A Ride In Murray Jacobs Broadway Cab

By Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

"My name is Murray Jacobs and I know, I know I 'm 77, but I know I look like I 'm 76," begins the www.Broadway.tv profile of a exceptionally unique man. Few experiences are as varied and colorful as a ride in a New York Taxi cab. Like the landscape of Broadway itself, New York Taxi drivers are an ever-evolving living landmark. Well, landing by chance into the cab of Broadway cabbie Murray Jacobs on the day we launched Broadway Magazine in Times Square was synchronicity of the first order.

"If you drive one of these," Murray says of his cab, "there 's always going to be a story." As the video shows, Murray is a first-rate raconteur. After our initial meeting, I resolved to stay in touch with Murray as he 'd passed along several stories of famous fares that he ' d driven. He even had a list of names of stars, a veritable menu of celebrity stories available first-hand and on-demand. Through subsequent exchanges, I began to learn that Murray is a gifted writer as well. Weaving stories directly from his encounters in his cab, he 's written tales both of the famous, and even more interestingly, the not-famous individuals whose colorful lives have intersected with his.

In his video profile, Murray recounts the lively stories of driving an older and heavier Marlon Brando around the city, the jokes he shared with Chita Rivera ("I said, four dollars a lesson three times a week, I could teach you how to dance"), and he fondly remembers Broadway great Gregory Hines, who gave Murray tickets to his show after pleasant ride. As he talks about the passing of Gregory Hines in the video, it becomes clear that each fare, famous or not, has made some impression on him.

He loves what he does. "My son says to me, ' Dad, when in the f-n are you going to retire?'. As soon as the city calls me and says they 're finished, no more construction, no more, the city 's finished-I& #39;ll retire. So Howie 's going to put the cab next to my gravestone and I can work two nights a week and no one will ever see me," laughs Murray.

A Broadway fan, he counts A Chorus Line and Jersey Boys as his favorite shows. Driving among a street dotted with American flags, Murray Jacobs reflects on the magic of Broadway, " When they come from Idaho Falls, Idaho or if they come from Lyons in France, the Broadway Theater is one of the icons of the United States." Well, Murray, I believe the same could be said of you. Thanks for the ride. Watch the full video profile right here on www. Broadway.tv .