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Old 06-05-2002, 12:46 AM
JoeC JoeC is offline
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Default Re: "Hoss" Cartwright

Hoss owned a Chevy power Maserati race car that Nickey sponsored
I was doing some searching on Nickey and found this Hoss story.
no idea if it is true or not
quote
"Hoss got involved with road racing in the late 1960s and owned a car called "The Vinegeroon." It was built and maintained by Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago. Dan and Nickey owner Jack Stephani were friends. Hoss would come to town (always at Jack's expense) for personal appearances at the dealership. He'd wear the Hoss hat and Hoss vest from Bonanza and shake hands and kiss babies, etc. Nice guy, but incredibly cheap. How cheap? While in town he never stayed in hotel. Ever. Jack Stephani had a sofa bed in his office at Nickey Chevrolet and Hoss would sack on the property. Stephani's flunkies would lock the gates at closing time and turn the guard dogs loose with Hoss inside. He'd watch TV by himself and drift off to sleep in the middle of a used car lot at Irving Park Road and the Kennedy Expressway.

Hoss never rented a car. One of Stephani's car hikers would pick him up at the airport and drive him around in a demo Chevy, usually an Impala. Hoss never paid for meals. Jack would pick up the tabs. Or when Hoss got hungry and wandered out around the neighborhood in search of a snack, he'd take a stack of 8" by 10" glossies with and go to different hash houses and greasy spoons where he'd naturally be recognized as a Cartwright. The owners wouldn't let him pay for the $20 worth of vile crap he'd wolfed down. Hoss, always protesting, would then peel off a glossy and autograph it to Sam, Gus, Pete, Alex or Joe with a great flourish.

Then he'd siddle on back to Nickey Chevrolet, put on his nightshirt and nightcap and haul out the sofa bed and take a snooze.

I heard all of this from a guy who worked at Nickey Chevrolet.
end quote

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