The Crank Call

We used to make crank calls for Pizza deliveries, or Chicken Delight deliveries, or even Limousine (to go to the airport) pick-up deliveries. We would normally make all these calls for Clarence Eisen, my Landlord who lived on the first floor of 88 Wadsworth Ave. Needles to say when the Deliveryman or the Limousine Chauffeur would knock on Clarence's door he would say that he didn't make any calls for a delivery or a pick-up. The guys would get into an argument and would regularly come out fuming mad, while we (the fellows from the block) sat a building away on the steps observing every detail. What a goof? We were real pranksters indeed.

When that gag got old we started calling the cops about policemen getting beaten up at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal or a mad man trying to jump-off the Bridge Apartments building on Wadsworth Ave @ 178 Street. The cops would arrive in a few minutes since the 34 Precinct was at 183 St. and Wadsworth; they would dash out of their cars with their caps in their hands into the 30 story building's lobby headed for the roof; When they had gone to the roof and found no one up there they would come down and out on to the street furious, looking around and wondering who had called them on this wild goose chase. What a sight it was watching their faces from less than a block away!