CITYCIDE: Veteran promoter wants to return 'Niagara Falls' to 'Superstar' status

By David Staba

January 18, 2005

You want to believe.
You hear the plans, the talk of someone doing things in downtown Niagara Falls that make perfect sense, and hope that what's so obvious to outsiders looking in can become reality.
In a city that's seen ambitious plans crash and burn for nearly half a century, though, you wonder if it really can happen here, if someone can finally find a way to turn one of the world's great tourist attractions into a money-maker for anyone but New York State.
"Where else can you go where you've got 20 million tourists every year, and you're broke?" pondered Frank Parlato, the Buffalo real-estate magnate, during a reception Saturday night in the lobby of the former Occidental office building, better known as the "Flashcube," at the foot of the Rainbow Bridge. "It's time to change that thinking."
Parlato threw the wine-and-shrimp fete for the first major new tenant of the long-underutilized building with the big hole in front of it, which a group he led purchased late last year. Venerable entertainment promoter Peter Bennett is taking offices on the eighth floor, with plans in the works to put together a concert series at the former Wintergarden and to open a nightclub in the penthouse of the old Oxy building.
Bennett, whose nearly half-century career in promotions includes stints working for the Beatles and Elizabeth Taylor, the Rolling Stones and John Wayne, said rebuilding the identity of Niagara Falls, N.Y., is Job One.
"I told somebody I was coming here, and he said, 'You mean Canada?'" Bennett told the Niagara Falls Reporter. "I said, 'No, in New York.' He said, 'Is that still around?' This place has to be promoted. I feel so bad to see what's happened here. This city has to be brought back and reintroduced to the world."
Pictures of Bennett arm in arm with John Lennon, Elvis Presley and the very young Rolling Stones lined the windows of the lobby. The gathering included Wintergarden owner Smokin' Joe Anderson, whose facility (now known as Smokin' Joe's Family Fun Center) can seat 1,500 or so for Las Vegas-esque entertainers like Tony Orlando and Tom Jones; former Erie County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon, who helped engineer Parlato's purchase of the building and is a partner in the venture; Jack Mesi, father and manager of unbeaten-but-in-limbo heavyweight boxer Joe Mesi; and, of course, politicians. Plenty of politicians.
Mayor Vincenzo V. Anello's central theme was, surprisingly enough, those vile "naysayers" who terrorize the city.
"The biggest thing you have to fight every morning is the cynicism that's developed here," Anello told the party guests. "But people from outside can see that things are happening in Niagara Falls."
Anello mentioned New Year's Eve, when more than 1,000 people attended separate parties thrown by Smokin' Joe and the Seneca Gaming Corp. at the new conference center in the former Falls Street Faire, while another 450 kids celebrated at the old Wintergarden, before bemoaning the lack of press coverage for the events.
"There were a lot of people having a good time in Niagara Falls, and we kept it a secret," Anello said. "That's why we need people like Pete Bennett."
While some politicians tend to blame those they serve for their "negativity" (See also: Elia, Irene), much as crummy bosses blame unhappy employees for morale problems, Bennett stressed the need to give people something to be happy about.
"You can't blame the people," said Bennett, who said he's a distant cousin of singer Tony Bennett and who bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Paul Sorvino. "They look around and see the stores closed, and they see the empty lots. But there's so much potential here."
At a point in life when most people start looking for retirement locales, Bennett -- whose business card identifies him as "Starmaker" -- sounded invigorated by the opportunities in Niagara Falls, as well as the obstacles to overcome.
"I've always been challenging -- that's what I do," Bennett said. "This place is still known, but I have to promote it back up to 'superstar.'"
His entertainment career began at 15, when he landed a gig playing drums for Tommy Dorsey. His band, Pete Bennett and the Embers, had a minor hit in early 1961 with their version of "Fever," a song originally recorded by Little Willie John and covered repeatedly, most famously by Peggy Lee in 1958.
Bennett said he got into the business end of show business by campaigning for airplay for the productions of a fledgling Detroit label called Motown, and later promoted hit records for the likes of Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. He also worked for British Invasion acts like the Animals, Herman's Hermits and the Dave Clark Five, parlaying their success into a concert-promotion business that put on shows throughout the United States and Canada.
Named the No. 1 promoter in the entertainment industry by "Billboard" magazine in 1972, Bennett co-promoted the Concert for Bangla Desh, a 1971 show put together by ex-Beatle George Harrison that was the first big all-star benefit concert, serving as the model for events like Live Aid.
Now based in Greenwich, Conn., and with offices in Hollywood and London, Bennett said Niagara Falls makes a natural addition to his territory.
"You're so close to Canada, the air is great here, and it's really not that far from New York City -- it's an hour-long plane ride away," Bennett said. "If you give people a reason to come here, they will."
He believes the growth of the Seneca Niagara Casino will create a market for the concert series he's planning, as well as the proposed high-end nightclub in the Occidental Building.
"Niagara Falls doesn't have that kind of dance club, and Buffalo doesn't, either," Bennett said. "But they have them in New York, Florida, all over, and you find a lot of them in office buildings."
Parlato called Bennett's arrival a key part of his plan to make the property, long a gaping wound on the city's psyche, a foundation of its revitalization, providing tourists with necessities and entertainment, while giving local entrepreneurs an opportunity to serve those visitors.
"If anybody knows anyone who wants to make a fortune next tourist season, have them come see us," Parlato told the assemblage.
Saying he wants to have the 40-foot-deep hole in front of the building filled before summer, Parlato said he wants to fill and surround the building with vendors catering to the needs of the millions who visit the American Falls every year.
"The men and women who attend to (the tourists) will profit," Parlato said, adding that anyone interested can call 563-3872 for more information. "They don't have a hard time figuring that out on the other side of the river."
Such optimism coursed through the evening, the light of future possibilities cutting through the dark haze of history and present-day reality.
Of course, overcoming the decades of corruption and ineptitude that conspired to strip Niagara Falls, N.Y., of its place in the international consciousness will take a lot longer than one night, or one tourist season.
Still, you want to believe. And after decades of empty promises, grandiose plots and outright scams, there just might be a reason to do so.
David Staba is the sports editor of the Niagara Falls Reporter. He welcomes e-mail at dstaba13@aol.com