Introduction to Whiskey Road
The tales of Parkey Sharkey: a once-famous cabbie from Palo Alto, California who *almost* became a Hollywood movie star
It is estimated that perhaps thousands of people knew Parkey Sharkey as a hard drinking cab driver, one-time prize-fighter, almost-movie actor, writer of letters to newspaper columnists, frequent guest “star” on radio and TV shows, and the author of this book, Whiskey Road which he not only self-published, but sold for a dollar... or two beers. He would sometimes even give away copies to fellow drunks, like my mom’s dad who was a regular at the long paved-over Reno Club in East Palo Alto, California. The book was an instant classic in dingy saloons and cocktail lounges from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Born in Vancouver, B.C., his family moved to Palo Alto in 1917 when he was five years old. As a kid he was an unrepentant rapscallion. Arnold “The Terror of Palo Alto” Sharkey and his small “pirate gang” of hoodlums had many run-ins with the cops. Parkey even got busted for stealing the mayor’s car and going for a joyride. After eventually winding up in reform school he decided to go straight and live a respectable life. It never quite worked out that way.
Forever at odds with the law, Parkey often found himself in jail or standing before a judge. He was once hauled in as part of a ring of six cabbies who would “clip” U.S. servicemen for as much as a pint of whiskey, in addition to their fares, at a “bootleg joint” on El Camino Real in Redwood City. The activities of these men came to light when a 14-year-old San Jose girl was picked up for public intoxication and revealed that she had purchased liquor from one of the cabbies who operated the illegal bar.
There was a day in the dim past when Sharkey was hailed as the brightest (boxing) prospect ever. His right-hand punch was so terrific it could break an egg. He even looked great on his back.
Parkey’s early reputation was that of a boxer, which came in handy when dealing with unruly cab passengers and for moonlighting as a bouncer. After a particularly rough and tumble brawl one night, a nightclub patron hired the bruiser as his personal bodyguard. The pair flew to Tijuana and while bar hopping Parkey wound up being slipped a “mickey.” When he came to, he was lying on the ground next to his boss, who had been robbed of his cash and killed by a blow to the head.
After sneaking back into the U.S., he reported the crime to San Diego police, and the guilty party was found, arrested, and soon convicted of second-degree murder. The press this case received resulted in Parkey coming to the attention of Hollywood; being offered film roles and making his first appearance on Groucho Marx’ hit show “You Bet Your Life.”
It was rumored that Mr. Sharkey had been a Golden Gloves champion. According to newspaperman Jack Griffin, “Arnold Sharkey would have been middleweight champion of the world, except he was knocked out eight fights in a row, and several boxing commissions openly discouraged him from continuing such a distinguished career.” And Sportswriter Bud Spencer said this about the pugilist: “There was a day in the dim past when Sharkey was hailed as the brightest prospect ever. His right-hand punch was so terrific it could break an egg. He even looked great on his back.”
Parkey went on to become a somewhat-renowned bar room philosopher and an uncommon voice for the common man. In truth, he was a hapless dreamer who longed for superstardom, and his appearances on “You Bet Your Life” whet his appetite for fame. He got considerable mileage from recounting the story of the time he sued Ty Cobb for refusing to pay a 15 cent parking fee. Parkey won in court, collecting $1.50 court costs plus the 15 cents the baseball legend owed him.
His one-man taxi company serviced all of the bars on the outskirts of Palo Alto, a notoriously dry college town back in the day, and he advertised it as: “Going any place, from Palo Alto to Tokyo, via the great northern circle route. We also give bodyguard service, foot rubs for the ladies, as well as standard pick-up and delivery service. And if you have had one too many we can get you home in one piece.”
Parkey was a man who never really took himself too seriously, and for that he was loved. “Parkey’s greatness,” according to Harry Lee “Memphis” Ward, “stems from his ability to write with a vital and human ruggedness. His illiterate writings touch the mind and heart of everyone.”
At the time of his death, he was “living in exile” in Redwood City, California, having left his hometown for good. He died of heart failure in the emergency room of the San Mateo County General Hospital on Sept. 20, 1969. He was 57 years old.
This little book is an amazing piece of California history. Buy yourself a copy.
These excerpts from the book Whiskey Road by Parkey Sharkey are published by Powerless Press™ and Chapin & Wardwell Book Publishers.
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