On July 12th at 8PM ET/PT, Sundance Channel will air the U.S. Television premiere of ‘Toots’ a documentary that takes an in-depth look into the life of Toots Shor, the legendary, self-made Manhattan saloonkeeper who became the unlikely den-mother to the heroes of America’s golden age, including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Joe DiMaggio and former mob boss Frank Costello. The film explores this unapologetic American man and takes a fascinating look at the evolution of New York City from Prohibition to its post-WWII heyday as well as the city’s – and Toots’ – devastating decline in the 1970s. The film is narrated by Toots himself and directed by his granddaughter, Kristi Jacobson, who captures his unique charm as well as his gruff sense of humor. The New York Post called the film “ a vivid portrait of the city’s most colorful and arguably best-known restaurateur… a well-deserved toast to a quintessential New Yorker” and the New York Times called it “A first-rate portrait.. Cheers to Ms. Jacobson for keeping alive the memory of New York nightlife’s golden era, and a man who embodied it.”
From the moment he poured his first drink, Shor’s saloon was the home-away-from-home for scores of America’s most illustrious athletes, writers, entertainers, politicians and gangsters. For over thirty years, Toots was an icon, one of the figures who made New York the “Big Apple.” He believed that “a saloonkeeper is the most important person in a community,” and built not just a saloon, but a brotherhood. “Drinking hard” was usually required, and loyalty, friendship, or “palship” as Toots called it, reigned supreme.