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Unflappable: Whitney Reed Part 4

C. F. Stewart

Tennis players, the world-class variety, did not earn a bundle of money practicing their craft in Whitney’s day—to make an understatement. Unlike today’s players, they didn’t have coaches, trainers, and publicists.

They had patrons of sorts, and every once in a while a player would fall into a situation that was too good to believe. Like when Whitney flew in a military aircraft from Palm Springs to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a tournament.

Whitney had just won the Palm Springs Invitational. He was sitting at the famous Bamboo Bar in the Racquet Club having a few beers with an actor named Charlie Farrell, who, along with another actor named Ralph Belamy, founded the club.

In its heyday the Racquet Club was a Hollywood hangout. The Bloody Mary was invented there. Marilyn Monroe was discovered there.

Suddenly Whitney realized that he had missed his connection out of Palm Springs International Airport. Farrell said no problem.

He made a phone call and the next thing Whitney knew, he was on an aircraft with Air Force markings heading for San Juan. Charlie Farrell must have thought that a trip to San Juan sounded good, because he brought along a woman friend for…

C. F. Stewart

C. F. Stewart

C.F. Stewart writes biographies of interesting off-beat characters who are irreverent, and a bit on the shady side, like Whitney Reed, the touring tennis player who could have been one of the best, but preferred to drink beer and gamble with Wimbledon pub dwellers — instead of performing on center court for the Duchess of York. The same touring tennis player who boarded a plane for Australia to play in the Australian Championships — and forgot his racket and tennis shoes. And when all his contemporaries’ retired to the TV booth or had knee replacement surgery, he continued to play at a high level well into his 60’s. To order Unflapable, the Life and Times of Whitney Reed, Click Here . To find out about my other books, Click Here .

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