1920's New York City History
The first two books in the Jax Diamond Mysteries series, Songbirdand Framed, took place in New York City, and the next two books will be back in the heart of Broadway. Yet, Laura Graystone was anxious to find out the details surrounding her father’s death, so they needed to travel to her hometown, temporarily.
When I was young, my family used to vacation for a few days in Massachusetts during the summer, and I remember hearing all about the witches of Salem. My mother was also somewhat superstitious, although I’m not sure why, but at an early age, I learned to throw salt over my left shoulder, avoid black cats, and I never, ever touched a tails-up penny on the ground.
Here are the most popular superstitions in each state:
Throw salt over left shoulder after spilling: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming
Lucky heads-up pennies: California, Iowa, Texas
Friday the 13this bad luck: Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Ladybugs are good luck: Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Lucky Rabbit’s foot is good luck: Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Washington
Owls are a bad omen: Arizona, Oklahoma, Oregon
Four-Leaf Clover is good luck: Massachusetts
Bad luck comes in threes: Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin
A black cat crosses your path (bad): New York, North Carolina, South Carolina
Lucky prime numbers (I never heard this one, but I’m thinking it stems from gambling in Las Vegas?): Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico
Now for some Broadway tidbits. Shirley Temple (1928-2014) was not only an extremely talented young actress and Hollywood’s number one box-office draw from 1934-1938, but as an adult, she became a highly respected United States Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
Bill (Bojangles) Robinson (1878-1949) was a wonderfully talented and famous actor, singer, and tap dancer who began his career at five years old and was most successful during the Vaudeville and Broadway heydays. He and Shirley Temple had teamed up in several movies. Here is their Shim Sham variation from “The Littlest Rebel” (1935); then Shirley Temple (7 years old) singing Polly Wolly Doodle from the same movie:
Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple - Shim Sham Variation
Shirley Temple Polly Wolly Doodle
I had to include a couple of Broadway hits in the book from that era, but I couldn’t find videos of the original 1920s singers, so I chose two of my favorite singers from several years later. Here is Judy Garland singing Caroline in the Morning (1955), and Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl” (based on the life of Fanny Brice (1891-1951)) singing, I’d Rather Be Blue.
Judy Garland - Carolina In The Morning
Barbra Streisand – I’d Rather Be Blue
Don’t Miss the Next Two Jax Diamond Mysteries Books:
Two of Kind – The Beginning, releasing December 2022 – How Jax and Ace met
Pre-Order $.99 – Two of a Kind
Blackjack, Book #4, releasing in May 2023 - Some shocking tidbits about Jax’s family.
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