The South Bronx Network

12/21/2025

The Bank Note Building Throughout various years since 1911. 🥰

12/21/2025

Savage Skulls and a Dirty Dozen member at I.S. 52 on Kelly St. Ca 1970's.😎

12/20/2025

12/19/2025

12/19/2025

St. Mary’s Park was where many of us spent time sliding down the big rock as kids during the 60’s- 90’s. It’s where a small airplane crashed near that very same rock tragically killing all 4 passengers in 1967.

There was swimming at the pool, Playing handball at the courts, listening to conga players at all hours of the day and attending mini concerts during the summer.

Weren’t those unforgettable memories? 😎💖🥰

12/19/2025

Who remembers going to the lighted Christmas house on Pelham Parkway? How many years back do you recall them enchanting Bronxites with their amazing menagerie display? 🎅🎄

12/19/2025

What was the name of this movie theatre? Where was it located? What's on the same block? Name the other 2 theatres on this strip. Did you buy furniture here? When did Kelly's Furniture close down?😍

12/19/2025

FROM THE BRONX: Penny Marshall, Actress, Producer & Film Director

Early life
Carole Penny Marshall was born in St. Vincent's Hospital, New York City, in 1943, to Marjorie Irene (née Ward), a tap dance teacher who ran the Marjorie Marshall Dance School, and Anthony "Tony" Masciarelli, later Marshall, a director of industrial films and later a producer. She is the sister of actor/director/TV producer Garry Marshall and Ronny Hallin, a television producer. Her birth name Carole was selected because her mother's favorite actress was Carole Lombard.

Her father was of Italian descent, his family having come from Abruzzo, and her mother was of English and Scottish descent; her father changed his last name from Masciarelli to Marshall before Penny was born. Religion played no role in the Marshall children's lives. Garry Marshall was christened Episcopalian, Ronny was Lutheran, and Penny was confirmed in a Congregational church, because "... [M]other sent us anyplace that had a hall where she could put on a recital. If she hadn't needed performance space, we wouldn't have bothered."

She grew up at 3235 Grand Concourse, the Bronx, a street that also spawned Neil Simon, Paddy Chayefsky, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren. She began her career as a tap dancer at age three, and later taught tap at her mother's dance school. She graduated from Walton High School and attended the University of New Mexico. In 1967,[13] she moved to Los Angeles to join her older brother Garry Marshall, a writer whose credits at the time included TV's The Dick Van D**e Show (1961–1966).

Career
One of her first jobs was for a TV commercial for a beautifying shampoo. She was hired to play a girl with stringy, unattractive hair, and Farrah Fawcett was hired to play a girl with thick, bouncy hair. As the crew was lighting the set, Marshall's stand-in wore a placard that read "Homely Girl" and Fawcett's stand-in wore a placard that said "Pretty Girl". Farrah Fawcett, sensing Marshall's insecurity about her looks, crossed out "Homely" on the Marshall stand-in placard and wrote "Plain".

Marshall first gained prominence as a television actress with a recurring guest role of Myrna Turner on The Odd Couple (1971–1975). In Marshall's ultimate appearance as Myrna Turner, Myrna married her boyfriend, Sheldn ("They forgot the 'o' on his birth certificate; legally, it's 'Sheldn'"), played by her then-real-life husband, Rob Reiner, and briefly introduced her brother and sister, Werner Turner and Verna Turner (played by, respectively, Marshall's real-life siblings, Garry and Ronny). Before appearing on The Odd Couple, Marshall was considered to play the role of Gloria Bunker Stivic on All In The Family. She ultimately lost the part to Sally Struthers while her husband, Rob Reiner, was cast as Gloria's husband, Michael "Meathead" Stivic.

In 1974, James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, executive producers of the hit situation comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, cast Marshall as Janice Dreyfuss, sister-in-law to Paul Dreyfuss (played by actor Paul Sand) in the series, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers. It aired on CBS-TV Saturday nights beginning September 14, 1974, as part of the powerhouse lineup of All In The Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show.

Despite good reviews and decent ratings, it was canceled mid-season. Brooks and Burns, along with studio head Grant Tinker were so impressed with Marshall's comedic talent that the following season, they hired Marshall and actress Mary Kay Place to play Mary Richards' new neighbors (Paula and Sally Jo, respectively) on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, after Mary moved into her new apartment in a high-rise. Then Garry Marshall, creator/part-time writer for Happy Days, cast his sister, Penny, and Cindy Williams to guest on an episode of that show. The installment, titled "A Date with Fonzie", aired on November 11, 1975 and introduced the characters LaVerne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney (played by Marshall and Williams, respectively).

In that episode, Laverne and Shirley were a pair of wise-cracking brewery workers, who were dates for Fonzie (played by Winkler) and Richie (played by Howard). The pair were such a hit with the studio audience that Garry Marshall decided to co-create and star them in a hit spin-off, Laverne and Shirley (1976–1983).[16] The characters of Laverne and Shirley also appeared in five more episodes of Happy Days.

In 1983, while still filming Laverne and Shirley, Marshall guest-starred on Taxi in a cameo appearance as herself. In the Taxi episode "Louie Moves Uptown",[17] Marshall is turned down for residency in a new high-rise condo in Manhattan. The Laverne and Shirley episode "Lost in Spacesuits"[18] is referenced in the scene. At the encouragement of her brother, Marshall became interested in directing. She directed two episodes of Laverne and Shirley[19] and other TV assignments. She soon moved on to theatrical films, her first film being Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) starring Whoopi Goldberg.

Marshall has directed several successful feature films since the mid-1980s, including 1988's Big starring Tom Hanks (the first film directed by a woman to gross over US$100 million), Awakenings (1990) starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro, A League of Their Own (1992) with Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell, and The Preacher's Wife (1996) starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston. In 1991, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.[20] She lent her voice to Ms. Botz a/k/a Ms. Botzukowski, the "babysitter bandit", on the first produced episode of The Simpsons, and played a cameo role as herself on the HBO series Entourage. She also made a cameo appearance alongside her brother Gary Marshall in the movie Hocus Pocus.

She will reunite with her Laverne & Shirley co-star Cindy Williams in reprising her 'Laverne DeFazio' role on a 2013 episode of Sam & Cat.

Personal life
While attending the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Marshall met Michael Henry, a football player. She left college to marry him in 1961; they had a daughter, Tracy. Marshall worked as a secretary and later as a tap dance teacher. The marriage lasted two years. On April 10, 1971, Marshall married actor/director Rob Reiner, and her daughter took the name Tracy Reiner. Her marriage to Reiner lasted until 1981.

Filmography

Television
That Girl (2 episodes, 1968–1969)
Then Came Bronson (1 episode, 1969)
Love, American Style (1 episode, 1970)
Barefoot in the Park (1 episode, 1970)
Wacky Zoo of Morgan City (1970)
Disneyland (2 episodes, 1970)
The Feminist and the Fuzz (1971)
Getting Together (1 episode, 1971)
Funny Face (TV series) (pilot, 1971) (uncredited)
The Odd Couple (26 episodes, 1971–1975)
Evil Roy Slade (1972)
The Super (1 episode, 1972)
The Bob Newhart Show (1 episode, 1972)
The Crooked Hearts (1972)
The Couple Takes a Wife (1972)
Banacek (1 episode, 1973)
Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (14 episodes, 1974-1975)
Mary Tyler Moore (3 episodes, 1974–1976)
Let's Switch! (1975)
Wives (1975)
Chico and the Man (1 episode, 1975)
Happy Days (6 episodes, 1975–1979)
Good Heavens (1 episode, 1976)
Laverne & Shirley (178 episodes, 1976–1983)
Blansky's Beauties (1 episode, 1977)
Saturday Night Live (2 episodes, 1977,1996)
Mork & Mindy (1 episode, 1978)
More Than Friends (1978)
Laverne & Shirley in the Army (1981)
The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour (1982) (voice)
The New Show (1 episode, 1984)
Love Thy Neighbor (1984)
Challenge of a Lifetime (1985)
The Simpsons TV series, episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (1990) (voice)
The Odd Couple: Together Again (1993)
Nash Bridges (1 episode, 1998)
Frasier (1 episode, 2004)
Campus Ladies (1 episode, 2006)
Bones (1 episode, 2006)
The Game (1 episode, 2008)
Portlandia (1 episode, 2012)
Sam & Cat (1 episode, 2013)

Features

The Savage Seven (1968)
How Sweet It Is! (1968)
The Grasshopper (1970)
The Odd Couple (1970)
Where's Poppa? (1970) (uncredited)
The Christian Licorice Store (1971) (scenes deleted)
How Come Nobody's on Our Side? (1975)
1941 (1979) (uncredited)
Movers & Shakers (1985)
She's Having a Baby (1988) (cameo)
Alice Upside Down (2007)
The Hard Way (1991)
Hocus Pocus (1993) (uncredited)
Get Shorty (1995) (cameo)
One Vision (1998) (documentary)
Special Delivery (1999)
Stateside (2004) (uncredited)
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005) (fly)
Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007)
Alice Upside Down (2007) (Mrs. Plotkin)
Blonde Ambition (2007) (bolo executive)
New Year's Eve (2011) (Herself - Ahern Party)
As Director[edit]
Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)
Big (1988)
Awakenings (1990)
A League of Their Own (1992)
Renaissance Man (1994)
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

Source: Wikipedia

12/16/2025

I wish to thank all our lovely fans for your participation and support of our page. This is our 8th consecutive month WE’VE ALL EARNED The Rising Creator Badge‼️ I say WE not ME because this has been a Collective Effort for which I am grateful to all of you for. Without you we wouldn’t be this successful. That’s not something I take for granted. Therefore this recognition goes out to ALL OF YOU!! 🥰🙏🏼‼️Great JOB!! 💪🎉🥳

🎉 Facebook recognized me as a top rising creator this week!

12/16/2025

PARKCHESTER HOUSING CAPTURED BY LIFE MAGAZINE CA 1942

Parkchester is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the east Bronx, New York City.

The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 9. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East Tremont Avenue to the north, Castle Hill Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway-Westchester Avenue to the south (Westchester Avenue is the southern border east of Metropolitan Avenue), and the Bronx River Parkway to the west. White Plains Road is the primary thoroughfare through Parkchester. The local subway is the 6 line, operating along Westchester Avenue. The local ZIP code is 10462. The area is patrolled by the 43rd Precinct located at 900 Fteley Avenue in Soundview. New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) property in the area is patrolled by PSA 8 at 2794 Randall Avenue in Throgs Neck.

History

The housing development has the same origins as Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, and Riverton Houses in Manhattan, all of which were originally developed and owned by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The name was later unofficially applied to the entire neighborhood surrounding the apartment complex. The name "Parkchester" itself was derived from the two neighborhoods on each side of the site of the housing development — Park Versailles and Westchester Heights.

Metropolitan Life displayed an intricate scale model of the proposed development at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The model showed all of the buildings and facilities, and was accurate down to inclusion of each of the 66,000 windows in the complex. The 51 groups of buildings were planned to house 12,000 families.[4]
The Parkchester housing development was originally designed and operated as a self-contained rental community for middle-class families new to home ownership. To that end, there is an abundance of worker- and family-oriented resources, including access to transportation, nearby schools and churches, retail shopping space, and proximity to a major medical center.

It was built from 1939 to 1942 (despite emergency building restrictions during World War II) on the farmland of the Catholic Protectory, a home for orphaned and troubled boys conducted by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which relocated to Lincolndale (and still exists in) Westchester County. In 1974, approximately one-third of the complex was converted to condominiums, with the remaining portion, now Parkchester South Condominium converted later, in 1986. The complex is best known for its broad, tree-lined walkways between the distinctive red-brown buildings, and for its Works Progress Administration-style terracotta decorations on the buildings, that represent animal and human figures of many types. Many of these are the work of sculptor Joseph Kiselewski.

It was a welcome affordable haven for returning WWII vets and their burgeoning families in the early 1940s. While racially segregated, it peacefully housed people from all religious backgrounds.

Land use

It is widely held that Parkchester is a section of the Bronx, when actually, that is a misconception. Parkchester proper is simply the residential apartment complex located within the boundaries of East Tremont Avvenue, Castle Hill Avenue, White Plains Road and Westchester Avenue. However, many of the surrounding retail stores and residential areas purport to be "in Parkchester," when in actuality, they are not.

Parkchester is composed of 171 four-sided brick buildings, either eight or 13 stories in height and numbered M (for Main) through 7 and M through 12, respectively. The 13 story buildings have dual elevators positioned side-by-side, the eight-story buildings have but one. Some buildings even have a Terrace level - apartments that are located on the ground floor and noted by the T in front of the apartment letter, i.e., TA, TB, etc. These apartments differ from all others in the community in that they have an additional screened door in the living room section of the apartment that leads out onto a concrete patio where tenants usually put patio/lawn furniture. Many of Parkchester's buildings feature terracotta sculptures adorning the entrances and can also be seen high on the corners of the taller buildings - some of which were designed by renowned sculptor, Joseph Kiselewski.

The surrounding area, while commonly referred to as "Parkchester," is actually Parkchester-adjacent, and is dominated by multi-unit private homes, as well as rental units in buildings unrelated to Parkchester. Retail locations are interspersed throughout the neighborhood as well as along Starling Avenue, McGraw Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue, Tremont Avenue, Unionport Road, and White Plains Road; the latter four streets are considered the backbones of the area.

Demographics

As of 2007, the Parkchester apartment complex includes a very large, thriving, well-established South Asian population: Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, including Catholics, Muslims, and Hindus. There are also a number of Italian, Polish, Irish, and Albanian residents. The Asian residents include Thais, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Burmese, and Cambodians. While the population is approximately over 20% African American and Latino, the complex once had a whites-only policy. The resident population of the Parkchester apartment complex reflects a broad age distribution and the changing ethnic makeup of the Bronx over nearly 70 years of history.

The neighborhood surrounding Parkchester is majority Latino and Black. Puerto Ricans are the dominant ethnic groups.

Subsections

Parkchester Apartment Complex
The Parkchester apartment complex is a subsection of Parkchester. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East Tremont Avenue to the north, Castle Hill Avenue to the east, McGraw Avenue to the south, and White Plains Road to the west. The apartment complex has recently undergone gut renovations of many of their apartments.

Stratton Park
This neighborhood is west of Parkchester. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are the Amtrak to the west and north, White Plains Road to the east, and the infamous Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south. Its zip code is 10460. Although it is in that zip code, its residents consider themselves as part of Parkchester.

Transportation

Bx4: to Westchester Square station or Third Avenue – 149th Street (via Westchester Avenue)
Bx22: to Bronx High School of Science or Castle Hill (via Castle Hill Aenuev)
Bx36: to Castle Hill or George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via 180th Street)
Bx39: to Wakefield – 241st Street or Clason's Point (via White Plains Road)
Bx40/42:
Bx40: to SUNY Maritime College or Morris Heights (via Tremont-Burnside Avenues)
Bx42: to Throgs Neck or Morris Heights (via Tremont-Burnside Avenues)
Q44: to Jamaica or West Farms (via Cross Bronx Expressway and Main Street)
BxM6: express to Midtown Manhattan (via Metropolitan Avenue)
Parkchester station (6 trains)

Points of interest

Aileen B. Ryan Oval, formerly Metropolitan Oval.[6]
American Theater, formerly Loews American established in 1939—and most recently operated by Bow Tie Cinemas as a seven-screen multiplex, ceased operating in 2013
Macy's Department Store, the first branch store since 1941
Zaro's Bakery, established in 1959
Tarallo Distributors Inc., The Kitchen Source established in 1966
American Beauty School (formerly Bronx Beauty School), established 1977

Schools

Castle Hill Middle School, a public middle school situated on East Tremont Avenue and Purdy Street, that educates students in grades 6–8—formerly known as JHS 127.
St. Raymond Academy for Girls, a private high school situated on Castle Hill Avenue, that educates students in grades 9–12
St. Raymond Elementary School, a private elementary school and middle school situated on Purdy Street; it educates students in pre-kindergarten to grade 8
PS 106, a public elementary school located at 2120 St. Raymond Avenue for grades 1–5.
St. Helena Elementary, a private elementary school that educates students from pre-k to 8th grade.
Bronx Charter School for Excellence, a charter school located on Benedict Avenue that educates students from kindergarten to 5th grade.

Popular culture reference

Parkchester was the filming location for part of the Sporty Thievz 1998 video "No Pigeons." Extras were featured circling a red car parked in front of the Loews American (later known as just the American) theater on East Avenue.[citation needed]
Featured in the film Doubt (2008), during the scene when Sr. Aloysius is walking with Mrs. Miller behind the building located at 2051 St. Raymond Avenue.

References

Pollak, Michael. "F.Y.I.: A Key to the Past" (section: "Versailles in the Bronx"), The New York Times, January 30, 2009

Frattini, Dave. The Underground Guide to New York City Subways (Macmillan, 2000) ISBN 0-312-25384-2, ISBN 978-0-312-25384-4, p. 330

The Columbia Gazetteer of North America (Columbia University Press, 2000), via Bartleby.com

"MODEL OF HOUSING DISPLAYED AT FAIR; Metropolitan Life's Project in Bronx to Be Known as 'Parkchester' SITE LINKED TO HISTORY Fifty-one Groups of Apartment Buildings Will House 12,000 Families", The New York Times, May 5, 1939. p. 47

12/16/2025

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS ON GRAND CONCOURSE

The Grand Concourse has been compared with grand boulevards from the Champs Élysées in Paris to Park Avenue in Manhattan.

As a result, it is a great choice to sample some of the best architecture the Bronx has to offer.

From its inception in 1890 through today, its history has mirrored that of the Bronx.

The Grand Concourse, which was once called the Boulevard of Dreams, highlights sites varying from those associated with the area when it was farmland, before it was incorporated into New York City to those which showcase the Borough’s future.

12/16/2025

FANIA ALL STARS CONCERT AT YANKEE STADIUM Ca 08/24/1973

The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time.

Following sell-out concerts in Puerto Rico, Chicago, and Panama, the All-Stars embarked on their first appearance at New York's Yankee Stadium on August 24, 1973.

The Stars performed before more than 40,000 spectators in a concert that featured Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Edwin Tito Asencio, Rubén Blades, Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Roberto Roena, Pellín Rodríguez, Bobby Valentín, and Jorge Santana (younger brother of Carlos Santana), Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Justo Betancourt, Ismael Quintana, Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, Bobby Cruz and Santos Colón. Live at Yankee Stadium was included in the second set of 50 recordings in the U.S. National Recording Registry, solidifying the All-Stars as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."

HISTORY
In 1974, the All Stars performed in Zaire, Africa, at the 80,000-seat Stade du 20 mai in Kinshasa. This was captured on film and released as Live in Africa (Salsa Madness in the UK). This Zairean appearance occurred along with James Brown and others at a music festival held in conjunction with the Muhammad Ali/George Foreman heavyweight title fight. Footage of the performance was included in the 2008 documentary Soul Power.

To attain a wider market for salsa music, Fania made a deal with Columbia Records in the US for a series of crossover albums by the All-Stars, beginning with Delicate & Jumpy (1976), in which Steve Winwood united with the All-Stars' Pacheco, Valentin, Barreto, and Roena. During the same year, the Fania All-Stars made their sole UK appearance, at London's Lyceum Ballroom, with Winwood appearing as guest.

In 1978 the All-Stars released Live, recorded in concert on July 11, 1975 at San Juan's Roberto Clemente Coliseum. In 1979, they travelled to Havana, Cuba, to participate in the Havana Jam festival that took place between 2–4 March, alongside Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Stills, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, Trio of Doom, Billy Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Weather Report, and Billy Joel, plus Cuban artists such as Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Tata Güines, and Orquesta Aragón. Their performance is captured on Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary Havana Jam '79. During the same year the All-Stars released Crossover and Havana Jam on Fania, which came from a concert recorded in Havana on March 2.

LEGACY
In May 2007 Ruben Blades was sued by his former bandmate, Willie Colon for breach of contract. This led to a series of suits and countersuits that lasted over five years. A book titled Decisiones detailing the inside story of this legal battle was written by Blades' former agent, Robert J. Morgalo, and published in 2016 in English and Spanish website. The court documents can be read here and full transcripts of depositions and court rulings can be seen here.

In 2008, Cheo Feliciano celebrated his 50 years in the music industry by hosting a concert at Madison Square Garden, where then New York City Mayor Bloomberg declared July 20 "Cheo Feliciano Day" in New York.

In 2009, an historical documentary, Latin Music USA, shown on PBS TV, featured an episode on the Fania All-Stars, their evolution, career, and later demise.

In 2009 as well, the All-Stars returned to the stage, opening Carlos Santana's world tour in Bogotá, Colombia. The presentation caused mixed feelings inside the salsa circle though, mainly because they were treated as seconds by the concert's organizers.

In March 2011, and subsequently in November 2012, a limited roster of the All-Stars performed in Lima, Peru. One thing to note about the 2012 performance is the return of Ruben Blades. Ismael Quintana was not present in the November 2012 presentation though, as well as Yomo Toro (Yomo died in Q3 2012).

In October 2013, a new, complete roster of the All-Stars presented in San Juan Puerto Rico, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first presentation in San Juan. This roster included the return of Orestes Vilato and Luigi Texidor, as well as the participation of Andy Montañez, Cita Rodriguez (Pete's daughter) and Willie Colón. This was Cheo Feliciano's last presentation with the All-Stars before dying in a car accident in April 2014 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 2015 the Fania All-Stars were chosen to receive ASCAP's honorary Latin Heritage Award. The All-Stars were set to present in Central Park, New York City on August 24 as part of the closing of the 50th anniversary celebration of the legendary Fania Records label.

In 2019, many of the classic Fania records were re-issued in vinyl as part of the renewed interest in the vinyl record format. 💃🏻❤️🕺🏾

Source: Wikipedia