Birth of a Saleman

Young Ralph, Future Salesman Extraordinaire, seen here hawking rug sweepers in Castle Hill, The Bronx. At his fifth call, he makes his first sale, after spitting up on his bib and crying like, well, a baby. An historical (and hysterical) moment!

Look Out First Grade - Ralph Graduates Kindergarten

June, 1954: Ralph graduates from kindergarten at Santa Maria School in the Bronx (obviously). Here's our young author surrounded by a cast of characters that reads like the credits to "Moonstruck": Lorraine Ciccarelli, Gregory Palaveri, Barbara Zampetti, Mary Ann D'Amico, John Pisano, et al.

Fuccillo on Dylan

"The great folk singer and songwriter, who I so loved to listen to frequently. My brother experienced Dylan early on in his career at the Gaslight in the Village, Manhattan. My brother, Jerry, once sold him a single rose when he was a floral designer at Park Florist located at 34th and Park Avenue in Midtown. This was shortly after Dylan had his serious motorcycle accident. Needless to say they never came in contact again.

"I remember when I was a freshman in high school I would give my personal translations of Dylan's lyrics to my friends, who waited with bated breath for each meaning of a Dylan song. I probably made things up as I went along giving my own very special interpretations!"

The Seal at the Ball Park

Yep, it's Big Pops (the video sets itself straight about a minute in) barking like a seal at the Creighton Blue Jays during the College Regional Baseball Championship.

Sure, the Jays would eventually lose the tournament, but not on this day with the big fella (and son Jon) cheering them on!

From the Sketchbook of John Fuccillo #1: Jim Londos

Ralph saves everything. A lot of it is, how do I put it, junk. BUT most of it is a treasure. A crown jewel of his archives is his father's sketchbook. His dad, John, was quite handy with a pencil, sketching cartoons, celebrities,  etc.

Today's sketch is of World Heavyweight Champion of Professional Wrestling (November 18, 1938), Jim Londos, better known as "The Golden Greek."

When Ralph was a kid, he and his dad used to watch wrestling matches (just ask the Kid to rattle off a few wrestlers' names). Londos even wrestled the great Bronko Nagurski!

To learn more about The Golden Greek (and to see how close the sketch's likeness is), click here.

More to come from the mighty pen of John Fuccillo!

He Did it Amway!

Distributor of Amway Products?

No.

Distributor of Bull?

Yes!

One of Ralph's many guises over the years (from the wildest of the "Ralph & Red" years)!

Glimpse Into the Future #1

 

Big Pops with a copy of "Once a Kid" in a Tokyo book store.

Yeah, the cover's a mock-up.

But when the great, already legendary memoir is published, Ralph will re-enact this pose in the land of the rising sun!

(Photo courtesy: Chuckles Barnyard.)