Lots of Boscoving Today...

Did you Boscov today?

I know, I know. Look, if you're under, say, 45 or so, you probably don't remember the once very familiar radio and TV jingle, "Did You Boscov Today-ay?" You probably had no idea that Boscov could be a verb.

When Boscov's came to town, meaning Wilkes-Barre in this case, it was a big deal. Then Boscov's came to Scranton, then Hazleton, also big deals.

I'd heard lots of great things about this Boscov's place back in the mid and late 70s when living in Williamsport. Williamsport didn't have a Boscov's but there was one in Sunbury. Boscov's impressed enough Williamsporters that they drove over to Sunbury to have a look, came back, and raved about this chain.

(Williamsport then had its very own downtown department store, LL Stearns, now long gone.)

Al Boscov liked to put on a show when he opened a new store. The W-B Grand Opening featured Henny Youngman, Peter Lawford, Dagmar, and Zippy The Chimp.

Youngman was then, this was the early '80s, enjoying a renewal of his career, a career which stretched all the way back to Vaudeville.

"Take my wife...please!" was Youngman's signature one-liner, and this man was recognized across the land as The King of The One-Liners. One-liners were largely all he did, one-liners interrupted by Youngman's screeching a few chords on his ever-present violin.

Then there was Peter Lawford. Peter Lawford was in sore need of what Youngman had, a career restart, perhaps a new career altogether. He was down for the count.

The dashing Englishman, a former Hollywood leading man, an Honest-To-God member of the beyond legendary Rat Pack, wasn't having a good go of things.

Peter Lawford, once married to Patricia Kennedy, sister of JFK, RFK, and Teddy, making him a member of one of the world's most watched and beloved families, was relegated to picking up gigs opening department stores and, I suppose, other small-time venues that paid a couple bucks. The fall from the big rooms of Las Vegas to the Community Room of Wilkes-Barre's Boscov's must be dizzying.

You, me, loads of others, would be tickled peachy pink to get paid to show up at grand openings. You, me, we're not Peter Lawford. You, me, we never had a big Hollywood career. You, me, we never spent weekends at those six acres in Hyannis on Nantucket Sound known to the world simply as The Compound.

As to the other two headliners, Dagmar and Zippy The Chimp, you can Google them if you're of a mind.

So, how do I know all this stuff? Simple. I was there.

Working for WARM at the time, the radio station played a a big role in publicizing Boscov's W-B Grand Opening. My contribution, for which there was indeed compensation, was doing my early mid-day show for a couple days live from the front doors of Boscov's on South Main.

Never did see Youngman, or Dagmar, or Zippy. Lawford, yes, I saw him just fine, right up close and personal. I had the opportunity to interview Peter Lawford. Lawford was clearly in rough shape, yet he was charming, cordial, pleasant, and just plain nice. Peter Lawford died a little over a year after that interview. Peter Lawford died on a Christmas Eve.

So, did I Boscov today? Why, yes, I did Boscov today, Pearl Harbor Day of 2008. And what to my wondering eyes did appear?

A fully jammed parkade!

Well, you can just deck my halls all to heck. There wasn't a spot to be found on the first pass, not on the second pass, but I managed to wiggle into what I believe to be a space on our third trip around. The store was crowded and employees were smiling. The employees we had the pleasure of dealing with were quick to tell us how much they loved Mr. Boscov. We were quick to tell them we loved their store, and that we couldn't remember the last time their parkade was full.

Working literally next door to the entrance ramp to that parkade for twenty years, I could easily recall many a week or so before Christmases past, days and nights when you'd without fail find a blocks' long traffic jam waiting to "Boscov." Maybe Santa will bring a few of those this year.

I sure hope so.