Ruth Weisberg's untold story
Book, play depict life of Frank Rizzo; his former radio co-host reacts
She was 33 and pregnant when she sat opposite former Mayor Frank Rizzo as his radio-show co-host, and for years Ruth Weisberg had the best seat in the house, each and every day.
Yesterday, Theater Exile closed the curtain on the play "Rizzo," by local playwright Bruce Graham. It ran for 3 1/2 weeks at Christ Church Neighborhood House (20 N. American St.), in Old City.
The play chronicles Rizzo's life as he prepares for his 1991 mayoral campaign, and is largely based on the best-selling book and biography The Last Big Man in Big City America, by former ESPN reporter and former Inky scribe Sal Paolantonio.
Weisberg, a Philly native, was Rizzo's co-host in 1988 and '89 on the WCAU-AM radio (now WPHT) call-in show "Frank Talk with Frank Rizzo." He was double her age, and the two traded jokes and jabs and discussed the hot topics of the day.
"Frank was used to being a guest, but never a host," Weisberg said during a recent interview. She held the reins during the program because she knew the technical and programming aspects of the show, which even aired in Canada.
When she started, Ruth said, she knew of Rizzo, but had never met him.
"He's so massive. He was like Herman Munster in a really nice suit," she laughed.
"He's enormous, but I'm little. I'm neat, sweet and petite. And I would remind him. I would wave my little index finger and say: 'Remember, Frank, I can shut you up with one little flick of my finger. Because I control the boards. I run your mic. I can turn you on and off.'
"He liked people who stood their ground. If you were ambiguous or vague or a kiss-up, he could smell it. But if you stood your ground - and you didn't have to agree with him, but if you were firm in your convictions - he liked that."
One thing Ruth found puzzling about Paolantonio's book was that it goes into great detail about Rizzo's family tree, his background and his life experiences, yet fails to mention the radio show at all.
"There's not even a whiff of a mention of me," she said.
"It's like writing a book about Johnny Carson and leaving out Ed McMahon, or a book about Howard Stern and not even mentioning Robin Quivers."
Like Ruth, "Frank liked to run a tight ship," she said.
"Whether it's a city, a police station, the way he dressed was impeccable and crisp - he was very clean and orderly, like he would always have a legal pad and four precisely sharpened pencils - all lined up facing the same way - before the show."
As for the play, Weisberg said she thought it was an accurate depiction of such a controversial character.
"Rizzo" delves into the former mayor's time from beat cop to police commissioner to two-term head of the city.
In his posture, mannerisms and speech patterns, actor Scott Greer aptly captures Rizzo's complexity, effortlessly illustrating the persona and unfiltered opinion of the man who was both revered and reviled by so many.
Greer, originally from Atlanta, has lived in Philly since 1992, more than half his life. He said he read Paolantonio's book and was instantly taken by the Rizzo persona.
"It's hard not to be compelled by the story of a high-school dropout who becomes the mayor of the fourth largest city in the most powerful country on the planet," Greer told me.
"I learned a lot about Philadelphia through Frank Rizzo's story and Sal's book. I jumped at the chance when offered the part."
Ruth said that she and Frank rarely had guests on the show, but people were clamoring to get their 15 minutes of fame.
One time they had on Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, the civilian crime-fighting group that worked to combat violence and crime in New York City subways. Eventually, the Angels spread to other major cities, including Philadelphia.
"All 5 feet, 3 inches of me, yet I'm controlling this massive board," Weisberg said. "To the right of me is Frank, to the left of me is Curtis, and I'm just watching the best ping pong match ever.
"Frank, for some reason, just took a shine to Curtis Sliwa. They bonded, and I think Frank saw a lot of himself in him. [Sliwa] was a tough-talking kid of the street, trying to restore street justice, and with a lot of bravado and a lot of street talk. He talked tough, and Frank talked tough."
Rizzo died in 1991, three months after winning the May Republican primary in a return bid to become mayor.
Weisberg now lives in Narberth, where she works as a voiceover narrator, coach and teacher. She produces and stars in her own cable and Internet talk show, "Storytime and Show 'n Tell with Miss Ruth." It airs Monday nights on Verizon, Comcast and YouTube.
"One of the best things I learned from Frank is knowing when to be observant and quiet," she said.
"As full of bravado as he was, and as bawdy as he was, he also knew you could smoke out somebody just by narrowing your eyes, 'cause they'll invariably hang themselves."
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