My Dad, Salvatore J. Salemi was a very hardworking, primarily self-employed vendor in the retail fruit and produce business, spanning eight decades. A most loving and compassionate guy, he was also a decorated combat veteran of WWII and, to reemphasize, nearly a workaholic, who did not suffer fools when it came to his livelihood. After about 35 years as owner and/or operator of various stores in Queens, N.Y., he was convinced by my Mom and favorable circumstances, to relax a bit from his six day work weeks of 12-16 hour days, to accept a part time position in the Produce Dept. of the Madison Avenue Gourmet Shop which was, appropriately, on Madison avenue in the vicinity of East 63rd street in Manhattan.
It must have been about 1962, because I recall Dad remarking that he had had the pleasure of serving various stellar customers there, including I believe, the father-in-law of the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. These persons (including Jacqueline herself on one occasion), were likely introduced to my Dad by his employer. Beyond knowing who the current Commander-in-Chief and First Lady of our nation were, Dad's lifestyle for most of his adult life (and even some of his pre-teen years) precluded any acquisition of extensive, or even much beyond rudimentary knowledge about celebrities of the stage, screen, radio, television, society or politics. He was just too busy working. Friendly to a fault and with an irresistible personality that drew customers like flies to honey, but again, unaware of the identities of nearly any celebrity, including theatrical pranksters of any kind, Dad was vulnerable while quite literally, minding his own business one particular day. Enter: Jack E. Leonard.
Self-service was still a relatively new concept in the world of retail shopping in the early 1960s, even in the fresh produce field, especially in an upscale non-supermarket, and Jack made the most of his opportunity to examine the merchandise. He pawed many a melon and when "squeezin' became less pleasin'" he went on to the next fruit, then the next, and the next and still another: all the while remarking with increasing vocal volume, about the inferiority of each fruit, directing his comments of disapproval more and more directly to the person of my Dad whose undivided attention he was now happily (unhappily for Dad) receiving. Dad kept his powder dry ("the customer is always right"), but when Jack decided to up the ante by sending several bananas airborne, Dad had had enough. The biggest bouncer at Jack Dempsey's had nothing on my Dad at that point. With all of his 5'6" frame and 129 lbs., he collared the taller and more than portly Mr. Leonard and started to give him the bum's rush. An associate and a small crowd of customers relinquished their front row seats to the fun to rescue Jack, quickly explaining to Dad who the "nut" was. Dad didn't give a hoot. This made Jack, who no doubt had been charmed like everyone else by Dad's naturalness, love him even more. The famed comedian extended his hand and with that ever present cigarette with its extra long ash in the other, then reached out and hugged Dad, thanking him for putting up with the mayhem.
Back home early one evening several months later, after years of Dad being nonplussed after reading to him the list of guests on television's "The Tonight Show" on any given night, I had this time simply said "Dad, Jack E. Leonard is on!" He finally looked up.
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