Dennis was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Growing up in a house of insanely competitive know-it-alls, Gary discovered a way of getting some parental attention by developing his passion for New York City history as well as for movie history.

At the dinner table, it was not just who was loud enough, but who knew the most. Gary was/is loud and knows enough. Gary devoured New York City history books along with the biographies of movie stars, writers, directors, and producers of Hollywood’s “golden age.” Gary was probably the only kid on the block who had heard of Irving Thalberg.

Gary also cultivated a deep appreciation and knowledge of Vaudeville theatres, movie palaces, the architects who designed them, the significance of each theatre, and their locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

After working as an actor, Gary turned his “day job” into a full-time passion. As Gary said, “I did not want to smell like food, like too many other actors who waited tables, so I took a job that involved one of my greatest passions, movies.”

Gary eventually owned one of New York City’s largest independent and best (New York Magazine Best of New York 1997) movie rental stores, Movie Place, which was one of New York City’s original independent video stores. Under Gary’s guidance, Movie Place became a longtime favorite video store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

During 23 years of business, Gary developed one of the most extensive film inventories of any store in the country, with a library that included one of the best collections of American film, from early silent pictures through the Golden Age of Hollywood to the rise of the American independent film industry. The store also boasted one of the most comprehensive foreign film collections in the country.

In 2005, with the Movie Place as his calling card, Gary launched a one-man effort to rename West 103rd Street Humphrey Bogart Place, in honor of the late actor who grew up there.

In his argument before Community Board 7, Gary pointed out that Mr. Bogart was not only the internationally recognized face of American film but a product of the Upper West Side as well.

Gary’s efforts paid off with not only a street renaming (a big deal in this city) but a plaque on the townhouse memorializing the structure as the childhood home of Mr. Bogart.

A ceremony was held on June 24, 2006, hosted by Gary and attended by various New York City commissioners, elected officials, and (most importantly) Lauren Bacall and her son, Stephen Bogart.

For his efforts, Gary was the subject of numerous articles in The New York Times and was honored with “The Westie” award given by Manhattan Media (publisher of The Westsider, Our Town, and other weekly newspapers around Manhattan*).*

Despite this wonderful addition to the neighborhood and the acclaim it brought to the store, Movie Place became the victim of greedy landlords fueled by the raging real estate boom in the city. In December 2006, Gary was forced to close the business.

Since then, Gary, called a “film scholar without portfolio” by The New York Times, has become licensed as an official New York City tour guide, which is just a formality since he has been lecturing for years to anyone who’ll listen about every corner of this great city.