Three-dollar Beers Have No Place in Times Square!

The Midtown Real Estate Barons, incensed that the Theatre District is still sneaking in cheap booze and eats in under their very nose, has forced the closing of the Sam's, the latest in a domino chain of death that has led to the demise of JR's, McHale's and Barrymore's. April 20 was the final night for the place.

All four were one-story, modest bar/eateries that lent aid and comfort to the working rank and file of Broadway, and all four lied within a one block area stretching from the north side of West 45th Street to the north side of W. 46th near Eighth. It's already known that McHale's—currently covered is ugly black masking from tip to toe—will be replaced by one of those condo towers made for Pod People Who Suck. The shadow forces that are buying up the block to the south, however, have not revealed themselves or the nature of Their Sinister Plan. Word on the street, however, is the power behind the many snuffed candles is none other that the Shubert Organization, whose fostering of a healthy theatre environment does not apparently extend to restaurants where theatre professionals can afford to eat. Nice short-sightness, Fat Cats!

Next to close will probably by Frankie and Johnny's, the steakhouse that dates back to the speakeasy era, or Puleo's. Both are neighbors of Sam's. A few more boarded-up storefronts and the area will begin to look like it did in the 1970s.