Night clubs

[OzDresser]

When did night clubs like the ones you see in about every golden age film disappear? Did they last into the 60s?
Ryan

 

[dhermann1]

The Latin Quarter

The original Latin Quarter in Times Square had a life that probably reflects the general state of night clubs of the time. The building was finally demolished in 1989.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Quarter_(nightclub)
There is a new hot spot called the Latin Quarter, not to be confused with the original (!), whose main claim to fame is that it is a popular place for professional football players to accidentally shoot themselves in the leg with illegally owned handguns.
The Copacabana had a very similar life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copacabana_(nightclub)

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Night Club scene from "Rock Follies of 1976"

Biba, a place for all the switched on dollybirds of London. This is pretty kitsch and therefor lovely, a tribute to the "Rainbow" room at Derry & Toms department store in kensington London?...It even had a roof garden with Falamingoes.






http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=biba+nova&search_type=

 

[David V]

When did night clubs like the ones you see in about every golden age film disappear? Did they last into the 60s?
Ryan

They made it into the 60's but not many made it out. I'm afraid my generation didn't go for that life style. How dumb we were.

 

[reetpleat]

I suspect a lot of it coincided with partner dancing. Died out iin the sixties and mostly kids gravitated towards different types of venues, and the older folks gave up dancing all together.

 

[just_me]

The last time I went to the Copa was in the early 70s to see Sammy Davis Jr.
Evidentally, someone has written a book about the Copa.

http://www.sammydavis-jr.com/Pages/read/copa_book/copa.htm

 

[dhermann1]

The Copa

Only time I was ever at the original was in 79, and it was already degenerating into a disco.

 

[bombayjack]

There's a really interesting little place called Little Branch in NYC's West Village, right on the corner of Leroy and (I believe) 7th Ave. There's no sign on the old, red metal door, and you have to be kind of brave walking down the dimly lit steps into what looks like a basement.

A very cool atmosphere greets you down there, with intimate velvet covered booths, retro jazz filling the room, and some of the best cocktails you can find in the city. The bartenders are masters at what they do. If anyone lived in the city, I encourage them to check it out.

This is my first post on the Fedora Lounge, btw. I really like it here, great forum.

 

[dr greg]

memories... like the corners filled with grime

Biba, a place for all the switched on dollybirds of London. This is pretty kitsch and therefor lovely, a tribute to the "Rainbow" room at Derry & Toms department store in kensington London?...It even had a roof garden with Falamingoes.






http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=biba+nova&search_type=

I used to go to Biba's in the 70's when I lived in London just to check out the babes hangin round on a Saturday,

 

[Paisley]

Only time I was ever at the original was in 79, and it was already degenerating into a disco.

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl....
(Where's the music smiley?)

 

[Feraud]

There is a new hot spot called the Latin Quarter, not to be confused with the original (!), whose main claim to fame is that it is a popular place for professional football players to accidentally shoot themselves in the leg with illegally owned handguns.

Touche! lol

 

[Forgotten Man]

TV killed night clubs of the golden era. The big clubs there were all over the place, ballroom and other places of that nature went bye, bye when people started to gather around their TV sets. In the 50s, the big ballrooms were hangin' on, by the 60s they started to drop off. Some stayed around mostly in Los Vegas... but, here in LA they mostly all went away. The Hollywood Palladium is still around, and is getting restored! But, that's the only night club/ballroom I know in LA/Hollywood that has survived.

Night clubs of the 20s-40s were mostly a ballroom with a large bar and dinner accommodations. They'd have a door man like at a fancy Hotel, they would have live music and dancing acts, floor shows and such... also, the floor would be open for dancers.

Today, in Down Town LA, there's Maxwell's Cicada Club... I work there and it's fun to be a door man at that place! He's working hard to recreate the golden era of night clubs in LA. For those who haven't been who live in the LA area or near to it, come and join in the fun next year. Maxwell will post info about the New Year’s events at Cicada.

 

[Miss 1929]

Bimbos!

There's still the fabulous Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco. Formerly known as the Bal Tabarin, it has been continuously owned and operated by the same family since the late 20s.
They rent it out for parties and such, and there are often swing shows there with headliners like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, brian Setzer, etc. It's not open all the time like a club, but when it is, it's great time travel.
They still have a ladies restroom attendant. The Ladie's has a little lounge are, and is all wood and mirrors and deco.
The bar features 'The Girl In The Fishbowl", a magic mirror arrangement that projects a living nude girl into an aquarium.
It's swell.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Say, Miss '29 that's a swell place... I've heard of it many a time but, never had the chance to check it out!

I can't wait till our Palladium is fixed up... I hear they're restoring the outside and the inside to its '41 glamour! I remember going to Camp Hollywood back in the late 90s when they used to hold it there... to dance where many of the headliner bands of the past would play there for service men and such... that place is full of history and ghosts of the Big Band era... love it, and the large round dance floor is nothing short of amazing.

Here's a photo of it in the 40s:

Here's a photo of it in the 90s:

And here it is when I last saw it:

This is the goal:

I'm really hopeful that the new management will not ask an arm and a leg to organizations who want to rent it for swing dances... I'd sure love to see Camp Hollywood return to its proper place!

 

[Tomasso]

Located high atop the Rock

The Rainbow Room

 

[Warbaby]

I used to go to Biba's in the 70's when I lived in London just to check out the babes hangin round on a Saturday,

I was in London in the mid-70s and having tea in the roof garden at Biba was one of my favorite things to do. Beautiful scenery...

 

[THe Conductor]

I'd like to see something akin to the club in 'The Aviator.' Dinner, live music, dancing of the non grinding type. A place with a dress code perhaps?

 

[Miss 1929]

sadly that doesn't exist as a daily thing. But you can get it by going to finer hotels when they have a swing band (like Top of the Mark in SF), or going to period events like the Art Deco Preservation Ball ... there isn't enough demand for the finer things, I guess!

 

[MrBern]

Lease terminated

Located high atop the Rock

The Rainbow Room

For how much longer?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/nyregion/10rainbow.html

Cipriani's lost their lease for the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center for failing to pay the rent

 

[Geesie]

I recently heard a radio piece about St. Louis's Gaslight Square, the nightlife center of St. Louis from the postwar period through the 60s. It was home to the biggest night clubs, jazz clubs, and big-name lounge and comedy acts (i.e. Woody Allen, Jackie Mason).

Seems what really killed it was a combination of urban sprawl and hippies. The former meant that venues out in the suburbs started pulling the crowds and giving the white flight folks an excuse to not go into the city. The latter was sort of a "victim of its own success" story where the most happening venues catered to the tastes of the time and attracted a more young and... substance altered crowd. Altercations and drug busts darkened the area's image which caused a snowball effect of rising crime and lowering attendance.

In a few short decades it went from the hottest place in town to vacant lots. There aren't even the shells of the clubs remaining.