The daily grist; A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt; long enough to cover the subject, and short enough to create interest. Winston Churchhill
This name may not be familiar to most of you folks, but for folks in the East Stockton area he was well known for many many years. Pete was one of the owners of Chets bar and restaurant on Wilson way in Stockton California. Pete was also one of the naturally funny men that I have ever known in my life, more on that in a little bit further in the story. Chet’s bar and restaurant was a well-known eatery and watering hole for the blue-collar crowd, where you could go on Friday night, cash your paycheck have supper and a few drinks, and mingle with the regular crowd who was like one big family. The back bar and bar itself was manufactured in Boston in the middle 1800s, shipped around the horn on a sailing ship to San Francisco then taken by freight wagon to Placerville, California where it remained until late 20s when it was shipped to Stockton and installed in the building that at the time was known as the “Radio Club”, because they had a brand-new radio mounted on the wall for the patrons listening pleasure. That was the latest technology back in the 20s and early 30s. The bar itself was a good 75 feet long, and by 530 on Friday evening you were hard pressed to find an empty stool. Right after world war two was over a new owner named Chet bought the place and named it after himself. His two sisters ran the restaurant and he ran the bar, only to find out that he wasn’t made up to be a bartender so he sold his interests to Pete in the late 40s.
The restaurant was usually open by five or 530 in the morning, and they did a brisk breakfast business especially on the weekends due to the fact that they sold fishing and hunting licenses, fishing lures, hunting ammunition, etc. etc.,. Just about every old country boy that went fishing on Saturday and Sunday morning usually had breakfast at Chets restaurant, especially if you lived in East Stockton.
The first time I remember going into Chets was with my father when we were going fishing in the Delta early one Sunday morning. We stopped there and had breakfast, and my dad bought a couple jars of salmon eggs for bait. Before we left he slipped into the bar and had a couple of quick shot of brandy and I had to vow eternal silence which I have unto this day, because my mom was death on drinking. That was in 1946. Fast-forward to 1955 when I went to work at the state hospital as a psych tech. One of the older gentleman I worked with always cashed his paycheck at Chets , and one payday he invited me and my buddy to have supper with him at Chets, so we met him there, I cash my paycheck and we had a wonderful supper of chicken fried steak, with smashed taters and gravy. From that day forward I cash my paycheck there for the next 35 years. Well, told you that tell you this.
Pete Busalacci who was known as the mayor of Wilson way by the rest of business owners from one end of the street to the other, was one of the funniest men I’ll ever know in my life. I’ll never forget the time I was working an overtime job, 12 to 14 hours a day seven days a week, and me and my working partner went to Chets to have lunch and cash our paychecks. I asked Pete if he could cash our checks, he took one look at them and said let me call the bank across the street because I don’t have that much cash on hand. He called the bank and said I’m sending two of my customers over to cash their checks. The checks are good go ahead and cash them, turned to us and said see Louise and she will takecare of you. After we got through eating we went across the street to the bank and when we walked in the lady at the desk asked if we were from across the street and we told her yes. She took us to a teller and said cash these gentlemen’s checks, Pete called and said they are okay. The teller said; since when does the bartender across the street okay our checks? To which Louise replied; well you know we did make him an honorary vice president of the bank, and he is the mayor of Wilson way.
Pete was forever pulling tricks on his customers and we loved it. I will never forget the election day of 1960 and I was managing a muffler shop in the next lock down the street at about 430 the phone rang. It was Pete on the phone and he says to me; come on over to the joint when you get off work, drinks are half price until 8 PM. Well, I had forgot that it was election day and back then bars could not sell alcohol until 8 PM when the polls closed . So at five o’clock sharp all of us walked into Chets to find the place packed to the rafters !
Pete had called every person he knew on Wilson Way and told him drinks are half price until 8 PM, and when I ordered a Scotch and water he told me I will gladly serve you one of those at 8 PM when the polls close, but right now all I can sell you is one of these, and he pointed to a huge stack of soft drinks in the old wooden case’s. Then we all had a good laugh and I had a big orange soft drink over the rocks ! Pete told me later that week he sold about 50 cases of soft drinks that day.
A good friend of his who owned a trucking company and his first name was Jack, can’t remember the last name since it’s been so long ago. Pete and Jack used to take their families to Lake Tahoe and Reno for two weeks every summer, to enjoy the latest shows and have a nice dinner every night. Pete said they took turns paying for the dinner and show in this one particular night it was his turn to pay. Pete said when the maître d’ seated them for the show and dinner, they were in the nosebleed section and could barely see the stage. His buddy Jack says, Pete is this the best damn table you can get us? So Pete pulled out a $20 bill folded it in his hand, and called the head waiter, flash him the 20, and said can you give us a better table? Pete said when they set him down you could lay your hand on the stage, then slipped the waiter a one dollar bill all folded up. The waiter headed up the aisle glanced at the one and stopped in his tracks ! Look back over his shoulder with a glare and headed for their waiter, whom he told what Pete had done. Pete said the waiter came to take their order and he took a $10 bill and stuck it in the waiters shirt pocket with the admonition, this is for you only my friend take good care of us tonight. All the time this was going on Jack didn’t know anything about it. Pete said he left a $20 tip on the table and when they walk by the maître d”s station he could hear the waiter in the head waiter arguing, the waiter was accusing that headwaiter of holding out on them. Jack suspicion something was going on and when Pete told him what he did, Jack told him I’ve never been so embarrassed my life ! He swore revenge and did he ever give it !
That fall, 1965 if I remember right, the Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers were in the World Series. We all used to gather at Chets to watch the game, drink beer, then have lunch or supper after the game was over. Well it was a Saturday morning and I was sitting there talking to Pete and Jack walked in, sit down and ordered a drink, let out a long sigh and said I really wanted to see that game today. Pete said what do you mean? Jack replied, it’s raining cats and dogs in Baltimore and they postponed the game till tomorrow !
Pete let out a yell, damn ! The World Series Saturday game is always one of my best moneymakers he said. With that he got out his phone number book and called all of his friends up-and-down Wilson way and told them; come on down to the joint, free beer during the game today. Welll,, 11 o’clock and it’s time for the game to come on, so Jack gets on the chair and turns the TV on to the game.( there was no such thing as TV remotes back then ) and such a beautiful SUNNY day in Baltimore you have never seen ! The blood drained out of Pete’s face and he turned to snow white, because the bar was packed and EVERYBODY was drinking free beer! He went through three barrels of beer during the game, and there was people drinking beer that had not drank beer in 20 years Pete said. After the last out was called in the game, almost everybody left. Jack told Pete NOW we are even for the trick to pull on the waiter this summer ! Good memories of good friends pulling tricks on each other.
This last story involves one of the longtime regulars at Chets, Mr. Charlie Smith, a dear friend long gone over Jordan, and an inveterate gambler who love to play bar dice. Another regular customer who frequented Chets, Carmelita , who was a wealthy widow whose husband owned a trucking company and love to play dice with Charlie for some big bucks. It was not uncommon back then to see upwards of 50 or 60 grand change hands during the course of an evening’s dice games. On this particular evening I had just set down at my usual place and 5 min. later Charlie came in to the bar and sat down next to me. As was our custom back then, the first guy at the bar bought the first round . We were on our second cocktail when Carmelita walked in and sit next to Charlie, and said; hi baby would you like to shoot dice? So the evening games began, and when I left to go home a couple of hours later Charlie was ahead by about two grand.
Next night I got to Chets about 5 PM, and Charlie got there about 515. I asked him; how did the game ended up last night? Charlie never said a word, just reach into his pocket and pulled out a roll of hundred dollar bills that would choke a horse ! He chuckled and said, I got her for 5K kid ! I’m buying the drinks! About 20 min. later, Carmelita came slinking in ,( she was a gorgeous lady ) took the stool next to Charlie and says ; hi baby, want to play some dice? So Charlie ordered a fresh round of drinks and the game began. They were playing boss dice, and the best hand you can get is five sixes. They rolled the dice to see got the first call, and it was Charlie. So on his first roll he elbowed me and whispered look at this kid ! He had a pair of five showing and three in the hole, for a total of five fives. Carmelita had one six on her first roll took a look under her dice cup after her second roll, and said to Charlie; would you like to up the ante? Charlie said; you bet, and grabbed that roll of Franklin’s out of his pocket and set it on the bar. Carmelita asked him how much is there honey? Charlie said; all I won last night, and she said you’re covered baby, lifted her dice cup and there but lo and behold was four more sixes for a total of five !
I heard the air go out of Charlie in a big whooosh , then he turned to me and said kid do me a favor. I says sure Charlie, what is it that you want? To which he replied; pull this bar stool of my butt ! ! Charlie said I knocked the bottom of my pocket getting to that roll of hundreds! !
Sadly, Chet’s place was gutted by fire in January of 1995 early one morning due to an overheated refrigeration compressor. Every time I pass that building I can still see Charlie’s face turning white, and Carmelita setting there smiling that sweet smile of hers, and Charlie asking me to pull the barstool out of his butt . Great memories of times long gone never to be seen again , what I would not give to do it all over again.
