#Shirley Eckl

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Above: Jerome Robbins, John Kriza, Harold Lang, Janet Reed, and Muriel Bentley in the original production of Robbins's Fancy Free. Photo: Maurice Seymour via Newsweek

On April 18, 1944, Jerome Robbins's first ballet, Fancy Free, premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House.

From the moment the action begins, with the sound of a juke box wailing behind the curtain, the ballet is strictly young wartime America, 1944. The curtain rises on a street corner with a lamp post, a side street bar, and New York skyscrapers pricked out with the crazy pattern of lights, making a dizzying backdrop. Three sailors explode onto the stage. They are on 24-hour shore leave in the city and on the prowl for girls. The tale of how they meet first one, then a second girl, and how they fight over them, lose them, and in the end take off after still a third, is the story of the ballet.

That synopsis was written by Leonard Bernstein, the composer of the ballet's score. He was 25 at the time (the same age as Robbins) and an assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Just a few months earlier, he had made a splash as a last-minute substitution for Bruno Walter at a Philharmonic concert, jump-starting his career.

Above: photo from Haglund's Heel

The ballet featured John Kriza, Harold Lang and Jerome Robbins himself as the three sailors, Muriel Bentley, Janet Reed, and Shirley Ecki as the girls, and Rex Cooper as the seen-it-all bartender. The great critic Edwin Denby observed that the ballet:

was so big a hit that the young participants all looked a little dazed as they took their bows. But besides being a smash hit, Fancy Free is a very remarkable comedy piece. ... Its pantomime and its dances are witty, exuberant, and at every moment they feel natural.

Above: Jerome Robbins, Michael Kidd, John Kriza, and Shirley Eckl performing the ballet in London Photo: Baron via MPR News

Over the years, Fancy Free has entered the repertory of countless ballet companies in the U.S. and abroad. It was so popular that Robbins and Bernstein were persuaded to turn it into a Broadway musical: On the Town. It debuted on December 28 of the same year, which seems astonishing considering how long it takes to create contemporary musicals. Bernstein wrote the music, Betty Comden and Adolph Green the book and lyrics, and Robbins choreographed it—the first in a long line of musical theater triumphs for him. Confidence in the show was so high that MGM bought the film rights before it opened, a common practice now, but not then. It was the first film set in the city to be actually filmed there (in part) instead of on a Hollywood soundstage.

[full-imagination]

Shirley Tindall Huskey

Shirley Tindall Huskey, 85, of Spartanburg, SC, died Wednesday, June 10, 2020, at Physical Rehabilitation and Wellness Center-Spartanburg. Born June 7, 1935, in Lyman, SC, she was the daughter of the late Ernest W. Tindall and Evelyn Ruff Tindall and widow of Eckles Brooks Huskey. Shirley was always on the go, loved to dance, and never met a stranger. She was a member of Second Presbyterian Church and a retired property manager in Charleston. Survivors include her daughter, Traci Niezgoda Greer (Joey) and grandson, Reid Greer, all of Spartanburg. A graveside service will be conducted at 11:00 AM Saturday, June 13, 2020, in Wood Memorial Park, 863 Gap Creek Rd., Duncan, SC 29334, by Chaplain Katie Harbin. Visitation will follow at the graveside. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Second Presbyterian Church, 438 North Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303; or Spartanburg Regional Home Hospice, PO Box 2624, Spartanburg, SC 29304. The family would like to thank Shirley’s extended family at Physical Rehabilitation and Wellness Center for their loving, kind, and compassionate care. Floyd’s North Church Street Chapel from The JF Floyd Mortuary via Spartanburg Funeral

[danalberard]

Classic Buffalo Spotlight: Eckl’s Restaurant

Historic Eckl’s Restaurant, an Orchard Park favorite, has reopened under new ownership. With a fond homage to the formerly family-held business, in operation on and off since 1906, not much will change.

New owners Jim Cornell and Ted Smith saw a place with great bones and a great reputation—they’ve committed to carrying on most of the restaurant’s homey traditions, right down to the name.

As legend has it, the restaurant has been housed in the same structure, and held by someone in the Schroeder/Eckl family since the early 1900s, with several in-family ownership and name changes, temporary closings and even a move of the entire building when the state purchased its former real estate for road construction.

Eckl’s became “Eckl’s” in 1934, when Martha (Schroeder) and Jack Eckl took their turn at operating it. Their son Dale Sr. and his wife Shirley reopened it in late 1964, and ran it for the next 50 years. To answer their faithful customers’ demands, they were open 353 days a year.

With the Eckl family’s blessing, Cornell and Smith will fly the Eckl brand name, and, using the original recipes, prepare the beef and all the old-fashioned German trimmings.

As a bonus, there are actual Eckls still employed at the restaurant—Dale Jr. carves the meat, and his sister Denise is one of the bartenders. They’re familiar faces to locals and regulars who come for the beef-on-weck sandwiches, pork chop dinners, warm potato salad, and relish trays that are the house specialties.

Smith explained the changes that he and Cornell envision; they’ve already brightened and de-cluttered the space, and begun to serve lunch, which hadn’t been done in decades.

Dale Jr. carves the beef

“In addition to the loyal Eckl’s customers, we welcome everyone, especially younger people,” said Smith. “We plan to expand the menu—some people may not want beef, pork, or lamb, maybe add a vegan or vegetarian option. They can say, ‘This is not my grandfather’s Eckl’s…this could be MY Eckl’s!’ We want to give them a reason to come back. We’ll be expanding the barroom, and adding a four-season dining patio.”

Touting the “slow-roasted, cap-off Certified Black Angus top round” beef, Dale Eckl Jr. said that he’s happy to be a part of the transition with the new ownership. “This was my second home growing up,” said Eckl. “I was excited to help acclimate customers back. The beef is still consistently high quality. And nothing beats a hand-carved sandwich.”

The post Classic Buffalo Spotlight: Eckl’s Restaurant appeared first on Visit Buffalo Niagara.

from Blog – Visit Buffalo Niagara http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/2017/02/classic-buffalo-spotlight-eckls-restaurant/