"Oh, my gosh! Is that Uncle Joe?" And yes, it was. There he was, front and center on my television set. I was watching Netflix and in particular, the two-part documentary, Sinatra, All or Nothing at All.
The dialogue of the film indicates that Joe Bals, the cop in the forefront with his hand spread wide, was protecting Frank Sinatra as he exited the Paramount Theater. According to the dialogue in the film, most nights at 8:45 p.m. in early 1943, Frank Sinatra left the Paramount, and he was swarmed by fans as he tried to get into the vehicle that would take him ten blocks away to the site of his nightly radio broadcast.
Great-uncle Joseph Bals (1897-1968) was a New York City policeman. He joined the force in 1923 and retired as a lieutenant in 1960. Most of that time he worked in the heart of Manhattan, giving him a unique opportunity to observe the rich, famous, and powerful people of his era.
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| Joseph Bals, 1923 |
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| Joseph Bals, date unknown |
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September 23, 1950, Lt. Joseph Bals escorting the Russian Foreign Minister, Andrei Vishinsky, after Vishinsky took insult to the words of the Governor of New York, Mr. Thomas Dewey, and abruptly left a United Nations dinner. |
© 2020, Cathy H Paris
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