in those days Malden was a local ‘hub’ for activities, featuring as it did its 3 movie theaters (Strand, Auditorium and Granada) and the Kernwood Restaurant, and of course Anthony’s on Canal Street (not to mention Jordan Marsh!), but I’m sorry not to be able to supply more information. If dear Joe Croken and/or Lucy Sinclair were still around I’m certain they would know. Please give my warmest regards to anyone who remembers my parents; that’s a diminishing pool these days. And thank you for reaching out, as I always appreciate people who strive to report accurate information. Best regards to you and your family, Laurie.”

So nice to hear from you, Laurie. Thank you very much and as I have mentioned in the past, as long as there is a “Malden Musings” we will remember your dad. Happy birthday, Mr. Torbert Macdonald.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — in the “they don’t make heroes like they used to” department I bring to you a statement Torby’s daughter Laurie gave to me a while back regarding her legendary father, war hero and much more: “For the record, my father was President Kennedy’s roommate at Harvard, and life-long close friend. They both joined the navy, and both were PT Boat captains in WW II. My father was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his wartime actions. He was an usher at Jack’s wedding and an honorary pallbearer at the funeral. In fact, my father had been with Jack in Palm Beach the weekend before the assassination. President Kennedy was also my older brother’s godfather. “Jack” and “Torby” both died far too young; the President in 1963 and my father in 1976 at age 58, after serving 21 years in Congress. It was his death that created the vacancy that now-Senator Ed Markey filled.”

Thank you, Laurie (again), as long as there is a Malden the name of Torbert Hart Macdonald will be remembered.

Postscript 1: Maldonia! Ed “Moose” Savage — as the “five families of Edgeworth/Malden” say — is a “friend of ours.” Insert a smiley face here for those who keep up with local politics. As a young man, Moose made his bones playing to full houses at the Rat, the Channel and Bunratty’s back when local rock deities like Rick Berlin, Larry Bangor, Linda Viens, Casey Cameron, Rich Gilbert, Sal Baglio, Bobby Marron & “B” Wilkinson, James Montgomery, David Minehan, Willie Alexander, Johnny Angel, John Surette, Kenne Highland, Rick & Dave Barton and Gary Cherone walked/rocked the earth. Moose was also owner/resident raconteur at Picture Paradise in Allston from 1978 until around 2015 — a legendary gathering place for the flourishing art community back in the day. I became pallies with Moose during my stint as manager/babysitter for (Malden’s very own) Preacher Jack. Willie Alexander would play double bills alongside Jack with Moose tagging along with Boom Boom as his spiritual advisor, number one fan, and solicitor of donations from the congregation to ensure that Willie and Preacher were properly compensated for their epic one-of-a-kind piano summits. Moose calls Solon, Maine, home these days and is still active as a creative human being sitting in with fellow local musicians hashing out originals while still making art. Moose is a special human being — the arts community in Boston misses him and he certainly misses the comraderies of such a dynamic musical village. You want to connect/reconnect with Mr. Savage? He’s on Facebook and you can also check out his web page: http://www.thepictureparadise.com.

Postscript 2: You wanna hear Ed Moose Savage at his very best? Find a copy of “Live at the Knights of Pythias.” You will not be disappointed!

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at Pe*****@*ol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.