The Whiskey A Go Go and Tony Mafia

Thank you John for the additional information provided by your mam.  I gladly post it here:

"Your Dad does seem to remember buying this painting from him because he really needed to eat, and was willing to sell them for about $100.  Knowing your dad, it's hard for me to believe in the 1950's or 60's he would spend $100 for a painting.  A hundred dollars was a LOT of money then.  But on the other hand, he had just done Al Capone, so maybe he was.  He members Tony was at Schwabs Drug Store, on Sunset and Laurel, where everyone in the industry went for breakfast or lunch to maybe make a connection or be "discovered."  He thinks Tony was there because he was sort of an actor.  But reading about the Whisky, I think Dad's story made sense because Schwabs was the day-time place, and the Whisky was at night. "

This information corroborates Tony's stories about that period of his life. Dale Root also remembers Tony doing the first Go Go cages at the Whiskey A Go Go.  And yes he was kind of an actor being in a few Perry Mason issues. At the Whiskey there was supposedly also a painting hung with the back of the painting to the front and only one way of seeing it when one went to the bathroom. Also it should be repeated here that Tony did present many of the hootenannies at the Troubadour in the sixties and was part of the group "The men". I sat in a conversation when Steppenwolf came to Laughlin, Nevada between Danny and Tony remembering the Doug Weston and Troubadour days. Tony used to tell me that John Kay always lost his glasses on stage, glasses he absolutely needed.

John,I thank you for your efforts and I am afraid I learned more from you than you learned from the blog...

A girl from the sixties

John wrote: I've attached a photo of the painting. I'm trying to get in touch with my Dad to see if he remembers Tony or how he acquired the painting. He used to barter with a lot of the artists in Venice Beach and Santa Monica in the 50s and 60s.  If he has any stories, I'll be sure to pass them on.

The painting itself was either in my parent's home or one of their friends I stayed with as a young child. It used to scare my sister and me a LOT! When I grew older, it had a very nostalgic feel to it and when I saw it in storage I HAD to have it. I always thought it should have been -- or maybe even was -- used in Rod Serling's "Night Gallery" TV series.

I would LOVE to know more about this painting. If you have any information, I would be very appreciative.
Dear John, it really looks like a nice sixties painting.




Rod Sterling's name was mentioned by Tony. he also said that many paintings were used on sets for TV or films. If you have a chance to see  'Story of a hit man' with Jack Palance, you would see many paintings from that period. And banter on the beach seems just right. There was a family in the seventies who paid for his ticket from Antwerp to LA on the occasion of their 300st painting by Tony...  That too would be a story to follow up on.