Jackie grew up dirt poor. He had dreams, he had ambitions, he had a work ethic, amazing talent and he hustled the hustlers. He made his bones and enjoyed himself. Good for him.
*I once saw Gleason in a very small play in San Diego with Clevon Little. When the play ended the actor(s) came out for a bow and Gleason said his famous line, "How sweet it is". It was godlike. I really loved watching that man.*
Jackie Gleason was one of the kindest, most talented, bright and decent men to ever bless this planet with his presence. He was a class act, through and through. His sense of style was incredible, and he earned those damn clubs and that cart, millions of times over. RIP Sherriff! You were the greatest.
It was my great Fortune to meet the Great One 5 years before this. My best friend lived just on the block and Mr Gleason came by to look at the puppies he had. It was a very nice man, and great to be around.
I love a guy who lives life his own way and doesn't give a hoot about some stuffy Brit interviewing him. Notice how he goes through the whole interview with a positive attitude.
my Mom worked in the country club kitchen at Inverarry she said Gleason would come back in the kitchen and talk and shaker hands with all the employees she said he was very nice. Before that we always watched the Jackie Gleason show and of course the Honeymooners - he was a talented comedian .
Jackie was a great guy and a friend. I am probably one of the worst golf players on the planet, but I never missed an opportunity to play with Jackie. Playing a few rounds of golf with him was some of the most humorist experiences in my life. He was a huge gambler playing golf. He bet me once $10k he could make a 10-foot putt. I took him on the bet. Why I'll never know. He missed the hole, and he actually threw one of those gold-plated clubs and it hit a tree bending it. I never laughed so hard in all my life. Went to his cart and wrote me a check. I tore the check up and told him he didn't have to do that. He smiled and said to me let's go. lol I'll never forget the times I spent with him. He lived life as he portrayed it many times on television. One day at a time along with one drink at a time. His humor and talent still lives to this day in his Honeymooners re-runs and movie rolls he portrayed. RIP my friend.
This really moved me. I used to pop around the Dakota in NYC back in the 70s for a monthly Monopoly game with John Lennon. We lived. We laughed. We loved. I‘lol take a hotel on Boardwalk John… miss you buddy
Went to his wake in June 1987 on his closed casket read the worlds greatest pool player and guess what the man could really shoot pool as well as write music act and make you laugh he was truly the great one
He could NOT write music notes! He had the music in his head and had to hire professionals to translate his music to the notes and symbols on a music sheet.
I worked at a certain restaurant across from a certain Hotel in Beverly Hills back in the mid 80s. Mr. Gleason was doing interiors, etc... with Tom Hanks(forget the name of the flick) at Fox. For what I recall as two weeks Gleason held court at a large round table in the middle of the dining room with an A list of talent even I, a jaded fourth gen Angelian, found incredible. Their laughter was the finest medicine...
So sad to see the end of Inverrary after 50 years, JG always was out on the course and around the clubhouse drinking, smoking and joking. I moved to Sunrise in the early 70's right next to Lauderhill when it was all new and nice and became bar manager of the Bombay Bicycle Club across the street to the entrance to Inverrary in the early 80's. The neighborhood went from paradise to a ghetto in no time and now resides in the middle of a huge mess that started 30 years ago.
Yes you are so correct. We moved to South Florida in the early 70s also went to high school in Sunrise, so I know what your talking about. The whole area went downhill probably back in the early 90s. And yes it was a paradise back then now it's a ghetto. What a shame and it really wasn't that long ago 🤔
@@frankrizzo4460 Back in the early 70's Sunrise was the biggest growing community in west Broward, when University Drive was a dirt road and Piper High School was out in the sticks. Consisting of mostly transplanted NY'ers, Sunrise was mostly Italian and Jewish in Sunrise Lakes. When Inverrary opened it was mostly upscale people with money from around the country, soon followed by the Sunrise Musical Theatre which eventually led to the building of the Hilton in Inverrary which housed stars of the golf course and Sunrise shows, so we had a nice quality of life back then. There was only one bad neighborhood back then in west Lauderdale that rapidly grew into Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes and then Sunrise. By the late 80's it was becoming dangerous and many of my customers were getting robbed right on Oakland Park Blvd and 56th Ave leading into the entrance to Inverarry across the street from the waterfall. I sold my house in the late 80's and gave up my position to take a new job in Coral Springs, which eventually suffered the same fate.
@@brotzmannsax yes so many great references. And also I remember the Albertsons across from that waterfall my dad worked for Nabisco and I used to help him in the supermarkets. Also remember when Caddyshack was filmed at Rolling Hills golf course along Pine Island Rd which was only two lanes and so was Flamingo road too. Can't believe how far downhill it went 😐
@@frankrizzo4460 Yes, the infamous Skaggs-Albertsons, later just Albertson's was the only store to be open 24 hours back then and the creatures it attracted especially after midnight was quite eye opening for it's time. Some of them would stop in for a drink or two and the stories I could tell would be endless. Just as fast as West Broward grew and blossomed, that's how fast it turned bad, unfortunately.
I live in the area now... What happened? Did people move further south in the 80's? I feel like they bought in early then all sold when real estate prices jumped or something...
He wanted to be loved his whole life - and he was, and still is - both the incredible talent that was John Herbert Gleason, and Mr. Ralph Kramden of 328 Chauncey Street. RIP THE GREAT ONE
As a kid out on Long Island (Brookville, NY), I lived across the street from Tam O'Shanter Country Club. I was hanging out at the bottom of my driveway with 4 of my 8yr old friends at the fence of the course and who drives up in a golf cart but Jackie Gleason! He sliced his ball near the border of the course and Fruitledge Road. I said, "You're Jackie Gleason!" I don't remember what he said but I do remember that he actually talked to this ragtag group of kids, BS'ing with us for about a minute. He was really nice and didn't have to do that but he got 4 fans for life and it was a moment I'll never forget.
I've seen film of Gleason playing golf for real. He was good. That was a comedic golf swing... He was also a REALLY good pool player and made his own shots in "The Hustler"... Willie Moscone did the pool shots for Paul Newman.
From such sad and humble beginnings... I love that Gleason just reveled in his own success. There might be no one in show business who had as much fun as The Great One.
Jackie Gleason was a smart man and he was a good actor and comic .All of the big bosses in Hollywood would give him what he wanted because he was talented and brought in the crowds.
Not that I expect anyone to give a rat's ass, but on August 17, 1997 I scored a hole-in-one on the 8th hole at Inverrary, I birdied the par-4 7th hole, almost holing out from the fairway and on the long par-5 9th hole, I had a triple bogey 8, I went Birdie, Ace, Triple Bogey, even par for those final 3 holes going out.
alot of people don't know that actor Jason Patric is his grandson. Gleason's daughter Linda in Patric's mother. She also was married actor/playwright Jason miller, who is Patric's father.
Actually inverrary is in Lauderdale lakes Florida. It's just west of the turnpike off of sunrise boulevard. I remember the surgeon who cared for him stated he was very difficult.
Gleason and Joe Namath both lived in the area in the early '80's when I lived there. Can't tell you the number of times I just missed seeing each one at various local watering holes.
"Gleason was never without a cigarette, a chain smoker until the day he died, Gleason was known to smoke on average 5 packs a day. His motto, 'You only live once, so live it up!"'"
I live the man and I'm a golf coach, he has a nice takeaway there but his tempo was off and he came over the top, man i would have loved working with him!
@@Polarcupcheck yes it's all ghetto over there now. And the golf course has been closed for a long period of time. It's all overgrown with weeds and bushes now unbelievable 😐
@@frankrizzo4460 When you look around it is amazing how much high end businesses that are just gone. Almost nothing was run to be sustainable. The Kapot Tree in Davie. Six Flags Atlantis. It goes on. Look at what was Don Carter's Tamarac. It is not dissapointing what is going on, it is down right scary.
The 70’s and early 80’s had this weird trend where famous people all had customized golf carts. I don’t understand why, most of the time they weren’t even playing golf, they would show a couple of celebrities in a golf cart made to look like a Rolls Royce at some event. The 70’s and 80’s were a weird time, LOL
Inverrary Country Club is permanently closed. They were on the skids even before the virus, but that killed it off. Golf overal is declining. The price for it all has spiraled way out of reach for most people, and the land can earn much more if developed. Thousands of courses close in the US every year.
Grew up in Fort Lauderdale and hung out with a chick named Tricia who was Mr. Gleason's next door neighbor at Inverrary. Saw him quite often and I caddied his celebrity pro-am golf tournaments a few times. Mr Gleason is turning in his grave now that his beloved Inverrary has turned completely into one of the worst ghetto areas of Broward County, Florida. "How Shitty It Is!"
@@markdemell3717 As of June 2020 the golf courses and the country club are completely shut down and mother nature has already began her reclaiming of the beautiful grounds. The city of Lauderhill grew beyond belief due to the golf village. Then poor voting choices for city officials became the downfall of Invarary. Pull up the demographics of the area in a 10 mile radius and see for yourself.
@@markdemell3717 Most of the lakes and ponds were man made. Canals were dug and were linked in with the South Florida Water Management District to prevent flooding. Lauderhill grew very fast. My family and I used to hunt (in the 60s) and fish out there 60s through 80s.
@@osceolaassassin3188 That has happened to other communities also that were put up fast and large ,they were abandoned basically and a lot of people went broke.Sad but ,true. Smells fishy a little to me though.
The country club and golf courses have now closed permanently due to lack of golfers and reduced revenues. The local property values have plummeted and the area is depressed during COVID. Sad.....
Loved watching his movies with my father when I was a kid. After seeing that tacky golf cart blaring the music, I couldn't help but to think of Rodney Dangerfield's character Al in Caddyshack.
Fall of 2019; "After many years of operational losses where revenues have not been sufficient to cover the expenses, the club ownership has determined that golf course operations are no longer viable at Inverrary, and that it is time to redevelop the entire property to other permitted uses," said David Husman, who is a partner in Victorville West.