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December 4, 2008

Closing Bell: Brooklyn's Hall of Fame

hall-of-fame.jpg
True, there's no actual hall involved in this particular venture, but a new Web site is paying tribute to "a small number of unique native sons and daughters who either hail from Brooklyn or have made Brooklyn their home." Should be easier considering the influx of celebs choosing NYC's version of the left bank. You can vote on the first five inductees, which include Lauren Bacall, Lena Horne, Norman Mailer, Jackie Robinson, Walt Whitman and Mae West, among others.




Posted by lisa at 4:00 PM | Comments (38)
Categories: Closing Bell

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My neighbors told me that Lena Horne frequented MacDonald restaurant which was on the corner of Macon & Stuyvesant. Does anyone have an original photo of that place???

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 4:06 PM

B I G P O PP A NO INFO FOR THE DEA, Biggie the best rapper ever.

Posted by: HOBOKENROCKS at December 4, 2008 4:10 PM

I think Biggie will be way down on the list!!!

Sorry Hoboken; I heard about that 47% increase in property taxes over there.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 4:14 PM

ugh how can you forget lil kim and foxy brown!?

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at December 4, 2008 4:23 PM

....bayridgegirl

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 4:28 PM

Let's try and weed people from the list who have spent time in jail.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 4:30 PM

Not sure what your rap sheet looks like BRG. I was referring to lil kim and foxy.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 4:33 PM

No rap sheet, but I have had some famous moments :)

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 4:54 PM


Any of famous/influential Brooklynite natives that does not include Biggie is a FRAUD.

Other Brooklynites worthy of HOF inclusion:

Mos Def
Shirley Chisholm
Howard Cosell
Tony Danza
Larry David
Jeru the Damaja
Neil Diamond
Jimmy Durante
George & Ira Gershwin
Jackie Gleason
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Spike Lee
Larry King
Arthur Miller
Old Dirty Bastard
Joe Paterno
Phil Rizzuto
Chris Rock
Chuck Schumer
Jerry Seinfeld
Joe Torre
John Turturro
Shelley Winters
Mike Tyson
Eli Wallach

Posted by: East New York at December 4, 2008 5:39 PM

YEA Hoboken is killing people with that increase. Luckily for me I am renting from a family member with mucho money..As for BIGGie he is by far the best rapper ever. Even Jay-z says this... And I would consider JAY -z a top 3.

Posted by: HOBOKENROCKS at December 4, 2008 6:06 PM

howsabout Bobby Fisher and Barbara Streisand, both went to Erasmus Hall high school on Flatbush at the same time.
Barry Manilow should get a mention as well as Sid Ceasar.

Best rap song ever: PSK what does it mean? Schooly D. not sure if they were from Brooklyn, but it's so old school they probably were or from The Bronx

Bring the Noise a close second by
Public Enemy from Long Island.

Best rap group would have to be Wu-Tang ; Staten Island

Posted by: Legion at December 4, 2008 6:48 PM

two other notables;
Henry Miller; a literary force of nature. a genius of urban grit. Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Nexus, Lexus and Plexus
His description of male engorgement (before the days of viagra);
".....like a piece of lead with wings"

of that first moment after a two shots of whiskey start to take effect;
".....a dialation of the universe"

Hubert Selby; Last Exit to Brooklyn
and
Requeim for a Dream

Posted by: Legion at December 4, 2008 7:06 PM

Legion,
Schooly D is from philly, but thank you for that memory. Nas is originally from bk. we'll can claim him.

How bout the other miller-Authur, maybe add Walt Whitman and Paul Auster and Scott Baio.

Posted by: DowningByLaw at December 4, 2008 7:17 PM

I went to Edward R. Murrow High School with Marisa Tomei,a Brooklyn native. My sister went to John Dewey with Spike Lee - also don't forget about Steve Buscemi.

Posted by: Just Wondering at December 4, 2008 7:39 PM

The What

Posted by: 25 to 50 Percent Drop at December 4, 2008 7:39 PM

The What (NY Mag, come on ya'll)

Posted by: 25 to 50 Percent Drop at December 4, 2008 7:40 PM

Rosie Perez, Eddie Murphy, Nasir Jones (Nas.), Noel Pointer, Floyd Patterson, Alyssa Milano etc...

Posted by: Just Wondering at December 4, 2008 7:53 PM

oh yes - The What! for sure! And Chris Rock - love him!'

Adam Yauch, a Beastie Boy is from Brooklyn. He went to Murrow for a little while, too.

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 9:32 PM

What may be more interesting is how many stay here after they make it. Even Spike Lee lives in the Upper East Side now.

Posted by: eastriver at December 4, 2008 9:33 PM

Good point ER, but that would severely cut the list.

Leo and Diane Dillon - Children's Book Illustrators - He is from Brooklyn and they still live here. They've won two Caldecott Medals and many many other awards.

Was Paul Auster on the list? I think he still lives here?

And who was the author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith?


Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 9:46 PM

MICHAEL FREAKING JORDAN THE BEST BBALL PLAYER IN THE LAST 30 YEARS WAS BORN IN BROOKLYN.

Posted by: HOBOKENROCKS at December 4, 2008 10:55 PM

When I saw this garbage thread posted by Asshats who was not born her (except Wasder and Cobblehiller). I knew it was going to be lame. Asshats trying to act "down" spiting out names like Biggie, Nas and Schooly D. Please stop and go back to Nebraska!!!

25/50 Down thanks for the shout out! I thank GOD that my birth certificate says BROOKLYN!!!!

The What (Brooklyn's Finest!)

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: Return of The What at December 5, 2008 12:34 AM

I'm not old but what youngsters LOL!

I love Biggie but how can you forget Eric B. and Rakim? Rakim came first and more than a few of his rhymes are classic.

Posted by: i_heart_brooklyn at December 5, 2008 12:48 AM

i heart brooklyn:

"how can you forget Eric B. and Rakim? Rakim came first and more than a few of his rhymes are classic."

How did we forget? Because they are from Long Island, not Brooklyn. And they did NOT come first. How old are you?

Posted by: Prodigal_Son at December 5, 2008 7:52 AM

Billy the kid ( was a Brooklyn boy )

Posted by: ss at December 5, 2008 8:18 AM

so can someone older than me tell me who the hot lady next to Woody Allen is in the photo collage up top? Shes looking sultry and sharp even today, whereas most black&white-era "beauties" just leave me thinking "what were they thinking?"

Posted by: dittoburg at December 5, 2008 8:26 AM

ditto, I'm guessing (but not sure) it's Veronica Lake, The Peek-a-boo Girl. Born November 14, 1919, Brooklyn, NY.
Birth Name: Constance Frances Marie Ockleman.

Posted by: Biff Champion at December 5, 2008 8:50 AM

I tried to not repeat anyone mentioned above.

Aaliyah
Carmelo Anthony
Henry Ogden Avery
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Henry Ward Beecher
Joy Behar
Pat Benatar
Clara Bow
Mel Brooks
Charlie Callas
Al Capone
Aaron Copland
Alan Dershowitz
Richard Dreyfuss
Edie Falco
Jimmy Fallon
Lou Ferrigno
Harvey Fierstein
David Geffen
Rudy Giuliani
Louis Gossett, Jr.
Elliott Gould
Adrian Grenier
Arlo Guthrie
Buddy Hackett
Rita Hayworth
Big Daddy Kane
Danny Kaye
Sandy Koufax
Steve Lawrence
Heath Ledger
Vince Lombardi
Nia Long
Norman Mailer
Stephon Marbury
Debra Messing
Esai Morales
Suzanne Pleshette
Eddie Rabbitt
Lou Reed
Busta Rhymes
Joan Rivers
Jackie Robinson
Mickey Rooney
Carl Sagan
Adam Sandler
Neil Sedaka
Judith Sheindlin
Bugsy Siegel
Beverly Sills
Phil Silvers
Neil Simon
Paul Sorvino
Barbara Stanwyck
Connie Stevens
Mae West
Henny Youngman

Posted by: Biff Champion at December 5, 2008 9:07 AM

Oops, ditto, that's Lauren Bacall, not Veronica Lake, next to Woody. I should have realized; Lisa specifically mentioned her in her write-up!

Posted by: Biff Champion at December 5, 2008 9:12 AM

Thanks, I google-imaged and have decided thats her best shot.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 5, 2008 9:16 AM

Maurice Sendak was born in Brooklyn - illustrator/writer

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 5, 2008 10:18 AM

Can all you folks cutting and pasting just stop?
At least list the sources you lieft from:

http://www.brooklyn.com/famous.html
http://www.is187.com/leaders2.htm

Posted by: Prodigal_Son at December 5, 2008 10:35 AM

Prodigal_Son, of course I used sources, but it wasn't the ones you mentioned. I don't see anything wrong with that at all. I thought people would be interested to see the names, plus I only listed the ones I have some knowledge of. What's wrong with that?

Posted by: Biff Champion at December 5, 2008 10:46 AM

You need to add Laurence Fishburne to the list.

Posted by: ou812 at December 5, 2008 11:31 AM

dittoburg,
come on now, you have to admit that those women in movies back then were beautiful. Lauren Bacall included.
check out Gene Tierney, Rita Hayworth, Greta Garbo, Jane Mansfield, Cyd Cherise and Grace Kelly.

Eva Mendes has a bit of Rita Hayworth going on, Rita was hispanic as well (Mexican).

oh and as for "the whatchamacallit" , what do you know about old school rap in Brooklyn. You were probably "sweatin' to the oldies" in a basement in Yonkers back then singing along with Richard Simmons.

Posted by: Legion at December 5, 2008 3:07 PM

prodigal son - my bad.

Eric B and Rakim were from Long Island. However, their first release was in 1986 and Biggie didn't hit the scene 'til the early 90's.

Posted by: i_heart_brooklyn at December 9, 2008 12:44 AM

Stephon Marbury.

I went to school with him and his brother - grew up a few blocks over.

Posted by: i_heart_brooklyn at December 9, 2008 12:47 AM

I was told that Humphrey Bogart or Lauren Bacall once lived in Clinton Hill. Does anyone have any more specific info on that? I have a friend who's a Bogie & Bacall fan. Thanks.

Posted by: brooklynite2 at February 4, 2009 8:27 AM

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