Early original vintage Real Photo Post Card (RPPC) shows a band called RUDY BUNDY AND HIS ORCHESTRA. It is hand-signed at bottom right by Rudy Bundy (see scans).

For many years this was the home of Rudy Bundy, a nationally known bandleader during the big band era who brought his 12-piece orchestra to Sarasota in 1940 to be the casino’s opening act.

The Rudy Bundy Orchestra was the first big-time band to hit Sarasota since the Great Depression and they were an exciting act to listen to and watch. They had played the Palace Theater in New York and also headlined in nationally known clubs around the country. Their music was carried coast to coast on CBS and the Mutual Broadcasting System and they were recorded by RCA Victor.

One of Bundy’s fans who would become a lifelong friend was circus boss and would-be musician (he played the sax), John Ringling North, president of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. North, who loved to party into the wee hours, hit on the idea of opening an upscale nightclub with Bundy as the “draw.”

Bundy, who had started playing professionally in the 1920s, gave up his band – but not his clarinet or his music – in 1954 and devoted himself for quite some time to the circus; North had asked him to be his assistant and treasurer. He would later be vice president.

Real Photo Post Card measures 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches and is in very good condition with light surface and edge wear (see scans). There are no bends, tears, or creases.  Back has an address no message and is postmarked CLEVELAND OHIO 1935.

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