The Man With the Dazzling Smile

Hudson has gained notoriety for various reasons in its more than two century history, and it has produced (or attracted) its share of unusual characters. A prime example is the Hudsonian who, in the summer of 1938, was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not because he had real diamonds set in his teeth.

 

Bob Ryan is described in Ripley's as a restaurateur who "never turned away anyone hungry." No clue could be discovered about why Ryan chose to adorn his teeth with diamonds, but the story of his appearance in the newspaper cartoon panel doesn't end there. 

It seems a man named J. R. Hardy, who lived in Dallas, was an avid fan of Ripley's Believe It or Not, reading it every day, and "The Man with Diamond Teeth" interested him particularly. The Dallas Daily Times Herald for July 10, 1938, tells the story.

Reading Robert L. Ripley's daily "Believe-It-or-Not" has long been a pleasant habit with J. R. Hardy, 3308 Reed Street, but not until recently did it begin to pay more than informative dividends.

Several days ago, Mr. Hardy read about Bob Ryan, a cafe man in Hudson, N.Y., who has real diamonds in his teeth.

Mr. Hardy ran away from his home in Hudson when a young boy and lost touch with his family years ago. He decided that the diamond-studded cafe man might be able to trace his relatives.

And, believe-it-or-not, as Mr. Ripley says, Mr. Ryan did recall that Mrs. Clifford Rivenburg of Hudson was a niece of the Dallas man. It was a simple matter for her to send Mr. Hardy a letter telling of his sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth _____, resides in Eden, Md., and Mrs. Robert Thomas, _____ville, N.Y. 

Mr. Hardy has not seen his sisters for forty-four years, and says that he will visit them this summer.

Thanks to Paul Barrett for discovering this story and sharing it with Gossips.
COPYRIGHT 2016 CAROLE OSTERINK