“What line of work should you recommend to an alcoholic, scruffy bum with an attitude?” (joke)

A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Above, Big Apple Corner at 54th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. Google Maps. Stolen and missing, 2021-2024.

Above, John J. Fitz Gerald, from the Aug. 15, 1931, Binghamton (NY) Press, pg. 14.

Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce "The Big Apple," a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.

Also listen to a 1937 "The Big Apple" song by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra. See a 1929 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald and a 1931 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald.

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Entry from August 25, 2014

“What line of work should you recommend to an alcoholic, scruffy bum with an attitude?” (joke)

Celebrity chefs often have a reputation for being very unpleasant in the kitchen. “What line of work should you recommend to an alcoholic, scruffy bum with an attitude? Well, a celebrity chef might be a good start” is a joke that was cited in print in 2014, but is surely older.

The Phuket News (Thailand)
Chef Daniel knows best
An old joke goes, “What line of work should you recommend to an alcoholic, scruffy bum with an attitude? Well, a celebrity chef might be a good start”. Yet for all the boozy, bossy, “creative” individuals in the kitchen there are always genuine chefs who don’t do battle with the bottle and who keep their snarling to themselves.
Sam Wilko
Monday 25 August 2014, 11:00AM

Posted by Barry Popik
New York City • Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores • Monday, August 25, 2014 • Permalink

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