Legends of Philadelphia

Tony Trov and Johnny Zito, from South Fellini, share their memories of working at City Hall in Philly. They dish on Milton Street, Richie Sambora, and the X Games. Check out SouthFellini.com to grab our gear; apparel for the Philadelphia lifestyle. Subscribe to South Fellini on YouTube.com/SouthFellini CONNECT Shop: http://southfellini.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/southfellini Spotify: http://Spotify.com/southfellini YouTube: http://YouTube.com/SouthFellini Patreon: http://Patreon.com/SouthFellini

Walter Jackson Freeman II was a Philadelphia physician who wanted to simplify lobotomies and make them accessible to everyone. Freeman invented a transorbital lobotomy procedure, otherwise known as the ice-pick technique, and took his show on the road. Freeman traveled across the country, performing brain surgery door-to-door in his lobotomy-mobile. Check out SouthFellini.com to grab our gear; apparel for the Philadelphia lifestyle. Subscribe to South Fellini on YouTube.com/SouthFellini CONNECT Shop: http://southfellini.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/southfellini Spotify: http://Spotify.com/southfellini YouTube: http://YouTube.com/SouthFellini Patreon: http://Patreon.com/SouthFellini

Tony Trov and Johnny Zito, from South Fellini, share their memories of growing up as altar boys in Philly. Hear their takes on mean priests, angry nuns, and silly saints. Check out SouthFellini.com to grab our gear; apparel for the Philadelphia lifestyle. Subscribe to South Fellini on YouTube.com/SouthFellini CONNECT Shop: http://southfellini.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/southfellini Spotify: http://Spotify.com/southfellini YouTube: http://YouTube.com/SouthFellini Patreon: http://Patreon.com/SouthFellini

We're back, Baby! The South Fellini crew returns after a year long hiatus to give their reactions to the year that was 2023. Hear Bierman speak of his travels to Toronto. Salivate over Trov's food recommendations. And delight in Zito's giggle fits. Check out SouthFellini.com to grab our gear; apparel for the Philadelphia lifestyle. Subscribe to South Fellini on YouTube.com/SouthFellini Listen to our old podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-philadelphia/id1504529624 CONNECT Shop: http://southfellini.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/southfellini Spotify: http://Spotify.com/southfellini YouTube: http://YouTube.com/SouthFellini Patreon: http://Patreon.com/SouthFellini

We're coming back to the podcast, now with a video component. If you were a fan of Legends of Philadelphia, then we've got good news. We're bringing back the weekly content. Bierman will return for new episodes of Legends. Trov & Zito will be talking about the 'ol days in South Philly. And we hope to have some special guests come down to our homegrown studio space to talk about the City of Brotherly Love.

We're coming back to the podcast, now with a video component. If you were a fan of Legends of Philadelphia, then we've got good news. We're bringing back the weekly content. Bierman will be back for new episodes of Legends. Trov & Zito will be talking about the 'ol days in South Philly. And we hope to have some special guests come down to our homegrown studio space to talk about the City of Brotherly Love. Check out SouthFellini.com to grab our gear; apparel for the Philadelphia lifestyle. Subscribe to South Fellini on YouTube.com/SouthFellini CONNECT Shop: http://southfellini.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/southfellini Spotify: http://Spotify.com/southfellini YouTube: http://YouTube.com/SouthFellini Patreon: http://Patreon.com/SouthFellini

We're going out for cigarettes. Be back soon.

Philadelphia is known as the original home of American Bandstand. But Dick Clark packed his bags and skipped town as fast as he could. For years, dancing was dead in the city of brotherly love. That is until the debut of the area's longest running reality tv show in Philly history. Join us as we strut our stuff with Madonna, Fresh Prince, The New Kids, and all the beautiful people at Dancin’ On Air.

Long before the cola wars fought for domination over the taste buds of American youth, local brands dominated the refrigerators of families in the Delaware Valley.  Coke and Pepsi took a back seat to a hometown favorite.  But you would only know that if you lived within a 50 mile radius of Philadelphia City Hall. Join us as we crack open a can of Frank’s Soda.

Back in the 90s, it seemed like every block had at least one person with an illegal cable connection that granted them access to Pay Per View events, premium content and adult movies. These devices were known as “hot boxes” most everywhere else in the United States. But in Philadelphia, we called it “the chip” and it was the worst kept secret in the city. Join us as we go channel surfing on Philly’s illegal airwaves.

In the sleepy town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania an annual meteorological event gathers thousands from around the world. In the wooded hills of this forest town lives Phil the Groundhog, a magical creature with the ability to affect the changing of the seasons. Should Phil NOT see his shadow, winter will end early; crops will flourish and the people will prosper. However, if the fuzzy little beast does see his shadow, then the world is plunged into six extra weeks of cold, desolate winter. Today we examine the importance of groundhogs day.

DisneyQuest was a chain of indoor interactive theme parks in the late ’90s. Disney execs intended to build them in cities across the U.S. but the planned Philadelphia site never materialized. Instead we were left a giant hole, one square block in size, two stories deep. Join us as we explore the hidden levels of The Disney Hole.

On April 28, 1978, David Bowie performed the first date of a two night stand in Philadelphia, which formed the bulk of his second live album. “Stage” was recorded on the Isolar II Tour and released through RCA Records in 1978. Join us as we listen to David Bowie, live at the Spectrum.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (better known by its acronym SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that services nearly four million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia. SEPTA has often struggled with management issues, employee morale, strikes, aging equipment, inadequate funding and poor public relations, though it remains the fifth largest transit system in the United States. Join us as we ride the rails in Philadelphia.

Longwood Gardens is a botanical garden that consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in the Brandywine Creek Valley. It is open year-round for visitors to enjoy horticulture and seasonal-themed attractions. Most notable of these events are the Christmas celebrations, which include festive trees draped in gilded garland. But what award did these lush greens win in 2014? The answer may surprise you. Join us today as we take a walk through Longwood Gardens.

The lighting of the ceremonial Christmas tree is now such a regular occurrence that we hardly take notice every year as another fully decorated tree shows up at City Hall or the Passyunk fountain. But public pines weren’t always the norm, the tradition only kicked off in major cities about 110 years ago. So join us as we festoon Philly’s first festive fir of failure.

During the holiday season of 2017, Mark D'Amico and Kate McClure started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt. The campaign went viral and captured the hearts of 14,000 people worldwide. Together they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Johnny, but when a team of journalists and authorities took a closer look, they discovered a GoFundMe Holiday Heist.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Temple University Concert choir made a Christmas album together in 1962. Conducted by Eugene Ormandy, this record sold more than a million copies that season, going on to become "the fastest-selling classical set in history," according to the Record Industry Association of America. This collection continues to sell well and receives regular airplay to this day. So join us as we listen to The Glorious Sound of Christmas.

The Bounty Bowl was a notorious NFL game held on Thanksgiving 1989, between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. The game is infamous for allegations that the Eagles coaching staff issued a $200 bounty on Dallas Cowboys kicker Luis Zendejas, who was cut by Philadelphia earlier that season. So, join us as we put the hurt on The Bounty Bowl and the game that took the Eagles and Cowboys rivalry to a whole new level.

The Phillies are in the World Series and you know what that means... City workers must grease the telephone poles on Broad Street. This is to deter revelers from climbing above cheering crowds to chug beers. You might think this solution was born of necessity. However, climbing greased poles began centuries ago and has been a decades long tradition in Philadelphia. Join us as we explore the history of lubricated logs.

A cryptid is an animal that has been claimed to exist but has never been proven to exist. Every state in the union has their very own legendary creatures that roam nearby dark forests and murky lakes. The Keystone State is home to our very own Bigfoot, Loch Ness, and chupacabra. Join us as we journey into deepest darkest Pennsylvania.

All over the city, you’ll find dozens of funeral homes buried in every neighborhood. Further South, the collection of mortuaries grows even more dense. It’s not something you might have noticed if you grew up here. However, we’ve often been asked by new Philadelphians, why are there so many undertakers on Broad Street? So join us as we investigate eternal mysteries in South Philly’s Dead Zone.

Some 300 years ago, Blackbeard and other pirates terrorized Philadelphia. Still, the Quaker colony was sympathetic to the seafaring marauders. Pirates during the early 19th century, just as today, were often considered romantic heroes in the public eye. Philadelphia was a hotbed for pirates in its early years, when some of the most notorious pirates freely roamed city streets. And tales of buried treasure quickly became part of local legend.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had some interesting uniform combinations in the franchise’s 86-year history. The fan base has embraced some of these looks and rejected others over the years. Something unique about the Eagles uniform history is the city may like the "Kelly Green" throwbacks better than the current "Midnight Green" color scheme. So today we’re going to dig into Jeff Laurie’s closet and take a walk on the catwalk to victory.

As strange as it sounds, the classic cowboy hat was designed and manufactured in North Philly. The Stetson Hat Company’s Philadelphia factory, incorporated in 1891, produced dress hats for both women and men. Employing over 5,000 workers in various departments, the company turned out more hats than any other during the early 20th century. He built hospitals, libraries, and concert halls in gilded age fashion, just like his robber baron cohorts. Join us as we tip our hat to John B. Stetson.

We are doing things a lil differently this week. This is our “skip week” where we take a break from the regular format. One of the most fun things about doing Legends of Philadelphia are all the great comments, emails, and DMs we get on the social medias. Listeners clued us in when we were wrong and shared new stuff that we didn’t know before. So, today we’re going to dig through the last ten episodes and talk about what’s next.

Clementon Park and Splash World is a mid-sized combination theme park and water park in Clementon, Camden County, New Jersey. It is one of the world's oldest operating amusement parks and is one of only thirteen trolley parks still in operation. The park closed in September 2019 and successfully reopened on June 25, 2021. So join us as we buy a ticket and take a ride on the big wooden roller coaster at Clementon Park.

Monopoly, a popular family board game, was invented by Charles Darrow who first sold the game in local Philadelphia department stores. The Monopoly board is based on Atlantic City, New Jersey locations. The point of the game is to buy up property, stay out of jail, and bankrupt your opponents. What started as a socialist parable turned into a capitalist dream, thanks to a theft, repackaging, and Wanamaker's department store.

The Pennsylvania Lottery was established on August 26, 1971, by a legislative act, Title 91. The Pennsylvania Lottery is the only state lottery that exclusively targets its proceeds to benefit older citizens. But not everyone respects the sovereign sanctity of the lotto drawing. Occasionally someone tries to game the system to win it all. Today we want to talk about the forgotten Pennsylvania Lottery scandal of 1980.

What does Philadelphia taste like? Is it onions? Is it garlic? How does a snack food company perfectly capture the palate of a whole city as eclectic and diverse as ours? They manufacture a cheese steak flavored version of their product. Herr’s recently released three Philly inspired varieties of potato chip and wouldn’t you know it, one of them tastes like cheesesteak. Listeners have been asking us to have another tasting episode for these chips. So in addition to chewing into the mic, we decided to do a brief history on Philly inspired snack foods.

In Vietnamese cuisine, bánh mì is a short baguette with thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with savory ingredients like a hoagie and served as a meal. Passyunk Avenue lost one of the greatest Banh Mi makers this week; Andre Chin at Artisan Bakery. So today felt like an opportunity to remember a great chef and one of the dishes he loved so much.

The 4th Miss America pageant was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 6, 1924. Ruth Malcomson competing as Miss Philadelphia came in first place against a field of 83 entrants, the largest number of competitors in contest history. We noticed the photo of Ruth circulating on the interwebs in her “Miss Philly” sash and thought it was as good a time as any that we got to know Miss America 1924.

The famous Melrose Diner and Bakery has been a long-standing Philadelphia tradition for over 80 years. Conveniently located in South Philly on West Passyunk Ave, Melrose is a central fixture in the neighborhood. Behind their mid century facade, they serve up comfort food & people-watching 24/7. So, on today’s episode we want to let you know why everyone who knows, goes to Melrose.

Betsy Ross was a talented seamstress and upholsterer who was widely believed to have made the first American flag. In preparation for the country’s 200th anniversary, the Betsy Ross Foundation and her descendants wanted to exhume her grave and rebury her remains in the courtyard of her historic home at 4th and arch, where it was believed she sewed the first flag. But when a team of excavators dug under her grave marker in December of 1975 there was nothing at the bottom.

Rocky Balboa is an American sports drama film starring, written, and directed by Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to Rocky V (1990) and is the sixth installment in the Rocky franchise. The only returning Rocky cast member is Burt Young. Rocky Balboa was theatrically released by MGM Distribution Co. and Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on December 20, 2006, thirty years after the release of the first film. And today we’re going to discuss this overlooked entry in the Rocky Saga.

If you’re a fan of the Sesame Street TV show, you may be familiar with the Sesame Place theme park just outside Philadelphia. Since opening in 1980, the park has welcomed fans of Big Bird, Elmo and the entire Sesame Street gang. The 14-acre park is home to one roller coaster and an abundance of kid friendly attractions. With recent news that the iconic water tower on 295 was going to be torn down this summer we thought it was time to tell you how to get to Sesame Place.

It’s no secret that Philadelphia is a horse town, and not just because “philly” is a homonym for a female equine. Informal stables exist throughout North and West Philadelphia and in Cobbs Creek Park. The horses are ridden throughout the city's streets and regular races are held on an open strip of Fairmount Park called the Speedway. So today we want to talk about some of the more noteworthy ponies from the city’s history, namely Barbaro and Smarty Jones.

We are doing things a lil differently this week. This is our “skip week” where we take a break from the regular format. One of the most fun things about doing Legends of Philadelphia are all the great comments, emails, and DMs we get on the social medias. Listeners clued us in when we were wrong and shared new stuff that we didn’t know before. So, today we’re going to dig through the last ten episodes and talk about what’s next.

Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz is a meteorologist for NBC10's First Alert weather team. You can watch Glenn’s live forecasts weekdays during the 11 a.m., and 5 p.m. newscasts for the last three decades. He recently announced his retirement from the weatherman game and his last broadcast will be May 27th 2022. So we thought this would be a great time to look back on the career of Philly’s bowtied barometer of benevolence.

In 1996 the ultimate contest of machine versus man took place in Philadelphia as Deep Blue, an emotionless IBM supercomputer faced off against Garry Kasparov, the world chess champion. No computer had ever beaten a human under usual tournament rules, in which each player has two hours to make 40 moves. The contest was seen as symbolically significant, a sign that artificial intelligence was catching up to human intelligence, and could someday overtake us.

The 1983 Sixers team is unfairly overlooked when talking about the greatest teams in league history. The franchise had lost the NBA Finals in 1977, 1980 and 1982, and suffered an even more agonizing conference finals loss in 1981 that cost them an almost sure title. So, Philadelphia was hungry for a championship and 1983 was the year they finally got over the top. Join us as we examine the 1983 Sixers, the First Super Team in NBA History.

In May of 1975, after Lennon had launched his solo career, he took an Amtrak train from New York City to Philadelphia to promote his new album and raise money for the Helping Hands marathon. Lennon's influence on music, politics, pop culture and celebrity remained powerful as it was during the height of Beatlemania. And for three wild days he toured the city and exercised his popularity with multiple tv and radio appearances. Join us as we take a trip through John Lennon's Philadelphia.

We Philadelphians love us some pretzels. We eat 12 times as many as anybody else in America, and we make 80 percent of the nation’s supply. As the rest of America gathers around with family and friends to celebrate national pretzel day on April 26th we thought it would be fun to explore the history of pretzel snacks and maybe do a lil taste testing of some local delicacies.

When Double Dare premiered in 1986, it became an instant kid-friendly sensation. Hosted by Marc Summers, the gak-soaked Nickelodeon game show aired in some form or another on the network until 1993. Many remember that Double Dare was shot in front of a live audience at Nick Studios in Orlando Florida. However, it;s a forgotten fact that Double Dare started sliming kids right here in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League (USFL) during the mid-1980s. They were the short-lived league's dominant team, playing in all three championship games and winning two. Now that the USFL is coming back we wanted to take a minute to remember Philadelphia’s Winningest Football team, the Stars.