051 - Nightmare Alley Reel
for Mike Mazurki
Whenever I add Reel to a title I’m thinking of it as a fiddle tune, or in this case a parody of a fiddle tune. I’ve no doubt there are plenty of violinists that could whip this off no problem, but it’s way too much for your average fiddler.
I must’ve written this after watching the movie Nightmare Alley in 2021, but whether it was the original 1947 version or the 2021 remake I’m not sure, which brought up somewhat of a conundrum on my part.
I was surprised to see the character Bruno played by Ron Perlman in the remake was played in the original by one of my favorite character actors, Mike Mazurki. He usually didn’t get roles that nuanced.
Who is Mike Mazurki you might wonder? Well you’ve almost certainly seen him at some point. He specialized in playing goons, brutes & musclemen and was one of the heavies in the TV show The Untouchables. He was an ex wrestler and an attorney before becoming an actor.
Why was he one of my favorite actors from that period? Because I met him as a child and that makes an impression.
There used to be a restaurant in Waldo here in Kansas City, right off Wornall Road, called Seal’s Lounge, which we went to every once in a while. One evening we were there and Mike Mazurki was sitting at one the tables, no idea why. I definitely recognized him so my dad spoke to the owner, whom he knew, and suddenly Mike comes over to our table and starts talking to me, which, of course, impressed the hell out of me as he was well known at the time. What’s more, he took my address and a few weeks later sent me some autographed stuff, including a postcard with his character from the TV show airing at that time, It’s About Time, which dates the whole occurrence solidly in 1966 which would’ve made me 12 years old at the time.
What a nice guy.
The conundrum is I’ve tried to find anything I can about Seal’s Lounge because Mazurki wasn’t the only quasi celebrity that hung out there occasionally (according to my dad anyway) and there is simply nothing online mentioning it. I know it existed and I know that was the name of the restaurant and it must’ve had somewhat of a reputation to attract actors like Mazurki to hang out there, but there is literally nothing to be found.
If anybody reading this manages to dig up some info I’d love to hear it.
