It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1960, my husband, Joey Adams, then American Guild of Variety Artists president, led a troupe to Birmingham, Ala. A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march.
The Supremes, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Joe Louis, Nina Simone, James Baldwin and I were 76 aboard a lead chartered plane. The plan was to perform there — until the town discovered the group was interracial. Denied access to our venue, an outdoor football field became the stage.
The crowd, tremendous. With some 18,000 people trying to surge onto it, the hastily knocked together platform collapsed. Power was lost. We were in the dark.
To calm everyone, King asked Billy Taylor to play his original ’60s protest song, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.” Rob Reiner used it to open his Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods, Alec Baldwin movie “Ghosts of Mississippi.”
The event met volleys of silence from the mayor, police, political figures and local press. All hotels and restaurants, restricted, wouldn’t feed or house us. Lodging was handled. The planes stayed on the ground. Food was handled. NYC delis loaded on crates of meat and drink.
This first integrated show in that city’s history was the trigger that got the King juggernaut rolling. Rev. King said Joey played a key role. Months earlier, he’d come to Joey to help raise money for his march on the capitol.
This was the preamble to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. thrilling the world with his Washington, DC, speech, “I Have a Dream.”
A very tasteful part
Michael Keaton, who should’ve copped a Best Actor nomination for “Spotlight,” is heading for another spotlight.
Movie’s “The Founder.” Producer, Harvey Weinstein. It’s about salesman Ray Kroc, who put burgers on the front burner, made billions and built the global empire McDonald’s. If you hit Shanghai, it’s there. Visit Amsterdam, it’s there. Swan around Latin America, boyohboyohboy is it there.
Keaton plays Kroc. Filming begins before you can say, “Pass the ketchup.” Mr. Kroc came from Illinois. He discovered the idea in California. So where’s shooting begin? Atlanta.
Ted’s Cruz-in’ for a bruisin’
Politics: Watch this Cruz ship take on water. The new game is Pin the Tail on that Donkey who spit at the No. 1 greatest city in the world.
I remember being invited to a local fund-raiser for Canadian ass Ted, who dreamt a misfit square could squeeze into the Oval Office. Now this mini-grabber with the little town blues is barfing on big-time New York?
Neigh. May this Donkey clippety-clop home to Calgary and shoo himself.
Saying grace
Religion: Friday. His Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan at Primola. I saw the menu. Owner Giuliano served our Prince of the Church a royal feed…
Sunday Rome’s Great Synagogue commemorated His Holiness Francis’ visit. Our own Park East, America’s first temple to host a pope, sent Realtor Elie Hirschfeld as its rep.
Hot tickets
Collectors: Neva Small (who was in the “Fiddler on the Roof” movie) and husband Dr. Fred Fenig found a 1951 Ziegfeld Theatre Playbill. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in George Bernard Shaw’s “Caesar and Cleopatra.” Theater director Billy Rose’s note, accompanying already SRO dates, says: “Ticket demand is without precedent…Unlikely we can accommodate everyone… Orders are pouring in.”
Orchestra was $7.20. Matinees were $4.80 down to $1.80.
“Hamilton” producers, pay attention.
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.