4572. LONG DISTANCE OPERATOR

LONG DISTANCE OPERATOR

(experimental viceroy)

Once before on the open seas : standing on

11th Street, was me. It was a long time ago

and I remember every split-second detail as

if  -  no matter else  -  it was yesterday just.

Steel Drum Conga Man. They were filming

Ragtime on my old street, and I arrived to see:

all those fabulous period shots, James Cagney,

and me. Some girl was in there too, some

 'what's her name' half famous but no one I

knew. The fake detective held a piercing gun,

a very rhinocerous one and I said 'whatever

will you be doing with that, shooting Reds?'

He wore a comical hat, and simply muttered

back, 'And shoot em dead.' After a few weeks,

they really had made the movie. You can see

it for yourself if you really ever want to. Go

see. That's 11th Street. That's my place  -  in

the movie all made up and redone as the

'Novy Mir Working Man's Cafe.' And I'm

not fooling - wasn't then, and not today.