Some lives are inspiring, yet others are not. Everybody has a story. This is Ty Taylor’s.
Things were going great for the ambitious newsboy until he hit a speed bump. Grace, a beautiful dancer eager to break into Hollywood stardom. She had everything Ty thought he wanted in a girl. Stacy his close friend and confidant was everything he needed.
* * *
Ty sold the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper in Gaslight Square. You probably never heard of him, but he knew influential people. He couldn’t have predicted how important Grace and Stacy would be to him. They both had a big impact on his life but in very different ways. Ty was personable and did favors for many of the club owners. Because of his contacts, he easily floated from one club to another and soaked in all the entertainment. He a student of the Square knew the history, which he used to endear himself the club owners and the performers.
From the stodgy '50s to the mod '60s, many up-and-coming comedians and singers gained valuable exposure in the St. Louis clubs. Venues like the Gaslight, Golden Eagle, Natchez Queen Riverboat, and the jazz and blues clubs attracted beatniks, artists, and wealthy customers.
The Victorian-style architecture added to the mystique and grandeur of the Square named for its streetlamps. Ty knew this history and aided the club owners by encouraging them to use church pews, chandeliers, recycled stained glass, and marble bathtubs to decorate these ornate buildings. Brothers Dick and Paul Mutrux, considered to be pioneers of the Square, were the first to recognize the benefits of Ty’s suggestions for their club called The Gaslight. Ty reaped the profits from his advice.
Ty at eighteen lived the high life, like nothing he ever imagined. His hopes were coming true with no worries and no end in sight. He had saved more money than he ever expected. Still, he needed a stash of cash to fulfill his dream of becoming a successful businessman. Ty first met Grace, as she stepped on the sidewalk outside of the Crystal Palace.
“Haven’t seen you around here?” He winked.
Grace smiled. “I just started dancing here last week. I’m a singer too.”
“Ty’s my name. I’d be happy to show you around town.” Offering her his hand, “you might need a tour guide.”
Grace turned to leave. “I’ll let you know. I don’t plan on being here long. I’ve got my eyes set on Hollywood.”
“Big ambitions.” Ty leaned against the building. “I know people. I might be able to help you.”
“Big dreams take big ambitions.” She stopped. “Who do you know?”
“All the club owners and most of the entertainers.”
She hesitated. “Meet me at Peacock Alley tonight at seven. . . I’m Grace.” Then she waved and sashayed down the street.
They met that night as planned and had an immediate connection. Ty was hooked. He spent as much time with her as possible. Trying to impress her, he dug deep into his savings, spending money he earmarked for his dreams. Grace loved being pampered and felt she deserved the best. Ty adored her, and she knew it. He forgot about his dreams to live hers.
Stacy seen Ty fall for someone before, he was an all in type of guy. She could see Grace captivated him, but could she be trusted to be kind to his heart. Stacy wanted to caution him, but he wouldn’t listen.
Three weeks later, Grace met him in the afternoon at Forest Park. Ty showed up early anxious to show her all the sights, but she had another agenda.
“Ty, I’ve got a great opportunity that I can’t pass up.”
His face beamed with excitement. “That’s great! What is it?”
“A Hollywood movie contract. I leave next week.” She frowned. “I know it’s unexpected, but it’s too good to pass up.”
Shocked by her announcement, his shoulders drooped. “What about us?”
“We’ve had a great time, but you knew I never wanted anything permanent. I told you my dreams.”
“But, I . . . I thought we had something special.”
"We do, and I'll always remember you, but I can’t stay.” And with that, she turned and walked away.
That’s when he realized, Grace seemed happy to share his money, but not her dreams. Flat broke and broken-hearted, he thought his life was over. Ty’s dive into the bottle was hard and fast. A year had passed before a friend helped him recover and believe in himself.
Stacy recognized Ty spiraling downward. She had seen him at his best and now his worst. They met when he wheeled and dealt his way around the Square, months before ever he laid eyes on Grace. They hung out together but only as friends. She washed dishes at the Roaring Twenties, working her way through college, not a flashy entertainer like Grace. At first, Stacy may have appeared plain, even dull, until you got to know her. She was a law student at Washington University, highly intelligent and not dull. Ty's dynamic personality attracted Stacy but she worried about his lifestyle and the change after he split with Grace.
Stacy cornered him after breakfast. He had already been drinking heavily. “Ty, you don’t seem to be yourself.” Stacy narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Making up a reason to see him, she said. "Okay. I'm off early today. Can you help move something in my apartment?"
Ty never refused to help a friend. “Sure. What time?”
“I’m finished here at noon.” She set the dishcloth down. “Can you meet me out front?”
They met, and he helped her rearrange the furniture in her apartment, then they talked for a long while. Stacy made a point to keep Ty busy so she could keep an eye on him and to make sure he didn’t have too much time to think about his problems. In time Ty straightened out his life, thanks to her. They became close, more than casual friends.
His sobriety only lasted until Grace re-entered his life. Hollywood came to town to shoot an episode of Route 66in Gaslight Square. Grace had a part in the episode with her new director boyfriend, her chance to make it big. Ty found out through his business contacts that Grace had a part in the show. He discovered a way to get a bit part on the show. He thought it might be his chance to reunite with Grace.
Big crowds gathered to watch the filming, even celebrities in town, like Miles Davis, Dick Gregory, and the Smothers Brothers, came to watch the production of an episode of the popular series.
At a break in the filming, Ty approached Grace. “Nice to see you again. It looks like things are going well for you.”
“Oh! Ty!” Grace looked over her shoulder. “Yes, Hollywood is where I’m meant to be.”
"Do you have time for coffee?" Ty shrugged his shoulders. “We could catch up on old times.”
“I’m so busy. Trace and I moved in together last month. He’s my director.” Grace took a drag off her pink cigarette. “He’s working on getting a part for me in a movie being shot in Spain.”
"That's great," Ty said, feeling lost for words.
Stacy waved at Ty then walked toward him. Grace put her hand on her hip and said. “Someone’s looking for you.”
"That's Stacy. She's a friend. You may know her from when you danced at the Roaring Twenties. She worked in the kitchen.”
“I didn’t know the kitchen staff,” She tossed her hair. “ . . . we had so little in common.” Grace smiled. “Sorry, I need to go and study my lines. Nice to see you again."
Ty felt shunned and embarrassed. Grace never spoke to him again. He expected her to be different, but not aloof. Stacy took his arm, but he pulled away and told her he needed some time alone. Ty had forgotten how Stacy saved his life.
She left him alone for months as he returned to the bottle. Stacy didn’t want to be the one who pulled him out of the gutter again. He would have to ask. His drinking got worse day by day.
She would see him on the street and do her best to talk with him. “Ty, people are asking about you.” Her eyes were tearing up. “You’re still needed. Don’t let the drinking ruin your reputation.”
“I--I don need nobody. Leave me . . . to my . . . own self.” His mumbled speech accented by the wobbled walk showed Stacy he wasn’t ready to help himself.
Stacy worried about him and wanted to help, but she knew she couldn't save him unless he wanted to be saved.
Months later Ty walked into the kitchen a different man, clear-eyed and confident.
"Stacy, I know I don't deserve your friendship, but I need it. It' been a month since I had a drink. I'm determined to stay clean, but your support would make it easier."
“Ty, I’ve been waiting months to hear you say that.” She dropped the dish towel and hugged him. “I’ve always been your biggest supporter.”
Ty realized he needed her, and now he knew she felt the same. He never again drank.
Life got better for Ty and Stacy. They became a couple that supported each other in every way. Ty never lost his passion for business and continued his path to success. He and Stacy were married after she graduated from law school. The wedding was a grand affair. The club owners pitched in to support their friends.
The downfall of Gaslight Square started in 1964 with the murder of Lillian Heller in the lobby of her apartment. Crime quickly spread. Ty could see the downward spiral of the glitzy venues.
Ty, a businessman at heart, saw an opportunity. He wasn’t educated, but he had street smarts, and with help from Stacy he negotiated a sale for of the gaslights to Six Flags St. Louis. The profit from this deal funded his dream, a manufacturing business that produced gaslight fixtures called Light the Night. The movie moguls were his most prominent clients. Price never appeared an issue. He and Stacy have traveled all over the world promoting their business to the movie industry. In all that time, they never saw Grace, but read about her in the Hollywood times. The story followed the path of the once aspiring actress who could no longer find a job on a movie set except as a dishwasher. Life falters as quickly as it soars.
