The Jim Craine Show

The Jim Craine Show

Steel Pier Stories: Tony Catanoso, Atlantic City Memories and the Alumni Reunion

Summary

Steel Pier at the Center of the Conversation

The episode is anchored in Jim Craine’s long connection to Atlantic City and Steel Pier, where he says he worked from 1963 to 1973 in jobs ranging from game barking to running the diving bell and caring for the diving horses. He uses those memories to introduce guest Tony Catanoso, whom he identifies as the current owner and operator of Steel Pier. Their conversation blends personal history with the modern-day operation of the pier. Craine repeatedly describes Steel Pier as formative to his career in entertainment and broadcasting. He also promotes an upcoming Steel Pier alumni reunion for former employees, performers, Tony Grant participants, Ed Hurst participants, and longtime fans of the pier.

Tony Catanoso on Today’s Steel Pier

Tony Catanoso describes a busy summer day at Steel Pier with families enjoying the attractions. He discusses the pier’s food outlets, games, rides, helicopter operation, bars, event spaces, and large climate-controlled observation wheel. Catanoso says the wheel is 227 feet tall with 40 gondolas and explains that it can operate in both warm and cooler weather. He also describes weddings, engagements, gender reveals, bar mitzvahs, reunions, corporate outings, and other private events held at the facility. The Ocean Reef Bar, Sandbar, wheel deck, beach access, and views of Atlantic City are highlighted as distinctive parts of the current pier experience.

A Family Business and a Long Operating History

Catanoso explains that his family came from North Wildwood and that his own path into amusements began through an insurance agency that wrote amusement insurance. He says those contacts led to go-kart projects and eventually to an arrangement at Steel Pier in 1992. According to Catanoso, the family’s lease was repeatedly extended and the property was ultimately sold to them in 2011. He says the family is now in its 36th summer operating Steel Pier and believes they are the longest-running operators in the pier’s history. Catanoso describes the role as being a torchbearer for an iconic brand and says the stories and memories shared by visitors remain a meaningful part of operating the attraction.

Atlantic City Memories, Woodstock, and the Moon Landing

Craine uses the interview to revisit several moments from his youth and early working life. He recalls being scheduled at Steel Pier during the Woodstock period and explains that taking a day off in those days could mean losing a seasonal job. He also tells a vivid story about working the diving bell during the moon landing, when the pier was crowded and his boss told him to announce to everyone that people were on the moon. Craine remembers the crowd cheering and connects that memory with the many entertainers who appeared at Steel Pier. Elsewhere in the episode, he talks about attending the Beatles in Atlantic City in 1964, leaving shortly after “Twist and Shout” because of the volume, and remembering the city’s rich entertainment history.

The Alumni Reunion and Diving-Horse Legacy

A major focus of the program is the Steel Pier alumni reunion scheduled for August 23. Craine says former workers, performers, divers, Tony Grant alumni, Ed Hurst participants, and fans are invited, and he mentions several people he hopes will attend. He discusses the history of the diving horses and says a woman who wrote The Last American Diving Horse will be present and selling her book. He also mentions former diving-horse performer Terry McDevitt and describes plans to raise funds connected with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. The segment emphasizes the reunion as a way to preserve stories from earlier eras of Steel Pier while bringing those communities together again.

South Jersey Events, Music, and Community Promotion

Beyond the featured interview, Craine fills the episode with South Jersey community announcements, sponsor mentions, music-shop promotion, jokes, and live music. He congratulates the Atlantic City Beach Patrol on winning the South Jersey Lifeguard Championships and promotes an upcoming Beach Patrol alumni gathering. He also mentions events at Gardner’s Basin, Wheaton Village, the Ocean City Music Pier, and the Smithville Italian Festival, while repeatedly encouraging listeners to support local businesses. Pleasantville Music Shop serves as the live setting for the broadcast, and Craine discusses its long history, instruments, vinyl, lessons, guitar service, and his own recordings. The episode closes with upcoming guest teases, an invitation to subscribe through BBS Radio TV, and a closing theme centered on music, memories, laughter, and returning for the next show.

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The Jim Craine Show

Title: Back on the Boardwalk: A Radio Return Filled with Atlantic City Memories

Summary

A Celebrated Return to Radio

Jim Craine opens the program by welcoming listeners to a new Saturday-afternoon broadcast from Pleasantville Music Shop near Atlantic City. After years away from regular radio, he describes his excitement about returning to the air in his 51st year in show business. The episode establishes a relaxed, live-party atmosphere built around comedy, music, local guests, audience interaction, and classic entertainment. Craine also previews future appearances by performers and personalities including Jon Provost, Deana Martin, Frank Ferrante, and comedians from his long career in show business.

Supporting the Jersey Shore Community

A major theme of the episode is the importance of supporting locally owned businesses. Craine highlights Pleasantville Music Shop as a long-running, family-operated store offering instruments, school rentals, vintage guitars, pianos, drums, keyboards, and vinyl records that customers can hear before buying. He also acknowledges area restaurants, Copiers Plus, Maplewood restaurants, the Dr. Jonathan Pitney House, the Colonial Inn, Smithville businesses, and other regional sponsors. His comments frame the show as both an entertainment program and a continuing spotlight on the people, restaurants, events, and small businesses of South Jersey.

Upcoming Events and Boardwalk Attractions

Craine shares several upcoming entertainment and community events, including the Happy Together Tour at the Ocean City Music Pier, Lucy the Elephant’s birthday celebration in Margate, and a Steel Pier alumni reunion scheduled for August 23, 2026. He invites former pier employees, performers, dancers, ushers, game workers, food-service workers, and longtime visitors to attend the reunion. He also discusses the Italian Festival in Smithville, where he and the Atlantic City All-Stars have performed for many years. These announcements reinforce the program’s close connection to the boardwalk, the Jersey Shore, and Atlantic City’s live-entertainment culture.

Stories from a Life in Show Business

Much of the broadcast is devoted to memories from Craine’s decades as a singer, lifeguard, entertainer, and bandleader. He recalls working with Red Skelton, opening for Connie Stevens, appearing with Rich Little, singing at a Phillies game, and participating in a 1983 juvenile-diabetes telethon. He remembers Red Skelton signing hundreds of autographs and explaining why performers must remain gracious to their audiences. Craine also directs listeners to archival performances, interviews, concerts, and career-retrospective material available under the spelling C-R-A-I-N-E.

Steel Pier and Atlantic City Entertainment History

Craine offers an extended account of his years at Steel Pier from 1963 to 1973, where he worked as an usher, cared for the diving horses, operated the Diving Bell, and absorbed lessons from generations of entertainers. He remembers seeing or encountering Chicago, Jay and the Techniques, Tommy James and the Shondells, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Pat Boone, Duke Ellington, the Bee Gees, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Chet Atkins, Herman’s Hermits, The Monkees, Sam Cooke, The Temptations, The Supremes, and a young Michael Jackson. He presents Steel Pier and Atlantic City as places where popular-music history, variety entertainment, boardwalk culture, and personal opportunity came together.

Music, Comedy, and a Personal Farewell

The episode is punctuated by musical recordings, produced announcements, audience reactions, and a series of short jokes. Craine shares performances of “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody,” “On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City,” and “Over the Rainbow,” dedicating the closing song to mothers. He thanks his wife, Joanne, for being his partner for 35 years and invites listeners to return for future guests, calls, comedy, music, and community features. The broadcast ends as a warm introduction to the show’s intended style: nostalgic but lively, rooted in Atlantic City history, and centered on enjoying the personalities and stories behind classic entertainment.