BILL CHERRY'S GREATEST DALLAS PARK CITIES REAL ESTATE BLOG: The Rabbi's Son Meets a Fellow Called Utah Carl

                                              How the Rabbi's Son Learned to Cope with Life's Challenges

By Bill Cherry - Dallas Broker-Realtor

(Stay with this story until the end...you'll be glad you did.)

I had just written a piece for The Daily News about an early Galveston television performing legend, Utah Carl Beach. I had found the researching him odd, really, because everyone seemed to know who he was, but only a few knew anything about him, and they weren't talking. His biography was nowhere to be found.

He had even been inducted into the Rock ‘a Billy Hall of Fame, yet the only thing they knew about him was his name. That Daily News story I was to write is what's used there today.

Anyway, after some fast talking on my part, his wife and daughter-in-law agreed to help me put his story together. But even after all of that, I knew I didn't have it all.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Joe Mirsky=> 

One day many months later, Joe Mirsky called from Houston; he was an assistant U.S. Attorney. We'd gone to high school together, but had had only a casual acquaintance. He said, "Bill, I just saw your story on the Internet about Utah Carl. I want to tell you how I knew him." And so a most unusual story began to unfold.

Joe had been raised in West Hollywood during the ‘40s and early ‘50s. His father, Rabbi Paul Mirsky, was both a rabbi and cantor, so Joe went to school and synagogue with many of the sons and daughters of famous movie stars. People you know.

Just before his senior year in high school, Rabbi Paul decided he would accept a call as the cantor at Galveston's Congregation Beth Jacob. So within moments the family was uprooted, moved to the island, and Joe found himself ready to finish high school in a town and a school where he not only knew no one, but felt he had nothing in common.                                                                                  

After sulking for awhile, Joe decided if he had a job, it would occupy his time and make things better, so he got a position at the KGUL-TV Channel 11 studios just down the street from Ball High School. He would get there at 5 in the morning, sign the station on, and then set up the studio for the farm and ranch show, featuring Utah Carl with Herbie and the Boys.

The relationship between Mr. Utah and Joe began to develop as they worked together. Mr. Utah realized that Joe was lonesome, so he began taking him with him when he played golf, and before long Joe was even playing drums in Mr. Utah's band.

One evening Mr. Utah took Joe to meet Mr. Utah's friend, Elvis Presley, who was playing a concert at the old City Auditorium. "It seemed to me that the two of them knew each other quite well," Joe told me. "I can still see Elvis in a lavender sport coat, black pants and white buck shoes," he added.

When Joe graduated from high school, a friend, Norman "Bubba" Miller, who had been working at the Balinese Room, told Joe that he ought to take his job over since Bubba was going away to college. "You'll make more money and there's a good chance for advancement."  Norman Miller, today, is chairman of the board of the famous Interstate Batteries

So Joe worked and understudied the famous gambling night club spot's maitre d', Jimmy Kuykendahl, He learned the suave manners and finesse from Mr. Jimmy and Vic and Anthony Fertitta, who were the managers. That would serve him well for the rest of his life.

One evening about this time of the year in 1957, Mr. Vic and Mr. Anthony asked Joe to step into their office, just to the right of the entrance to the showroom.

"We've gotten word that the Texas Rangers are going to close us down for good very soon. We won't be able to recover from this one. Your dad's a rabbi, and for you to be involved in this would be an embarrassment to him. We're simply not going to have that," Mr. Anthony told him.

Mr. Vic picked it up by adding, "We're going to pay you through the summer, but don't come to work. I've got your check right here.

"Meanwhile, we know you want to go to college, but money's a bit tight. We're going to introduce you to Mr. Lee Kempner of the United States National Bank. He and his family give scholarships away from time to time. I'll bet with our recommendation and that of Utah Carl, they'll give you one." Sure enough, Mr. Lee came through.

As the result of this story, Joe Mirsky graduated from the University of Houston in 1961 and received his law degree in 1966. In 1987, he was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney by the Reagan Administration. Today he works in the appellate division where he's in charge of the government's responses to post-judgment criminal habeas corpus cases.

But his thoughts about Mr. Utah, Mr. Jimmy, Mr. Anthony, Mr. Vic and Mr. Lee are always with him.

Without them, he may still be the unhappy son of a rabbi.

Copyright 2007 - William S. Cherry