1918 was the year that World War 1 ended, and the Night Club Era Began.

Overview
From the start of the 1920s, to the end of the 1950s, Night Clubs were a central part of most of the Western World's Culture. I am not referring to restaurants, or ballrooms. Night Clubs were very different, -they offered an intense experience. The entertainment tended toward adult fare, and "Booze" was central to the experience. They were glittering places, decorated in Silver, Art, and Glass. The decor alone was worth the price of admittance. It was a total experience.

There was always a 'cigarette girl' dressed in a short skirt, toting a tray with various brands of cigars and cigarettes, and very often a 'camera girl' was also in attendance. Waiters, dressed in tuxedos, served up exotic-looking drinks. There were chorus lines of luscious beauties, and bands that could make the music come alive. Above all, there was an electric atmosphere that said something wonderful was happening.

Night Clubs dominated American entertainment for most of the 20th century. Every city and little 'burg', coast to coast, had some sort of Night Club where party go-ers could enjoy a one stop night out on the town. These clubs were also a wonderful venue for new talent, -crooners, dancers and comedians honed their craft while entertaining the customers in venues that ranged from local Lounges to the big Main rooms.

It was a very unique era in America. Despite war and the economic depression, dressing up and stepping out was a way of life for millions. It was acceptable to refer to a young lady as a "Broad", and smoking and drinking were good for you.

But the Night Clubs also had their dark side. As fronts for organized crime, they served up illicit liquor, concealed illegal gambling, and laundered dirty money, -all in the name of "a good time". Their legacy is stained with blood, marred by scandal, and steeped in racism.

So let's slip a "sawbuck"* to the Maitre d', pass on by the velvet rope, order up a dry martini, and savor the Night Club years. (* Sawbuck - $10.00 in American Slang.)

Hundreds of thousands of young Americans had served in France during World War 1. Many of them flocked to see fabulous shows at all the famous Paris establishments. The Moulin Rouge (where Toulouse Lautrec first made his famous sketches), and the Cafe de Paris were basically large arenas where variety acts were presented. For less than a 'buck' (US$1) soldiers could sit and buy fine wine, eat a good meal, and watch exciting shows featuring scantily clad show girls.

American Night Clubs were conceived during 'prohibition', raised in the Jazz Age, and grew up to the Big Bands and Swing era. Before then, small Dixieland Jazz groups could be heard in local clubs, but anything that could be called a Night Club was very rare up until the late 'teens. Night Clubs were in swank hotels, such as the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, and the St. Regis in Chicago. There, patrons could get a nice meal, and a good value show.

The 1920s and Prohibition

Then, on Jan. 20, 1920, the U. S. Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Prohibition raised the roof on the status quo. Prohibition ran counter to American culture; drinking was impossible to stop. As fast as agents closed legitimate shops, new places - "Speakeasies" - opened up all over town. It was estimated that, at the era's peak, there were in New York City alone, between 20,000 to 100,000 Speakeasies. New Yorkers well knew that "You can't get drunk in New York City unless you walk 10 feet in any direction." With competition so fierce for the public's money, Speakeasy owners began to offer entertainment along with their illicit booze.

And the 'Twenties' roared! The booze flowed like water. Dixieland Jazz bands were playing their infectious brand of Jazz. Music was everywhere. Women cut their beautiful long tresses and 'bobbed' their hair, as this lovely 'Flapper' with "cupie bow lips". Then, the ladies put their new Bobbed hairdo inside of "Cloche" Hats". The girls hiked their skirts (as this flapper in a Cola Advertisement, rolled down their stockings, and were dancing in Speakeasies everywhere. (Joan Crawford starred in a film called "Our Dancing Daughters".) (It was also the start of feminine drinking of "strong spirits".) It was the age of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. Artist John Held's cartoons were everywhere.

One of Held's most enduring images was his ca. 1920 sketch of a 'Flapper'. The sobriquet came from young women who casually wore their galoshes unbuckled, creating a noisy flapping sound which called attention to themselves. This sketch shows the bobbed hairdo, the hiked skirt, rolled down stocking, and 'flapping" galoshes; the style of young ladies during the 'Roaring '20s'. John Held Jr was b: Jan. 10, 1889, and d: March 2, 1958, NJ, USA, of complications due to Throat Cancer. Held's cartoons illustrated the pages of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story collection "Tales of the Jazz Age", and many covers of America's top magazines such as Judge, Puck, Vanity Fair, Life, and McClures.

One of the first Speakeasy owners to offer a line of chorus girls was the irrepressible "Texas" Guinan. (She always greeted her customers with a friendly "Hello Sucker".) Born Mary Louise Guinan in Waco, Texas, 1884, Her career began as a gun-slinging cowgirl in the early "B" Western silents. When her career faltered in Hollywood, she came to New York hoping to find theater work. She first found work as a hostess in some local Speakeasies, but soon opened her own place and became known as the Queen of the Night Clubs, operating in complete defiance of the law. One of her tricks was to put a lot of Perfume on her hand, and whenever a gentleman shook her hand, he had the aroma of her perfume following him all day long.

Another well known Speakeasy owner was the dapper Jimmy Walker, Mayor of New York City (and one time lyricist). Jimmy "the well dressed man" was not much of a Mayor, but many New Yorkers liked him. There was a lot of corruption in the city and Walker was good to his friends. Needing someone to manage his own clubs, Walker chose an equally dapper gentleman by the name of Billy Wilkerson. Walker gave him a couple of Speakeasies to manage, and Wilkerson took to the job immediately. The operations depended on a good supply of Imported whiskey. The only way to get it was from 'gangsters'. That meant getting involved with the mobs, along with 'pay-offs' to city officials, -and Mayor Jimmy facilitated all that.

But Gangsters weren't content with just supplying the booze, they wanted to get some of the 'action', and they conceived of, and financed perhaps the most fabulous night club of all time. With Prohibition in full swing, New York City in the 1920s was a city of law breakers and money makers. One of these was a savvy young immigrant, Owney Madden. He got into the liquor business early on with a brewery on 23rd Street and 10th Avenue. Through that, he went into Night Clubs.

It was really quite simple. Owney would walk into a club, and after a short 'conversation', the owner suddenly found he had a partner. Years before, Owney had been convicted of killing a rival gangster. For that, he received a sentence of 10-20 years in Sing Sing Penitentiary, and continued to control his Brewery business from prison. In 1923, shortly after being released from jail, he took over Jack Johnson's place and transformed it into the Cotton Club. It would become the Mob's most prominent showplace. All of "White" America had to be seen there.

The original Cotton Club, was at 644 Lenox Avenue, in New York (at West 142nd Street and Lenox Ave.). Former heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson first opened the club in 1920 as the Club Deluxe. Then, Owney Madden took it over, and in 1922 changed it's name to the Cotton Club. The club's manager in the early 1920s was Don Healy, and the stage manager was Herman Stark. the club had an "all-White" policy, - only the performers were Black. In the Fall of '23, the club opened with a high stepping line of the most beautiful "sepia skinned" chorines. The shows had the best choreography, and soon everyone was coming up to Harlem. Here's the Front Cover of the Cotton Club Menu. Oh, -Here... let me light your cigar with a match from this little Box of Matches, here on the table. During it's years of operation, the Cotton Club spawned a generation of top flight talent. In 1927, Duke Ellington's orchestra was hired, and was replaced a few years later by Cab Calloway's band. It was at the Cotton Club that a young 16 year old Lena Horne began singing. Duke Ellington discovered that one of the showgirl dancers, Adelaide Hall, had a beautiful singing voice. Her first fame came when she sang the Obbligato on Ellington's recording of "Creole Love Song" (composed by the Duke's trombonist, Juan Tizol). The club even had the finest composers writing music for the shows, such as composer Jimmy McHugh, and Lyricist Dorothy Fields (Readers may wish to peruse our "Harlem Reverie", page for much more information on the wonderful Harlem Clubs of the 1920s and '30s.)

After the 1935 race riots in Harlem, the area was considered unsafe for Whites (who formed the segregated Cotton Club's clientele and the club was forced to close (February 16, 1936). It reopened in September 1936, downtown on West 48th Street, in premises that had formerly housed the Palais Royal, and Connie's Inn (1933-'36); the Cotton Club continued to operate at this location until June 1940.

The musical and social tempest that was New York City in the 1920s spawned a great many other clubs. Since they all sold illicit booze, the 'stuff' was coming in by the boat load. With so much profit to be made, it was inevitable that mob got organized. The board members of this new order were some of the most successful, and vicious, mobsters in the country. Frank Costello, Joey Adonis, Meyer Lansky, Benny (Bugsy) Siegal (of 'Murder Incorporated' fame), and top boss Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Their domination of bootlegging eventually caused them to gain control of some of the most famous clubs in America, -from New York City to Hollywood, and finally to the Night Club paradise of Las Vegas. But, it was the Impresarios who would make these clubs 'sparkle' in a decade of innovation.

Mob influence in Night Clubs spread all throughout the '30s. If there was a Night Club (of any value), in any little town, anywhere in America, it was owned by the mob. It is interesting to note that some stars claimed they were the best bosses they ever worked for.

One of the nightclub owners who successfully avoided a mob take over was a young impresario from Boston, Lou Walters (TV star Barbara Walters' father). Born in London, England, he emigrated to Boston, MA, and became a Talent Agent. He took over an abandoned church and turned it into a Night Club, -The Latin Quarter. It would become the first of a string of clubs that would make Walters a star in his own right. The club had lots of atmosphere, pictures of Apache Dancers on the walls, brick walls, candles stuck in empty bottles, and such.

In the 1930s, other clubs would soon rise to great fame. The Stork Club (3 East 53rd. St. in New York) was one of them. It was owned by Sherman Billingsley (an ex-bootlegger himself). His friend, newspaper columnist Walter Winchell was soon promoting the club on his radio show. Winchell called the club "New York's most New York-iest Spot". Here's the Inside Page of the Stork Club Menu, from which diners picked their favorite meal. Of course, the Sirloin Steak is always delightful, but I would suggest the Shad Roe with Bacon. This is the season when the Shad return to New York's own Hudson River, and the city has it's very own fishing industry at this time of the year. The Roe is really fresh and tastes great.

A little later, a young crooner from New Jersey would go on to rule in the world of Night Clubs for years to come, Frank Sinatra. His ties to the mob have since been well documented. (Sinatra often referred to the clubs as "Black Tie Saloons".)

The 1930s and Hollywood

On October 29, 1929, the good times came to a screeching halt. A Variety headline reported "Wall Street Lays An Egg". Within weeks, America, and the world, began slipping into the great economic depression. But there was one place that seemed immune to the financial crisis -Hollywood. The booming movie industry made for a cash rich economy.

In 1930, the young speakeasy operator, Billy Wilkerson, arrived in Hollywood with the idea of publishing the first West Coast Entertainment Tabloid, - 'The Hollywood Reporter'. It met with immediate opposition by the studio Moguls who were not used to being criticized. However, they soon realized that it was also good publicity, with items about their Star's comings and goings being seen in various Night Clubs.

Depicting luxurious Night Club scenes in the Movies became de rigeur for the studios. Lavish settings and beautiful chorus girls were welcome distractions for a nation mired in the economic depression.

Perhaps the most popular venue by far was the converted grand ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel, - called the Cocoanut Grove. It first opened in April 1921, and attracted the Social elite and movie stars alike. Stars like Sophie Tucker, and Bing Crosby would sing to a packed house. It would continue as Los Angeles' best nightclub well into the 1960s. Still, big clubs like the "Grove" were too accessible to the general public, where Stars could be mobbed by eager fans.

1930s

The Plantation Cafe

In 1921, comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was on top of the world. But it all came crashing down that same year when a starlet named Virginia Rappe, became ill and later died following a wild week-end party, hosted by Arbuckle, at San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel. A scandalous affair, the press made it front page news throughout three trials, with the first two ending in hung juries, and an acquittal in the third. It is now thought Rappe died as a result of a botched abortion, with Arbuckle being victimized by the tabloid press seeking to sell newspapers. Whatever -Arbuckle's career was ruined.

Arbuckle launched his 'Plantation Cafe', on August 2, 1928, in Culver City, CA. ( 11700 Block of Washington Blvd), and here's one of the club's Advertisements. It is interesting to note that the Henry Halstead Orchestra, was resident at the time. Halstead's band was one of favorites with all the Hollywood stars. The name of the club was spelled out in flowers in its heyday. The decor was designed (without a fee) by Cedric Gibbons, then head of the MGM's art department. The three Talmadge sisters provided the evening's entertainment. Among Arbuckle's many friends attending the opening were Bebe Daniels, Marshall Neilan, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Tom Mix, Harry Langdon, and Ruth Roland. An ailing Mabel Normand presented Arbuckle with a life-sized likeness of himself modeled in flowers. (It was one of her last public appearances.)

Let's go back to 1929. Here we are, driving up to the Plantation Club. Now we are entering the posh club.... say .... listen... isn't that Eddie Frazier and his Plantation Orchestra playing "Everything Is Hotsy Totsy Now". Oh mama, ain't that music hot!

The Plantation was soon the hottest spot in Tinsel-town, with it's stage giving Arbuckle the performing outlet actors so desperately need. Still, more bad luck was to come his way, - the great economic Depression of 1929. In 1930, unable to deal with the loss of customers and income, Arbuckle sold his interest in the club, and soon the Plantation closed it's doors forever. Three years later, Arbuckle died in New York city.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's Plantation Cafe was probably the next best known night spot in Culver City, next to Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club. (No relation to New York's famed club with the same name.) Lionel Hampton, in an April 7, 1999 edition of the International Herald Tribune interview, acknowledged that he started out, in 1926, at the age of 18, playing drums with with the Les Hite Orch., then playing at the Cotton Club in Culver City, California. Hampton also remembered, that after a few years, Sebastian became tired of his old band, and brought in Louis Armstrong to front the Les Hite orch. There were many other clubs in Culver City, most located along Washington Boulevard. King's Tropical Inn (5935 Washington), The Green Mill (precursor to The Cotton Club), and The Hot Spot Cafe. (At one time, two sisters, Gladys and "Babe", who were married to local firemen, owned the Hot Spot. It was known as "Gladys' Hot Spot," -where gangster Mickey Cohen was spotted.) Other clubs such as Barton's, Ford's Castle, Moonlite Gardens, The Hoosegow, and Casa Manana, were all well attended. Even billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian's parents owned a bar; at the East End, at Adams.

All through the 1930s and '40s, Sunset Strip was Ground Zero for night time excitement. The Strip, a 1.5 mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Doheny Drive, came to symbolize the Glamor and Glitz of Hollywood. The Clubs usually had a 'tropical' theme; among which were the 'Zamboanga South Seas Club' (3828 W. Slauson), 'Don's Beachcomber', and Don Dickerman's 'The Pirates Den'. These places were populated by press agents, newspaper and magazine reporters, Power brokers, Stars and Starlets, and those who got a vicarious thrill by associating with the famous.

Virtually every club had a 'camera girl' who would snap (for a price) a picture of the club's guest. The photos would then be delivered to the table in a distinctive envelope (usually within the hour - or it could be mailed). A reader has sent this photo of a souvenir photo album from Ciro's. All the nightclubs were very popular with Soldiers and Sailors on leave during WWII days. In private correspondence, Mr Bryce Alviso, whose father (Sgt. Louis Alviso) was not only one of those Soldiers, but a soldier who loved to dance, has sent this copy of a Zoamboanga Souvenir Photograph album, showing his father and a friend taken during a visit to the Club Zamboanga. The first photo shows the Album Cover, while the second photo shows the Inside left page, - a page reserved for autographs and well wishes. Photo 3 is the Photo of the Patron, that the 'Camera Girl" had snapped, and The last photo depicts the Back Cover, with address information for additional photographs. As mentioned, all the clubs had a "camera girl". Here are two more clubs, one from Carmel Gardens, and another from the Hollywood Casino

The Brown Derby

One of the Legendary Clubs on Hollywood's famed Sunset Strip was The Brown Derby. The Brown Derby began as the brainchild of Herb Somborn, Wilson Mizner, and Sid Grauman. It was Somborn (actress Gloria Swanson's ex-husband) who asked Bob Cobb to manage the new restaurant and, after Mizner and Somborn died in 1934, it was Cobb who took over the restaurant. The food at the Brown Derby was, as one might guess, excellent and gained it's own fame. The "Cobb Salad" was invented when owner Robert Cobb raided the refrigerator seeking a midnight snack for theater magnate Sid Grauman. (the combination of chopped lettuce, avocado, romaine, watercress, tomatoes, cold chicken breast, hard-boiled egg, chives, blue cheese, bacon and French dressing resulted in a salad that Grauman ordered again the next day. It was also an overnight sensation with other customers.) Another dish 'invented' in the 'Derby' was 'Steak Diane'. Still other 'dishes' were 'invented' in the swank nightclubs. For example, New York's famed 'Rainbow Room' became famous for their wonderful dishes called "Cherries Jubilee", and for "Baked Alaska". (The Rainbow Room's original name for Baked Alaska was "Alaska-Florida".)

The first Brown Derby opened in 1926 on Wilshire Boulevard across from the Ambassador Hotel, and quickly gained a loyal following from the movie and entertainment industries. IT was a coffee shop, and owner Herb Somborn named it in honor of New York's Governor Al Smith, who was in town and was wearing his characteristic hat, a brown derby. The Derby became a second home to such stars as Mary Pickford, reporter Louella Parsons, and Loretta Young, and , because of the flawless service, fine food and 24-hour service, they remained faithful when the restaurant moved in 1929 to Vine Street in Hollywood. The stars made the Hollywood Brown Derby a place to see and be seen.

To have a reserved booth at the Derby, where the waiters would bring a telephone right to your table, was a sure sign of Hollywood prestige. Soon, the original Brown Derby was known around the world. It was there that Clark Gable proposed to Carole Lombard, in Booth Number 5, and Lucille Ball and Jack Haley fought a duel with flying dinner rolls. Many movie stars found themselves honored on the Derby's "Wall of Fame", a collection of caricatures that began in 1929. The original artist, was known for years only by his signature, "VITCH'. (Eddie Vitch was a young Polish emigre who found work at the club.)

The Hollywood Brown Derby on Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Boulevard, was the most famous. Opened on Valentine's Day 1929, it became the place where movie stars, celebrities of all types, the rich and the powerful gathered. Over time, four different Derby restaurants would be built, all in the shape of the famous hat. In 1931 the Beverly Hills Brown Derby opened at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive. In 1941, the last of the Derbies opened in Los Feliz. Interestingly, there was never any dancing at any of the original Brown Derby's.

(A restaurant with the same name is continued today at Hollywood's Disney-MGM Studios.)

Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe

But the Brown Derby was but just one of the Legendary Clubs on Hollywood's famed Sunset Strip. A great many famous stars could be found there on any given evening, -including Thelma Todd.

With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the party was just starting. Thelma Todd was a luscious blond; the reigning queen of Hollywood. She worked mostly for the Hal Roach Studio. Thelma was also a "Night-Clubber" who liked the nightlife, -and young men. The public knew her as "The Ice Cream Blond", but to her friends, she was 'The Hot Toddy'. She finally opened her own place "Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe". It was a converted Sea Food Joint near the new film colony Malibu; an intimate, out of town space, that garnered a following among Thelma's thespian friends.

But... Thelma was playing with fire. She was rumored to be having an affair with the new Mafia 'boss of bosses', Charles Luciano. He was in California with his top lieutenant, Joey Adonis, scouting the Night Club scene. They wanted to run clubs the same as they did in the East, one floor reserved for gambling, and they wanted her to be the 'front' woman. Despite her affair with Lucky Luciano, Thelma refused to let him put a casino above her club.

On the morning of Dec. 16, 1935, her body was found locked in her car, engine running, and parked in the garage of her Pacific Palisades home. The Coroner's Report called it Suicide. Some suspected otherwise. At the time, it was rumored that Luciano ordered it as an example to others. However, some years later, evidence surfaced that seemed to indicate she was killed by film director Roland West, due to a failing affair.

In private correspondence, Ms. Patricia A Nealis, (both her father, Edward G. Nealis, and her uncle Milton Farmer, had an interest in the Clover Club), has recalled that:
       ".....Lucky Luciano tried in 1935 to buy into a casino. But, surprise, surprise,
       it was the Los Angeles police department that would not let in him. So, all
       gambling joints were off limits to him on orders from LAPD. They did not want
       the New York mob operating in Los Angeles. After the assumed murder/suicide
       of Thelma Todd, Mr. Luciano never again visited Los Angeles."

The Trocodero

Billy Wilkerson, the man that New York City Mayor James J. Walker had chosen to manage a couple of his Speakeasies had migrated to California, specifically, to Hollywood. His original idea was to simply publish an entertainment tabloid, the Hollywood Reporter. Whether by design or accident, that led him into the restaurant business. He quickly found the Stars are always hungry for publicity, and being seen in one of Wilkerson's clubs would almost always rate a note in his Reporter, as well as other newspapers and magazines.

The old 'La Boheme', a favorite destination for Hollywood "slumming" parties, was where Karyl Norman - "straight", (né: George Paduzzi) a flamboyant "drag queen", delighted the customers with wicked impressions of Hollywood's leading ladies. Norman had been a featured female impersonator on the vaudeville stage. Here's a Publicity photo of Karyl Norman - "drag", (the legend on the photo reads "Karyl Norman The Creole Fashion Plate".) The best known of the vaudeville Female Impersonators was a vaudevillian named Julian Eltinge. Up until ca. 2000, a theater bore his name on New York's famed 42nd Street. Another 'drag queen', Francis Ryan, who was billed as 'The Vaudeville Fashion Plate' was Norman's main competition. Norman was known as 'The Creole Fashion Plate", but it is said that fellow vaudevillians referred to him as 'The Queer Old Fashion Plate'. (Norman went on to a long career, including a stint hosting "The Pansy Club", a nightclub in midtown Manhattan (204 West 48th St.) that catered to 'Gays'. The show, 'Pansies On Parade', was hosted by Norman. One night in 1931, a gun battle erupted and the authorities closed down the club.)

In 1932. when La Boheme was shuttered due to Liquor Violations, Wilkerson, whose first restaurant, the Vendome, was already a popular luncheon spot, purchased the defunct venue, and hired famed designer Harold Grieve to turn the venue into an elegant French cafe. On September 17, 1934, Wilkerson opened his Cafe Trocadero on the Sunset Strip. (8610 Sunset Blvd.) "The Troc" would become the crown jewel of 1930s' Hollywood nightspots. Even the original 1937 film "A Star Is Born", starring Janet Gaynor and Frederich March, was partially shot inside the club. Here's a photograph of The Café Trocadero, in 1936. (Photo source: "Images of America: West Hollywood, a history of West Hollywood." )

'The Troc' opened it's doors with a luxurious private party for agent Myron Selznick. Still, at first no one came. Then, Billy got an idea. He put out a velvet rope and shut the doors. If anyone called, he told them the club was booked for the next two weeks. Soon, folks were standing online to get in. All the stars came to see and be seen, because an appearance at the Troc was bound to be written up in Wilkerson's own trade paper, the Hollywood Reporter.

Writer Jim Heimann, in his May 21, 2006 article The Los Angeles Times wrote:

       "Nightlife on the scale of New York's arrived when booze went underground after Prohibition in 1920.
       Speakeasys and illicit clubs boomed, and as the motion-picture industry took hold, Hollywood finally
       began to host nightclubs. From cross-dressing venue BBB's Cellar on Las Palmas to the exclusive
       Montmartre on Hollywood Boulevard, all provided liquor -- or ignored the law by advertising
       "Bring your own" -- and many featured gambling in back rooms."

       "In the '20s, Washington Boulevard in Culver City became a precursor to the Sunset Strip. The city
       was convenient to offshore bootleggers and had a police force that looked the other way. Its proximity
       to numerous movie studios cemented the street as the place to be once the sun went down."

       "Creole chorines danced to Louis Armstrong's band at Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club, one of the few
       places that allowed black entertainers to perform, though it enforced the whites-only admission policy
       common at the time. Fatty Arbuckle's Plantation Club, just down the road, invited clubgoers to share the
       dance floor with their favorite stars at special evenings orchestrated by a host movie studio, a tactic
       copied by other Los Angeles-area clubs. Likewise, gambling ships that plied the coastal waters off L.A.
       (on "cruises to nowhere") offered a chance to spot stars firsthand."

       "'With the recall of Prohibition, nightlife entered a golden age that, like the industry's, lasted until the
       bombing of Pearl Harbor."

       "The scene at the Café Trocadero, opened by Hollywood Reporter publisher Billy Wilkerson in
       1934, gives us a taste of what Hollywood high life was all about. Housed in a stylish Colonial-inspired
       building at 8610 Sunset, it catered to continental tastes. Guests entered through a lobby surrounded
       by a frieze of Paris and a row of striped satin settees, handing their wraps to a pert coat-check girl
       before moving into the cream-and-gold main dining room."

       "Padded walls framed a mirror-like dance floor, which overlooked the grid of Hollywood. Xavier Cugat and
       his band, centered on a stage along the west wall, played all evening, and the menu was '30s elegant:
       'Blini au Caviar Romanoff', 'Green Turtle Amontillado Soup', 'Alligator Pear Salad' and 'Chateaubriand' (steak)."

       "Wandering down to the Cellar, the Troc's more informal and clubby oak-paneled boîte, you might run
       into Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Bill Powell and Jean Harlow, chatting it up with Jimmy Stewart in
       an overstuffed booth. Cozying up to the copper-topped bar might be Joan Crawford and spouse Franchot
       Tone, sipping on the house specialty, the Trocadero Cooler."

       "Everyone was invited, but the cost of such an evening -- around $18 in 1936, when the average hourly
       wage was around 25 cents -- might set back the average Joe a couple of weeks' pay. Less extravagant
       but more within reach, you could also just go to the Cellar, have drinks and $2 dinners for two and get
       out with only a $6 charge. But that was still three days' pay."

       "An evening playground -- Don the Beachcomber, the Cinegrill, the Biltmore Bowl, Sardi's, Clara Bow's "It"
       Club, the Cocoanut Grove, the Brown Derbys and endless others -- catered to cinema royalty. A bulging
       billfold was the best way to gain access, but even that wouldn't open the doors to places such as the
       ultra-exclusive Clover and Colony clubs, which were rare members-only venues. Anyway, the average
       Angelino preferred affordable dance emporiums as a way to stargaze. "

Wilkerson's original idea had come when he overheard Norma Shearer bemoaning the fact that the stars didn't have a nice club where they would be safe from newspaper reporters and pesky fans. With that in mind, he provided a downstairs bar, that was barred to photographers and members of the press. Still, some of Tinseltown's juiciest gossip, overheard in the bar, somehow made it into the pages of Wilkerson's Hollywood Reporter.

The club introduced several notable innovations. The 'Troc' brought the now-ubiquitous concept of AL fresco dining to Los Angeles, when the club opened it's Sidewalk Cafe for lunch. Another of it's innovations was the Sunday Night Auditions, where studio agents might view new talent. (It was here that producer Louis B. Mayer found a 14-year-old Judy Gumm, -later to be known as Judy Garland. )

Wilkerson sold the club in 1938. Underworld figures Bugsy Siegel and Mickey Cohen took over, and in 1940 the Troc was raided twice for illegal gambling. Not wanted that publicity, the Stars moved on to other venues. After one more change of ownership, the Troc closed in 1946.

Clover Club

All during the economic depression years of the early 1930s, the club was a venue for drinking and illegal gambling. It was directly across the street from the Trocadero. Two of the Club's investors were Edward G. Nealis, and Milton Farmer. It was, an elegant restaurant and gambling casino, -by invitation only. The club's logo was a three leaf clover on a black background.

When a very corrupt mayor, Frank Shaw, ran for re-election, he was defeated. The new mayor, Fletcher Boron (although he was corrupt too), saw fit to close down all the gambling houses, and, in 1938, the Los Angeles Vice Squad closed the Clover.

In private correspondence, Patricia A Nealis, daughter of Edward G Nealis, has recalled that
       ".......father then took his money and bought the Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana,
       Mexico. Milton Farmer (her uncle) who was the real 'biggie', took his money
       from the club and bought into the Pioneer Club, the old El Rancho, and the
       Thunderbird Club in Las Vegas, NV. He had bought about 500 acres of
       grapefruit and grapes in Palm Desert. In the 1960's, he sold the property
       to Crosby Enterprises who sold it to El Dorado Realty, which became the El
       Dorado Country Club. The golf house in front of the El Dorado Club is the
       original house of the family."

Ciro's

directly across the street from the Trocadero, and next door to the Clover Club, was a club originally called the Club Seville (8433 Sunset Blvd.). It was destined to become Ciro's, -Billy Wilkerson next hot spot, opened in 1939. For the next 20 years, it was the place to be seen. It's progression is rather interesting.

The old Club Seville featured a very unique glass dance floor, placed over a pool filled with live fish. Squeamish women dancers objected to having fish eyes peering up their skirts, and everyone else was afraid the glass floor would shatter. In less than one year, it was the Seville that was floating -'belly up in the water'.

It was then that the enterprising Billy Wilkerson took over the building, gave it a lavish makeover and renamed it Ciro's, a name that would soon be world famous. Every star in Hollywood was present for the club's Grand Opening on January 30, 1940. All during the war years, Ciro's was home to some of Tinseltown's finest.

It was subsequently acquired by a man named Herman Hover, who kept the "Ciro's" name and continued to lure the hottest acts onto it's stage, including such stars as French chanteuse Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Nat "King" Cole, Marlene Dietrich, Martin and Lewis, Lena Horne, and Mae West. While Mae West's act was sexually provocative, Stripper Lily St. Cyr's routine was so lewd it caused a near riot and was shut down by the authorities. Another salacious story had a "loaded" Paulette Goddard crawling under tables to express her affection for director Anatole Litvak. Fights broke out here so frequently that Hover once commented he was considering replacing the dance floor with a boxing ring. He facetiously imposed a three-brawl-per-customer limit. If Ciro's 'camera girl' had snapped your picture, the photos would have been delivered to you in a distinctive envelope. A reader has sent this photo of that envelope - front and back sides. (photo source: Unknown.) Ciro's closed in 1957.

The Mocambo

The last of the vintage Sunset Strip clubs, 'The Mocambo' opened it's doors (8588 Sunset Blvd) on January 3, 1941, and was an immediate success. Owners Charlie Morrison and Felix Young hired set designer Tony Duquette who promptly spent $100,000 on the decor of this Brazilian themed club. Along the walls, Duquette placed glass cages holding live macaws parrots, and cockatoos. This caught the attention of the ASPCA who felt the birds could be harmed in such an atmosphere. However, Morrison, a former actor's agent, smooth-talked the ASPCA into believing that the macaws and cockatoos were also having a great time, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Here's a Mocambo advertisement, show the appearance of vocalist Mae Murray, as well as the "Cavanaugh Curbstone Cops", and the "Firehouse Five" orchestras. (Photo courtesy of Bobby Jean Stumph.) The club was the hottest "dance-till-dawn" night scene in town. It was a favorite haunt of Bogart and Bacall, and whenever they came in the band would strike up "That Old Black Magic." Actress Myrna Loy and Arthur Hornblow used the club to celebrate their divorce. On any given night, one one might find the room filled with Hollywood's brightest stars and starlets. A lecherous Louis B. Mayer often prowled the room. It was a favorite haunt for husband and wife Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who would sit around cracking dirty jokes, while Lucille Ball and hubby Desi Arnaz just might be dancing to a rumba. Lana Turner threw a $40,000 birthday party for her husband at Ciro's. In 1943, when Frank Sinatra became a solo act, he made his Hollywood debut at Mocambo.

All during WWII, the Mocambo remained a stargazer's dream. After the war, that role was usurped by Ciro's as King of the Strip. The Mocambo closed in 1959

The 1940s - Night Clubs go to War. p>Even as bombs fell on Europe, Americans were going to Night Clubs in record numbers. High employment meant lots of money. Whoever was left home, could go out evenings. Souvenir Photos, taken by a club's lady photographer, of a serviceman's last days at home, with his favorite girl friend or wife, were treasured by G. I. s everywhere.

In Hollywood, studio chiefs formed the Hollywood Canteen Club, where Enlisted men could dance with Marlene (Dietrich), talk to Hedy (Lamarr), and many others. During WW2, singers such as Mel Torme, and Rosie Clooney were packing them into Night Clubs...young comedians were getting a break. Sinatra was singing.

After 3 years of touring with the Tommy Dorsey Orch., Sinatra wanted out of his TD Contract. TD said no. Sinatra asked his friend Frank Costello, -prime minister of the mob, for help. With a little creative arm twisting, Costello convinced TD to tear up Sinatra's contract. Sinatra's career crashed anyway. He began to play in 2nd rate MGM movies. He had an affair with actress Ava Gardner even though he had a family of his own. His voice went. The only guys who helped him were the mob. He once asked rhetorically "Do you want me to desert them?"

Sinatra soon became a star at New York's stylish new club, the Copacabana (10 E. 60 St.). The Copa was owned by Monte Prosner, but behind the scenes, everyone new that mobster Frank Costello was calling the shots. ( The mob 'boys' would show up every Sunday to see the show. ) The club had tables 2 feet in diameter. They were so close to the dance floor, one had to hold on to the drinks so that chorus girls' skirts didn't brush them off the table. Managing the 'joint' was Jules Podell, ex-bootlegger and mob muscle-man with a 'rap-sheet' a mile long. Jack Entratter, former bouncer at the Stork Club, put together the ultimate revue, The Copa Girl. One week, the show featured comedian Jan Murray, and lovely singer Toni Arden. Here's how the newspaper advertisement appeared. The club was well noted also for it's excellent food. 20 Chefs were in the kitchen, - 15 preparing a French cuisine with Marcel Jougier, head French chef, and Lum On, head Chinese chef. Joe Lopez was the head waiter.

The War Years made New York Sizzle with hundreds of clubs clamoring for attention. There were 20, yes 20, Jazz clubs on just 52nd Street alone, and everyone of them featured a great musical artist at each show. To name but a few, there were the Onyx Club, the Famous Door, the Three Deuces, Jimmy Ryan's, Kelly's Stables, The Bluenote, (Eddie) Condon's, Cafe Samoa, Tony's, the Spotlite, the Carousel, and many more including eating places such as Leon and Eddie's, "Toots" Shor, and the 21 Club. It was the women that killed the street. The saloons began to feature "strippers' instead of musicians. Of course, there were other clubs besides those located on 52nd Street. The Chateau Madrid (featuring Latin music and shows) was one, and La Martinique was another. Comedian Danny Thomas was a staple at La Martinique.

Las Vegas.

As much money as the bosses were making in New York City, it would pale compared to the city 2000 miles to the west. A city on the edge of nowhere would soon become the Night Club capital of the World, -Las Vegas, Nevada. The 1940s were boom times for Night Clubs. What had all begun along Los Angeles' Sunset Strip, would soon blossom into a new era of luxury and decadence.

We have already mentioned the Mocambo, and of course, Ciro's just down the street. For two decades, these clubs introduced super talents. One youngster, Sammy Davis Jr, then part of the Will Masten Trio, blew the customers away with his tap dancing talent. Nightclubs and night-clubbing was endemic. Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegal was sent by his boss, Lucky Luciano, to take over the mob's western operations. Siegal and Wilkerson became good friends. When 'Bugsy' had some trouble with the Law, and was sent to jail, Wilkerson sent him his meals every day.

But Wilkerson had "a monkey on his back"; he was a chronic gambler who often spent between $500 and $2000 dollars a day on his habit. Las Vegas, was the closest place to Los Angeles where gambling was legal, and all through the 1930s, he had been driving to Las Vegas to satisfy his addiction. In 1945, Wilkerson purchased 33 acres of Las Vegas. In 1946, he and Benny Siegal, with backing from a wealthy 'Chicago business man', started construction on the Flamingo Club, with the plan of making it a combination plush hotel, nightclub, and casino. Shortly thereafter, 2 men arrived, - Gus Greenbaum, and Moe Sedway, who promptly introduced themselves to Wilkerson as 'his New Partners'. The "wealthy Chicago business man" was a front for the East coast mob.

There were construction problems right from the start, and By the Fall of 1946, the Flamingo's original price tag of 1.5 million had ballooned to 6.5 million dollars. 'Bugsy' Siegal (photo: Los Angeles Public Library) called a "stockholders" meeting and told Wilkerson that his bosses were nervous and had told him that if he, -Siegal, couldn't give them the full interest in the club, they would kill him. The conversation between the two friends continued on in that vein a bit longer. A few days later, Wilkerson signed over his entire interest in the Flamingo to Siegal, and flew to Paris, France.

On Dec. 26, 1946, with 'Bugsy' in complete control, the not quite finished Flamingo opened it's doors for the first time. Most all the rooms were empty, and there were very few customers for the Casino. As a hotel and Casino, it was a flop, -but as a Night Club, it was a great success. 'Bugsy' had brought in some top flight talent from Hollywood, and customers flocked to see the lavish shows. Although Siegal finished building the hotel, which finally began to show a profit, it was too late for 'Bugsy'. The mob, unhappy with the huge amount of money spent, and the small profit, let a 'hit contract' on poor old Bugsy. In June 1947, Bugsy was sitting in his hell-raising girl friend's (Virginia Hill ) apartment, when the mob's 'hit-man', using a .30 caliber carbine, put a bullet into the back of Bugsy's head, which exited blowing out one of his eyes, (Hill was in Europe at the time. The hit-man was never found.) Within the hour, Moe Sedway, together with (L-R) Israel "Icepick Willie" Alderman, Joe Rosenberg, and Gus Greenbaum, (Photo courtesy Las Vegas News Bureau/LVCVA), were in Las Vegas, and took took over operation of the Flamingo without a ripple. ( Sometime later, Gus Greenbaum and his wife were both murdered in Phoenix, AZ. Apparently, they had run afoul of the mob in some way.) The mob remained in Las Vegas for years to come, running Casinos, and Night Clubs. Wilkerson quit gambling cold-turkey when his son was born in 1951, and continued publishing the Hollywood Reporter till his death in 1962. The Flamingo would go on to serve as a model for newer clubs in the Vegas Style, which soon became the gambling capital of the world.

Next Big Innovation. Night Clubs Cross the Color Line

After Siegal, the mob moved into Las Vegas where they owned practically every Casino and Hotel, - using front men to cover their activities. One example of this is Frank Sinatra, who owned 9% of the Sands Hotel, but 75% of his interest belonged to Chicago gangsters. The mob wanted no trouble,- there was no violence in the town. The mob didn't want to "kill the goose that layed golden eggs." Their experience running clubs all across America also told them to bring in top flight entertainers.

Jack Entratter came from New York City and brought his "Copa Girls". In those years, dozens of Hollywood best talent made their nightclub debut in these hot spots, - including such stars as 'Liz Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Debby Reynolds, Danny Thomas, Eddie Fisher, and many others.

Embryonic TV in late 1940s to early '50s even used these nightclub acts to fill out their airways time. Nightclub life was so interwoven into the fabric of American culture that club performers were used in early TV sitcoms, - Desi Arnaz, Danny Thomas, Milton Berle, Nat 'King' Cole, etc.

However, there was still another seamy side to this. Behind the scenes, Black Performers faced a vicious strain of Racism. Once the show was over and the applause ended, they couldn't stay in the hotel. They had to sleep elsewhere. They were welcomed as entertainers, but not as guests. Stars like Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, and so many others were staying in segregated hotels in the dirt poor part of Las Vegas. Las Vegas was called "the Mississippi of the West". Stars like Josephine Baker were rudely treated in the clubs. Black stars had to stay in their dressing rooms between acts. They were not allowed to fraternize, especially with the women guests, -not even the chorus girls. When Sammy Davis Jr came to see his friend Frank Sinatra's act, his reservation had mysteriously disappeared.

One hotel, the Moulin Rouge, opened in 1954, was the only hotel to allow races to mix. It mysteriously closed 6 months later. Las Vegas was a 'Jim Crow' town. But on March 25, 1960, Casino and Hotel operators had a meeting - since called the Moulin Rouge Accord, and gave Black entertainers the right to stay, and to eat at the same hotel where they were appearing.

New stars began to appear in the clubs after WW2 ended. These included Joey Bishop, Buddy Hackett, Shecky Greene, Alan King, and Jack Carter. These stars traveled the 'Night Club circuit' from unknown dives in Brooklyn, NY, to all the clubs on 52nd Street in Manhattan, to places like the Click Club in Philadelphia, PA, to the Eden Roc in Miami, to Chicago's "Hang Your Hat on Mister Kelly's", and on to the clubs in Los Angeles, such as Ciro's, Cocoanut Grove, and Slapsie Maxie's.

Las Vegas nightclubs boosted the careers of many up and coming young stars. Dick Martin, of the comedy team of 'Martin and Rowen', was originally the bartender at 'Slapsie Maxie's'. A mutual friend introduced him to Dan Rowen, and 9 days later, the team opened in a San Fernando Valley Night Club. These two unknowns from the East coast would go on to became one of the biggest attractions in Las Vegas. They had first started playing at New York's Havana-Madrid Club.

Let's go back to the late 1940s and enter New York's famed Havana-Madrid Club Here, let's sit at this table next to the dance floor and watch the lovely, leggy chorines twirling around to latin rhythms. After that, we will hear one of more popular latin tunes of the day, a song entitled:

  "Cuban Pete"  This is a "Panaram Soundie" of the floor Show at New York's Havana Madrid Nightclub, featuring Maya's Pan-American Orchestra, with dancers Carlos and Zedra. (Circa 1940). This is a great view of just what sort of show Nightclub patrons would see all during the Nightclub era of the 1920s -1950s.

(An interesting side-note. Critics have noted that Martin and Rowen were the very first team to actually look at each other while on stage. Up to then, comedians would stand on stage and look out at the audience while carrying on their duologue. Martin and Rowen actually looked right at each other during their act. This was revolutionary. ) Bob Newhart (a former Ad copywriter) thought that all Night Clubs were as they seemed in the movies. He never knew there were drunks and hecklers in the audience. Don Rickles, the pugnacious comedian from Florida, made a living putting down hecklers. Night Clubs also boosted the careers of Dance acts. Gregory and Maurice Hines (8 and 11 years old) debuted in 1954 at the Moulin Rouge.

The Do's and Don'ts of Night Clubs

Nightclubs offered an "unpredictable - anything can happen here tonight" experience. The owners may have been involved in all sorts of criminal activity, but they insisted that the performers - especially the comedians - abide by a certain morality code. Cursing and foul language were taboo. Certain subjects - prostitution, Overt Sex, and such, were not permitted. These restrictions made entertainers learn their craft. Even the experienced entertainers had to know how to detract customers from their meals. The acts opened against "Peas and Carrots", so entertainers had to learn how to grab an audience. The customers felt that they were there for a good time. For the stars, traveling the club circuit meant months alone on the road. The men surrounded by gorgeous showgirls were often tempted. Many would call their wives to come and help them avoid those temptations.

1950s

Sinatra was back on top, having worked himself up again. In the late 1950s, Sinatra was the King of Show-business. Sinatra had been partying with his Hollywood friends, in particular, Humphrey Bogart. Late one night, Lauren Bacall came in and told them that they all looked like a 'rat pack'. Sometime later, after Bogart had died, Sinatra decided the term was a good one. He was working in Las Vegas, when actor Peter Lawford approached him with a script that he had just purchased called 'Oceans 11'. Sinatra thought the part was just perfect for him. He got the idea to Film in the daytime, and work the casinos at night, and party in the wee hours of the morning. The whole group of actors working on the film, and then onstage at night, burst upon Las Vegas. They were billed as "Appearing tonight, maybe Sinatra, maybe Sammy Davis Jr, maybe Peter Lawford", because the club never knew who would actually show up that evening. (Dean Martin was getting all the laughs.)

In the Swinging 1950s, even John Kennedy, then running for president, was in Las Vegas looking for votes. Kennedy and Sinatra knew all the same people, same girls, and such. It is interesting to note that this presidential candidate was openly cavorting with celebrities, movie stars, --and gangsters. Frank Sinatra had an apartment at the Sands Hotel with a private pool. Judith Exner, later shown to he a mistress of Chicago gangster Sam Giancana, first dined with Kennedy at Sinatra's poolside.

Giancana dabbled in owning Night Clubs; he also dabbled with some of the show people in his clubs, including Phyllis McGuire of the McGuire Sisters vocal act. Phyllis was also involved with comedian Dan Rowen. Giancana didn't like anyone fooling around with "his" woman. At the time, he was involved with the CIA about 'knocking off' Fidel Castro, so the CIA gave him some bugging equipment to bug Dan Rowen's room. (The maid found the bug on the first day.) Rowen didn't know it but there was not one, but two Bugs. Giancana wanted to know what Rowan was doing, and the CIA had a bug, trying to find out what the hell the CIA was doing in this mess. 20 years later, with the Freedom of Information (FOI) act, these records were now available for research, and Rowen found out that the CIA was protecting Giancana, and looking into the relationship Rowen had with Phyllis. The strange confluence between Night Clubs, entertainers and mobsters continued into the early 1960s, when Attorney General Bobby Kennedy went after the crime bosses with a vengeance. The mob thought of Bobby as a betrayer, - he was the Attorney General under his brother President Jack. Kennedy, but President Jack Kennedy knew what was going on. He was the son of a former bootlegger too, -Joseph Kennedy. Robert made little headway to crush the mob, and their businesses - like Night Clubs - continued to flourish.

The End of a Magical Era

For over 4 decades, Night Clubs blossomed, - wondrous places where guests were transplanted into a make-believe world of fantasy, luxury, and entertainment. The audience was up close with the performer.

Still, with the start of the 1950s, cultural changes in America would spell the end of that era. It wasn't just one change, but many. The 'Youth Market", a result of the post WWII 'Baby Boom", brought a different kind of customer to the entertainment industry. Then, a sudden fascination with "A Go Go" dancing, The "Beatles" invasion, Rock and Roll, and Television, all spelled End for the Night Clubs.

Perhaps the two greatest influences of the time were Television, and the Baby Boomers. With the introduction of Television, one could sit around at home - in your underwear - and watch the stars performing. The "Age of the Couch Potato" had begun. With the advent of the baby boomers, we got Rock and Roll. Today, our whole entertainment focus is slanted to the 13 year olds, and 13 year olds don't go out to Swank Night Clubs, and don't have steak dinners and a couple of Manhattans to drink.

Of course, there were many other reasons too. High employment levels meant folks had more money to spend, and would use their cars to travel, instead of visiting a local club. Discotheques also arrived on the scene. Suddenly, you awakened one morning, and found the Copa was now a 'Discotheque'. In 1958, the Mocambo closed. In 1960, the Trocadero shuttered, and in 1965, Ciro's. With every closing, a little more glamor sadly slipped away.

Las Vegas remains the last bastion of classic Night Clubs. In other towns, the Night Clubs are long gone. In there place comedy clubs, dance palaces, and Rock joints rule. In some cities, retro style lounges, and clubs attempt to re-capture these wonderful years, but those one of a kind thrills, shimmering glamor, and delicious entertainment the clubs served up have all slowly faded into scrap book photos.

Still, today, there are many who wish they could take a girlfriend or wife to a real Night Club. It was a wonderful way of life, -good food, a way to have fun, to celebrate, to be seen, to view the best artists, -- and it didn't cost an 'arm and a leg'. It was one of the great times of show business.