Irish Coffee (1948); Laughing Trombone; NYPL; NY & Chicago

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

IRISH COFFEE

   Both OED and M-W have 1950.
   John Mariani's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN FOOD & DRINK has:

   A blend of hot coffee, Irish whisky, and whipped cream.  According to a plaque outside the Buena Vista Bar in San Francisco, "America's first Irish coffee was made here in 1952.  It was inspirationally invented at Shannon Airport (Ireland) by (chef) Joe Sheridan.  It was fortuitously introduced by (newspaper writer) Stan Delaplane.  It was nutured to a national institution by (the bar's owner) Jack Koeppler."  Sheridan actually created the drink in 1942 at Foynes Dock, where flying boats docked in World War II.  It was promoted as of 1947 at Shannon Airport as an official welcoming beverage.

   From Clementine Paddleford's St. Patrick's Day column in the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, 17 March 1948, pg. ? (sorry), col. 6:

   A recipe for Irish coffee, the traditonal Gaelic drink as served to passengers in the lounge at Shannon AIrport.  A thank-you to Maureen Grogan, Pan American Airways gound hostess, for the recipe: Place two tablespoons of Irish whisky in a warm glass, add one teaspoon sugar, pour in the hot coffee and float two inches of whipped cream.  Sip and the whiskey laces through coffee, through cream.

--------------------------------------------------------
LAUGHING TROMBONE

   Not in OED.
   From the NYHT, 30 April 1948, pg. 18, col. 2:

_Milt Britton, 54,_
_Head of Comic_
_Orchestra, Dies_
(...)  He joined Frank Wentzel in 1917 in a two-man trombone and cornet team known as Frank and Milt Britton.  During the next seven years Brooklyn and Manhattan vaudeville, Mr. Britton perfected the style of playing known as the "laughing trombone."  He attributed the origin of the "laughing trombone" to Lew Raderman, another vaudevillian.

--------------------------------------------------------
NYPL NOTE

   The Performing Arts Library is basically shut down.  I had thought that I had one more day left.  It is scheduled to re-open at Lincoln Center on October 15th, but there might be delays.
   I'll look for the clippings file of Lew Raderman, the script of KOSHER KELLY'S KIDS, and other stuff in about two months.

--------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (Big Apple) & CHICAGO (Windy City)

   The final four hours of Ric Burns's NEW YORK (the first 10 hours were broadcast on PBS in 1999) will be part of PBS's "American Experience," about September 29th.  I'll be out of the country at that time and won't be able to see if he mangles my work.
   Burns's next project is CHICAGO.
   On Friday, August 10th, the ONO (Organization of Newspaper Ombudsman) president contacted the Chicago Tribune's ombudsman for me about "the Windy City."  Newspaper corrections are usually made within 48 hours.
   There hasn't even been a response.