In a sandwich, a legacy lives on
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I loved “Classic Comic Sketches” [Jan. 14]. While I wasn’t anticipating any mention of Billy Gray, it’s a fact that Billy Gray’s Band Box, a (so where else?) Fairfax Avenue nightclub, was the only semblance of “Borscht Belt” / Catskill Mountains entertainment on the West Coast during the ‘50s.
His hilarious satires such as “My Fairfax Lady,” “The Cohen Mutiny” and “Goldfinkle” should earn him a spot in Drew Friedman’s book “Old Jewish Comedians.”
Sadly, like Jackie Miles, Gray died a long-forgotten pauper. At least he’s been acknowledged on the menu at Canter’s, which has long featured the “Billy Gray’s Band Box Special,” which consists of chopped liver.
EDDIE CRESS
Sylmar
Cress ran the parking lot at Billy Gray’s Band Box;
his father was the maitre d’.
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