Jeffrey Lyons recalls his father, New York glitterati & memories in book

Their names recall a bygone era in New York City — Sardi’s, the Stork Club, El Morrocco and “21.”

Back in the 1930s, 40s and 50s those nightclubs were where movie stars, writers, politicians and athletes went to see and be seen.

For 40 years New York Post columnist Leonard Lyons covered that scene for his popular syndicated column, The Lyons Den.

Now in his second book dedicated to his father, “What a Time It Was: Leonard Lyons and the Golden Age of New York Nightlife,” three-time Emmy-award winning film critic Jeffrey Lyons has compiled more of his father’s columns and anecdotes that recall the movers and shakers of that time.

“I owe the fact that I speak fluent Spanish to Ernest Hemingway,” Lyons said. “He taught me how to fire a gun and took me to Jai Li games.”

Read the full story on our sister site, Shelter Island by northforker.