TOOTS (MOTION PICTURE)

Summary

This documentary looks at the life and business of Bernard “Toots” Shor, proprietor of New York City's famed Toots Shor’s Restaurant in the 1940s and ‘50s.

The production opens with archival footage of Shor as a guest of Ralph Edwards on TV's "This Is Your Life," followed by journalist and author Gay Talese recalling E.B. White's essay stating that New York was a place where one had to be “willing to be lucky”. The many famous patrons of Toots Shor’s are then discussed, including gangsters and lawmen, often in attendance at the same time, as well as President Richard Nixon, whom Shor considered a “regular guy.” Footage shows Frank Sinatra, a close friend of Shor’s, recounting a memorable evening when he, Bing Crosby, Jack Dempsey, and Babe Ruth shared a dinner orchestrated by Shor, to the delight of other patrons. Shor’s desire to be known as a local, highly sociable celebrity is also addressed.

The narrative turns to Shor’s professional beginnings as a bouncer in a Manhattan speakeasy in the '30s, and how illegal clubs were run by the mob. Shor later met his wife, Marion, called “Baby,” a Ziegfeld girl, and managed to take over and operate a local tavern, though he quickly lost it due to gambling. Soon, he bought his own establishment by borrowing money, which he paid back when the restaurant was highly successful, pulling in $600,000 in its first year.

The period after Prohibition and WWII was considered a “party time,” and Shor promoted his eatery as an esteemed gathering place for both “the elite” and average people. Renowned for his gregarious nature, Shor gained fame for treating celebrities like anyone else, or “crumbums,” as he affectionately called those he liked. Those he disliked were frequently thrown out of the restaurant, and Shor makes it clear in an interview segment that he was confident in his social “code” of never feigning friendliness.

Shor's close friendship with actor Jackie Gleason is explored, including the pair's competitive nature. Shor also “revered sportsmen” and often attended sporting events. Veteran New York City-based reporters recall how newspapers were the most popular form of news and gossip, as TV and radio were less popular at the time, and Shor relied on journalists for his publicity.

Next, Shor’s early childhood is explored, starting with his birth in Philadelphia in 1903 to Orthodox Jewish parents who ran a cigar store. Shor's sister, Esther, recalls how her brother got the nickname "Toots" at an early age. Their mother died in a freak car accident when Shor was fifteen, and their father committed suicide five years later. Friends of Shor explain that the tragedies led to his being unusually solicitous of pals in their times of grief, and that he highly valued his friendships. Frank Gifford tells how Shor's sentience helped him through the difficult transition from football superstar to network sports broadcaster.

Shor’s relationships with less-upstanding associates, such as gangster Frank Costello, are also explored; the New York mob frequently used Shor’s as a place of business, and in return Costello often provided “guys” who helped solve Shor’s problems. Shor is seen in an interview stating that he was unaware of his associates’ criminal dealings; however, daughter Kerry Jacobson admits that "he was no angel." She states that, though she ultimately unearthed some of his questionable actions, he remained a positive force in her childhood, even showing up to her confirmation with John Wayne.

Shor’s darker side is then discussed, including his excessive drinking and habit of alienating friends via his blunt nature, including a rift that developed with Joe DiMaggio when Shor made an untoward comment about his then-wife, Marilyn Monroe. Shor's extreme spending also caused problems when he closed his first restaurant and traveled to Europe with his wife; when he attempted to establish a new “joint,” he was nearly broke. Shor borrowed money from the Teamsters and successfully opened a new restaurant, but the “drama of the ‘60s” took its toll, and society was “disillusioned” by post-WWII values and no longer frequented a place like Shor’s.

Friends of Shor’s explain his lack of comprehension of '60s radicals, and how the mounting financial problems plaguing New York City, including the rise of drugs, led to a severe decline in patronage. Eventually, Shor was faced with a large tax bill which he was unable to pay. Sinatra offered assistance, but Shor declined, and also refused to balance his debts by informing on criminals with whom he was familiar.

In 1971, Shor was forced to close his restaurant and also had to relinquish his Manhattan home. Shor eventually opened another establishment, although it was his "in name only," and failed to attract the restaurateur's trademark clientele. Jacobson and Gifford comment on Shor's increased alcoholic intake at the time and his "deep unhappiness" over the turn of events. Shor died of cancer in 1973, claiming no regrets at having experienced "the best kind of life possible."

Cataloging of this program has been made possible by Verizon Communications.

Details

• NETWORK: N/A
• DATE: 2006
• RUNNING TIME: 1:25:00
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:93472
• GENRE: Documentary
• SUBJECT HEADING: New York City - Restaurants
• SERIES RUN: N/A
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• James P. MacGilvray … Executive Producer
• Alan Mattone … Executive Producer
• Vincent Mattone … Executive Producer
• Whitney Dow … Producer
• Alicia Sams … Producer
• Kristi Jacobson … Producer, Director
• Andrea Blau … Associate Producer
• Florence Holdeman … Associate Producer
• Tom Brokaw … Consulting Producer
• Mark Suozzo … Music by
• Frank Costello
• Bing Crosby
• Jack Dempsey
• Joe DiMaggio
• Ralph Edwards
• Frank Gifford
• Jackie Gleason
• Kerry Jacobson
• Marilyn Monroe
• Richard Nixon
• George "Babe" Ruth
• Bernard "Toots" Shor
• Esther Shor
• Marion Shor
• Frank Sinatra
• Gay Talese
• John Wayne
• E.B. White