Clicquot Club

Clicquot Club
Clicquot Club
Location in Atlantic City
Address15 North Illinois Avenue
Atlantic City, New Jersey
United States
Coordinates39°21′38″N 74°25′56″W / 39.36056°N 74.43222°W / 39.36056; -74.43222
TypeNightclub

Clicquot Club was a nightclub at 15 North Illinois Avenue[a] in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the heart of the city. Billed as the club that "never closed",[2] it became notorious as an illegal gambling spot in the city.[3]

History

Operating during the Prohibition era in the 1920s, the club provided both illegal liquor and illegal gambling.[3] The bar and cabaret were considered "feeder rooms" to bring people to the profit-making roulette wheels, craps tables, and card games in the backrooms.[4] A news item in December 1931 reported a raid on the club in which Federal agents removed $20,000 worth of lavish Japanese and Chinese furnishings from the 20-room mansion and "poured several thousand dollars worth of alleged whiskies and champagnes down a drain".[5]

The bar and cabaret also developed a reputation for lawlessness, as the Clicquot became known as one of the "bust-out joints" for Philadelphia convention-goers eager to "release their inhibitions as they experienced everything and anything available".[6][7] Until 1951, when the Kefauver Committee mounted an "anti-hostess campaign", the Clicquot used its waitresses to push drinks on guests and even offer to sit and drink with them, in violation of New Jersey's alcoholic beverage control laws.[8]

The cabaret underwent a series of management changes in the 1940s. In March 1942 Max Cohen assumed management of the cabaret.[9] In February 1943 Cleo Valenteene, a former burlesque and nightclub dancer, became manager,[10] followed by performer Nan DeMar in July 1943.[11] In December 1950 Michael J. Keeley became the owner-operator.[12][13]

Shows

The Clicquot Club has been called "the leading white nightclub" in Atlantic City.[14][15] In 1945 popular black bandleader Mandy Ross was booked into an engagement at the club, and a white vocalist refused to perform with the band.[15] In 1946, Eleanor Sherry and Her Swinghearts performed at the club.[16] The cabaret often booked revues, including the 1946 Nan DeMar revue[17] and a 30-performer revue in 1948.[18] Eddie Kaplan was responsible for booking acts to perform at the club in the late 1940s.[18][19][20] In 1947 drink prices started at 90 cents at the Clicquot Club, Paddock International, and Club Harlem.[21]

Notes

  1. ^ Illinois Avenue no longer exists. It was renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard in 1988.[1]

References

  1. ^ "Illinois Ave. is no more in Atlantic City". The Free-Lance Star. Associated Press. 16 January 1988. p. 38.
  2. ^ "Matchbook from the Clicquot Club saying it "never closed"". Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ a b Kennedy & Waltzer 2004, p. 92.
  4. ^ "Peter Moruzzi's Mid-Century". Petermoruzzi.com. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Dry Agents Visit Clicquot Club and Silver Slipper; Several Thousand Dollars in Liquor Seized". Cumberland Evening Times. Associated Press. 14 December 1931. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Anselmo D'Amato 2001, p. 63.
  7. ^ "Atlantic City Spots Bait Trap For Philly Convensh Overflows". Billboard. 12 June 1948. p. 43.
  8. ^ Smith, Bill (25 August 1951). "Misery-By-The-Sea This Season at AC". Billboard. p. 35.
  9. ^ "Cohen Takes AC Clicquot". Billboard. 13 June 1942. p. 118.
  10. ^ "Valenteene Managing Club". Billboard. 27 February 1943. p. 15.
  11. ^ "Atlantic City Comes to Life". Billboard. 17 July 1943. p. 15.
  12. ^ "At. City Faces Dull Holiday". Billboard. 16 December 1950. p. 44.
  13. ^ "Court Stay for Resort Cabaret". Billboard. 15 March 1952. p. 21.
  14. ^ Waltzer, Jim (22 January 2009). "Creatures of the Night". Atlantic City Weekly. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  15. ^ a b Kukla 2002, p. 85.
  16. ^ "Off the Cuff". Billboard. 19 January 1946. p. 33.
  17. ^ "In Short". Billboard. 6 July 1946. p. 41.
  18. ^ a b "Burlesque". Billboard. 19 June 1948. p. 30.
  19. ^ "Burlesque". Billboard. 10 July 1948. p. 37.
  20. ^ Billboard. 11 September 1948. p. 45.
  21. ^ "Price War Menaces Atlantic City Clubs". Billboard. 29 March 1947. p. 35.

Sources