DIAL12 Feature

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It's no secret that New Orleans is known the world over as an entertainment mecca. The sheer variety of places to go and things to do is amazing - and this holds true for years past as well as today.

Viewers will re-visit - or perhaps vicariously experience for the first time - some samples of the Crescent City area's nighttime entertainment offerings in THE NIGHTLIFE THAT WAS, WYES-TV/Channel 12's latest cultural documentary. This program recalls the hot spots and great times of the recent past.

For star seekers, the Roosevelt Hotel's Blue Room (now the Fairmont Hotel) hosted big-name entertainers. Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee, Jimmy Durante, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald - and even Sonny and Cher - wowed audiences at the swank supper club. At the Monteleone Hotel, Liberace and Edgar Bergen (along with sidekick, Charlie McCarthy), held forth in the Swan Room.

Times-Picayune theatre critic David Cuthbert attended every one of Marlene Dietrich's Blue Room performances. Writer Jon Newlin recalls that Joe E. Lewis timed his appearances at the premier supper club to coincide with the horse-racing season at the Fairgrounds. Theatre critic Al Shea fondly remembers Blue Room bandleader Leon Kelner - a musician who knew hundreds of songs. Kelner and his band could always play special requests.

Popular 1960s nightspots included The Warehouse, a funky place created from an old cotton warehouse on Tchoupitoulas Street. It was the site of legendary performances by the Allman Brothers, Professor Longhair, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Even the Grateful Dead were supposed to open the Warehouse, but they were arrested on Bourbon Street the night before - an alleged ongoing effort by the New Orleans Police Department "to stop hippiness from reigning in New Orleans," according to cartoonist Bunny Matthews.

No survey of New Orleans nightlife would be complete without looking at Bourbon Street. Exotic dancers and strippers included the nationally-known Lily Christine ("Cat Girl"), Blaze Starr, who was Governor Earl Long's paramour, Linda Brigette ("Cupid Doll"), Kitty West as Evangeline the Oyster Girl and Patti Wite, a former schoolteacher.
Adult-type diversions weren't the only type of French Quarter entertainment.

Both Pete Fountain and Al Hirt owned music clubs there. Al Hirt was a particular draw for a future President of United States. Fifteen-year-old Bill Clinton was a saxophone player who greatly admired the trumpet stylings of Grammy winner. On a visit to New Orleans, his fondest wish was to see Jumbo in person - but he was underage. The club's manager told him the only way he could gain admittance to the club was by getting permission from Hirt himself. The performer happened to be just around the corner - and invited young Clinton and his mother to hear two sets of his performance.

A then-rundown Decatur Street housed Casa de los Marinos, a nightclub that actually was three different bars. The third one was the loudest, and populated with everyone from Greek sailors to Uptown debutantes. Other spots catered to gay and straight clientele.

The Beverly Dinner Playhouse in Jefferson presented extravagant dinner buffets and Broadway-type entertainment. The former gambling mecca's big names included Dorothy Lamour and Lana Turner. Central City's Dew Drop Inn was one of the South's hottest nightspots. Located in a modest neighborhood from the 1950s until the early 1960s, it was hardly ordinary. A one-stop hotel, restaurant, nightclub, barbershop and beauty shop, the Dew Drop Inn showcased comedy, magic, exotic dancing and more. Irma Thomas performed there frequently, and Ray Charles was a headliner.

Entertainment opportunities soon spread to the suburbs. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Metairie's Fat City attracted national attention. By day, it wasn't so appealing, but at night, the 52-square block area was hopping with activity at many bars and dance clubs.

For the younger set, a special treat might have been piling into the family car for an outing to Morning Call to enjoy beignets dusted with powdered sugar. For high school students, dances sponsored by the Catholic Youth Organizations (CYO) were the places to see and be seen. Performers for the bobby socks crowd included Dr. John and Frankie Ford. Watching the "submarine races" at Lake Pontchartrain often capped these evenings.

THE NIGHTLIFE THAT WAS is produced and narrated by Peggy Scott Laborde. Stephen Tyler is the director. The editor is Larry Roussarie. Photographers are Walter Bardell and Paul Combel. The associate producer is Annette Campo. Original music was composed by A. J. Loria and Steve Hill.
Funding is provided by Whitney National Bank and the Producers Circle, a group of viewers dedicated to supporting quality local programming on WYES.

Contact Aislinn Hinyup, WYES-TV/Channel 12 -
504-587-9464  ahinyup@wyes.org