Bronx Gangs Documentary Diary

November 11th 2007:
Back to the Ducky - Fall 2007

Wow. Another blog -- things must be starting to heat up!

Well, last Sunday we headed "Down the Ducky" again - This time with one of our favorite ex-gang members: Kevin B. You may remember Kevin from our blog entry entitled "Two Ducky Boys in a Ducky House".

Kevin & I have kept in touch afterwards, and he has been quite a wealth of knowledge and contacts for this documentary. Not only was Kevin in the gang, his older brothers Jimmy & Frankie were "Ducky Boy Hall-of-Famers" (if there were such a thing - there isn't -- And I hope I don't get abused too much for coming up with that concept LOL). Kevin is also a really nice guy who lived on my block and i wish I knew him back in the day. But I'm happy to know him now..

Anyway, we had this whole thing planned where we would have a few Ducky Boys join us in Bronx Park/Botanical Gardens (aka "Down the Ducky") on Saturday as another mini-reunion. But unfortunately the forecast for Saturday was lot of rain - so, we rescheduled for Sunday afternoon...Which didnt work out for the other Ducky guys...

So it was just Kevin B, my trusty (and sick) cameraman Leon, and myself... But it didn't matter as it was a beautiful day to be in the Botanicals, and we managed to get some great new stories from Kevin in the places where they actually happened... We also may have uncovered some new Ducky Boys too!

As always in these blogs, I don't want to give too much away, but heres some teaser pictures for you...

Some Ducky folk will know the stories behind em -- please email me at jameshannon@lantern-media.com and tell me more!

Pictures that tell a story

Is that the Botanical Gardens tram? Might it be on its way over to the Twin Lakes?

There's the rock over Twin Lakes! Under the Twin Lakes bridge

Lincoln Rock-Botanical Gardens Geri wants me to call it "Makeout Rock" - but Being that I'm in the pic with Kevin, its just simply Lincoln Rock or "Lookout Rock" ok?

Botanical Square - Metro North I know I've seen another version of this pic

Bond Bread anybody? Don't send Kev! Shhhh, they'll see us!

Heres a few other Bronx places that we passed by that day that may or may not have been Ducky Boy specific

Botanical Square	Over the Metro-North tracks (Zap, bang, oh Shi----)	St Philip Neri Church
Lincoln Rock from the front	2007 pic of Kevin's house	Side Shot of Lincoln rock
Frankie Frisch field	Frankie Frisch field & the 52nd precinct behind it	Leon Leybs - my sick, yet trusty cameraman (and good friend for putting up with me)

And here's some scenic shots of the Botanical Gardens from that beautiful Fall day... It really is worth the trip there!

(By the way, I've gotten asked a few times already so I'll put it here - All of these pics were taken with the Canon Powershot A630 which is a great camera thats not too expensive. Luck, nature & great natural lighting helped tremendously)

Well, that was my latest blog - Hope you enjoyed the pics and stories - and if you knew the stories without me telling you, please email me and be a part of the documentary.

As always, thank you for reading these blogs and keep those comments coming in to
JamesHannon@Lantern-Media.com

-=James

A repeat request for my current and ex-Bronxite Readers I'd also like to put out a request for any old video clips or pictures from the Bronx -- particularly if it relates to the following: Botanical Gardens & Bronx Park The Fordham Road to Gun Hill Road section between Webster & Jerome Avenues. Anything related to Bronx Gangs of the 1960's - particularly the Ducky Boys. Here's the deal: We're poor independent film-makers and really can't pay you for these clips & photos, but if you contribute something that I can use in the final product and you are willing and able to sign the proper release forms, here's what you will get in return: Two passes to the premiere of the documentary to be held in NYC. A DVD copy of the final Bronx Gangs documentary. Your name prominently displayed in the credits of the documentary as a contributor. Our undying gratitude.