French Opera House
Submitted by Maurice Duvic Sr

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You guys talking about the French Opera reminded me of high school days
at St. Aloysius.  Several of my classmates (l935 grads) and I , going
home, would take the St. Claude streetcar to Canal and transfer from
there.

Sometimes - it must have been Spring and the "sap" was running - a few
of us would walk to Canal Street through the Quarter.  The once "Crib"
houses on   Dauphine Street, particularly, were  houses of ill-repute
and we were solicited by the young ladies, partially behind the blinds,
as we passed.  Although most of us had only the seven cents carfare in
our pockets, occasionally we good Catholic boys  would engage in
bargaining with the ladies.  (The "going" price at that time was one
dollar!  The Great Depression, you know!)  The conversation often  ended
"unhappily", and an occasional chamber pot (""slop jar" ?) came in our
direction as we ran.

What does this have to do with the French Opera?  We often passed it on
these walks - Bourbon and Toulouse, was it?
(All I said was  "My memory was jogged," didn't I?)  It burned in l9l9.
Then there was recovery from WW I, the short-lived "Roaring Twenties"
and then The Depression, so there wasn't much time or money  for
rebuilding - and movies were big - "Steamboat Annie" with Marie
Dressler, etc.   Don't remember that, do you:? 
Anyway, the corner was vacant, 'cept for a few remains of the building,
I vaguely remember.

Maestri Furniture, Rampart and Iberville, used to do big business
selling bedroom furniture to occupants on Dauphine Street, repossessing
and re-selling!

Mayor Maestri"s famous question as he entertained President Roosevelt at
Antoine's:  "How you like dem dere ersters?"  Rockfellar, of course.

Another reminder:  In l938 I worked for the Pullman Company - maker and
operator of sleeping cars.  On weekdays I "inspected" the Pullman car on
Southern Ry #44 out Canal St. at Basin St. - on  my way to the office on
Gravier St.  When I worked on Sundays I went to the L&N Station at the
foot of Canal where there were several Pullmans on the outgoing
train

There were six or seven railway station in New Orleans at that time and
the Pullman Company liked to have someone from the office at each train
departure on which there were sleeping cars in case there were last
minute problems.  That's why this young kid was at the L&N when who
comes from the Union Station (Present location.) via cab?  Child movie
star, Judy Garland ("Over The Rainbow") on her way from California, on
the Southern Pacific, to New York on the L&N.

Antoine's had been given the privilege of catering breakfast for this
young star on the train - AND what did they send?  Did you guess it?
Oysters Rockfellar!  For a young teen-ager !  The train was delayed a
few minutes while we got a suitable breakfast from the restaurant in the
station.

Enough?     Good night.

P.S.  Then, there was the time of a strike by longshoremen   -  remind
me later!