TOOTS

by Bob Considine ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 1969

Bernard (""Toots"") Shor ""must be the only man who was as close to mob lords Longy Zwillman, Big Frenchy, and Owney Madden as he was to Cardinal Spellman, Robert Sherwood and President Truman."" He was ""the classiest bum in town"" during the twenties when he was in and out of jobs but never out of booze and buddies like Mark Hellinger, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Jack Dempsey and Ernest Hemingway. This is a snappy biography filled with hilarious anecdotes like the time Jackie Gleason (they both weighed about the same) beat him in a race around the block...Gleason took a cab. Or the days when he was Broadway's biggest bouncer until he hustled $141,000 for his own place. Toots spent a lot of time ""flattening"" nervy internal revenue agents. He also had a wild running feud with Sherman Billingsley, one that culminated in a law suit that made Toots a temporary millionaire. But then ""I don't wanna be a millionaire. I just want to live like one."" Everybody's groovy guy.

Pub Date: Oct. 24, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Meredith

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION