Chicago Tribune
Even the names of the lodgers at Nanny Crosby's boarding house sing: Numb Finger Pete, Shakey Winfield, Mr. Lucious, Ol' Po' Carl, Sweet Tooth Sam and Small Paul.
Even better are the stories of these denizens in the rambling rooming house where actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson grew up in the '50s and '60s, the setting of his memorable, musical memoir "Lackawanna Blues" (7 p.m. Saturday on HBO).
Nanny ran her house as a haven for black Southerners, mostly outcasts, misfits and the disabled. They usually arrived at her door, we're told, from prison, the mental hospital or church.
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