Having just moved to New Orleans from Texas, I am wondering about the origins of the "Brooklyn-ese" accent that seems to be prevalent in this area. Does it have anything to do with New Orleans being a port city?

Ann

Dear Ann,

There are numerous theories that try to explain why many of the locals in the Big Easy sound a lot like folks in the Big Apple. But your guess is probably among the most popular. During the 1800s, many of the same ethnic groups immigrated to both cities.

One group that came to both places in large numbers was the Irish. Experts have suggested that the immigrants spoke European languages or spoke with a Gaelic accent. Because of their difficulty in pronouncing certain vowels and consonants, "t" became "d" as in "dis," "dese," and "dose"; and "oi" was pronounced "er." So we put "erl" in da car and "berl" da crawfish. In New Orleans, as well as in Brooklyn, we go to "woik" and keep "apperntments." And when we want to know where something is, we "axe" directions, such as "Which way to da terlet?"

Hey Blake,

My 84-year-old father is looking for information on his brother, who was a somewhat famous jockey in the 1920s and '30s. His name was Paul McGinnis. My father seems to recall that his brother Paul won the 1928 Louisiana Derby. Is he correct?

Brian McGinnis

Dear Brian,

There was a jockey by the name of McGinnis who rode here in New Orleans, but like most folks and horses in this uncertain business, he didn't make a lasting impact at the Fair Grounds. Those horses, jockeys, trainers and owners who have distinguished themselves in the Crescent City have been inducted into the Fair Grounds Hall of Fame.

The 1928 Louisiana Derby was run on March 24. In that year, the race was held at the old Jefferson Park track. The day was cloudy, but the track was fast. The winner in the 1 mile and 1 furlong race was a 3-year-old colt named Jack Higgens, owned and trained by W. Curran. The winning jockey was C.E. Allen.

We watched as Allen steered Jack Higgens to a win of more than a length over second-place Beauregard and the heavily backed favorite Time Maker.

Although McGinnis was up on several horses that day and during the entire 28 days of racing at the Spring Meet at Jefferson Park, he did not ride at all in the fifth race, the Louisiana Derby.

Hey Blake,

I was wondering if you could give me any information about the Famous Theater that was on Claiborne and Marigny? I know it was a nightclub in the early 1980s.

Saadir Williams

Dear Saadir,

There is always a great interest in the old neighborhood theaters that were just about everywhere in New Orleans. Today we have only the Prytania, but a little more than 10 years ago, there were two neighborhood houses in New Orleans still standing. One of them was the Famous Theater at 1538 Marigny St. The first Famous was built in 1913, and the second erected on the same site in 1926.

The movie palace was one of the largest in the city -- aside from the likes of the Saenger, Loew's and Orpheum -- with a capacity of 1,500. And to everyone's relief, in 1935 it was also one of the first suburban theaters to be air-conditioned.

In 1956, the theater was taken over by Rene Brunet, and while he was manager during the 1950s and '60s we went to see films starring James Dean and Elvis, and the beach movies of Frankie and Annette. And who could forget the live performances of Al Hirt and other great musicians of the day?

Times were changing and Brunet and the Famous Theater changed as well. In the early 1970s, the star to see was Cantinflas, as the theater shifted to Spanish-language films. Then in the mid-1970s, the building was sold. Opening as a disco and then a nightclub, the Famous made a brief comeback before closing its doors permanently.