Sometimes you just feel like Damon Runyon when you walk the streets of New York.......

So it’s after my show and I say goodbye to my west coast pal Sonny who has come back stage to give me a toss, and I head next door to John’s for a quick one. One turns into three or so as I am shootin’ the breeze with Trixie and Pinky. They have hooked up with a couple of actor types and the show biz stories are flyin’, and I don’t mean somewhat. Over a garlic and pepperoni pizza we solve all the dramatic problems of a new show called “Tough Titty”. Pinky has done this show and knows all about it. You see it is not so important that an actor just do a show, you have to deconstruct it every waking minute you are not on stage. Beer and pizza are a must when doing this kind of work.

Pinky collects the toll for the evening and I say goodbye to my thespian friends. I leave John’s and I am feeling good as I walk past the front of my theater.

That’s when I hear a voice say, “Hey, what are you doin’ on the streets, you finished your show hours ago.” I did, there’s no denying that. We start at seven o’clock and with no intermission we can be well into the third or forth round before them other shows have even solved the crisis of the first act.

This voice I hear is coming from Officer Don. He is the beat cop from Midtown south and he is in charge of keeping 44th street civil. Now Officer Don is conferring with Shorty, who is the beat cop for 45th. I am introduced to Shorty with a firm handshake, and a fine “how do you do.”

Now these are two regular guys who are charged with keeping theater patrons out of the traffic. Not an easy job by any means. I start to confer with the two of them. I always like to keep on the good side of the law. Especially when I have seen burly Officer Don move a loaded semi-trailer truck with his bare hands just because it was blocking his 44th Street.

We determine that we all have kids, and how we gonna keep them safe in this modern day. Shorty offeres that his boys are small and not blonde like Officer Don’s tall girls. He allows that if his wife had given birth to a tall blonde he might be looking for Officer Don with his service revolver drawn. It is none of my concern since I don’t even know Shorty’s wife.

About this time the rest of the shows let out. The streets are crowded with tourists that don’t know when to cross the street. Officer Don gets back to work with Shorty in tow.
I have to get home and do my bloggin’. I give them a “see you tomorrow, come see my show”. Just another night on Broadway.
As your were,
Damon Runyon