Fond memories of Breslow's

My name is Stan Feinstein and my family stayed at Breslow's each summer from the 40's to the 50's. In 1950, at age 15, I received a call before the season started from the owner Meyer Breslow, who asked me if I'd like to be a busboy in the main dining room. I couldn't wait to get there. That year began the fondest of memories I have of my years ages 15 thru 22.

Let's start by identifying the Breslow family. Until the early 60's, the resort was owned by Meyer and Morris Breslow. Their wives were Clara and Bella. Each Breslow brother had 4 children: Meyer and Clara had Stanley, Jay, Paul and Abie. As a side comment, Abie's son Craig is a relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics (as of 2010). Morris and Bella had Charlie, Herbie, Yetta and Harold.
 

Perhaps some member of their families will see these comments -- the guests most memorable to me were: Saul and Frances Feinstein (my parents), Jerry and Jeanette Firtel, Morris and Janet Genzer, Bernie and Dorothy Keiler, Kelly and Bea Keller, Barney and Mary Kissel, Sol and Pauline Kleinfeld, Marty and Ann Lerner, Mike and Tilley Melnick, Harry and Ida Nadel, Harry and Gladys Orfuss, Max and Roz Polinsky, Pete and Gladys Solomon, Joe and Flo Wasserman, Bennie Weber
Morris and Anne Wertkin, 

The highlight of these years is that I met my future wife Helene Call who was niece of Meyer and Clara. We have now been married for 50 years.

I'll always remember:

-The mile walk to Miller's restaurant for grinders,
-The 4 mile WALK into Moodus just for the fun of it,
-Visiting Bill's soda shop and Weinstein's pharmacy to buy sodas and baseball cards,
-On rainy days, Meyer driving the old bus to the Moodus movie house, his head barely visible over the steering wheel,
-Meyer driving the bus to Bashan Lake for swimming. In later years he put in a new pool,
-Morris lugging bedding on his back between rooms,
-The weekend softball games with the guests and the Breslow boys,
-The softball games against the other Moodus resorts. The Breslow boys were all good ballplayers and we were unbeatable. We challenged Banner Lodge multiple times but they wouldn't play us. For the record, the softball field was moved 3 times, from in front of the old casino, to the corner near the arch and finally to beyond the new pool,

-The 1/4 mile walk DOWN to the OLD pool,
-The conversion of the old casino into guest rooms and the building of the new casino,
-As a waiter, hiding the apple pie deserts from the guests on Sunday,
-Sleeping with the other help in the barn attic,
-Getting investment tips from the guests (all tips went down),
-Breaking into the freezer at night to get extra food for the guests,
-Getting caught by Clara when backing out thru the freezer door,
-Playing 3 handed cut-throat pinochle with 2 seniors,
-and My weekend payday from tips for being a waiter.
 

All summers went too fast and now the Breslow's resort is a horse farm. Even the impressive arch has been removed. My wife and I visit Breslow's twice each summer and are dismayed to see the former Moodus center. Unlike Brigadoon, Moodus never returns.

THANK YOU BRESLOWs for a lifetime of memories.

--Stan Feinstein

Movie theater roadtrips

I love your website and visit it often.

 

We used to stay at the Grandview. Do you recall the existence of an old movie theatre possibly called the Haddam? I remember going there on a camp outing and it was typical of the old ornate bygone movie theatres. We went by a school bus from Grandview and I vaguely remember crossing the old East Haddam Bridge on Route 82 to get there. The time frame is late 1950's-early 1960's. Two movies come to mind that I saw there, Pollyanna and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

What was the name of this particular movie theatre? Where was the theatre located and when was it demolished? Thank you.

--Millie