Rocky's Sports Bar fixture had brush with Hollywood
Published Wednesday December 17th, 2008
SAINT jOHN - War vet Frank R. Tait, a regular at Rocky Sports Bar since the uptown eatery and drinking establishment first opened its doors 14 years ago, was a "perfect gentleman" who is going to be missed by patrons and staff alike, says co-owner Jackie Rocca.
"Frank was here every day, twice a day," she recalled Sunday. "He would come for his lunch and then he would come back later in the evening, and sometimes for supper.
"He hardly ever left before midnight."
Rocca recalled how Tait, over several weeks, once told her his entire life's story.
It included how he won the Wilhemenia Bronze Medal for Bravery while serving in Holland with the Carleton York Regiment during the Second World War, and wonderful accounts of his brief flirtation with the Hollywood film industry after his return to civilian life.
Wanting to be an actor, he told her, his trip to California started with a visit to MGM movie mogul Louis B. Mayer, who had his childhood roots in Saint John.
"(Frank) had a screen test and he was waiting to make a film with Jessica Tandy, with whom he was very close," Rocca said. "But his father got sick, so he came home to help his mother. He never got the money to go back to Hollywood."
He also spent time in the company of the legendary Jimmy Stewart and Shirley Temple.
Tait, who lived on Smythe Street in recent years, died a week ago at the Saint John Regional Hospital.
He was 89.
After spending years in Ottawa and Fredericton, where he enjoyed a multi-faceted career as a federal and provincial civil servant, as well as working in real estate, he retired to the city he loved, Saint John.
Always well-groomed and dressed to the nines, in a sports coat and most often a tie, his friendly, courteous and kind manner made him welcome wherever he went.
"He was just a perfect gentleman," Rocca said. "When he was 85, we had a big party for him. He totally enjoyed it. All the patrons came and put cards in a box for him. We were planning a 90th in April. Everybody was kind of looking forward to it.
"And he always came in New Year's Eve and danced with all the girls," she added. "If he didn't show up for a day, one of the girls (from the bar) would call up to see if everything was all right. When he had a fall a couple of years ago, they called an ambulance to take him to hospital."
Born in Saint John on April 23, 1919, he was the youngest child of the late Hugh and Elizabeth (McKechnie) Tait.
He was predeceased by his sister, Elizabeth Thurber, and his brother, Hugh M. Tait.
His survivors include several nieces and nephews and a close-knit group of friends.
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