283:. The magistrate in Canada said he would release him if Brodie denied making the jump. While Brodie unconvincingly denied this at first, he subsequently retracted this denial when told to swear to it, telling the magistrate, "No, I'd rather rot in jail than swear to a lie. I did go over the falls. Do with me as you please." His feat was questioned by some, which highly incensed him.
367:, with the bulk of his estate left to his eldest daughter, Irene Brodie, in trust until his other two children came of age, at which point it was distributed equally. His estate comprised around $ 75,000 (equivalent to $ 2,746,800 in 2023) in real estate and roughly $ 30,000 (equivalent to $ 1,098,700 in 2023) in cash. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
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backed his account of the jump and said that Brodie practiced for the leap by making shorter jumps from other bridges and ships' masts, and that it was witnessed by two reporters. He leaped into the East River, feet first, and emerged uninjured, though with pain on his right side. He was jailed after
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at a height of 222 feet into the Hudson River. He earned $ 500 (equal to $ 16,956 today) for the stunt, and contemporary reports differ on whether he escaped serious injury or was seriously injured in the stunt. Shortly afterwards, he was quoted as saying that he was "not disposed to try
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By July 1886, Brodie was penniless, having lost a fortune on race tracks and other betting games. With the consent of his wife, the jump supposedly made by Brodie on July 23, 1886, was from a height of 135 feet (41 m), the same as a 14-story building. The contemporary
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or simply the story of "Brody's" jump. At the end, Bugs says to the old man, "And that's why Steve Brody jumped off the
Brooklyn Bridge. Anything more you want to know?" and the old man replies, "Nope. That's enough, son. I'll buy it". Bugs then breaks the
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Brodie was known to give to charity, such as during the difficult period of the 1890s when he would give away food including bread and sausages, as well as coffee from his cafe to the needy and homeless. Thousands of people benefited from his generosity.
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around the city. In his youth, he was credited with many rescues from the water, such as of two young women who fell from an excursion barge. He is also known to have rescued actress Jennie Rhett, who presented him with a gold locket for his bravery.
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Brodie, who was unemployed and aware of the publicity generated by Odlum's fatal jump, bragged to his pals on the Bowery that he would take the jump. Wagers were made for and against, but Brodie never announced when he would make the attempt. The
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and survived. The supposed jump, of which the veracity was disputed, gave Brodie publicity, a thriving saloon and a career as a performer. Prior to this, he was penniless, having lost significant sums of money on betting and race tracks.
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fashion, of course; in the episode Brodie's name is spelled "BRODY" on a plaque on the bridge in the spot where "Brody" supposedly jumped from). It's never mentioned in the cartoon whether or not Bugs was trying to sell the old man the
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Brodie's fame persisted long past his death, with Brodie portrayed in films and with the slang term "Brodie"—as in to "do a Brodie"—entering
American vernacular, meaning to take a chance or a leap, specifically a suicidal one.
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said that he probably did not make the jump. McCullough said that it was commonly believed by skeptics that a dummy was dropped from the bridge, and that Brodie merely swam out from shore and surfaced beside a passing barge.
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If true, he would have been the first person to have jumped off the bridge and survived, but his claim was disputed. It was subsequently claimed that a dummy was thrown from the bridge and that Brodie fell out of a row boat.
516:: "And next day she would read in the paper where Esther Harvitz, twenty-two, honors graduate of CCNY, had taken a Brody off some bridge, overpass or high building." Pynchon also used in
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reported in 1930 that a retired police sergeant and friend of Brodie, Thomas K. Hastings, said that Brodie had told him that he didn't make the leap and never said he did.
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described Brodie as a "newsboy and long-distance pedestrian" who jumped from the bridge to win a $ 200 bet, equal to $ 6,800 today. In other accounts he is described as a
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said in 1986, the 100th anniversary of the supposed jump, that two or three people jump from the bridge every year and some live. Only one month after Brodie's jump,
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and appeared personally in musical shows, and his character was used many times in film depictions of old New York. He starred in a three-act play titled
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A Bowery storekeeper named Isaac Meyers claimed that he encouraged Brodie to jump off the
Brooklyn bridge after Brodie said that he wanted to be famous.
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On the town in New York: the landmark history of eating, drinking, and entertainments from the
American Revolution to the food revolution
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played
Blanche Livingstone, the girl he rescues and then falls in love with. The play culminated with Brodie jumping off the bridge.
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The bridge, then known as the East River Bridge, had opened just three years before Brodie's claimed jump. A swimming instructor from
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During the 1890s, Brodie was compared unfavourably to one of the best
British champion divers and bridge jumpers of the era,
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jumped from an even higher point of the bridge, making him the first confirmed survivor of a
Brooklyn Bridge leap.
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During the 1890s, Brodie was compared to one of the best
British champion divers and bridge jumpers of the era,
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suggesting that Burns' dives put Brodie's and other bridge jumpers' efforts "in the shade", while the
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Doubt whether Brodie actually made the claimed jump arose immediately and has lingered to this day.
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Defying
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was inspired by Brodie and climaxes with the lead character, Hop Kelly, completing the dive.
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which presents a fictional account of Brodie's dive. Years later, an actor named
803:"Stephen Brodie - The Highest Leap On Record". Fitchburg Sentinel. Nov 12, 1888.
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522:: "...my best guide to the Trystero has taken a Brody." It also appears in
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account said the jump was from a height of about 120 feet (37 m).
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with a wink as the old man starts counting money into Bugs's hand.
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used Brodie's name for his movie stage name. In the 1946 noir film
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suggested Burns was "greater than Steve Brodie of bridge jumping".
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one more time he was going to take a brody off the House's roof."
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tells an old man the story of the Steve Brodie jump (in typical
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94:(December 25, 1861 – January 31, 1901) was an American from
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171:, was killed while attempting the same stunt in May 1885.
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Batterberry, Michael; Batterberry, Ariane Ruskin (1999).
532:: "McDade bitched at the meeting that if he had to watch
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620:. The Paterson Weekly Press. April 4, 1901. p. 4
618:"Picturesque Career of the Famous Bowery Character"
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934:. Dubuque Daily Telegraph. Mar 30, 1901. p. 6
716:"Isaac Meyers Dies; Says He Told Brodie to Jump"
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405:George Raft portrayed Brodie in the 1933 movie
279:In 1889, Brodie was arrested when he dived off
861:. Evening Tribune. January 15, 1897. p. 6
839:. Baltimore Express. August 5, 1893. p. 3
815:"No doubt that he went over as first reported"
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331:After the jump, Brodie opened a saloon at 114
214:Another account holds that Moritz Herzber, a
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773:"Did Saloon Owner Actually 'Pull a Brodie'?"
593:. The Evening Record. Feb 2, 1901. p. 4
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559:. Oxford University Press US. pp. 33–.
534:Nightmare on Elm Street XXII: The Senescence
271:On November 9, 1888, Brodie jumped from the
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1167:Deaths from diabetes in the United States
883:. Providence News. Feb 1, 1901. p. 3
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1068:. New York: Little, Brown. p. 825.
817:. Reading Eagle. Sep 1, 1889. p. 10
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688:"Steve Brodie — Daredevil Or Hoaxter?"
506:The phrase "taken a Brody" is used in
386:Brodie became a popular symbol of the
1137:20th-century deaths from tuberculosis
497:The disastrous 1965 Broadway musical
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1147:Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)
122:Brodie was born on the east side of
959:. Psychology Press. pp. 150–.
686:Williams, Jasmin K. (Nov 5, 2007).
429:), a taxi driver, when asked about
714:Associated Press (June 20, 1948).
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1043:. New York: Bantam. p. 114.
1093:Steve Brodie's Bar, Then and Now
16:American folk figure (1861–1901)
932:"Steve Brodie leaves $ 100,000"
771:Larry McShane (July 24, 1986).
1157:American vaudeville performers
1064:Wallace, David Foster (1996).
1029:Harper, New York, 2005, p. 135
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741:"Steve Brodie's Career Ended"
1172:Tuberculosis deaths in Texas
1132:20th-century American people
1127:19th-century American people
440:The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
273:Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge
992:Retrieved December 27, 2013
556:A new dictionary of eponyms
553:Freeman, Morton S. (1997).
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1007:W. W. Norton & Company
990:Internet Broadway Database
903:""Steve" Brodie's Funeral"
206:Steve Brodie's bar on the
453:, Brodie is portrayed by
319:, and opened a saloon in
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1152:History of New York City
1039:Pynchon, Thomas (1966).
837:"A Britisher's Big Dive"
647:"A Leap From the Bridge"
96:Manhattan, New York City
55:Manhattan, New York City
1001:Soden, Garrett (2005).
591:"An Interesting Career"
396:Robert Neilson Stephens
276:bridge-jumping again".
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1142:People from Manhattan
720:Youngstown Vindicator
379:Lithograph promoting
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169:Charlotte Odlum Smith
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35:Steve Brodie, c. 1885
1041:The Crying of Lot 49
524:David Foster Wallace
519:The Crying of Lot 49
881:"Steve Brodie dead"
144:Alleged bridge jump
910:The New York Times
747:. February 1, 1901
745:Baltimore American
654:The New York Times
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371:In popular culture
353:San Antonio, Texas
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185:The New York Times
165:Robert Emmet Odlum
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74:San Antonio, Texas
1025:Pynchon, Thomas.
966:978-0-415-92020-9
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68:(1901-01-31)
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1122:1901 deaths
1117:1861 births
751:October 29,
492:fourth wall
474:, in which
471:Bowery Bugs
295:, with the
293:Tommy Burns
287:Competition
267:Other jumps
226:Controversy
112:Tommy Burns
1111:Categories
916:29 October
660:29 October
540:References
476:Bugs Bunny
421:(starring
408:The Bowery
210:circa 1886
188:the jump.
118:Early life
82:Occupation
47:1861-12-25
725:April 24,
699:April 24,
572:April 25,
460:In 1949,
313:Mad Money
194:bookmaker
190:The Times
972:24 April
938:July 29,
887:July 29,
865:July 29,
843:July 29,
821:July 29,
788:25 April
624:July 30,
597:July 30,
468:cartoon
450:Park Row
357:diabetes
778:The Day
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388:Bowery
333:Bowery
307:Acting
208:Bowery
163:named
139:Career
124:Bowery
76:, U.S.
57:, U.S.
906:(PDF)
650:(PDF)
500:Kelly
443:. In
347:Death
335:near
153:Odlum
85:Actor
1070:ISBN
1045:ISBN
1011:ISBN
974:2011
961:ISBN
940:2021
918:2010
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727:2011
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599:2021
574:2011
561:ISBN
425:and
365:will
359:and
315:and
257:NYPD
255:The
63:Died
41:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
