ABSTRACT
By Soviet standards, Odessans were poorly housed but reasonably well fed and provided with better than average access to education. In addition, residents could enjoy a rather wide variety of entertainment geared to all ages and tastes. The newspapers of Odessa competed with each other for prestige and perks. The producer-cameraman worked for Odessa television for thirteen years, from 1960 to 1973, that is, almost since the introduction of television there in 1957. Sports, several interviewees mentioned, were encouraged as an innocent pastime that kept young people away from objectionable pursuits. In the USSR, chess is considered a sport, and a very important one at that. The chess player provided some information about the Chess Club of Odessa, one of the country's most important chess centers. The author sources' vivid descriptions of life in Odessa were supplemented by one man's account of life on the high seas. He was an Odessan musician on a Soviet cruise ship sailing the Pacific.
