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Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime is a production of My Heart Radio. Hey

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Speaker 1: Elizabeth Dutton, Yes, Saren, you know it's ridiculous. It's ridiculous

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Speaker 1: that the first person convicted of speeding was only going

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Speaker 1: eight miles and he got chased down by a cop

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Speaker 1: on a bicycle. It's ridiculous. That is ridiculous. I like

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Speaker 1: that one one. Okay, Well, I got one for you, Yes, okay.

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Speaker 1: This one is a story of a con man who

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Speaker 1: transformed kids letters to Santa Claus into a well paying drift. Oh.

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Speaker 1: I like that right. This dude was a show boat.

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Speaker 1: He was like a P. T. Barnum of the jazz Ah,

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Speaker 1: known for his ability to spin hype into reality as well.

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Speaker 1: He was also a gentleman who was known for his

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Speaker 1: voluminous and well kept mustache. Yeah, because you know, a

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Speaker 1: good mustache can take you far in life. It really can.

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Speaker 1: I've proven that constantly, daily, every day. You it's pretty

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Speaker 1: much you, Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Clark Gable. These are

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Speaker 1: the people I think of. It's like mustache made them

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Speaker 1: rally fingers. That's a solid all right. So you ready

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Speaker 1: for the story of the comman who help make Christmas

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Speaker 1: what it is today? Yes, I am. This is Ridiculous Crime,

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Speaker 1: a podcast about absurd and outrageous capers, heists and cons.

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Speaker 1: It's always murder free and ridiculous. Hey, Elizabeth, I want

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Speaker 1: to tell you the story of a man named John

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Speaker 1: Duval Gluck. He's the hero of our little tale of

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Speaker 1: morality for today. Now, if you hear that name, like me,

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Speaker 1: do you think gluck? What is that? Is? Arn? Loud

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Speaker 1: over the you Nope, it's not gook gluck. H Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's a verb. It turns out it actually is a word,

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Speaker 1: because I looked it up. It means to flow or

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Speaker 1: to cause to flow in a noisy series of spurts,

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Speaker 1: as when liquid is emptied through the narrow neck of

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Speaker 1: a bottle. Really, I would always think that would be glug.

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Speaker 1: I know that's how everybody spells it. I was kind

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Speaker 1: of surprised. Look, yeah, so that's our dude, John Duval.

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Speaker 1: Look all right. He stood five ft six. He was

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Speaker 1: the shortest, the oldest, and the baldest of the five

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Speaker 1: Gluck brothers. He was compensating for this with the aforementioned

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Speaker 1: voluminous mustache. But this was also because he was a

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Speaker 1: con man who liked to cut an oppressive worldly figure.

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Speaker 1: Sure did he wear lifts? I don't know about that.

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Speaker 1: It was not anything that I read about him. But

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Speaker 1: this dude was about his American as they come. Right.

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Speaker 1: So he'd grown up in Bedford Stuyvesant, the Brooklyn neighborhood

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Speaker 1: back when it was like, you know, a quaint, little

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Speaker 1: towny type district, and then he moved over to Westfield,

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Speaker 1: New Jersey. And I don't know if you're familiar with Westfield,

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Speaker 1: New Jersey, but I think it's most famous for its

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Speaker 1: export of shopping complexes Westfield mall. Right, I'm just kidding idea,

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Speaker 1: but I think from there, I don't know anyway, it

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Speaker 1: doesn't matter they are now. So how I got kind

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Speaker 1: of excited about that. And I don't go to to

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Speaker 1: malls at all. Yeah, Like I could probably count on

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Speaker 1: one hand that never times I've been to a mall. Yeah. No,

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Speaker 1: the Beverly Center, that's naturally occurring. Yeah, that came out

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Speaker 1: of the ground. You can't export that. So okay, that's

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Speaker 1: where the dude grew up. Right, So like in this

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Speaker 1: very charmingly like late nineteenth century like picturesque you know,

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Speaker 1: small house. Uh, Like, I don't know how the best describe,

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Speaker 1: you know, home, hearth, that whole thing that you'd see

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Speaker 1: like in Norman Rockwell paintings. That's basically his childhood. Now. Also,

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Speaker 1: they were not in any way economically stressed. This was

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Speaker 1: a family that had abundance. They would give generously a

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Speaker 1: Christmas which was also something that stuck with him. Other

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Speaker 1: than the whole like feeling of comfort and joy and

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Speaker 1: his family home was also the sense of we should

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Speaker 1: extend to others the abundance that we have. So they

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Speaker 1: were just a straightforward American dream family pretty much. Pretty much,

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Speaker 1: his blood was just apple pie filling and his dad

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Speaker 1: was a ball eagle. His mama was the theme song

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Speaker 1: to a baseball game. Yeah, it was amazing. So this family, right,

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Speaker 1: they managed to push out into the world. John Daval

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Speaker 1: Gluck fully formed and he ends up getting married. Once

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Speaker 1: he divorces and spends the rest of his life as

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Speaker 1: a bachelor. Now he takes over the family business, his

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Speaker 1: dad's business, which was a customed brokerage, so he basically

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Speaker 1: just does paperwork for international shipping. Right, So it's that's

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Speaker 1: what the eldest of the five Gluck brothers does, is

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Speaker 1: take over the family business. But it's not well suited

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Speaker 1: to John daval Gluck. So by age thirty five, he's like,

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Speaker 1: you know what, I need to switch careers. So he

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Speaker 1: starts becoming a press agent. It was like, I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: sell hyped to suckers. That's what something I can do. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: he found himself by around age thirty five, so he

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Speaker 1: decides like, you know what this hype man thing is.

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Speaker 1: This is good for me. And then as he realizes that,

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Speaker 1: he's like, you know what, I think I should become

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Speaker 1: Santa Claus. Well that's the logical next, it's just like

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Speaker 1: left foot, right foot? But did you ever write a

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Speaker 1: letter to Santa Claus? Yeah, that's something of your family.

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Speaker 1: Did Yeah? I guess yeah. Did you like the whole

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Speaker 1: cookies and milk? And yeah totally? And did you did

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Speaker 1: you think about your letter? And like did you also

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Speaker 1: think about the letter you would write before you wrote it?

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Speaker 1: So like you know, in September you're like, oh, I

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Speaker 1: gotta be good Santa. Probably you're like already clocking what

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Speaker 1: you want for Christmas, and then you're sort of phrasing

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Speaker 1: like I would think, like I have to kiss up

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Speaker 1: to Santa in this letter, but I don't want to

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Speaker 1: be obvious about it, so like, hey Santa, you know,

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Speaker 1: how's Mrs Claus? How's the wife? And trying to pick

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Speaker 1: up the conversation where it left off last year because

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Speaker 1: you're a pen po with Santa Claus. You know what's

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Speaker 1: messed up. When I was in third grade, they had

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Speaker 1: us answer kindergarteners Christmas letters to Santa third grade, and

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Speaker 1: like I got one where the kids said he wanted

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Speaker 1: castle Grass SkELL, which is I guess the Castle Gray school,

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Speaker 1: but we I forever called it castle grass call mocking

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Speaker 1: a kindergartener, And then in my squirrel being like, sorry, slicker,

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Speaker 1: castle grass call for you until you learn to spell.

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Speaker 1: Enjoy the coal. Maybe we're worrying about the crusting them

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Speaker 1: teas doten m I son, now you know me? I

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Speaker 1: was like, of course you can have that. I'm Santa.

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Speaker 1: So you've been Santa too? Then, oh yeah, totally. Then

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Speaker 1: I think you'll understand this story a little bit more

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Speaker 1: deeply than I do. I always do. So the whole

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Speaker 1: thing about the Santa letter, ultimately it's kind of for

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Speaker 1: parents in a lot of ways. Oh yeah, it's a

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Speaker 1: behavior modifier, right. They're like, oh, you know they know

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Speaker 1: that the kid knows they're gonna eventually impleade their case

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Speaker 1: in this letter to Santa Claus. So it's always like,

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Speaker 1: you know, he's watching you all year long. You gotta

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Speaker 1: be smart about this act, right well, and it makes

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Speaker 1: the con of Santa more real if you have to

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Speaker 1: write to Santa, if you were just talking about Santa

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Speaker 1: and it comes, but you know, you gotta set cookies

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Speaker 1: and milk out, and then the parents gott to drink

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Speaker 1: the milk and eat the cook some we have a

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Speaker 1: couple of bites because it's like, you know, Santa's on

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Speaker 1: a diet. I got so many cookies tonight, I just

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Speaker 1: want for the taste. So this letter to Santa, like tradition,

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Speaker 1: it basically kind of starts in the nineteenth century, at

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Speaker 1: least in America. That's like when we get into it.

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Speaker 1: For instance, I found in the early eighteen hundreds Fanny Longfellow.

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Speaker 1: It was the wife of the poet Henry Wadsworth. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: she would write letters to children from Santa Claus. I thought,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna say she wrote letters to Santa, And I

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Speaker 1: was like, precious girl, you're trying to get the vote

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Speaker 1: from Santa Claus. Sorry, that's so bleak. Okay, So in

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Speaker 1: one letter from eighteen fifty one, Fanny Longfellow right, as Santa,

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Speaker 1: I'm sorry I sometimes here you are not so kind

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Speaker 1: to your little brother as I wish you were. Oh see,

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Speaker 1: that's the use of Santa, I know, right, Castle, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's all guilt and shame. That's what Santa was in

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Speaker 1: the letters. That's how that's how you raised children, right,

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Speaker 1: Guilt and shame bear the rod. So mostly my point

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Speaker 1: is that basically there's nothing new under the sun. Parents

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Speaker 1: are using Santa today the same way Elf on the

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Speaker 1: shelf is just what Fanny Longfield was. Yeah, so this

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Speaker 1: thing about you know, another aspect about a letter to

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Speaker 1: Santa that find interesting is it's a chance for children

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Speaker 1: to get a voice. As I said earlier, they're going

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Speaker 1: to plead their case. But also it's their ability to

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Speaker 1: talk directly to Santa, be like, look, I don't know

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Speaker 1: what the parents told you, and I don't know my

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Speaker 1: siblings are gonna tell you, but here's what I think, right,

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Speaker 1: So it gives them a little bit of agency. See

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Speaker 1: how everybody gets something out of the letter from Santa. Essentially, right,

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Speaker 1: con Man understands this too, right, Okay, so you're starting

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Speaker 1: to see where I'm going with it. Okay, So back

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Speaker 1: then in the nineteenth century, throughout the mid nineteenth century,

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Speaker 1: becomes more popular. By eighteen seventies, it's really something people

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Speaker 1: expect to do. Now. Most families are taking time to

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Speaker 1: write letters to Santa, and some of them are starting

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Speaker 1: to mail them to the North Pole or to work

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Speaker 1: to Santa's house. Right, So they send them into the

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Speaker 1: mail and these post offices around the country every Christmas

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Speaker 1: as trying to get inundated with these letters that they

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Speaker 1: can't deliver, so they just put him in the dead

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Speaker 1: letter office and then no. Then come New Year's they

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Speaker 1: have to do exactly that. It's like their New Year's

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Speaker 1: bonfires kind of pressing is burning all these kids letters

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Speaker 1: to Santa Claus all they're like open, you know, they're

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Speaker 1: just chuckling while they throw them into there. Another batch

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Speaker 1: on Steve. That's how you figure out who's the biggest

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Speaker 1: threat in the post office. Who volunteers to enjoy that.

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Speaker 1: You got to keep your eye on I'll burn him

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Speaker 1: this year, all right, you burned him last year, Fletcher.

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Speaker 1: So in New York, the postmaster in the city gets

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Speaker 1: this idea. He's like, you know what, well, I shouldn't

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Speaker 1: say he gets this idea. He's guilted into this idea

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Speaker 1: by the locals and the press. They keep saying, why

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Speaker 1: won't someone do something with these letters? Why are you

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Speaker 1: people burning him? What's wrong with you at the post office?

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Speaker 1: Constant spiral, right. So the idea is someone should be

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Speaker 1: answering these kids letters, and so people like, well, okay,

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Speaker 1: postmasters like, okay, fine, we'll stop burning the kid's letters.

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Speaker 1: So then he's like, okay, here's my idea, and he

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Speaker 1: puts out this is like you know, nineteen ten. He

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Speaker 1: puts out at a request, he says, teeny charity organizations

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Speaker 1: that can answer the kids letters to Santa clause, please

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Speaker 1: contact the post office. Now, how many charity organizations do

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Speaker 1: you think contacted the Postmaster general doing offering free labor?

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Speaker 1: I don't know, zero, I'll just right now, zero. I

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Speaker 1: just keep thinking about like the kid that knows how

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Speaker 1: to read that still believes in Santa, because Santa's really

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Speaker 1: andy to see that. Yeah, and wait, they're telling advocating

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Speaker 1: line to us, and the kid just like stubs out

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Speaker 1: his cigarettes and Splint goes back to work. Paper and

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Speaker 1: storms out of the kitchen. Yeah back then, yeah, all right.

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Speaker 1: So the postmaster keeps trying this, you don't have to

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Speaker 1: hear like anyone want to help me answer these letters?

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Speaker 1: People are like, oh yeah, great idea, you should do

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Speaker 1: something about that. No one's doing it right. Finally rolls around.

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Speaker 1: Postmaster General is pretty much getting tired of asking every

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Speaker 1: year for this thing he's been guilted into doing, so

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Speaker 1: it's like not even his bag. He's not doesn't really

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Speaker 1: feel anything strong about it. But he's like, okay, look,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna ask again. Any charity organizations, anybody want to

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Speaker 1: write some letters to these kids you're so worried about.

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Speaker 1: And everyone's like, um yeah, crickets. So then out of

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Speaker 1: this mute crowd steps our hero, or rather our anti hero,

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Speaker 1: John Daval Gluck. Yes, what the gluck is going on?

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Speaker 1: Y'all need to Santa, I got you, son, And they're

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Speaker 1: like it's like Glucks, like you know, I'm about this life, son.

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Speaker 1: I like to Santa, it's the shoes fit such as

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Speaker 1: the jacket, and I'm into facial hair. So they're like,

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Speaker 1: all right, man, you can do this, and he's like, okay,

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Speaker 1: bet now to him. He sees an opportunity, That's what

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Speaker 1: he sees in all this because he knows, like you know, Santa,

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Speaker 1: he isn't just an elf on the shelf for these parents,

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Speaker 1: and he isn't just a stick and a carrot for

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Speaker 1: the kids. This is opportunity. This is trust and you

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Speaker 1: know what that means. Yeah, he starts to Santa as Association.

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Speaker 1: It's like, all right, we're gonna do this. He names

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Speaker 1: himself general secretary too. I want you to have a

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Speaker 1: better grasp of this cat. So picture this man who

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Speaker 1: founded the Santa Claus Association. We're gonna pop back in

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Speaker 1: his life just before he started his Christmas long Conka

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Speaker 1: because I told you thirty five he's gonna change careers.

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Speaker 1: And he doesn't have any kids, right, no kids? All right?

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Speaker 1: So is September. That was the day when John daval

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Speaker 1: Gluck was arrested for promoting an illegal bullfight on Coney Island. Okay,

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Speaker 1: I want you to picture, Oh yeah, I will. We're

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Speaker 1: at Steeple Chase Park and Coney Island. We're walking through

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Speaker 1: the first theme park constructed there. Popcorn, kettle corn, saltwater

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Speaker 1: taffy and cotton candy and the media aroma of this

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Speaker 1: new invention called a hot dog. They're all swirling in

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Speaker 1: the air, fighting for the attention of your nose. Right

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Speaker 1: there's a sound of the crowd and all sorts of

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Speaker 1: carousel music filling the air as well. Families, joyful kids,

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Speaker 1: Moon nineteen. They're all around you everywhere you look, dressed

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Speaker 1: in their best dark wool suits and floor length ankle

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Speaker 1: obscuring skirts by the okay, so that people are enjoying these,

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Speaker 1: these two fangled hot dogs and these several carousels on offer.

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Speaker 1: There's also a giant ferris wheel. There's something called the

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Speaker 1: Pavilion of Fun. It has new rides like the Human

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Speaker 1: Wheel or Human Niagara, or the Grinder or the Mixer. Right, so,

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Speaker 1: there's also airships above you Zeppelin's automobile ride stretching around

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Speaker 1: a lazy Venetian gondola. This is all in the area

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Speaker 1: right near something called the Palace of Pleasure. You spot

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Speaker 1: a sunken garden. Beyond it is a ballroom. You also

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Speaker 1: noticed spread throughout this parkas circus style side shows with

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Speaker 1: body freakish attractions, and people are going, oh, check out

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Speaker 1: the bearded lady right like this is wild five attractions,

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Speaker 1: not mentioning the side shows. Okay, there's also something called

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Speaker 1: the world's Largest swimming pool. They're inside the world the

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Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean. The world's largest swimming pool is where the

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Speaker 1: bullfight will be held. They've drained it for this special

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Speaker 1: occasion and fill with dirt. They then also, yeah, so

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Speaker 1: as you're you're in, some other crowd are gathering outside

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Speaker 1: and you see this press agent for the bull fight,

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Speaker 1: John Duval Gluck, pushed through the crowd and there's that sumptuous,

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Speaker 1: lustrous mustache that you're like, that's my man, John Gluck.

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Speaker 1: Now Gluck is complaining it's just to himself, just you know,

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Speaker 1: out loud to nobody in particular, that the s b

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Speaker 1: c A is just on him and the reason why

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Speaker 1: it's the spc A has vowed to prevent this bullfight.

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Speaker 1: They're like, we are the Society for the Prevention of

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Speaker 1: Cruelty to Animals. We do not believe in what it

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Speaker 1: is you're trying to do with these people, even though

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Speaker 1: you call it an exhibition. He's like, yeah, that's how

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Speaker 1: bull fight is an exhibition. He's like, yeah, but you guys,

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Speaker 1: you brought over a Spaniard to kill bulls and he's like, yeah,

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Speaker 1: I know, I know, don't worry about that. So they're like,

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Speaker 1: all right, we'll give you one chance. So he's like,

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Speaker 1: I promise no harm will come to the bull. That

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Speaker 1: would be long and I'm like okay. So then the

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Speaker 1: ring announcer steps out into this dirt and he's like,

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Speaker 1: I want to you to introduce you to the pleasure

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Speaker 1: of the Spanish, the just the treasure of Mexico. And

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Speaker 1: they introduced this bullfighter mattador and he comes out. He's

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Speaker 1: got the pick of orders with him, the torreodors, cowboys.

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Speaker 1: He's god like a forty person on right, yeah, and

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Speaker 1: he's wearing like the full on matta doors silver jacket.

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Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it's got the little ponytail, the whole bit.

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Speaker 1: Right now. When he's sitting there in the world's largest

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Speaker 1: swimming pool, there is a fence right for the bull ring,

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Speaker 1: and so this fence is there and there's a bull

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Speaker 1: in there with him, and so the mattador and the

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Speaker 1: bull are in this bull ring, the matador of the bull,

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Speaker 1: they stare at each other, they face each other down right,

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Speaker 1: all the various picadors, toreodors, cowboys, the seven hundred spectators

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Speaker 1: are all watching this moment. Bull eyes mattador, bull fight

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Speaker 1: eyes bull. Suddenly the bull charges. The mattador doesn't expect this.

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Speaker 1: By the way, he's not expecting the bull to charge

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Speaker 1: it because he has the pigadoors and torrey doors to

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Speaker 1: like kind of get the bull excited and do all

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Speaker 1: the stuff he plans in doing. This is off script.

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Speaker 1: The bull is basically improving. The bull charges him, He's like, whoa,

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Speaker 1: and he basically does his graceful side step the bull

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Speaker 1: and it's like, you know, blind Fury runs right past

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Speaker 1: the mattador and runs into the fence, knocks himself. Still, yeah,

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Speaker 1: what did they expect him to do? Anyway, Yes, so

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Speaker 1: the bull and then he slumps to the dirt, lights

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Speaker 1: out right, and yeah, I know. It's the three veterinarians

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Speaker 1: who were brought there by the s p c. A.

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Speaker 1: They pop up there like we knew it, and they

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Speaker 1: got out in the middle of the dirt and they

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Speaker 1: inspect and they're like, we're looking for signs of torture

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Speaker 1: because this would make the bull fight illegal. It would

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Speaker 1: make it a bull fight instead of an exhibition. So

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Speaker 1: the bulls nose is indeed bloody, which qualifies as animal

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Speaker 1: cruelty under the law, and so they say, no, two

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Speaker 1: laws have been broken, animal baiting and animal cruelty. He

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Speaker 1: Superintendent Thomas freels like arrest all who are connected with

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Speaker 1: the bullfight or exhibition. Right, So the matador Enrique roles,

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Speaker 1: he bolts. He's just I'm out, son, and he runs

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Speaker 1: for it. Tellhow he escapes the world's largest swimming pool

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Speaker 1: dressed in like China flats and he gets away. The

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Speaker 1: press agent, John d. Gluck, along with the show's promoter,

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Speaker 1: the announcer to Cowboys six Peka Doors, they're all caught

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Speaker 1: and arrested, all right. They take him down to the

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Speaker 1: Coney Island Police station and then you know, they just

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Speaker 1: do some charges. They release them a month later. John

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Speaker 1: daval Gluck has to go to court October three, and

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Speaker 1: he that's the last we hear the charges. Just nothing occurs.

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Speaker 1: He's arraigned and just somehow nothing occurs after that. In

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Speaker 1: the nepaper that I could find just disappears. Then this

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Speaker 1: is the last we ever hear of the bull fight

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Speaker 1: as well, which people have been writing about for months.

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Speaker 1: They're writing throughout the summer about this. Everyone had been

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Speaker 1: into anticipation, and then a month afterwards everyone just pretends

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Speaker 1: like it never happened. But this is not the last

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Speaker 1: we hear of my man, John daval Gluck obviously, right,

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Speaker 1: because you see, in nineteen thirteen, after this failed bullfight,

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Speaker 1: that's we he decides to become Santa Claus. And I'll

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Speaker 1: tell you all about that right after this break. Okay, Elizabeth,

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Speaker 1: we are in December six now, okay with me? I

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Speaker 1: am okay. John de Vogue Luck shows up in the

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Speaker 1: New York newspapers again. What's up, Johnny? So this time

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Speaker 1: this is two months after he was arraigned for the

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Speaker 1: bull fight in the world's largest swimming pool in Coney

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Speaker 1: Island and nothing came of it, And now he reappears

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Speaker 1: on the New York scene as a charitable benefactor. Yeah right.

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Speaker 1: The first mention of his new long con shows up

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Speaker 1: in print December, and I quote. The Santa Claus Association

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Speaker 1: to operate as a national organism ation and ministering to

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Speaker 1: the please of poor children who write to St. Nicholas

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Speaker 1: for gifts was formed here tonight with several hundred members.

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Speaker 1: Dr William Edward Fitch, John d. Gluck and Countess Grace

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Speaker 1: Sterling Mankowski were among the organizers here tonight. You kind

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Speaker 1: of get the tone that he was putting on. All right.

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Speaker 1: So Gluck had found the perfect place for his talents

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Speaker 1: and hype and his love of a good show, the

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Speaker 1: world of rich people and their charities. He's like, these

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Speaker 1: people are Sucker is born ready for me kids. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: So by the end of the year, the newly formed

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Speaker 1: Santa Claus Association is fully operational. Okay, so John Gluck.

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Speaker 1: On Christmas Day of that year, the Santa Claus Association

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Speaker 1: gets its first big right up in the New York Press.

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Speaker 1: They already noticed what he's doing, because everyone has been

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Speaker 1: remembered waiting for these letters to be answered. But he

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Speaker 1: goes above and beyond. I will give you a sample

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Speaker 1: of what it is he does. You're ready, I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: read you a little short selection from the news story

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Speaker 1: on that Christmas Day. Quote. A taxi cab filled with

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Speaker 1: Christmas packages rolled up in of a five story tenement

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Speaker 1: at three oh one six Street late Saturday afternoon, and

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Speaker 1: a young woman who was almost obscured by the parcels,

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00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,880
Speaker 1: stepped to the sidewalk. She took one of the packages

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Speaker 1: from the taxicab, and, much to the surprise of a

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Speaker 1: steadily increasing crowd of children with soiled faces and soiled clothes,

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Speaker 1: went to the door of the tenement and pulled the

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Speaker 1: knob of the bell. The young woman was about to

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Speaker 1: enter the darkened hallway when one of the little girls

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Speaker 1: in the crowd of children who lived there pressed close

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Speaker 1: to her side and asked, who do you want to

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Speaker 1: see here? Miss now? So, this unnamed woman arrives at

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Speaker 1: a tenement to bring a package to a kid. And

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Speaker 1: the kid's name is Alfred Breaks right, It doesn't really matter,

381
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Speaker 1: but the kid's name is Alfred Breaks She where is

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Speaker 1: Alfred lived. She's like, oh, he's lifts up on the

383
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Speaker 1: whatever floor right, And she's like okay. So the woman

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Speaker 1: goes into the building gift in hand, and I quote,

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Speaker 1: here's a package of Christmas things that Santa has sent

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Speaker 1: to Alfred, explained the young woman. Santa Claus received Alfred's letter,

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Speaker 1: and when he learned that the little boy was so

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Speaker 1: modest in his wishes, he decided to be very generous

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Speaker 1: with Alfred. So the little girls like, cool, lady upstairs,

390
00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:05,040
Speaker 1: I told you fourth floors, Alfred, Yeah, exactly, Alfie it's

391
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Speaker 1: a girl's name. So hearing this from the nice lady

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Speaker 1: with a gift from Santa Claus, the nine year old

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Speaker 1: boy Alfred, he's like, you know, comes out into the

394
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Speaker 1: hallway and he's like, you have a gift for me?

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Speaker 1: She and I quote. She handed the lad the package,

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Speaker 1: on which was a red seal with his name and

397
00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:23,960
Speaker 1: address written before the words from Santa Claus Comma, North Pole.

398
00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,159
Speaker 1: Below the name of the youngster was the name of

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Speaker 1: the Santa Claus branch office in this city, Santa Claus Association,

400
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,280
Speaker 1: West Street, New York, New York. John D. Gluck, Secretary. Oh,

401
00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:36,280
Speaker 1: he puts his name on the Oh yeah, He's like,

402
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,200
Speaker 1: I want credit for this, But you understand the subtle

403
00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,560
Speaker 1: power of labels and stationary and thank you notes and

404
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,679
Speaker 1: gift cards. It's not much, but you do it earnestly,

405
00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,080
Speaker 1: but there is a power there of like someone seeing

406
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Speaker 1: their name printed out, not in handwriting, like you took

407
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,800
Speaker 1: the time to use a printer for this. They're like, oh,

408
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:58,120
Speaker 1: it's the thought, you know that counts. Yeah, totally, Now

409
00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,160
Speaker 1: you do thank you notes? Am I wrong about the Oh?

410
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,680
Speaker 1: I totally do. No, I know you don'tally do, but

411
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:04,600
Speaker 1: I mean, like, is that the appeal? Do you know that?

412
00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:07,159
Speaker 1: What is it about to thank you note that you

413
00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,880
Speaker 1: think other people respond to? Well, I think that if

414
00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:12,159
Speaker 1: someone's going to take the effort to give you something,

415
00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:15,760
Speaker 1: I have to reciprocate some effort to show how much

416
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,240
Speaker 1: I appreciate it, particularly if they're not there with me.

417
00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:21,919
Speaker 1: And so, uh, you know, I usually, like pretty lightning

418
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,720
Speaker 1: quickly pull out my thank you note cards, and you know,

419
00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,399
Speaker 1: you write something personal in there, and you know you

420
00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,119
Speaker 1: have an effect emotionally in registers. Well, Gluck kind of

421
00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:36,320
Speaker 1: does that on the opposite end. He's like, you're welcome. Yeah. No,

422
00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:41,280
Speaker 1: And so this Santa Claus is his Santa Claus Association

423
00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:45,200
Speaker 1: now is fully operationally kicking. First year, big success newspaper

424
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,440
Speaker 1: wrote about him. So he's like, oh, now I seem

425
00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:49,439
Speaker 1: to go down get approval from the post office. He

426
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,040
Speaker 1: goes to the postmaster. He says, hey, let's make this official.

427
00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:54,880
Speaker 1: Postmasters like I would love to do that. Yeah, finally,

428
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:57,959
Speaker 1: so it's just stepping up exactly. He's like, oh man,

429
00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,840
Speaker 1: I'm not going to get any more like angry letters

430
00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:01,840
Speaker 1: from the New York Times. Thanks, that would be great.

431
00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:03,960
Speaker 1: So well, and then Gluck has like, I think the

432
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,400
Speaker 1: thing with the package is that it's one thing if

433
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,040
Speaker 1: he were handing stuff to kids and it was just

434
00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:10,320
Speaker 1: a generic from Santa and it could have been anything

435
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:12,400
Speaker 1: but that. Yeah, like you were saying the printed name

436
00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:16,679
Speaker 1: on there, it's personalized, even if it's really not. But

437
00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:18,679
Speaker 1: it feels that way. It seems been a little extra.

438
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,359
Speaker 1: So Gluck starts basically putting a lot of the extra

439
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,160
Speaker 1: touches into everything he does. Right. And meanwhile, I told

440
00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,359
Speaker 1: you he was on thirty six Street. Remember the address? Okay,

441
00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:29,879
Speaker 1: well the address I had read on for Alfred it

442
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,440
Speaker 1: was on thirty six Street. It doesn't matter. That place

443
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,159
Speaker 1: was called Hankle's chop Shop and Santa Claus Association was

444
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,480
Speaker 1: in the back room of Hankle's chop shop. I think

445
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:39,879
Speaker 1: it was a butcher. I don't think it was like

446
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:44,000
Speaker 1: an actually cutting up cars. No, it's just they're really

447
00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:50,280
Speaker 1: honest on the sign exactly illegal shop shop. So this

448
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,720
Speaker 1: Santa Clas Association, as I said, it becomes a huge hit.

449
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,359
Speaker 1: The press likes it. They start basically sending reporters there.

450
00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:57,520
Speaker 1: Are reporters send themselves there for a feel good story

451
00:23:57,520 --> 00:23:59,680
Speaker 1: because they know they can just write something up. One

452
00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:02,320
Speaker 1: of these reporter's name is Zoe Beckley from the Evening

453
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,760
Speaker 1: Mail to New York paper. Back then, she would often

454
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 1: stop by the Santa Claus Association. She finds this guy charming,

455
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,360
Speaker 1: so she is like, you know, kind of winning over

456
00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,119
Speaker 1: his trust interview by interview. Eventually she starts talking to

457
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:15,320
Speaker 1: him and one day he makes some time for her

458
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:16,879
Speaker 1: and he's like, oh, he tells her, I'm just a

459
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,159
Speaker 1: simple man. I was. I'm a childless man. It may

460
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:22,119
Speaker 1: seem weird. I wanted to do this stuff for kids,

461
00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,320
Speaker 1: but I live for the joy of children on Christmas Day.

462
00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,520
Speaker 1: And she's like a little suspicious, like you are, And

463
00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,920
Speaker 1: he said, you have to understand I was born on

464
00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:34,720
Speaker 1: Christmas Day. Oh well, so he feels he feels like

465
00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,399
Speaker 1: it's a special thing that he's like, not that he

466
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,800
Speaker 1: is Santa, but he gets the vibe you know, this

467
00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:41,400
Speaker 1: is a special thing. And also I think maybe he's

468
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:43,040
Speaker 1: kind of indicating, like, I know it's like to be

469
00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:45,359
Speaker 1: skipped over on Christmas Day. Oh yeah, I can see that.

470
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:47,840
Speaker 1: He doesn't say that. I'm just guessing everyone I know

471
00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:52,120
Speaker 1: who's been born on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. It's yeah,

472
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,639
Speaker 1: it's for kids too. It's really hard. It's like you

473
00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:57,160
Speaker 1: don't get a birthday, No, you have just one present,

474
00:24:57,320 --> 00:24:59,600
Speaker 1: no party. Yeah, nobody wants to do anything for your

475
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,399
Speaker 1: birthday here. So maybe that's what it is. I don't know,

476
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:04,080
Speaker 1: but he mentioned it to her. It moves her, right.

477
00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,240
Speaker 1: So they started speaking and she's like, hey, uh, what

478
00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:09,600
Speaker 1: are the kids putting these letters to Santa Claus. He's like, oh,

479
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,919
Speaker 1: it's great. You know, normally that filthy, dirty mouth little brats,

480
00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:16,440
Speaker 1: like sometimes they put it in request for a doll,

481
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,360
Speaker 1: a jack in the box, maybe a sled, a wagon,

482
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:21,520
Speaker 1: you know, the things you would expect of a child.

483
00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:23,400
Speaker 1: She's like, oh, that's so sweet. And he's like, you'd

484
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,840
Speaker 1: be surprised. Most of the requests are really modest. And

485
00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,119
Speaker 1: she's like, oh, well, you know, poor kids, they know

486
00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,159
Speaker 1: they've adjusted their expectations for the world. So I I

487
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:33,000
Speaker 1: as a reporter, get that. So these two were kind

488
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:37,040
Speaker 1: of like bonding as like worldly souls right now gluck.

489
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,320
Speaker 1: He mentioned how the kids in their letters, they don't

490
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,280
Speaker 1: all agree on where Santa Claus lives. They're all some

491
00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,600
Speaker 1: of these letters to random places. It was just like

492
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:47,840
Speaker 1: the North Pole, right, I thought's what I thought, too, right,

493
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,359
Speaker 1: But Gluck lets us know that some of the kids

494
00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:54,240
Speaker 1: are writing letters to Dear Santa at Cloudville. Other kids

495
00:25:54,240 --> 00:26:00,000
Speaker 1: were like, dear Santa at behind the Moon and Santa Claus. Yeah,

496
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,760
Speaker 1: it's such and such Ice Street. Right, I thought you'd

497
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:07,080
Speaker 1: like so like, I mean, how great are those places

498
00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:09,320
Speaker 1: for kids? Like behind the Moon? Behind the Moon is

499
00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,399
Speaker 1: so charming because I know that they're probably thinking in

500
00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,439
Speaker 1: the iconography of Santa Claus that he's flying in the

501
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,800
Speaker 1: sky with the reindeer and there's usually the moon is

502
00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,159
Speaker 1: like a decorative element, and it was much more I

503
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,399
Speaker 1: think of a connection before electric lights. I think the

504
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,840
Speaker 1: moon held more sway with people. Know, is this around

505
00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,320
Speaker 1: the time of the we have Santa Claus because of

506
00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:29,240
Speaker 1: the Coca Cola Santa Claus. I was just about to

507
00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:30,719
Speaker 1: tell you about Well, I'll let you go to get

508
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:32,919
Speaker 1: to it. Then we basically and said, you know, you

509
00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:35,480
Speaker 1: know about the mythology and the progression from jolly old

510
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,480
Speaker 1: Elf into red and white guy that we think of, Right,

511
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,360
Speaker 1: it basically comes down to there was a Night before Christmas.

512
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:43,639
Speaker 1: That's the book by Clement. More than there were the

513
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,480
Speaker 1: drawings of Santa by Thomas Nast, the cartoonist. Then there

514
00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:49,600
Speaker 1: it's obviously what you mentioned, the Coca cola, which is

515
00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:51,560
Speaker 1: where we get the red and white, because before that,

516
00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 1: oftentimes you'd see Santa Claus dressed in green camouflage and

517
00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:59,040
Speaker 1: often camouflage, you know, ready to pink camouflage. You gotta

518
00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,479
Speaker 1: keep these reindeer in line. Yeah, stubborn, stubborn animal had

519
00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,399
Speaker 1: like a knife strapped to his thigh, like a Rambo

520
00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:13,119
Speaker 1: knife like face hate, Santa, calm down, you need to chill, Santa.

521
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,200
Speaker 1: I know that crime and war was hard on you.

522
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,960
Speaker 1: It was hard on all of us. Alongside these original

523
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,639
Speaker 1: i say, canonical texts if you will, for Santa Claus,

524
00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:26,760
Speaker 1: there's also something called Santa Claus and his work, written

525
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:29,639
Speaker 1: by George Webster that was the poem were introduced the

526
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:32,800
Speaker 1: idea that he lives in the North Pole. So it

527
00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:34,800
Speaker 1: originally was more of a poem line. That's why a

528
00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,000
Speaker 1: lot of the kids didn't know. It became more known

529
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,520
Speaker 1: in the twentieth century thanks to radio, TV and the

530
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,320
Speaker 1: ability to broadcast the same thing, so they all hear

531
00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:44,520
Speaker 1: the same story at that point, right. So there was

532
00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:48,480
Speaker 1: also littles travels in Santa claus Land, which introduced the

533
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:51,520
Speaker 1: idea of Mrs Clause you mentioned earlier. She was not

534
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,080
Speaker 1: originally part of the story, but she was her original

535
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,560
Speaker 1: role at least in Littles Travels in Santa claus Land

536
00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:58,520
Speaker 1: was she was supposed to keep the lists of kids

537
00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,200
Speaker 1: who are naughty and hit kids who are nice. Yeah,

538
00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,800
Speaker 1: she was the original like shame games. So did you? Also,

539
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:06,400
Speaker 1: by the way that Ms claus has a first name,

540
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:09,879
Speaker 1: what's her first name? Canonically speaking, this is based on

541
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,040
Speaker 1: the rankin Bass Christmas specials. There were TV specials like

542
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,840
Speaker 1: in the sixties and seventies. They gave her name one time,

543
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:19,240
Speaker 1: or at least that I found, and her name was Jessica.

544
00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:24,400
Speaker 1: Jessica Claus Jessica. Why is that hilarious? It's like Jessica

545
00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:26,960
Speaker 1: Rabbit this yeah, see I was thinking, yeah, that was

546
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,040
Speaker 1: my first though with Jessica Rabbit. And then also, um,

547
00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 1: Jessica from Murder she wrote Jessica. I wanted her name

548
00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,720
Speaker 1: to be Regina. Oh, Regina Clause. Come on now, Regina

549
00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:42,360
Speaker 1: class Regina Clause. So I was always saying the Jolly

550
00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,200
Speaker 1: Old Elf story and the Mall Santa there's a bit

551
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:47,200
Speaker 1: of a gap between how do we get between Jolly

552
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,680
Speaker 1: Old Elf Mall Santa Right, Well, that that's when we

553
00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,360
Speaker 1: all just blacked out. That's when we were all drinking

554
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:56,080
Speaker 1: deep in our cups we came to. So this dates

555
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,520
Speaker 1: back to around the same time sold slightly before where

556
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,240
Speaker 1: we are nine thirteen, which was eight year old Virginia

557
00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:05,440
Speaker 1: O'Hanlon wrote to The Sun, the New York Sun newspaper,

558
00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:08,360
Speaker 1: Dear editor, I am eight years old. Some of my

559
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:11,640
Speaker 1: little friends say, there's no Santa Claus. Papa says, if

560
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:14,040
Speaker 1: you see it in the Sun, it is so please

561
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,960
Speaker 1: tell me the truth is Sarah Santa Claus is. And

562
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,160
Speaker 1: the Sun wrote back with his very famous reply, Yes, Virginia,

563
00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:24,600
Speaker 1: there is a Santa Claus. Now that letter would be

564
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:27,040
Speaker 1: come up to the basis of Miracle Street and a

565
00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,280
Speaker 1: bunch of like mythology around Santa Claus, which ultimately turns

566
00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,719
Speaker 1: into Macy Santa and the Mall Santa's, and all of

567
00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:38,040
Speaker 1: this energy is really getting kicked off by the popularity

568
00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,320
Speaker 1: of the letter writing campaigns of John Gluck. Like New

569
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,360
Speaker 1: York is so tied to the history of Santa Claus.

570
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 1: I had no idea until I started doing research for this,

571
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:47,840
Speaker 1: Like the Macy's Day Parade, which is on Thanksgiving now,

572
00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:50,360
Speaker 1: was originally a Christmas Parade Day parade, the first mall

573
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:54,160
Speaker 1: Santa Macy's, Like all this stuff in yeah, yeah, there's

574
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,360
Speaker 1: a cartoonist in New York. So all these New York

575
00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,280
Speaker 1: energy is pretty much giving life to sand also the

576
00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:01,360
Speaker 1: New England energy as well, but the New York energies

577
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,200
Speaker 1: where really starts to take off, because that's where publishing

578
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:06,480
Speaker 1: is and so forth. Yeah, that makes sense. Anyways, Glock

579
00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,680
Speaker 1: is like, okay, he's riding the spirit of the times.

580
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 1: He's taking the zeit guys and saying, I can earn

581
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,520
Speaker 1: some bucks off this, right, So he does his due

582
00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:16,560
Speaker 1: diligence that he did back at the custom house, and

583
00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,640
Speaker 1: he creates a system for his letters to letters from

584
00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,800
Speaker 1: Santa Claus. Rather, each letter is supposed to be read

585
00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:24,960
Speaker 1: by a team of volunteers, because you know, he's got

586
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:29,080
Speaker 1: the free labor. He's like volunteers, all right now, the letters.

587
00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:31,320
Speaker 1: I want you all to check them for names, addresses.

588
00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:33,040
Speaker 1: We gotta make sure no kids are sending in the

589
00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,840
Speaker 1: same letter two or three times, because he's suspicious. He's

590
00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,520
Speaker 1: a con man. He's like only one cheeter in this

591
00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,520
Speaker 1: game kids. Now, Gluck is also a little tender hearted

592
00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:43,320
Speaker 1: because he notices that some of these kids are writing

593
00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:45,760
Speaker 1: him with the sad stories about being unhoused or being

594
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:49,800
Speaker 1: abused or beaten or like malnourished, and he sends those

595
00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 1: letters to social workers for further investigation. So he's not

596
00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:56,080
Speaker 1: just purely you know that's the right thing to do.

597
00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,520
Speaker 1: Does he running their parents tax returns to find out

598
00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:01,000
Speaker 1: if they really are in need? Or I don't think

599
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:05,560
Speaker 1: he could? Now Gluck estimates they're they're pretty successful and

600
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,360
Speaker 1: they respond to about seventy of the letters they received.

601
00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:12,080
Speaker 1: Ye Now, the first year, the number of letters they

602
00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:15,840
Speaker 1: received was thirteen thousand, one hundred and sixty. That's a lot.

603
00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,840
Speaker 1: He jumps within two years to fifty. Let out here,

604
00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:21,680
Speaker 1: and this is just in New York. And he starts

605
00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:25,440
Speaker 1: making this a national association. Remember, so he starts saying, oh, hey,

606
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:27,880
Speaker 1: you guys gonna get your own Santa Claus associations going,

607
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,320
Speaker 1: we just franchised me. Okay. So now the newspapers are

608
00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:33,160
Speaker 1: eating up these stories. They love all these stories about

609
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:35,160
Speaker 1: the kids and like this benevolent charity, and who can

610
00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,200
Speaker 1: blame them? We all love a story where kids are

611
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:40,240
Speaker 1: having the you know, the the mean aspects of life

612
00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:43,200
Speaker 1: minimized for them. Right, So everyone's just there loving this

613
00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:47,000
Speaker 1: John Daval gluck. So what does he do. He's got

614
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:48,640
Speaker 1: the spirit of the people in his hand. He's a

615
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,560
Speaker 1: con man. He goes for broke. He's like, you know

616
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:55,080
Speaker 1: what we need with this city, this burgeoning metropolis, this

617
00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:59,560
Speaker 1: bustling urban escape needs and people are like, no, Gluck,

618
00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:02,120
Speaker 1: but we you have the answer. He's like, you darn right,

619
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:08,160
Speaker 1: I do. It needs a building dedicated to Santa Claus.

620
00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:11,440
Speaker 1: We could call it the Santa Claus Building. Well that

621
00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:15,280
Speaker 1: that's original. Yeah's like, are you for real? He's like, yes,

622
00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:17,760
Speaker 1: I'm for real. Look up this face and they're like,

623
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,520
Speaker 1: you know what, we love it. Everyone's like, oh yeah,

624
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:24,240
Speaker 1: they're all they're all jazz because Santa Claus at this

625
00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:26,720
Speaker 1: point is becoming a cultural figure. To this point, he's

626
00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,560
Speaker 1: been St. Nick. He's been you know, jolly old St. Nick.

627
00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:32,760
Speaker 1: He's been you know, Chris Kringle. He's not all one thing.

628
00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,040
Speaker 1: This is when they all merge, all these various Christian

629
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:39,440
Speaker 1: and Christian adjacent traditions turned into the Santa Claus. We we

630
00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:41,800
Speaker 1: we know, al right, So you can believe it. The

631
00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,800
Speaker 1: city of New York and its richest residents go, John Duval,

632
00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,640
Speaker 1: we got your back, and they give him a building.

633
00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:50,720
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and well, first they give him an upgrade.

634
00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:52,880
Speaker 1: They upgrade him from the back room of Hankle's chop

635
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:56,040
Speaker 1: shop on they get him over to the Hotel Aster

636
00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:58,760
Speaker 1: and he's like nice, right, and they're like, yeah, welcome

637
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,000
Speaker 1: to the good life, Vanderbilt style, and he's like yeah.

638
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:03,320
Speaker 1: Then they only sent him over the Woolworth Building, which

639
00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:05,440
Speaker 1: is like the tallest building in America at that time,

640
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:08,800
Speaker 1: just before the Empire State Buildings built. So the Astors,

641
00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:11,800
Speaker 1: the Vanderbilts, they're all taking them under their very luxurious

642
00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,040
Speaker 1: wings and saying, enjoy New York. Well, and it's a

643
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:18,440
Speaker 1: it's a really easy charity. It's a safe charity. Yeah,

644
00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:20,680
Speaker 1: it's not gonn upset anybody. They look good. They look like,

645
00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:24,720
Speaker 1: oh you care about the poor tykes, aren't you guys? Great? So,

646
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:27,600
Speaker 1: you know, the key is that Gluck knows exactly what

647
00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:29,400
Speaker 1: we just discussed. He knows how to make the wealthy

648
00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:32,600
Speaker 1: feel special. So he's like, oh, he asked the kids

649
00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:35,160
Speaker 1: to write letters of thank you, and then he presents

650
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,560
Speaker 1: the letters to the rich people, like how great the

651
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,080
Speaker 1: kids feel about this? Some of the really rich people,

652
00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:41,320
Speaker 1: He's like, do you want to go do a tour

653
00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,480
Speaker 1: with me and drop off the gifts from Santay? Likely

654
00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:50,240
Speaker 1: exactly exactly. I was like, he's so like he has

655
00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:52,960
Speaker 1: his finger on the pulse of humanity and like all

656
00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,960
Speaker 1: of our disparate emotional needs. Right, So, as I told you,

657
00:33:57,360 --> 00:33:59,520
Speaker 1: he's starting to feel good about himself. So in nineteen fifteen,

658
00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,080
Speaker 1: he makes his announcement on Christmas Day, after the season's

659
00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:05,120
Speaker 1: winding down. He's like, the peculiar nature of our work

660
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,560
Speaker 1: calls for a building of our own. And everyone's like,

661
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,319
Speaker 1: word he was for real. We thought he was just

662
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:13,359
Speaker 1: like talking out the side of his mouth. He's like, no, no,

663
00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:16,440
Speaker 1: I've talked to architects and they're like really. He's like yes,

664
00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:20,840
Speaker 1: the celebrity architect brothers Edward and George Blum they've agreed

665
00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:23,319
Speaker 1: to build my headquarters. Are like, oh, man, that's great,

666
00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:26,120
Speaker 1: and he's like, yes, I'm going to have youth charities

667
00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:30,960
Speaker 1: a toy store. It'll be called the Little Putian Bazaar.

668
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:33,279
Speaker 1: They're like, oh, I love that, and they're like yeah,

669
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:36,280
Speaker 1: it'll be a resource for all the underprivileged little tykes

670
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,120
Speaker 1: who are in this city. You know. He's like, oh man,

671
00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:41,080
Speaker 1: you're just so great. This is He's like, the building

672
00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:43,960
Speaker 1: will be bow Art style and then if everybody doesn't know,

673
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,799
Speaker 1: that's like the pre war building in New York. Right.

674
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,040
Speaker 1: He's like, I want the facade of the Santa Claus

675
00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:52,720
Speaker 1: Building to be covered with the images of Santa Claus

676
00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,800
Speaker 1: and of course children. And they're like, oh, of course children.

677
00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:57,719
Speaker 1: Everybody loves child. He's like, no, not just children, not

678
00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,640
Speaker 1: just white kids. I want children from all all around

679
00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:03,960
Speaker 1: the world, and all the high above the people of

680
00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,040
Speaker 1: the city will be these children, and they'll be looking

681
00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:08,680
Speaker 1: down and above them will be the words Santa Claus

682
00:35:08,719 --> 00:35:12,520
Speaker 1: Association carved into my white marble edifice. And they're like,

683
00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,080
Speaker 1: oh man. He's like, no, I'm not done you. I

684
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:19,920
Speaker 1: want a freeze of these children, stone cut freeze and

685
00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:24,640
Speaker 1: all their multitudinous moods. They're like multitudinous moods. He's like, yes,

686
00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 1: I'm going to get a great artist to do it.

687
00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:33,799
Speaker 1: Get me that guy goots on Borglum like yeah, right.

688
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:36,920
Speaker 1: So the guy who carved it would later carve Mountain

689
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:39,279
Speaker 1: Rushmore and at this time I think is working on

690
00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:43,200
Speaker 1: stone mountains. He's busy working on a racist mountain carving.

691
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,040
Speaker 1: He's like, I'll be back with you and the kids

692
00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,240
Speaker 1: in a second. Let me go finished carving these generals

693
00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:50,439
Speaker 1: from the Confederacy into the side of a mountain. He's like, okay,

694
00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:53,520
Speaker 1: get back to my son. So Gluck's like, okay, I

695
00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:57,160
Speaker 1: want my Santa Claus building to be the spirit of Christmas.

696
00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,000
Speaker 1: And there I was like, I love this white marbles

697
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,520
Speaker 1: spirit of Christmas. He's like, yes, ariy well lit like man,

698
00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:07,600
Speaker 1: we talk in my language, Yes, what fine mahogany. And

699
00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:09,359
Speaker 1: he's like, I want them to be a big door.

700
00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:14,520
Speaker 1: They're like, of course, you gotta have a big doors doors, doors, doors, door,

701
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:16,880
Speaker 1: nowhere windows. It will be a portal and then the

702
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:18,880
Speaker 1: and there'll be a great entry way and in the

703
00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,880
Speaker 1: center of the entry way will be what wait for it,

704
00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 1: nude Santa a giant Christmas tree year dang. So everyone's like, man,

705
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,120
Speaker 1: you're talking crazy. I love this. And so the press

706
00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:34,160
Speaker 1: were like, oh yes, writing it all up and everyone's like, man,

707
00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:35,600
Speaker 1: this is the best thing ever to happen to New

708
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:37,600
Speaker 1: York since like that. But the bullfight, I don't know

709
00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:40,680
Speaker 1: anything about that. So they all print up their stories

710
00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:43,239
Speaker 1: and none of it is critical. They're all just like,

711
00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:45,279
Speaker 1: this is a beautiful idea. The guys, He's like, oh yes,

712
00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:47,880
Speaker 1: not mind you. The puff pieces right in itself. Now

713
00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:49,320
Speaker 1: you have to understand this is all part of that

714
00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:53,680
Speaker 1: jazz age feeling that's taking hold. Like this is nineteen fifteen,

715
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:55,600
Speaker 1: so we're not technically into the jazz age, but that

716
00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:57,839
Speaker 1: swirl is starting to take hold and people are starting

717
00:36:57,880 --> 00:36:59,560
Speaker 1: to feel the excitement. And he's ahead of the people.

718
00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:01,319
Speaker 1: So he's like, you guys are gonna buy to love

719
00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:02,879
Speaker 1: the jazz age, so let me just lay that wrap

720
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:05,200
Speaker 1: on you now. And they're like okay. So he's like, yeah, man,

721
00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:08,280
Speaker 1: the young country, we're confident. We need Santa Claus Building

722
00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:09,880
Speaker 1: to prove to the world who we are as a

723
00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:11,799
Speaker 1: people that are like yeah, man, talk that mad talk.

724
00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:15,000
Speaker 1: So he's like, okay, now this building. Now write this

725
00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:17,360
Speaker 1: down newspapers. I want this to be called Santa claus

726
00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:19,960
Speaker 1: New Home. They're like yeah, he's like a child Wonderland

727
00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:26,360
Speaker 1: and all year palace or like bet Son. He's like, now, everybody,

728
00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:29,439
Speaker 1: just let that mingle in your imagination. They're like cool,

729
00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:31,880
Speaker 1: They're like one question, man, who's gonna pay for this?

730
00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,200
Speaker 1: I want you all to think about that too. I'll

731
00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:58,080
Speaker 1: be back with an answer after this break. So it

732
00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:01,719
Speaker 1: lasts we left. There was big question left hovering in

733
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:05,160
Speaker 1: the air above John Duval Gluck and everyone's going is

734
00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:06,600
Speaker 1: that going to rain on him? Or is that gonna

735
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,520
Speaker 1: break open? At sunshine? He's like that old cloud that

736
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,480
Speaker 1: don't mean nothing to me? Like, like, well, John, who's

737
00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,840
Speaker 1: going to pay for this Santa Claus building your proposed?

738
00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,200
Speaker 1: He's like, well, okay, Now it may sound weird because

739
00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:20,799
Speaker 1: I know everybody remembers I just had that fundraiser last

740
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,160
Speaker 1: week because I was in debt for three grand. You're like,

741
00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:26,760
Speaker 1: how could I possibly afford this building that is apparently

742
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:29,319
Speaker 1: penciled in at three hundred thousand dollars? Now I can

743
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:31,680
Speaker 1: see the disconnect there for a lot of you. But

744
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:34,120
Speaker 1: those are just zeros And what does a zero mean anything?

745
00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,319
Speaker 1: It's nothing. He's like, you know what I know who

746
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:39,200
Speaker 1: can pay for this building? Like lay it on? Is John.

747
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:43,279
Speaker 1: He's like, I got you mothers. They're like mothers like

748
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:46,879
Speaker 1: my mother. They're like just all the mamas. And he's

749
00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:49,560
Speaker 1: like really, yeah, and I quote we will probably begin

750
00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:52,360
Speaker 1: a campaign to ask the mothers of America to contribute

751
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,880
Speaker 1: to its construction, and the press is like, that's a

752
00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:01,200
Speaker 1: great idea. So for the next twelve years he continues

753
00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:04,040
Speaker 1: to task from money of all the mothers and then

754
00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:06,759
Speaker 1: presumably fathers and rest of the families of America. And

755
00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:09,719
Speaker 1: he does this guilt and shame. He raises money, he

756
00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:15,680
Speaker 1: raises more money, he raises more money, he raises even money.

757
00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,080
Speaker 1: He never breaks ground on the building, just year early

758
00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:22,520
Speaker 1: year passes and each Christmas season it becomes a new tradition.

759
00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:25,080
Speaker 1: There'll be the request from John Gluck, I need money

760
00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:28,360
Speaker 1: from myself at the chop shop. Did he have like

761
00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:31,120
Speaker 1: one of those giant thermometers of the building fund for

762
00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:34,520
Speaker 1: the church. It's like like a Southern shirt stuck halfway.

763
00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:38,480
Speaker 1: It's like, we know how the building fund works. So

764
00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:42,000
Speaker 1: this new Christmas tradition he's created, which is give John

765
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,560
Speaker 1: Glucks money for the Santa Classic building takes hold in

766
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:46,800
Speaker 1: New York. Everyone just gets used to it. They're like yeah, whatever,

767
00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:48,640
Speaker 1: and people are like, yeah, you know, that's cool. I

768
00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:50,799
Speaker 1: mean like one day we're gonna have this great buildings.

769
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:52,760
Speaker 1: Have you heard about it? It's gonna have a freeze

770
00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:55,960
Speaker 1: and are acation scouted out. Yeah, he did. It was

771
00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:00,400
Speaker 1: gonna be down to like near where the train station,

772
00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:04,160
Speaker 1: the Grand Central Station, in that same kind of complex area.

773
00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:05,440
Speaker 1: He wanted to build it there because the land was

774
00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:07,520
Speaker 1: apparently cheap at that time. There, because I was hoping

775
00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:09,359
Speaker 1: it would be like one of those law and Order

776
00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:12,560
Speaker 1: fake New York addresses in the middle of the river.

777
00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:17,320
Speaker 1: It's like, bro, where is Hudson University? Actually, So Gluck,

778
00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:19,640
Speaker 1: by the way, doesn't limit his fundraising to New York,

779
00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:21,920
Speaker 1: even though this building is going to be in New York.

780
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:25,040
Speaker 1: It's for the world, Elizabeth, It's for the world, right.

781
00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,280
Speaker 1: So he wants his Santa Claus Association to be national

782
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:31,640
Speaker 1: and eventually international, So he asked people nationally and internationally

783
00:40:32,080 --> 00:40:34,120
Speaker 1: money and they're like, okay, the newspapers are with her,

784
00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:35,879
Speaker 1: Like do you have this man money? He is doing

785
00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:38,040
Speaker 1: it for a good reason. He's like, yeah, man, I'm

786
00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:40,840
Speaker 1: doing it for the kids. It's world Santa headquarters. So

787
00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:42,879
Speaker 1: now I want just to give you a sense when

788
00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:44,759
Speaker 1: I say the newspapers are for him and the supporting him,

789
00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:46,839
Speaker 1: that this sounds are kind of crazy. You're like, why

790
00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:48,880
Speaker 1: would they be so I'm gonna give you a taste

791
00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,800
Speaker 1: of what they wrote already. This one comes from a

792
00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:54,400
Speaker 1: newspaper the day quote where the money will come from

793
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:57,200
Speaker 1: as the simplest problem in the world. Everybody in the world,

794
00:40:57,239 --> 00:40:59,920
Speaker 1: that is, nearly everybody in the world owes something to

795
00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:03,680
Speaker 1: the old gentleman with the snowy beard and the capaciously

796
00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:07,120
Speaker 1: filled red suit. And it is self evident that the

797
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:11,239
Speaker 1: nearly everybody who can possibly afford it will be delighted

798
00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:15,320
Speaker 1: to give something to the erection of a building in

799
00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:19,279
Speaker 1: the gentleman's honor. I love this notion of everyone in

800
00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:22,279
Speaker 1: the world was just like me and the Christian. If

801
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:25,160
Speaker 1: they're not, then they just don't exist. Yeah, they all

802
00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:29,360
Speaker 1: love Santa, even the Buddhists, Muslims, them to the Animus,

803
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:34,280
Speaker 1: all get them. They're just Christians waiting to happen. So anyway,

804
00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:36,920
Speaker 1: this is by the way, this was printed by the Sun,

805
00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:39,560
Speaker 1: the same paper who told Virginia yes there is a

806
00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:42,000
Speaker 1: sound clause. So apparently they either are big believers in

807
00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:44,920
Speaker 1: Santa or they want their readers to be big believers,

808
00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:47,759
Speaker 1: and their readers they need the eyeballs on the ads, right,

809
00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:49,720
Speaker 1: so the readers are going to pay attention. The readers

810
00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:52,879
Speaker 1: are gonna eat this up. Yeah, anything that feels good.

811
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:54,959
Speaker 1: They're they're kind of selling the same thing he's selling.

812
00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,319
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's what I'm saying. Really, ultimately enter into

813
00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:03,279
Speaker 1: this picture, big bad Bird Cohler. I love that name,

814
00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:06,200
Speaker 1: Bird Cohler. So he's the New York Public Welfare Commissioner

815
00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:09,200
Speaker 1: and he smells a rat. This marks the beginning of

816
00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:13,960
Speaker 1: the end of the Santa Claus building. Yeah right, John

817
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:16,719
Speaker 1: daval Gluck is that working his long com Santa Claus Association,

818
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:19,000
Speaker 1: try to squeeze all the money and power and prestige

819
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,120
Speaker 1: and clout he can out of it. He's also been

820
00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:24,040
Speaker 1: working other charity angles and scams, building up a little

821
00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:26,680
Speaker 1: bit of a bad name for himself. Now he leverages

822
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:30,399
Speaker 1: he has a database of about seventies six thousand rich

823
00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,960
Speaker 1: New Yorkers, all the wealthiest donors. Yeah, he really does.

824
00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,160
Speaker 1: And he's hitting them up right all the time. You know,

825
00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:38,480
Speaker 1: the Asters, the Vanderbilts, those names I was telling you before.

826
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:41,000
Speaker 1: But he's also doing things like taking their names and

827
00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:43,120
Speaker 1: putting them on things that they're don't know about. And

828
00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:45,960
Speaker 1: he's saying, like, yes, the Vanderbilts and the Asters are supporting,

829
00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:49,840
Speaker 1: for instance, the Defense Reports Committee, or my crusade against

830
00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:53,960
Speaker 1: a listic traffic in narcotics, or my serium control of cancer,

831
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,840
Speaker 1: or how about my other vice related charity which is

832
00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:00,319
Speaker 1: ironically in supportive drinking, the Anti Prohibition Group. So he's

833
00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:02,520
Speaker 1: kind of raiched people's names and all these charities. They're like,

834
00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:04,400
Speaker 1: they don't usually hear about it because they're kind of

835
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:07,600
Speaker 1: like they got a lot of other Yeah, that's so

836
00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:10,520
Speaker 1: they're like, oh, and he could he once again plausible deniability.

837
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:13,440
Speaker 1: He's like, who would do such a thing. Well, obviously

838
00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:15,080
Speaker 1: they see the good work where you're doing here, and

839
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:18,000
Speaker 1: they're trying to imitate it, and they're tarring my good

840
00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:21,359
Speaker 1: name with your name and such. Who wants to get lunch?

841
00:43:21,560 --> 00:43:25,120
Speaker 1: So now these odd charities that he has, I think

842
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:28,040
Speaker 1: my favorite I left for the last, which is the

843
00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:32,120
Speaker 1: Window Crib Society. The window cribs. Have you ever seen

844
00:43:32,239 --> 00:43:34,120
Speaker 1: like those pictures of a baby hang out out of

845
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,160
Speaker 1: the window in a crib in a cage. Yeah, that's

846
00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:40,000
Speaker 1: thanks to the Window Crib Society. Did he invent the

847
00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:42,520
Speaker 1: window crib? No, he's a con man, not an adventure

848
00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:45,120
Speaker 1: so he did nothing of the ship but he decided

849
00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:47,759
Speaker 1: to create a society around Yeah, that's what he does next.

850
00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:50,479
Speaker 1: You know, let's get some action around this and little

851
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:53,719
Speaker 1: heat dangle some of them babies, put it baby in

852
00:43:53,760 --> 00:43:55,839
Speaker 1: a box. Let's all band together and make a whole

853
00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:59,680
Speaker 1: society for baby dangling. So I want to shirt the

854
00:43:59,719 --> 00:44:01,680
Speaker 1: window a crib society with a baby in a box.

855
00:44:01,880 --> 00:44:05,960
Speaker 1: Like that sounds like some ridiculous crime merchant, it really does.

856
00:44:06,239 --> 00:44:09,680
Speaker 1: So the window crib society was the answer to urban

857
00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:13,080
Speaker 1: over crowding. Right in case you haven't heard, babies they

858
00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:15,799
Speaker 1: need sunlight, air, right, and they're like, oh, I want

859
00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:19,160
Speaker 1: some oxygen. You're like, babies, man, you're always crying for stuff.

860
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:21,839
Speaker 1: And so they're like these busy moms in the city,

861
00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:24,160
Speaker 1: they're like, what could I do to get my baby

862
00:44:24,280 --> 00:44:27,400
Speaker 1: some air and some sunlight and all these things he's

863
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:29,680
Speaker 1: always crying for. They're like, I know, I need a

864
00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:32,759
Speaker 1: cage at cage attached to my apartment window. That would

865
00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:37,399
Speaker 1: be the answer for my little urban infant exact pretty much.

866
00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:39,680
Speaker 1: So this child would be left in this like chicken

867
00:44:39,719 --> 00:44:42,160
Speaker 1: wire crib and then and then that would be bounced

868
00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,719
Speaker 1: precariously stories up from the street below, and then I

869
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:47,759
Speaker 1: guess they would just let the kid and I don't know,

870
00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:50,000
Speaker 1: sit out there drinking the sunlight. Kid, it's like a

871
00:44:50,239 --> 00:44:53,840
Speaker 1: hamster cage. And then they probably didn't change the diapers

872
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:57,920
Speaker 1: is dripping down on the street below. Now, this is

873
00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:00,759
Speaker 1: what the baby cage looks like. How described that to

874
00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:03,919
Speaker 1: somebody who's never seen that before? It does? It looks

875
00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:06,200
Speaker 1: like a baby in a hamster cage. That's been like

876
00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:09,760
Speaker 1: they took the air conditioning unit out of the window

877
00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:12,279
Speaker 1: and then put that out there. Let's put a baby

878
00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:15,640
Speaker 1: conditioner out there, and it's not that big that the

879
00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:21,520
Speaker 1: kids taking up a good bit of real estate that cage. Well,

880
00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,520
Speaker 1: and when you said they live in this urban environment,

881
00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:25,880
Speaker 1: it sounds like they're using it as like an extension,

882
00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:28,520
Speaker 1: like that's the kid's room pretty much. And then the

883
00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:31,520
Speaker 1: lives out there and then just gets too big and

884
00:45:31,560 --> 00:45:33,720
Speaker 1: they have to like pry it out of the cage

885
00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:38,520
Speaker 1: because the chicken wire is imprinting on their skin, a

886
00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:40,640
Speaker 1: little diamonds all been down their arms and legs. Oh

887
00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:42,759
Speaker 1: my gosh, little baby Jasper's that been out there for

888
00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:46,400
Speaker 1: like six months. They would they would pop open the

889
00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:49,960
Speaker 1: window and then he's just like he's gotten so big, dude.

890
00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:52,279
Speaker 1: The New York weather is no joke. They actually made

891
00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:55,000
Speaker 1: these like covers to put over the cage. Rather than

892
00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:57,640
Speaker 1: take the baby weather, they would put a cover on

893
00:45:57,760 --> 00:46:00,359
Speaker 1: for the rain. Just leave it out there anyway when

894
00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:04,160
Speaker 1: babies out there. And they're like, if his baby starts crying,

895
00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:06,520
Speaker 1: just close the window a little. I didn't really say that,

896
00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:09,040
Speaker 1: but I want to tell you just something about this.

897
00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:11,080
Speaker 1: Do you know who got almost got busted for having

898
00:46:11,239 --> 00:46:15,719
Speaker 1: a window crib society membership? Back in nineteen o six,

899
00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:18,759
Speaker 1: when this was first becoming a popular practice, a young

900
00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:20,680
Speaker 1: twenty one year old mother who was living in New

901
00:46:20,719 --> 00:46:23,160
Speaker 1: York at the time, was acting on the prescription of

902
00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:25,600
Speaker 1: her doctor. Her doctor told her do this this right,

903
00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:27,560
Speaker 1: and he's like, look, you need to get a wooden basket,

904
00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:29,680
Speaker 1: slaps her chicken wire on it, put that on a

905
00:46:29,760 --> 00:46:32,799
Speaker 1: window seventeen floors up. That put your baby in there.

906
00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:35,120
Speaker 1: Good to go. She's like, okay, doc, I will do

907
00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:37,320
Speaker 1: that right. So she puts her firstborn child in this

908
00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:39,760
Speaker 1: window crib and goes about her day and doing whatever

909
00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:41,480
Speaker 1: it is you do in nineteen o six when you're

910
00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:45,279
Speaker 1: home as a mother of a small infant, so I'm

911
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:49,960
Speaker 1: sure she's like darning socks. What exactly, she's like chipping ice.

912
00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:53,600
Speaker 1: So the neighbors they spy this baby in a cage

913
00:46:53,760 --> 00:46:56,719
Speaker 1: like seven stories up or whatever it was, and they're like,

914
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,640
Speaker 1: what the heck if you see something, say something exactly?

915
00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:02,480
Speaker 1: They a lot. They go and they contact the New

916
00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:06,600
Speaker 1: York Society for Prevention of Cruelty Towards Children and they

917
00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:11,800
Speaker 1: call them exactly, Hey, we're gonna need some eyes on

918
00:47:11,880 --> 00:47:14,560
Speaker 1: this young mother. And so they go and the concerned

919
00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:17,440
Speaker 1: neighbors contact because they won't wait for this New York

920
00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:19,920
Speaker 1: Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children to come

921
00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:22,839
Speaker 1: out and respond because they're busy, Like all right, let's

922
00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:24,719
Speaker 1: just go over and talk to her. And she is

923
00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:27,840
Speaker 1: actually shocked, shocked, mind you, by the reaction of her neighbors.

924
00:47:28,239 --> 00:47:30,239
Speaker 1: She's like, look, I'm just a modern mother trying to

925
00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:32,800
Speaker 1: do what I've been told by my medical care provider.

926
00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:35,279
Speaker 1: They're like, Okay, now you know who this mother turned

927
00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:38,440
Speaker 1: out to be? Eleanor Roosevelt. I was gonna say that

928
00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:40,960
Speaker 1: crack wise and say that, but I did not think

929
00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:45,600
Speaker 1: at all. Story almost got a busted everybody of her

930
00:47:45,640 --> 00:47:49,280
Speaker 1: baby in a crib. Yeah, exactly, little chicken wire, baby dangler.

931
00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:54,080
Speaker 1: My point is that all kinds of intelligent, reasonable people

932
00:47:54,120 --> 00:47:56,680
Speaker 1: who we respect and value their opinion fall for this

933
00:47:56,760 --> 00:47:59,560
Speaker 1: sort of these long cons and crazy ideas and totally

934
00:47:59,680 --> 00:48:04,359
Speaker 1: charity scams that Gluck operates. So eventually, back to my point,

935
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:06,640
Speaker 1: all of these lives and fake charities catch up to him,

936
00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:09,560
Speaker 1: the perpetual fundraising for the Santa Claus building, and he's

937
00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:14,200
Speaker 1: got burg collar on his backside, going where are the receipts? Son?

938
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:16,880
Speaker 1: And so bird Caller is like, hey, John, look, why

939
00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:18,719
Speaker 1: don't you come on down to my office and we'll

940
00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:21,040
Speaker 1: just we'll get to know you chat, just man to man.

941
00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:23,359
Speaker 1: He's like, oh, you know, I'm busy Santa Claus, all

942
00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:26,279
Speaker 1: that seasonal business. He's like, when you're done, come down

943
00:48:26,360 --> 00:48:29,800
Speaker 1: to my office. We'll have a chat here, you know,

944
00:48:30,600 --> 00:48:34,440
Speaker 1: year round business, and come down to my office. So

945
00:48:34,520 --> 00:48:36,720
Speaker 1: he's like okay, He goes, comes down to his office

946
00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:38,680
Speaker 1: and bird Callar is like, look, I've heard a lot

947
00:48:38,719 --> 00:48:41,799
Speaker 1: about your Santa Claus Association. You do great work, no doubt.

948
00:48:41,960 --> 00:48:44,360
Speaker 1: I've heard some other things about you, and I'm starting

949
00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:45,960
Speaker 1: to question some of the things I've heard. So I

950
00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:48,920
Speaker 1: would like you to help me prove these accusations wrong.

951
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:50,640
Speaker 1: And he's like, what do you need from me. He's like,

952
00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:54,000
Speaker 1: my man, I just need the receipts. Open up your

953
00:48:54,080 --> 00:48:55,759
Speaker 1: books and let me see the accounting, and I'll be

954
00:48:55,800 --> 00:48:58,799
Speaker 1: able to tell all these discreditors to your good name

955
00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:01,880
Speaker 1: that they are wrong. And he's like, yeah, about that

956
00:49:02,760 --> 00:49:06,120
Speaker 1: my good name and such and receipts. Yeah, so I

957
00:49:06,239 --> 00:49:08,200
Speaker 1: run a charity. I think you should just trust me

958
00:49:08,280 --> 00:49:09,759
Speaker 1: that I'm doing the good work. I'm doing it for

959
00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:12,840
Speaker 1: the kids. Man. He's like, look, do you have the receipts.

960
00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:14,520
Speaker 1: He's like, no, I don't have any receipts. I don't

961
00:49:14,640 --> 00:49:16,839
Speaker 1: have Okay, I've got this book that somebody made. We'll

962
00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:18,919
Speaker 1: see what's in there. And so he brings the book

963
00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:20,919
Speaker 1: and he's gotten. He's like, look, here's the building fund.

964
00:49:20,960 --> 00:49:23,640
Speaker 1: He's like, okay, checks the receipts. He's like huh huh, huh,

965
00:49:24,120 --> 00:49:26,680
Speaker 1: Like where's the money. He's like, wow, you know, it's

966
00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:28,960
Speaker 1: been a long time and we've just over the years.

967
00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:31,600
Speaker 1: He's like, you've been raising money for twelve years. Where

968
00:49:31,719 --> 00:49:33,879
Speaker 1: is it. Well He's like, oh, yeah, you know, man,

969
00:49:33,960 --> 00:49:35,759
Speaker 1: he said, you won't give them any direct answers like

970
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:38,319
Speaker 1: just show me. I want all the receipts for all

971
00:49:38,360 --> 00:49:40,480
Speaker 1: your charity work. He can't find money for any of it.

972
00:49:40,880 --> 00:49:43,879
Speaker 1: And he's like, look, why you gotta sweap my game, son,

973
00:49:44,120 --> 00:49:46,640
Speaker 1: I'm doing it for the kids. Why why don't be

974
00:49:46,680 --> 00:49:49,000
Speaker 1: a hater. Look at me over here, do what are

975
00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:51,440
Speaker 1: you doing for the kids? Children? Yeah? Like what I mean?

976
00:49:51,600 --> 00:49:53,399
Speaker 1: I don't see you do anything for the kids. Mr

977
00:49:53,520 --> 00:49:56,799
Speaker 1: Bird Color. So her color is like, look the reason

978
00:49:56,840 --> 00:49:58,879
Speaker 1: it's when your game is. I've gotten complaints in every

979
00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:01,560
Speaker 1: one of the burrows about you, and I am unfazed,

980
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:03,920
Speaker 1: I am unmoved by whatever it is you're doing right here.

981
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:07,880
Speaker 1: So you're done, son, And he contacts the Postmaster General.

982
00:50:07,920 --> 00:50:11,279
Speaker 1: He's like, rescind his like, you know, official license e

983
00:50:12,160 --> 00:50:14,720
Speaker 1: and he guess and that's the end of the Santa

984
00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:17,160
Speaker 1: Claus Association because now they will not be getting the

985
00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:20,200
Speaker 1: letters and that is the source of everything. So he then,

986
00:50:20,280 --> 00:50:25,080
Speaker 1: you know, he's like, okay, well about that hundred six

987
00:50:25,160 --> 00:50:27,680
Speaker 1: thousand dollars that you say I raised, And he's like,

988
00:50:27,680 --> 00:50:30,520
Speaker 1: because that's what. Eventually Berry Kohler discovers the Santa Claus

989
00:50:30,520 --> 00:50:32,920
Speaker 1: Association is onlook for a hundred and six thousand dollars,

990
00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:36,879
Speaker 1: which in today's money is one point seven mill after

991
00:50:36,920 --> 00:50:39,040
Speaker 1: twelve years. Actually, in my opinion, not a lot of money,

992
00:50:39,120 --> 00:50:41,640
Speaker 1: but it's still a lot of money back then, because

993
00:50:41,719 --> 00:50:43,360
Speaker 1: you know, whatever it was, you're able to do a

994
00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:46,759
Speaker 1: lot more with it. So yeah, but now, I just

995
00:50:46,960 --> 00:50:52,160
Speaker 1: why wouldn't you invent some expenses, right? Yeah, put it

996
00:50:52,239 --> 00:50:55,040
Speaker 1: on a low boil. So instead he just used as

997
00:50:55,040 --> 00:50:58,160
Speaker 1: a personal piggy bank, and he thought Santa Claus would

998
00:50:58,200 --> 00:51:01,080
Speaker 1: be the perfect con cover for ever, did he believe

999
00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:03,480
Speaker 1: in Santa that Santa was going to fill up the coffers?

1000
00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:08,680
Speaker 1: I'd love to believe he believed it, Santa. That would

1001
00:51:08,719 --> 00:51:11,560
Speaker 1: be amazing. If deep down he really believes he's real,

1002
00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:16,760
Speaker 1: It's like, where's the cash? He's like, well, Santa Claus

1003
00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:22,279
Speaker 1: promised me now in some ways, in many ways he

1004
00:51:22,440 --> 00:51:25,960
Speaker 1: basically did too, Like, but what the parents are doing

1005
00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:28,040
Speaker 1: to the kids is what he did. He was using

1006
00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:29,960
Speaker 1: Santa for his own purposes, so he didn't really see

1007
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:32,440
Speaker 1: himself as any different than them. He's like, we all us, Santa,

1008
00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:36,320
Speaker 1: what's the big deal here? Now? If you're still wondering

1009
00:51:36,880 --> 00:51:40,040
Speaker 1: the Santa Claus building. Did anyone ever build that? No,

1010
00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:42,439
Speaker 1: that's why you've never heard of it and never seen

1011
00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:45,680
Speaker 1: a picture of it. That that dream died, It died

1012
00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:48,480
Speaker 1: with him. So there is no Santa Claus skyscraper. But

1013
00:51:49,160 --> 00:51:52,480
Speaker 1: I will say this much, Bird Kohler managed to keep

1014
00:51:52,560 --> 00:51:56,160
Speaker 1: the postmaster working with the Santa Claus letters that did

1015
00:51:56,320 --> 00:52:00,760
Speaker 1: keep going, and that has become the national tradition. Cities

1016
00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:03,000
Speaker 1: around the country are Every city does this. In fact,

1017
00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:05,040
Speaker 1: even the Department of Defense has Nora ra do There's

1018
00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:08,239
Speaker 1: Santa track. All this stuff tracks right back to John

1019
00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:11,279
Speaker 1: Davalglok and his like, let's give children the joy of

1020
00:52:11,360 --> 00:52:15,879
Speaker 1: Santa a right, So his misstep is benefited with all

1021
00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:20,440
Speaker 1: of these overcorrection, For his generations of children have benefited

1022
00:52:20,480 --> 00:52:22,040
Speaker 1: from the con he wanted to pull on the children

1023
00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:26,600
Speaker 1: of So this, by the way, all comes to a

1024
00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:29,080
Speaker 1: flaming head in the year ninety seven, for those not

1025
00:52:29,239 --> 00:52:33,120
Speaker 1: keeping track of the math from twelve years seven, that's

1026
00:52:33,120 --> 00:52:36,120
Speaker 1: also the year the stock market crashes. So America changes

1027
00:52:36,280 --> 00:52:38,640
Speaker 1: irrevocably after that, and there was a depression. A war

1028
00:52:38,760 --> 00:52:40,960
Speaker 1: goes through like eis and I was America and so forth,

1029
00:52:41,360 --> 00:52:44,440
Speaker 1: and very much changes. But throughout all of that, there

1030
00:52:44,520 --> 00:52:47,600
Speaker 1: is a direct line of commodifications. Santa Claus stays the

1031
00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:50,919
Speaker 1: commodified holiday spokesperson that he was created at this time

1032
00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:54,800
Speaker 1: by all these various energies and efforts, Right, So I

1033
00:52:54,920 --> 00:52:56,960
Speaker 1: find that just kind of amusing that the two things

1034
00:52:57,000 --> 00:53:00,359
Speaker 1: that maintained are the manipulations of children's emotions of letters

1035
00:53:00,400 --> 00:53:02,880
Speaker 1: of Santa Claus and the commodification of Santa Claus. Like

1036
00:53:03,080 --> 00:53:07,840
Speaker 1: those are exactly so. Anyway, John Gluck, over time he

1037
00:53:07,960 --> 00:53:10,840
Speaker 1: gets forgotten. The last time he's ever mentioned that I

1038
00:53:10,880 --> 00:53:13,520
Speaker 1: could find was in a Seagram's v O the liquor

1039
00:53:13,640 --> 00:53:17,799
Speaker 1: ad in there's like eight little Christmas miracles or Christmas stories.

1040
00:53:17,840 --> 00:53:20,360
Speaker 1: And as I mentioned of him, they didn't do the research.

1041
00:53:21,520 --> 00:53:23,520
Speaker 1: If you can believe it, this dude Gluck faced no

1042
00:53:23,600 --> 00:53:26,920
Speaker 1: criminal charges for his decade plus of scamming New York's

1043
00:53:27,000 --> 00:53:31,239
Speaker 1: richest residents and powerful people. No charges, nothing. He just

1044
00:53:31,719 --> 00:53:33,880
Speaker 1: goes and decides, like you know what, time for a

1045
00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:36,520
Speaker 1: career change, and he bounces out and he and his

1046
00:53:36,640 --> 00:53:40,200
Speaker 1: wife live happily ever after in Miami until nine one,

1047
00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:42,200
Speaker 1: where he dies peacefully at the age of seventy three.

1048
00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:48,400
Speaker 1: After becoming a Florida realtor, the ultimate ultimate. What's interesting

1049
00:53:48,480 --> 00:53:50,719
Speaker 1: is he probably cast his nets so wide with all

1050
00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:53,200
Speaker 1: the rich folks that they weren't really losing a whole lot,

1051
00:53:53,680 --> 00:53:55,759
Speaker 1: and they don't want to press charges and look like

1052
00:53:55,920 --> 00:53:57,960
Speaker 1: a ding. That's what I think it is that they

1053
00:53:57,960 --> 00:54:00,960
Speaker 1: didn't want to get embarrassed. It's like the there's like

1054
00:54:01,160 --> 00:54:04,560
Speaker 1: a joke amongst journalists that about like the doctor who

1055
00:54:04,840 --> 00:54:09,560
Speaker 1: was like basically provides medicine for a man with small penis,

1056
00:54:09,640 --> 00:54:11,319
Speaker 1: knowing he won't want to sue him in public because

1057
00:54:11,360 --> 00:54:12,759
Speaker 1: he won't want to go. I tried to get my

1058
00:54:12,920 --> 00:54:15,399
Speaker 1: small penis fixed by this doctor. He cheated me because

1059
00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:17,359
Speaker 1: now you're mercing with a small penis who's been tricked

1060
00:54:17,360 --> 00:54:19,000
Speaker 1: by a doctor, And that's just two things you don't

1061
00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:21,120
Speaker 1: want to admit in public. So I think it's kind

1062
00:54:21,120 --> 00:54:23,000
Speaker 1: of like that thinking where it's just like, look these guys,

1063
00:54:23,040 --> 00:54:24,839
Speaker 1: they don't want to be embarrassed. It's like I got

1064
00:54:25,080 --> 00:54:28,400
Speaker 1: conned on like me, and like then giving gifts to children,

1065
00:54:28,480 --> 00:54:30,480
Speaker 1: Like why don't you just give gifts to children? That's

1066
00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:34,080
Speaker 1: not the question I'm here to answer. So now this

1067
00:54:34,440 --> 00:54:36,800
Speaker 1: guy John Gluck, as I've told you, this is pretty

1068
00:54:36,880 --> 00:54:40,800
Speaker 1: much his story. He provides America with a soup kitchen

1069
00:54:40,880 --> 00:54:43,680
Speaker 1: for the soul moment, and then that's it. He goes

1070
00:54:43,719 --> 00:54:47,239
Speaker 1: off to Florida and just does his thing, enjoying I

1071
00:54:47,280 --> 00:54:50,719
Speaker 1: don't know, mosquitoes and sunshining ctrus fruit. Yeah. And now,

1072
00:54:50,760 --> 00:54:52,400
Speaker 1: if you'd like to read more about him, though, and

1073
00:54:52,440 --> 00:54:55,080
Speaker 1: I do recommend that the book The Santa Claus Band,

1074
00:54:55,120 --> 00:54:57,200
Speaker 1: The Rise and Fall of a jazz Age khan Man

1075
00:54:57,760 --> 00:55:01,520
Speaker 1: was written by Alex Palmer, who brought this story to

1076
00:55:01,600 --> 00:55:03,840
Speaker 1: life because it was a family legend that he just

1077
00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:06,319
Speaker 1: decided to investigate. So you will not find much more

1078
00:55:06,400 --> 00:55:09,080
Speaker 1: about this guy, John duval g Look, unless you read

1079
00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:12,400
Speaker 1: his book or check newspapers dot com and read everything

1080
00:55:12,440 --> 00:55:16,800
Speaker 1: you can from you've got a couple of options. I

1081
00:55:16,920 --> 00:55:20,120
Speaker 1: recommend the book. It sounds good, Okay, Elizabeth, what's a

1082
00:55:20,280 --> 00:55:23,800
Speaker 1: ridiculous takeaway for this story? I think that for me,

1083
00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:27,960
Speaker 1: the takeaway is one again, if you spread your net

1084
00:55:28,000 --> 00:55:30,719
Speaker 1: wide enough with your your cons you get a little

1085
00:55:30,760 --> 00:55:32,520
Speaker 1: bit here, a little bit there, then people aren't going

1086
00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:34,200
Speaker 1: to be too bent out of shape when you've taken

1087
00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:36,879
Speaker 1: him for the money. But most importantly, if you're going

1088
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:40,840
Speaker 1: to cook the book, take you take it in, but

1089
00:55:40,920 --> 00:55:43,560
Speaker 1: you gotta show yourself putting it out. Come on eat

1090
00:55:44,880 --> 00:55:49,400
Speaker 1: so disappointing, so upset and his father, I mean this

1091
00:55:49,520 --> 00:55:51,200
Speaker 1: guy was like, I mean, the whole reason he got

1092
00:55:51,239 --> 00:55:53,719
Speaker 1: into this because of the custom house, which is all paperwork.

1093
00:55:57,000 --> 00:55:59,880
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us. I'm Elizabeth Dutton, I could be,

1094
00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:03,120
Speaker 1: Sarah Burnett could be. You can find us online a

1095
00:56:03,200 --> 00:56:06,319
Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime on both Twitter and Instagram. You gotta tip

1096
00:56:06,400 --> 00:56:08,520
Speaker 1: for us about a ridiculous crime you'd like to hear about.

1097
00:56:08,840 --> 00:56:10,400
Speaker 1: We'd like to hear about it too. You want to

1098
00:56:10,400 --> 00:56:13,160
Speaker 1: confess a ridiculous crime, hit us up. Email us at

1099
00:56:13,320 --> 00:56:18,359
Speaker 1: ridiculous Crime at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening. Yes,

1100
00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:28,640
Speaker 1: you're welcome. Ridiculous Crime is hosted by Elizabeth Dutton and

1101
00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:32,320
Speaker 1: Zarin Burnett, produced and edited by Showman for the Snowman

1102
00:56:32,520 --> 00:56:36,560
Speaker 1: Dave Kuston. Researches by Santa Claus, Truth Marissa Brown. Our

1103
00:56:36,680 --> 00:56:39,920
Speaker 1: theme song is by Thomas Jessica Lee and Travis Mr

1104
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:43,320
Speaker 1: Claus at Your Nasty Dutton. Executive producers are Ben Blitz

1105
00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:50,840
Speaker 1: and Bolan and Nol Don't call me Rudolph Brown. Ridiculous

1106
00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:53,200
Speaker 1: Crime is a production of I Heart Radio four more

1107
00:56:53,239 --> 00:56:55,799
Speaker 1: podcasts to my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app,

1108
00:56:55,920 --> 00:56:58,720
Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.