Address | 15 North Illinois Avenue Atlantic City, New Jersey United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°21′38″N 74°25′56″W / 39.36056°N 74.43222°W |
Type | Nightclub |
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]
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]
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]
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Address | 15 North Illinois Avenue Atlantic City, New Jersey United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°21′38″N 74°25′56″W / 39.36056°N 74.43222°W |
Type | Nightclub |
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]
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]
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]
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cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link)