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| Photo from www.movie-locations.com |
The
year is 1986 and Dan was at work behind the bar at his GingerMan Tavern. He is staring at a stack of unpaid bills and a empty bar. He
is trying to decide whether to pull the plug and call it quits or try to
keep the doors open, when two gentleman in suits
walk in and order a couple drinks. Dan goes about his business as the
two gentleman walk around the bar pointing and talking. The two men
then approach Dan after their drinks and tell Dan they have a
proposition for him. The proposition is that they'll pay him a large
sum of money and completely remodel his bar if he closes for a month or
so, while they shoot scenes for a movie. Dan has little reason to ask
many questions other then where do I sign.
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| Tom Cruise and Paul Newman |
Dan watches as his bar is
remodeled and transformed into a movie set. The day comes when they're ready for shooting the scenes and much to Dan's surprise, he shows up to find Paul Newman
and Tom Cruise on the set. Production comes to an end and Dan now has a
newly remodeled bar that was used as a movie set. He reopens to a new clientele and business
is good, the bills are paid and the bar is making
money. Dan is thinking life could get no better.
Several months
later, his manger calls him all excited and asks Dan what should he do,
he has arrived to find hundreds of people standing in line all the way
down the block and waiting for the bar to open. "The Color of Money"
has just opened in theaters and the GingerMan Tavern is now one
of Chicago's main attractions. Dan is quick to recognize
the opportunity and applies a cover charge and takes it one step
further, the table that Newman and Cruise played on is roped off and a
significant addition charge is applied to playing on "The Table". The
moral of the story can best be summed up as: Even in your darkest hour,
one never knows when financial good fortune will walk through your door,
but when it does, you had better have a good understanding of "The
Color of Money".
Dan
got to know Paul Newman quite well during the filming and that
both men discovered a common love for fast cars and racing. When Dan
opened his track in Michigan, Paul was a regular patron and made
several visit, testing various cars. You can find the GingerMan Tavern at 3740 N. Clark Street, in Chicago. And if you're a racing fan, here's the link to Schnitta's GingerMan Raceway.
Thanks to Don Patterson for the great story.
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