Moe Threatens Prank Caller: The Infamous Red Tapes

In the 1980s, a series of prank calls made to the Tube Bar in Jersey City, New Jersey, gained notoriety for their outrageous and threatening nature. Dubbed 'Red Tapes' or 'Tube Bar Tapes,' these unofficial copies of the calls were shared among staff members of several major league sports teams, including the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Miami Dolphins.

The pranksters, later known as Bum Bar Bastards (BBB), would make calls to the Tube Bar, asking to speak with various non-existent customers. The bar's owner, heavyweight boxer Louis 'Red' Deutsch, would often answer these calls himself, unaware that he was being pranked.

Deutsch would respond to the pranksters' requests by uttering threats and insults, sometimes offering rewards of $100 or $500 if they would show up at his bar in person. However, the BBB never took him up on this offer. Instead, they continued to make their calls, often using puns and homophones for offensive phrases as gag names.

The pranksters would ask Deutsch to call out these fictitious names, such as 'Pepe Roni' (pepperoni), 'Hal Jalykakick' (how'd you like a kick), 'Phil Mypockets' (fill my pockets), 'Al Coholic' (alcoholic), or 'Mike Hunt' (my cunt). When Deutsch caught on to the prank, he would respond with extreme hostility, using profanity, obscene sexual references, and threats of physical harm.

Despite the BBB's efforts to avoid detection, the Tube Bar prank calls were eventually recorded and circulated widely on duplicated cassette tapes. The popularity of these recordings may have even inspired a long-running gag in The Simpsons.

The Red Tapes or Tube Bar Tapes are a testament to the creativity and audacity of the Bum Bar Bastards, who managed to outsmart the bar's owner and his staff for years. While their pranks were often offensive and threatening, they remain an infamous part of American pop culture history.

Moe threatens prank caller