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172-561: Stork Club was a nightclub in Manhattan , New York City . During its existence from 1929 to 1965, it became one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. A symbol of café society , the wealthy elite, including movie stars, celebrities, showgirls , and aristocrats all mixed in the VIP 'Cub' Room. The club was established on West 58th Street in 1929 by Sherman Billingsley , a former bootlegger from Enid, Oklahoma . After an incident when Billingsley

344-462: A New York Times advertisement; when those in the know about the club saw it, they realized the Stork Club's days were coming to an end. In the last few months of its operation, at times, only three customers came in for the entire evening. On a good day in the mid-1940s, some 2,500 people visited the club. When the Stork Club initially closed its doors, news stories indicated it was being shut because

516-475: A "lopsided oval", the room had wood paneled walls hung with portraits of beautiful women and had no windows. A head waiter known as "Saint Peter" determined who was allowed entry to the Cub Room, where Walter Winchell wrote his columns and broadcast his radio programs from Table 50. During the years of its operation, the club was visited by many political, social, and celebrity figures. It counted among its guests

688-537: A $ 100,000 check he received for the movie rights to For Whom the Bell Tolls , Billingsley told him he would be able to cash the check after the club closed at 4:00 am. He kept the Stork Club's name vivid in the minds of his patrons through mailing lists and a club newsletter. Billingsley was also aware of the need for a good working relationship with the press; food and drink for reporters and photographers assigned to cover

860-505: A 1939 column, the Stork should have been doomed to failure, since it was strangely shaped and far from roomy in places. The club's ladies' room was on the second floor of the structure and the men's room was on the third; only the dining room, bar, and later the Cub Room were on the first floor. Despite this, the club could hold 1,000 guests. A feature of the club was a solid 14-karat gold chain at its entrance; patrons were allowed entry through it by

1032-427: A campaign called Action for Access , which also claimed it was an independent organization and the voice of multiple sclerosis sufferers. People who visited the website and signed up for the campaign did not realise that these were not genuinely independent patient groups. Over the past 15 years, increasing concerns about obesity have caused Coca-Cola to experience pressure from social movement activists to reduce

1204-402: A club culture with many Italian American, African American, gay, and Hispanic people. In addition to the dance and fashion aspects of the disco club scene, there was also a thriving drug subculture , particularly for recreational drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud music and the flashing lights, such as cocaine (nicknamed "blow"), amyl nitrite " poppers ", and

1376-473: A corporation. Research has revealed that the CCF, with a mission to "promote responsibility and protect consumer choices ", uses both verbal and visual strategies to articulate obesity as "personal responsibility" to protect the industry from corporate responsibility. Tobacco companies frequently use front organizations and doctors to advocate their arguments about tobacco use although less openly and obviously than in

1548-530: A front company to launder funds that were generated from the sale of cocaine . The boxing management company MTK Global is owned by the reputed Irish gang boss Daniel Kinahan . Heredia Boxing Management alleges that MTK Global was established as a front company to launder funds made from drug trafficking. During the year of 2019, ACT Police shut down the Lakeside Tattoo Parlour in Belconnen on

1720-698: A high-ranking FSB official who is a close associate of Vladimir Putin . The FBI has acknowledged using at least thirteen front companies to conceal their use of aircraft to observe criminal activity in the United States, including: Many organized crime operations have substantial legitimate businesses, such as licensed gambling houses, building construction companies, hair salons and karaoke bars, engineering firms, restaurants and bars, billiard clubs, trash hauling services, or dock loading enterprises. These front companies enable these criminal organizations to launder their income from illegal activities. As well,

1892-414: A law where for every three men, there was one woman. The women often sought these experiences to seek safety in a venue that embraced the independent woman – with an eye to one or more of the same or opposite sex or none. Although the culture that surrounded disco was progressive in dance couples, cross-genre music, and a push to put the physical over the rational, the role of women looked to be placed in

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2064-417: A mass phenomenon. In Germany, the first discothèque on record that involved a disc jockey was Scotch-Club , which opened in 1959. Its, and therefore the world's first DJ was 19-year-old local cub reporter Klaus Quirini who had been sent to write a story about the strange new phenomenon of public record-playing; fueled by whisky , he jumped on stage and started announcing records as he played them and took

2236-882: A more open role in the organization.) Similarly, Unite Against Fascism , the Anti-Nazi League , the Stop the War Coalition and Respect – The Unity Coalition are all criticised as being fronts for the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party (UK) . In 2014, Andrew Cuomo established a front political party, the Women's Equality Party . The party was established to take advantage of electoral fusion laws in New York State that allow candidates to run on multiple ballot lines and to count all of their votes together. Critics of

2408-426: A name "synonymous with fame, class, and money, in no particular order". Society writer Lucius Beebe wrote in 1946: "To millions and millions of people all of over the world the Stork symbolizes and epitomizes the de luxe upholstery of quintessentially urban existence. It means fame; it means wealth; it means an elegant way of life among celebrated folk". The club was a prime example of the flourishing cafe society at

2580-635: A nightclub are Friday and Saturday nights. Most nightclubs cater to a particular music genre or sound for branding effects. Some nightclubs may offer food and beverages (including alcoholic beverages). In some countries, nightclubs are also referred to as "discos" or "discothèques" ( German : Disko or Diskothek (outdated; nowadays: Club ); French : discothèque ; Italian , Portuguese , and Spanish : discoteca, antro (common in Mexico), and boliche (common in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), discos

2752-503: A note, saying that reliable sources indicated she was about to become engaged to the Prince. Kelly replied she could not answer the question posed by O'Brian until Friday. Socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean , owner of the Hope Diamond , wore the gem as if it was costume jewelry. It disappeared at the Stork Club one night during McLean's visit there. Actress Beatrice Lillie found it under one of

2924-469: A piano or a jukebox. With the repeal of Prohibition in February 1933, nightclubs were revived, such as New York's 21 Club , Copacabana , El Morocco , and the Stork Club . These nightclubs featured big bands . During America's Prohibition, new speakeasies and nightclubs appeared on a weekly basis. Texas Guinan opened and ran many, and had many padlocked by the police. Harlem had its own clubs including

3096-717: A plausible background story, occupation, and means of income. Brewster Jennings & Associates was a front company set up in 1994 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a cover for its officers. The airline Air America , an outgrowth of Civil Air Transport of the 1940s, and Southern Air Transport , ostensibly a civilian air charter company, were operated and wholly owned by the CIA , supposedly to provide humanitarian aid , but flew many combat support missions and supplied covert operations in Southeast Asia during

3268-480: A police officer. In this era, nightclubbing was generally the preserve of those with money. In Paris, Josephine Baker ran several nightclubs during the 1920s including Chez Josephine, as did her friend Bricktop who ran Bricktops. Jazz singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall and her husband Bert Hicks opened the nightclub La Grosse Pomme on Rue Pigalle in Montmartre on December 9, 1937. Hall and Hicks also owned

3440-421: A regular, and invited his celebrity friends, as the name of the club spread further afield. Before long, Billingsley's Oklahoma partners sold their shares to a man named Thomas Healy. Eventually, Healy revealed that he was a " front " for three New York mobsters. Billingsley was kidnapped and held for ransom by Mad Dog Coll , who was a rival of his mob partners. Before the ransom money could be collected by Coll, he

3612-486: A result of the union problems. He began firing staff without good cause. As the dispute dragged on, a live band was also no longer in the dining room for music; members of the Musicians' Union had crossed the picket line to perform for some time. Previously, the club had no need for advertising; it was mentioned frequently in print and word of mouth without it. In 1963, the club offered a hamburger and French fries for $ 1.99 in

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3784-413: A series of hand signals; without saying a word he could order complimentary drinks and gifts for a party at any given table. Billingsley was also able to summon the club's private limousine to whisk favored customers away to a theater date or a ballgame after drinks or dining at the Stork. He changed the meaning of the hand signals frequently to avoid regular patrons' being able to read them. Guests dined on

3956-526: A significant role in the evolution of clubbing , DJ culture, and nightlife. Significant New York nightclubs of the period were Area , Danceteria , and The Limelight . However, the seismic shift in nightlife was the emergence of rave culture in the UK. A mixture of free and commercial outdoor parties were held in fields, warehouses, and abandoned buildings, by various groups such as Biology, Sunrise, Confusion, Hedonism, Rage & Energy, and many others. This laid

4128-422: A single turntable when a jukebox was not available. These discothèques were also patronized by anti- Vichy youth called zazous . In Nazi Germany , there were underground discothèques patronized by anti-Nazi youth called the " Swing Kids ". The end of World War II saw the beginning of a transformation in the nightclub: no longer the preserve of a moneyed elite, over several decades, the nightclub steadily became

4300-571: A supposedly more moderate group. Some special interest groups engage in astroturfing , an attempt to mask lobbying as a grassroots movement . South Africa 's apartheid -era government used numerous front organizations to influence world opinion and to undertake extra-judicial activities and the killing of anti-apartheid activists; these included the following: Communist parties (especially Marxist-Leninist ones) have sometimes used front organizations to attract support from those (sometimes called " fellow travellers ") who do not fully agree with

4472-464: A yearly "Glamor Girl" election. As the father of three daughters, Billingsley kept an eye on the young people, making sure they were not served alcohol and that they were able to have an enjoyable time at the Stork Club without it. The Stork Club previously provided live entertainment, but after Billingsley realized the reason people came to the club was to watch people, he abandoned the floor shows in favor of giving expensive gifts to regular customers of

4644-421: Is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies , organized crime groups, terrorist organizations , secret societies , banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups , or corporations . Front organizations can act for the parent group without the actions being attributed to the parent group, thereby allowing them to hide certain activities from

4816-475: Is commonly used in all others in Latin America). In Japanese ディスコ, disuko refers to an older, smaller, less fashionable venue; while クラブ, kurabu refers to a more recent, larger, more popular venue. The term night is used to refer to an evening focusing on a specific genre, such as " retro music night" or a "singles night". In Hong Kong and China, nightclub is used as a euphemism for a hostess club , and

4988-611: Is considered by many to now be a front group for the Church of Scientology, which took the group over financially after bankrupting it in a series of lawsuits. Time identified several other fronts for Scientology, including: the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), The Way to Happiness Foundation , Applied Scholastics , the Concerned Businessmen's Association of America , and HealthMed Clinic . Seven years later

5160-507: Is credited as the first modern nightclub, being built in 1886 and starting off as a "social hall", originally functioning as a home for dance and political activism events. Reisenweber's Cafe is credited for introducing jazz and cabaret to New Yorkers. The jukebox (a coin-operated record-player) was invented by the Pacific Phonograph Company in 1889 by its managers Louis Glass and his partner William S. Arnold. The first

5332-936: Is not limited to the United Front Work Department (UFWD). An anti-Islamist feminist group in the Muslim world has also been accused of being a front organization. The Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq has been accused of being a front for the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq . Banned paramilitary organizations sometimes use front groups to achieve a public face with which to raise funds, negotiate with opposition parties, recruit, and spread propaganda. For example, banned paramilitary organizations often have an affiliated political party that operates more openly, but those parties themselves often end up being banned. The parties may or may not be front organizations in

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5504-670: Is thought as a synonym of brothel in these countries. A Colombian drug cartel, the Cali Cartel , in the past used Drogas La Rebaja, now a large national pharmacy store chain, as a front company in order to launder their drug trafficking earnings. The General Manager of the Pharaoh's Gentlemen's Club in Cheektowaga, New York , is the international leader of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club : John Ermin. Many Outlaws MC members also work at

5676-509: The Boston Herald showed how Narconon and World Literacy Crusade were also fronts for Scientology. Other Scientology groups include Downtown Medical , Criminon and the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE). In politics, a group may be called a front organization if it is perceived to be disingenuous in its control or goals or if it attempts to mask extremist views within

5848-622: The 1991 presidential elections . He also supported the August 1991 coup attempt . The united front is a political strategy and network of groups and key individuals that are influenced or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and used to advance its interests. It has traditionally been a popular front that has included eight legally-permitted political parties : the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),

6020-569: The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce , the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade , the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese , and other people's organizations . Under Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping , the united front and its targets of influence have expanded in size and scope. The united front is managed primarily by but

6192-456: The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness has been criticised as a front organization for various industry bodies which seek to undermine regulation of their environmentally damaging activities under the guise of 'regulatory effectiveness'. Astroturfing , a wordplay based on " grassroots " efforts, is an American term used pejoratively to describe formal public relations projects which try to create

6364-626: The Communist Party USA was highly stigmatized, it often operated largely through front groups. In addition, the Provisional IRA also operated a vigilante front group, Direct Action Against Drugs . Both Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries in Ireland during the Troubles used cover names when they carried out sectarian attacks against civilians. Republican groups like the Provisional IRA and

6536-744: The Cotton Club . Midtown New York had a string of nightclubs, many named after bandleaders such as Paul Whiteman , Vincent Lopez , and Roger Wolfe Kahn who opened Le Perroquet de Paris at a cost of $ 250,000. It was billed as America's most beautiful and sophisticated nightclub and featured the young Kahn and his band most evenings. Pre-World War II Soho in London offered café society , cabaret , burlesque jazz, and bohemian clubs similar to those in New York, Paris , and Berlin . Nightclubs in London were tied much to

6708-692: The Delphi Filmpalast ), Kakadu , Femina-Palast , Palais am Zoo , Gourmenia-Palast , Uhlandeck , and the Haus Vaterland . In the 1920s, the nightlife of the city was dominated by party drugs such as cocaine . Hundreds of venues in the city, which at the time had a sinful reputation, offered in addition to bars, stages, and dance floors an erotic nightlife, such as small booths where lovers could withdraw to for intimate moments. These venues were aimed at rich and poor people, gays , lesbians , nudists , and gangsters alike. In 1930s Shanghai ,

6880-531: The Electric Circus , and Dom. While the discothèque swept Europe throughout the 1960s, it did not become widely popular in the United States until the 1970s, where the first rock and roll generation preferred rough and tumble bars and taverns to nightclubs until the disco era. In the early 1960s, Mark Birley opened a members-only discothèque nightclub, Annabel's , in Berkeley Square , London. In 1962,

7052-630: The Harrimans , Ernest Hemingway , Judy Holliday , J. Edgar Hoover , Grace Kelly , the Kennedys , Dorothy Kilgallen , Dorothy Lamour , Robert M. McBride , Vincent Price , Marilyn Monroe , the Nordstrom Sisters , Erik Rhodes , the Roosevelts , Elaine Stritch , Ramón Rivero , J. D. Salinger , Frank Sinatra , Elizabeth Taylor , Gene Tierney , Mike Todd , and Gloria Vanderbilt . The main room of

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7224-912: The Irish National Liberation Army used front names like the South Armagh Republican Action Force , Catholic Reaction Force and the People's Republican Army to claim responsibility for attacks on civilians, Loyalists like the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Defense Association used various front names such as the Protestant Action Force , Ulster Freedom Fighters and Red Hand Defenders when they carried out attacks against civilians, most of which were aimed at Catholic civilians. During

7396-551: The Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union (LDPSU), which became the second officially-registered party in the country. According to KGB General Philipp Bobkov , it was a " Zubatov 's pseudo-party under KGB control that directs interests and sentiments of certain social groups". The former Soviet Politburo member Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev described in his book how KGB Director Vladimir Kryuchkov presented

7568-557: The Middle Earth club (at 43 King Street) and eventually the Roundhouse in 1968. Both the UFO Club and Middle Earth were short-lived but saw performances by artists such as house-band Pink Floyd , Soft Machine , Procol Harum , Fairport Convention , Arthur Brown , and Jimi Hendrix ; DJ John Peel was a regular. These clubs germinated what would later become the underground gig scene of

7740-607: The Peppermint Lounge in New York City became popular and is the place where go-go dancing originated. Sybil Burton opened the "Arthur" discothèque in 1965 on East 54th Street in Manhattan on the site of the old El Morocco nightclub and it became the first, foremost, and hottest disco in New York City through 1969. In Germany in the 1960s, when Berlin was divided by the Wall , Munich became Germany's epicenter of nightlife for

7912-518: The Russian program of biological weapons . This delivery channel encoded VOLNA ("wave") meant "delivering the material via an international flight of the Aeroflot airline in the pilots' cabin, where one of the pilots was a KGB officer". At least two SVR agents died, presumably from the transported pathogens. When businessman Nikolai Glushkov was appointed as a top manager of Aeroflot in 1996, he found that

8084-755: The Vietnam War . Other CIA-funded front groups have been used to spread American propaganda and influence during the Cold War , particularly in the Third World . When intelligence agencies work through legitimate organizations, it can cause problems and increased risk for the workers of those organizations. To prevent this, the CIA has had a 20-year policy (since 1976, per US Government sources) of not using Peace Corps members or US journalists for intelligence purposes. Another airline allegedly involved in intelligence operations

8256-678: The Weimar Republic in Germany, the anti-Semitic and nationalist Organisation Consul reportedly had a front company named the Bavarian Wood Products Company. Corporations from a wide variety of different industries, such as food, pharmaceutical and energy, set up front groups to advocate on their behalf. Some pharmaceutical companies set up "patients' groups" as front organizations that pressure healthcare providers and legislators to adopt their products. For example, Biogen set up

8428-522: The Wigan Casino , known for the acrobatic dancing of its clubgoers; each of these clubs was known for all-nighters. Disco has its roots in the underground club scene. During the early 1970s in New York City, disco clubs were places where oppressed or marginalized groups such as gay people, African Americans , Latinos , Italian Americans , and Jews could party without following male to female dance protocol or exclusive club policies. Discothèques had

8600-782: The World Federation of Trade Unions , the World Federation of Democratic Youth , and the International Union of Students . Richard Felix Staar has also suggested that these organizations were somewhat less important front organizations: Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organisation , Christian Peace Conference , International Association of Democratic Lawyers , International Federation of Resistance Movements , International Institute for Peace , International Organization of Journalists , Women's International Democratic Federation , and World Federation of Scientific Workers . There were also numerous smaller organizations, affiliated with

8772-491: The communist victory in 1949 as The Red Capitol Cinema , dedicated to Maoist propaganda films, before fading into obscurity. It reopened as The Paramount in 2008. In occupied France , jazz and bebop music, and the jitterbug dance were banned by the Nazis as "decadent American influences", so as an act of resistance, people met at hidden basements called discothèques where they danced to jazz and swing music , played on

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8944-566: The glam rock ( T. Rex , David Bowie, Roxy Music ) and punk rock cultures in London produced their own set of nightclubs, starting with Billy's at 69 Dean Street (known for its David Bowie nights), Louise's on Poland Street (the first true punk club and hangout of the Sex Pistols , Siouxsie Sioux plus the Bromley Contingent , and then Blitz (the home of the Blitz Kids ). Crackers

9116-449: The "fragrance of the Stork Club". Billingsley convinced Arthur Godfrey , Morton Downey , and his own assistant, Steve Hannigan, to form an investment group with him to obtain the United States distributorship of the fragrance. The partners expanded into the sale of soap, cosmetics and other sundries under the Stork Club name. They called the business Cigogne—the French word for stork; the line

9288-406: The "other quintessential 1970s club drug Quaalude , which suspended motor coordination and turned one's arms and legs to Jell-O ". The "massive quantities of drugs ingested in discotheques by newly liberated gay men produced the next cultural phenomenon of the disco era: rampant promiscuity and public sex . While the dance floor was the central arena of seduction, actual sex usually took place in

9460-698: The 1960s, along with musicians such as the Beatles . Discothèques began to appear in New York City in 1964: the Village Vanguard offered dancing between jazz sets; Shepheard's, located in the basement of the Drake Hotel , was small but popular; L'Interdit and Il Mio (at Delmonico's ) were private; the El Morocco had an on-premises disco called Garrison; and the Stork Club had one in its Shermaine suite. Larger discos opened in 1966: Cheetah, with room for 2000 dancers,

9632-907: The 1960s, but especially with the rise of electronic dance music since the late 1980s. VJing gained more and more importance. VJs ("video jockeys") mix video content in a similar manner that DJs mix audio content, creating a visual experience that is intended to complement the music. The 2020s started with the global COVID-19 pandemic , which closed nightclubs worldwide – the first ever synchronized, global shutdown of nightlife. In response, online "virtual nightclubs" developed, hosted on video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom . As countries relaxed lockdown rules following drops in case numbers, some nightclubs reopened in repurposed form as sat-down pubs. As vaccine rollouts reached advanced stages, nightclubs were able to reopen with looser restrictions, such as producing certification of full vaccination upon entry. Front organization A front organization

9804-402: The 1970s and 1980s, at venues such as the 100 Club and The Clarendon in Hammersmith . During the 1960s, the Clarendon was a country & western club, having earlier been an upmarket jazz, dining , and dancing club in the pre-War era. In the north of England, the distinct northern soul movement spanned Manchester 's Twisted Wheel Club , the Blackpool Mecca , Cleethorpes Pier , and

9976-771: The 1980s, during the New Romantic movement, London had a vibrant nightclub scene, which included clubs like The Blitz, the Batcave , the Camden Palace , and Club for Heroes . These clubs grew out of the earlier Mandrake and Billy's (later Gossip's) at 69 Dean Street, in the basement below the ground floor Gargoyle Club . Both music and fashion embraced the aesthetics of the movement. Bands included Depeche Mode , Yazoo , The Human League , Duran Duran , Eurythmics , and Ultravox . Reggae -influenced bands included Boy George and Culture Club , and electronic vibe bands included Visage . At London nightclubs, young men would often wear make-up and young women would wear men's suits. Leigh Bowery 's Taboo (which opened in 1985) bridged

10148-421: The 1980s. The World Health Organization has charged that the tobacco industry funded seemingly-unbiased scientific organizations to undermine tobacco control measures and cited the International Life Sciences Institute in particular. Another way to combat public health measures against tobacco is to use lobbying and campaign contributions. For example, RJ Reynolds , the current second-largest tobacco company in

10320-409: The Bell Tolls at the Stork Club to settle his bill. In the 1940s, workers of the Stork Club desired to be represented by a union, and by 1957, the employees of all similar New York venues were union members. However, Billingsley was still unwilling to allow his workers to organize, which led to union supporters picketing in front of the club for many years until its closure. During this time, many of

10492-425: The Church's offices (following discovery of the Church's Operation Snow White ) turned up, among other documents, an undated memo entitled "PR General Categories of Data Needing Coding". This memo listed what it called "Secret PR Front Groups," which included the group APRL, "Alliance for the Preservation of Religious Liberty" (later renamed "Americans Preserving Religious Liberty"). The Cult Awareness Network (CAN)

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10664-519: The Cub Room ("the snub room"), was guarded by a captain called "Saint Peter" (for the saint who guards the gates of Heaven ). The most famous of the Cub Room's headwaiters was John "Jack" Spooner, who was well known to many celebrities from his previous duties at LaHiff's. Billingsley recruited him in 1934 after the death of Billy Lahiff and the subsequent closure of his club. Spooner began an autograph book for his daughter, Amelia, while working at LaHiff's. Billingsley encouraged him to bring "The Book" to

10836-859: The Cub Room of the Stork Club. The Alfred Hitchcock film The Wrong Man (1957) starred Henry Fonda as real-life Stork Club bassist Christopher Emanuel Balestrero ("Manny"), who was falsely accused of committing robberies around New York City. Scenes involving Balestrero playing the bass were actually shot at the club. The film's screenplay, written by Maxwell Anderson , was based on a true story originally published in Life . Nightclub Nightclubs generally restrict access to people in terms of age, attire , personal belongings , and behaviors. Nightclubs typically have dress codes to prohibit people wearing informal, indecent, offensive, or gang-related attire from entering. Unlike other entertainment venues, nightclubs are more likely to use bouncers to screen prospective patrons for entry. The busiest nights for

11008-423: The Kennedy and Roosevelt families, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The news of Grace Kelly's engagement to Prince Rainier of Monaco broke while the couple were visiting the Stork Club. Socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the Hope Diamond , once lost the gem under a Stork Club table during an evening visit to the club. Ernest Hemingway was able to cash his $ 100,000 check for the film rights of For Whom

11180-488: The New Romantic and acid house scenes. With the birth of house music in the mid-1980s and then acid house, kickstarted by Chris Sullivan's The Wag Club (on the site of the earlier The Flamingo Club ), a cultural revolution swept around the world; first in Chicago at the Warehouse and then London and New York City. London clubs such as Clink Street , Revolution in Progress (RiP), Philip Sallon's The Mudd Club , Danny Rampling 's Shoom (starting in December 1987 in

11352-426: The Starship Discovery One. In San Francisco, there was the Trocadero Transfer , the I-Beam , and the End Up . In Spain during the 1970s, the first clubs and discos opened in Ibiza , an island which had been a popular destination for hippie travelers since the 1960s and now was experiencing a tourist boom. The first ever " Superclub " in Ibiza was the now-abandoned "Festival Club" at Sant Josep de sa Talaia , which

11524-409: The Stork Club as a singer and Roosevelt was a longtime customer of the club. Billingsley sent out publicity notices about the party; the couple told him that they had no plans to announce their engagement at that time. Roosevelt was banned from the Stork and the party was canceled. Jackie Gleason , who was a frequent guest of the club with his two daughters, was being seated with a female companion when

11696-426: The Stork Club did not owe the city any money and was up to date on its tax payments. A compromise was reached: the club could stay open as long as a custodian for the city was allowed to be on the premises. Billingsley was eventually able to get a court order to eject the custodian, but the case dragged on for five years, costing Billingsley $ 100,000. On October 19, 1951, Josephine Baker made charges of racism against

11868-408: The Stork Club was bugged . During his work on the Stork Club book, author and New York Times reporter Ralph Blumenthal was contacted by Jean-Claude Baker , one of Josephine Baker's adopted sons. Having read an article by Blumenthal about Leonard Bernstein 's FBI file, he indicated that he had read his mother's FBI file and by comparing the file to the tapes, said he thought the Stork Club incident

12040-494: The Stork Club was filled with moneyed guests. Someone else who read Winchell's column in 1930 was singer-actress Helen Morgan , who had just finished filming a movie on Long Island. Morgan decided to hold a cast party at the Stork Club, paying the tab with two $ 1,000 bills. Winchell became a regular at the Stork Club; what he saw and heard there at his private Table 50 was the basis of his newspaper columns and radio broadcasts. Billingsley also kept professionals on his staff whose job

12212-463: The Stork Club were on the house. In early 1944, New York mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia ordered a check on the books of all major city night clubs. City tax accountants soon investigated the Stork Club, the Copacabana , and other city night spots. By July, auditors turned in a report claiming that the clubs were overcharging patrons on tax, sending the city the proper amount, and keeping the overbilled sums. One Saturday in July, city officials arrived at

12384-401: The Stork Club were unionized. This met with resistance from Billingsley and many dependable employees left the Stork Club over his refusal to allow them to be represented by a union. Picket lines were set up and marched in front of the club daily for years, including the club's last day of business. The club received many threats connected to his refusal to accept unions for his workers; some of

12556-421: The Stork Club with a court order granting permission for them to seize the club's property for the amount that was claimed to be overcharged as taxes, plus penalties. The total for the Stork Club was $ 181,000. Billingsley, out of town with his family, was notified. The club's employees refused to turn anything over to the officials, who were intent on closing it. Upon his return, Billingsley firmly protested that

12728-407: The Stork Club, where stars continued to sign it. Some who were famous illustrators or cartoonists such as E. C. Segar ( Popeye ), Chic Young ( Blondie ), and Theodor Geisel (" Dr. Seuss ") would add personalized doodles or drawings for Spooner's young daughter. Billingsley's rule of thumb for his help, "If you know them, they don't belong in here," did not apply to Spooner. It was Spooner's knowing

12900-454: The Stork Club. Baker visited the club on October 16 as the guest of Roger Rico and his wife; both entertainers were at the Stork after their theater performances. Baker said she ordered a steak and was apparently still waiting for it an hour later. The controversy grew when Baker accused Walter Winchell of being in the Cub Room at the time and not coming to her aid. Winchell was at the club; he said he had greeted Baker and vocalist Roger Rico as

13072-461: The Stork Club. A New York police investigation of the matter followed the complaint made by the NAACP. The police investigation found that the Stork Club did not discriminate against Josephine Baker. The NAACP went on to say that the results of the police investigation did not provide enough evidence for the organization to pursue the incident further in criminal court. Baker filed suit against Winchell over

13244-418: The Stork was doing well enough to have a million-dollar gross for the first time. Young debutante Brenda Frazier made her first visit to the Stork Club in the spring of 1938; she became a regular, bringing many young people from the society set with her. Billingsley welcomed young people who were not old enough to drink. He encouraged them to gather at the Stork Club by inviting debutantes to the club and holding

13416-454: The UK government's Criminal Justice Act , which largely ended the rave movement by criminalizing any gathering of 20 or more people where music ("sounds wholly or predominantly characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats") was played. Commercial clubs immediately capitalized on the situation causing a boom in "Superclubs" in the UK, such as Ministry of Sound (London), Renaissance , and Cream ( Liverpool ). These developed

13588-585: The US is maintained by the Multinational Monitor . Some think tanks are corporate front groups. These organizations present themselves as research organizations, using phrases such as "...Institute for Research" in their names. Because their names suggest neutrality, they can present the commercial strategies of the corporations which sponsor them in a way which appears to be objective sociological or economical research rather than political lobbying. Similarly

13760-454: The United States, created a front group named Get Government Off Our Back ("GGOOB") in 1994 to fight federal regulation of tobacco. By hiding its involvement with tobacco industry, GGOOB avoided the tobacco industry reputation for misrepresenting evidence and drew big supports from both public and legislative aspects, successfully resolving the threats from wide-reaching tobacco regulations. A list of some alleged corporate front groups active in

13932-544: The above fronts such as Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs . Numerous peace conferences, congresses and festivals have been staged with support of those organizations. More recently, the Workers' World Party (WWP) set up an anti-war front group, International ANSWER . (ANSWER is no longer closely associated with WWP; it is closely associated with a WWP splinter, the Party for Socialism and Liberation , but PSL plays

14104-402: The airline company worked as a " cash cow to support international spying operations" according to Alex Goldfarb : 3,000 people out of the total workforce of 14,000 in Aeroflot were FSB , SVR, or GRU officers. All proceeds from ticket sales were distributed to 352 foreign bank accounts that could not be controlled by the Aeroflot administration. Glushkov closed all these accounts and channeled

14276-498: The association of the term with the sex trade has driven out the regular usage of the term. In the United States , New York increasingly became the national capital for tourism and entertainment. Grand hotels were built for upscale visitors. New York's theater district gradually moved northward during this half century, from The Bowery up Broadway through Union Square and Madison Square , settling around Times Square at

14448-726: The authorities or the public. Front organizations that appear to be independent voluntary associations or charitable organizations are called front groups . In the business world, front organizations such as front companies or shell corporations are used to shield the parent company from legal liability. In international relations , a puppet state is a state which acts as a front (or surrogate) for another state. Intelligence agencies use front organizations to provide "cover", plausible occupations and means of income, for their covert agents. These may include legitimate organizations, such as charity, religious or journalism organizations; or " brass plate firms " which exist solely to provide

14620-465: The basement of Southwark's Fitness Centre), Paul Oakenfold 's Spectrum , and Nicky Holloway 's The Trip fused the eclecticism and ethos of [Ibiza with the new electronic music from the US. The largest UK cities like Birmingham , Leeds (The Orbit), Liverpool ( Quadrant Park and 051), Manchester ( The Haçienda ), Newcastle , and Swansea , and several key European places like Paris ( Les Bains-Douches ), Ibiza ( Pacha ), and Rimini , also played

14792-614: The big clubs were The Paramount Club (opened in 1933) and Ciro's (opened in 1936). Other clubs of the era were the Metropole and the Canidrome . Jazz bands , big bands, and singers performed for a bowtied clientele. The Paramount and Ciro's in particular were fiercely rivalrous and attracted many customers from the underworld. Shanghai's clubs fell into decline after the Japanese invasion of 1937 and eventually closed. The Paramount reopened after

14964-481: The building it occupied had been sold and a new location was being sought. The years of labor disputes had taken their toll on Billingsley financially. Trying to keep the Stork Club going took all of his assets and about $ 10 million from his three daughters' trust funds. While in the hospital recuperating from a serious illness in October 1965, Billingsley sold the building to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), which turned

15136-447: The building; this took two hours. In 1934, the Stork Club moved to 3 East 53rd Street, where it remained until it closed in October 1965. Billingsley's guest list for the 53rd Street opening consisted of people from Broadway and Park Avenue. He sent out 1,000 invitations for champagne and dinner. The women found much to like about the fresh flowers everywhere and the mirrored walls, while the men were pleased to see their favorite dishes on

15308-474: The ceiling of the Main Dining Room by a net and the net would open at the stroke of midnight. As the balloons came down, the ladies would begin frantically trying to catch them. Each contained a number and a drawing would be held for the prizes, which ranged from charms for bracelets to automobiles; there were also at least three $ 100 bills folded and placed randomly in the balloons. Billingsley's generosity

15480-617: The chic Florida Club in London's Mayfair. In Germany during the Golden Twenties , there was a need to dance away the memories of the First World War . In Berlin, where a " tango fever" had already swept dancing establishments in the early 1910s, 899 venues with a dancing licence were registered by 1930, including the Moka Efti , Casanova , Scala , Delphi-Palast (destroyed in WW2, replaced by

15652-561: The city. In 1967, Germany's first large-scale discothèque opened in Munich as the club Blow Up , which because of its extravagance and excesses quickly gained international reputation. In parallel, the hippie movement spawned Britain's first club for psychedelic music , the UFO Club (at the Blarney Club, 31 Tottenham Court Road , London from 23 Dec 1966 to Oct 1967) which then became

15824-459: The club was also frequented by many of the prominent figures that had fled Europe, from royals to businessmen, debutantes, sportsmen and military dignitaries, who often, upon departing, took with them the signature ashtrays of the club as souvenirs. The news of Grace Kelly's engagement to Prince Rainier of Monaco broke at the Stork. The couple was at the club on Tuesday, January 3, 1956, as the rumors flew. Veteran columnist Jack O'Brian passed Kelly

15996-419: The club's celebrity and non-celebrity guests stopped visiting the Stork Club; it closed in 1965 and was demolished the following year. The site is now the location of Paley Park , a small vest-pocket park . The Stork Club was owned and operated by Sherman Billingsley (1896–1966) an ex- bootlegger who came to New York from Enid, Oklahoma. The Stork Club first opened in 1929 at 132 West 58th Street, just down

16168-462: The club's menu, as well as many of their personal and business friends at the opening. When the Stork Club became a tenant in 1934, the building was known as the Physicians and Surgeons Building. Many of the medical tenants were unhappy about the night club moving in, but in February 1946, Billingsley purchased the seven-story building for $ 300,000 cash, evicting the doctors to expand the club. By 1936,

16340-537: The club's tables. Actor Warren Oates once worked at the club as a dishwasher. Guests were expected to dress to high standards, with men wearing evening suits and the women wearing "gowns with silk gloves reaching the elbow". All women in full evening dress received an orchid or gardenia corsage, compliments of the Stork Club. A requirement for all men was a necktie; those who were not wearing one were either lent one or had to buy one to gain admittance. Although African Americans were not explicitly barred from entry, there

16512-460: The club-as-spectacle theme pioneered in the 1970s and 1980s by Pacha (Ibiza) and Juliana's Tokyo (Japan), creating a global phenomenon; however, many clubs such as The Cross in London, preserved the more underground feel of the former era. Since the late 2000s, venues that received high media attention include Berghain in Berlin and Fabric in London. Video art has been used in nightclubs since

16684-462: The club. A live band was provided in the main dining room for dancing. Billingsley had a keen sense for business. Before he purchased the building where the Stork Club was, the yearly rent for the space it occupied was $ 12,000. Billingsley rented out the hat- and coat-check area to a separate concession for $ 27,000 a year. This paid the rent for the Stork Club, leaving $ 15,000 annually to cover bad checks. When Ernest Hemingway wanted to pay his bill with

16856-559: The club. Authorities have referred to Pharaoh's as a hot spot for drug dealing and sex trafficking. The club's owner is Peter G. Gerace Jr., the nephew of reputed Buffalo crime family boss Joseph A. Todaro Jr. The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, themselves, have been designated by federal law enforcement as a criminal enterprise. In the early 2000s, the Black Mafia Family established the Atlanta-based record label BMF Entertainment as

17028-415: The club. Originally sponsored by Fatima cigarettes , the series ran from 1950 to 1955. The show was directed by Yul Brynner , who was a television director before he became a well-known actor. The program began on CBS Television with the network having built a replica of the Cub Room on the Stork Club's sixth floor to serve as the set for the show. Billingsley was paid $ 12,000 each week as its host, but he

17200-478: The club; Berle contended that the real reason was because of a Stork Club satire he had recently performed on his television program. Elliott Roosevelt , the so-called "black sheep of the club", became unwelcome at the club through an apparent misunderstanding. Billingsley had planned an engagement party for Roosevelt and his girlfriend, vocalist Gigi Durston, on the basis of the couple's friends' statements that they were going to be married. Durston had once worked at

17372-530: The couple was asked to leave the premises in March 1957. Billingsley claimed that Gleason's conversation became loud and off-color when he arrived at a table and barred Gleason from the Stork Club for life. Gleason said that he had done nothing wrong. He wondered if the problem was because he was a member of the Musicians' Union, since the club's wait and kitchen staff had been on strike since January of that year. Despite

17544-469: The doorman. When the East 53rd Street building came down to make way for Paley Park, one of the artifacts found in it was a still . The New York Historical Society displayed that along with other Stork Club items and memorabilia in an exhibit in 2000. Billingsley's hospitality with food, drink, and gifts overcame the structural deficits to keep his patrons returning time after time. He maintained order through

17716-611: The end of the 19th century. Stars such as Edwin Booth and Lillian Russell were among the early Broadway performers. Prostitutes served a wide variety of clientele, from sailors on leave to playboys. The first nightclubs appeared in New York City in the 1840s and 1850s, including McGlory's, and the Haymarket. They enjoyed a national reputation for vaudeville , live music, and dance. They tolerated unlicensed liquor, commercial sex, and gambling cards, chiefly Faro . Practically all gambling

17888-413: The entire club, choosing emerald green for the carpet and chairs, and a pinkish-red for the banquettes . The Cub Room's wood panels were replaced by beige burlap and the portraits of beautiful women were replaced by paintings of noted 19th-century race horses. As a concession to those who wanted to have a business lunch at The Stork, the Cub Room was for men only during lunch time. The sanctum sanctorum ,

18060-409: The finest wines and cuisine, and it was known for its Champagne and caviar. The club gained worldwide attention for its cocktails, made by chief barman Nathaniel "Cookie" Cook , who invented dozens of cocktails at the bar, including the signature "Stork Club Cocktail". The ornamental bar of the Stork Club was subsequently relocated to Jim Brady's Bar on Maiden Lane , which acquired the bar at auction in

18232-417: The front companies provide plausible cover for illegal activities such as illegal gambling , extortion , drug trafficking , smuggling , and prostitution . Tattoo parlors are often used as fronts for outlaw motorcycle clubs . Where brothels are illegal, criminal organizations set up front companies providing services such as a " massage parlor " or "sauna" to the point that "massage parlor" or "sauna"

18404-577: The ground for what was unfold in the 1990s, initially in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States and then worldwide from the 2000s onwards. In Europe and North America, nightclubs play disco-influenced dance music such as house music , techno , Eurodance and other dance music styles such as electronica , breakbeat , and trance . Most nightclubs in major cities in the U.S. that have an early adulthood clientele, play hip hop , dance-pop , house, and/or trance music. These clubs are generally

18576-421: The grounds of it being allegedly used to launder cash for the notorious outlaw motorcycle gang, Comanchero Motorcycle Club . The money laundered through the tattoo parlor allegedly came from the club's drug trafficking operations. The Church of Scientology uses front groups either to promote its interests in politics, to make its group seem more legitimate, and to recruit. The FBI 's July 8, 1977 raids on

18748-569: The idea of " high society ", via organisations such as the Kit Kat Club (which took its name from the political Kit-Cat Club in Pall Mall, London ) and the Café de Paris . The 43 Club on Gerrard Street was run by Kate Meyrick the 'Night Club Queen'. Meyrick ran several London nightclubs in the 1920s and early 1930s, during which time she served prison sentences for breaching licensing laws and bribing

18920-511: The idea of dancing to records at her premises' basement in 1957. It stayed popular into the 1960s. It later became a 1940s-themed club called the Black Gardenia but has since closed. The Flamingo Club on Wardour Street in London ran between 1952 and 1967 and was known for its role in the growth of rhythm and blues and jazz in the UK. It earned a controversial reputation with gangsters and prostitutes said to have been frequent visitors in

19092-507: The jukebox with two turntables that she operated herself so there would be no breaks between the music. This was the world's first-ever "discothèque". The Whisky à Gogo set into place the standard elements of the modern post-World War II discothèque -style nightclub. In London, by the end of the 1950s, several of the coffee bars in London's Soho introduced afternoon dancing. These prototype discothèques were nothing like modern-day nightclubs, as they were unlicensed, daytime venues where coffee

19264-568: The largest and most frequented of all of the different types of clubs. Techno clubs are popular around the world since the early 1990s. Well known examples of the 1990s include Tresor , E-Werk , and Bunker in Berlin ; Omen and Dorian Gray in Frankfurt ; Ultraschall , KW – Das Heizkraftwerk , and Natraj Temple in Munich; and Stammheim in Kassel . The Castlemorton Common Festival in 1992 triggered

19436-439: The likes of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball could often be seen conversing with executive types. Mark Bernardo, author of Mad Men's Manhattan: The Insider's Guide , has said: "In some ways, the Stork Club was ahead of its time—courting celebrities by picking up their tabs, hiring a house photographer who sent candid shots of guests to the tabloids, and offering a private enclave called the Cub Room, where stars could huddle away from

19608-459: The matter, but the suit was dismissed in 1955. Walter Winchell later said. "The Stork Club discriminates against everybody. White, black, and pink. The Stork bars all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. But if your skin is green and you're rich and famous or you're syndicated, you'll be welcome at the club." Because of Billingsley's long-standing friendship with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) head J. Edgar Hoover , rumors persisted that

19780-402: The message about the club having wonderful air conditioning was that after having received the cold shoulder there, he was well aware of the climate. Bilingsley responded to Ace with a gift of some Stork Club bow ties. Ace then asked for some matching socks so he might be in style to be turned away again. Ace and his wife became regulars at the club after the issue was resolved. Owner Billingsley

19952-522: The mid-1970s and continued to operate until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The dining room featured live bands for dancing; the Benny Goodman orchestra were frequent performers. According to a 1960 Services Labor Report, the kitchen and dining room employees working in the Stork Club did "not enjoy the same wages, hours and working conditions" as the others, a primary factor which led the majority of them to

20124-457: The money to an accounting center called Andava in Switzerland . He also sent a bill and wrote a letter to SVR director Yevgeni Primakov and FSB director Mikhail Barsukov asking them to pay salaries of their intelligence officers in Aeroflot in 1996. Glushkov was imprisoned in 2000 on charges of illegally channeling money through Andava. Since 2004 the company is controlled by Viktor Ivanov ,

20296-429: The most prestigious clubs had elaborate lighting systems that throbbed to the beat of the music. The genre of disco has changed through the years. It is classified both as a musical genre and as a nightclub; and in the late seventies, disco began to act as a safe haven for social outcasts. This club culture that originated in downtown New York, was attended by a variety of different ethnicities and economic backgrounds. It

20468-422: The name of the Stork Club. Billingsley commissioned Tiffany & Co. to produce sterling silver Stork Club logo Victory pins as gifts for their crew members. Patrons were not always on the receiving end; Billingsley's writings claimed that one of his waiters received a $ 20,000 tip. A bartender received a new Cadillac from a grateful patron, and a headwaiter received a $ 10,000 tip from tennis star Fred Perry . It

20640-574: The narrow sense (they have varying degrees of autonomy, and the relationships are usually something of an open secret ) but are widely considered to be so, especially by their political opponents. Examples are the relationship between the Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin in 1980s Ireland or between the Basque groups ETA (paramilitary) and Batasuna (party) in Spain . Similarly, in the United States , when

20812-450: The nether regions of the disco: bathroom stalls, exit stairwells, and so on. In other cases, the disco became a kind of "main course" in a hedonist 's menu for a night out." Well known 1970s discothèques included celebrity hangouts such as Manhattan's Studio 54 , which was operated by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager . Studio 54 was notorious for the hedonism that went on within; the balconies were known for sexual encounters, and drug use

20984-451: The next two decades with numerous nightclubs and discothèques such as Big Apple , PN hit-house , Tiffany , Domicile , Hot Club , Piper Club , Why Not , Crash , Sugar Shack , the underwater discothèque Yellow Submarine , and Mrs. Henderson , where stars such as Mick Jagger , Keith Richards , Freddie Mercury , and David Bowie went in and out and which led to artists such as Giorgio Moroder , Donna Summer , and Mercury settling in

21156-539: The original batch, and being London's longest running one-nighter club, Gaz's Rockin' Blues , is still going as of 2020. The new wave music scene grew out of Blitz and the Cha Cha Club in Charing Cross . Whilst overall, the club scene was fairly small and hidden away in basements, cellars, and warehouses, London's complicated mix of punk, New Romantic , New Wave, and gay clubs in the late 1970s and early 1980s paved

21328-406: The other ape-men. The Navy man suffered two black eyes and complained that Weissmuller's friends held him as he was punched by Weissmuller. Ernest Hemingway once took issue with a stranger who slapped him on the back; knocking him into three chairs and a table as he brushed him away. Billingsley contended that many of the incidents that appeared in print were minor disagreements which were inflated by

21500-568: The party and of Cuomo have noted that there is an inherent level of deception involved in the party, as Cuomo is not a woman, the party has not favored women in its endorsement policies, and Cuomo's gubernatorial campaign fund is the primary source of revenue for the party's operations. In April 1991, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union leadership and the KGB created a puppet political party in Russia,

21672-415: The party's ideology but agree with certain aspects of it. The front organization often obscures its provenance and may often be a tool for recruitment. Other Marxists often describe front organizations as opportunist . The concept of a front organization should be distinguished from the united front (a coalition of working class or socialist parties) and the popular front . Both the united front and

21844-426: The patrons and socializing with them away from the job that helped make the Stork Club so successful with attracting celebrity clients. At Christmas, Spooner dressed as Santa Claus, posing for photos with old and young alike. Author T. C. McNult has referred to the Stork Club during its existence as "the most celebrated nightspot in the world"; while author Ed McMahon has called it the "most realistic nightclub of all",

22016-404: The plot. The Stork Club was also featured in several movies, including The Stork Club (1945), Executive Suite (1954), Artists and Models (1955), and My Favorite Year (1982). Billingsley received $ 100,000 for the use of the club's name in the 1945 film. In All About Eve (1950), the characters played by Bette Davis , Gary Merrill , Anne Baxter and George Sanders are shown in

22188-700: The popular front usually disclose the groups that make up their coalitions. According to a list prepared in 1955 by the United States Senate Internal Security Subcommittee , the Comintern set up no less than 82 front organizations in the United States in the 1930s and the 1940s. Soviet intelligence infiltrated many peace movements in the West . In addition to the World Peace Council , important communist front organizations included

22360-445: The press. Jack Benny invited longtime friend, writer, and performer Goodman Ace to lunch with him at the Stork. Ace arrived at the club first and received the " cold shoulder " because he was not recognized by the staff. When Benny arrived and asked for Ace, he was told that Ace became tired of waiting and left. Soon Ace began to receive mail from the Stork, which he proceeded to answer in his tongue in cheek style. Ace's response to

22532-528: The project of the puppet party at a joint meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev and informed him about a selection of party leaders and the mechanism of funding from Communist Party money. The book includes an official copy of a document providing the initial Liberal Democratic Party funding (3 million rubles) from the Communist Party's money. The Liberal Democratic leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky , proved to be an effective media performer and gained 8% of votes during

22704-580: The prying eyes of fans, all hallmarks of modern clubs that cater to boldface names". The venue was usually packed with luminaries during its golden years, and dining orders could take a long time to be dealt with. Notable guests through the years included Lucille Ball , Tallulah Bankhead , Joan Blondell , Charlie Chaplin , Frank Costello , Bing Crosby , the Duke and Duchess of Windsor , Brenda Frazier , Ava Gardner , Artie Shaw , Dorothy Frooks , Carmen Miranda , Dana Andrews , Michael O'Shea , Judy Garland ,

22876-513: The role of safety net. It brought together people from different backgrounds. These clubs acted as safe havens for homosexual partygoers to dance in peace and away from public scrutiny. By the late 1970s, many major U.S. cities had thriving disco club scenes centered on discothèques, nightclubs, and private loft parties where DJs would play disco hits through powerful PA systems for the dancers. The DJs played "a smooth mix of long single records to keep people 'dancing all night long ' ". Some of

23048-402: The room for poker parties complained that the mirrors allowed players to see everyone's hand of cards ; the mirrors were then removed from the walls. Billingsley's original plan for the Cub Room was for it to be a private place for playing gin rummy with his friends. The room was added to the club during World War II. Billingsley broke out a wall in the bar to create this private space, but it

23220-444: The rules and banishments, there were incidents which made their way into newspapers. Billingsley associate Steve Hannagan believed that one "good fight" a year was permissible for a respectable night club. Johnny Weissmuller accused a Navy lieutenant of using a lit cigarette to burn the clothing of dancers as they passed his table. The lieutenant advised Weissmuller to get a haircut; his wife told Weissmuller to go back to Hollywood with

23392-562: The same details as earlier news stories about Josephine Baker's accusations that he did not assist her at the Stork Club. Winchell also printed a letter he received from Walter White , who was the executive secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at the time, although Billingsley alleged the letter was a forgery. The controversy prompted a fake bomb threat, as well as an NAACP protest outside

23564-484: The same year the statements were made. A Philco Television Playhouse presentation, "Murder at the Stork Club", was aired on NBC Television on January 15, 1950. Franchot Tone and Billingsley had cameo roles in the television drama. The television show was an adaptation of Vera Caspary 's 1946 mystery novel, The Murder in the Stork Club , where the action took place in and around the famous nightclub, with Sherman Billingsley and other real-life characters appearing in

23736-468: The seating placement system in the club. Unescorted women were not allowed to enter the club after 6:00 p.m; this was a protective measure for men who may have been out with someone other than their wives. Several celebrities did not abide by the rules and were banned from the club. Humphrey Bogart was banned after a prolonged "shouting match" with Billingsley. Milton Berle was officially barred for too much table-hopping, shouting, and doing handsprings in

23908-439: The site into a park named after its founder's father. In a 1937 interview, Billingsley said, "I hope I'll be running a night club the last day I live." On October 4, 1966, Sherman Billingsley died of a heart attack at his Manhattan apartment. He was planning on re-opening the Stork Club at another location and was working on writing a book at the time of his death. From the physical layout of the club, as described by Ed Sullivan in

24080-419: The sophistication and Toots Shor's drew the sporting crowd, but the Stork Club mixed power, money, and glamor. Unlike its competitors, the Stork stayed open on Sunday nights and during the summer. One of the first Stork Club customers was writer Heywood Broun , who resided in the vicinity. Broun's first visit to the Stork was actually made by mistake; he believed it to be a funeral home , but he soon became

24252-482: The stage-name DJ Heinrich. In the US, Connie's Inn and the Cotton Club in Harlem , NY were popular venues for white audiences. Before 1953 and some years thereafter, most bars and nightclubs used a jukebox or mostly live bands. In Paris, at a club named Le Whisky à Gogo , founded in 1947 on the rue de Seine by Paul Pacine, Régine Zylberberg in 1953 laid down a dance floor, suspended coloured lights, and replaced

24424-509: The story was told as part of Gray's radio talk show. One of those who phoned Gray's program was television personality and columnist Ed Sullivan , a professional rival of Winchell's whose "home base" was the El Morocco nightclub. Sullivan's on-air remarks dealt mainly with Winchell's alleged part in the event, saying, "What Winchell has done is an insult to the United States and American newspapermen." Winchell's column of October 24, 1951, provides

24596-469: The street from Billingsley's apartment at 152 West 58th Street. Billingsley's handwritten recollections of the early days recall that he was approached by two gamblers he knew from Oklahoma in his New York real estate office, proposing to open a restaurant together, which he accepted. The origin of the name of the club is unknown; Billingsley once remarked, "Don't ask me how or why I picked the name, because I just don't remember." New York City's El Morocco had

24768-556: The strike in January 1957. Besides the Cub Room, the Main Dining Room, and the bar, the club contained a room for parties, the "Blessed Event Room", a large private room on the second floor with its own kitchen and bar, the "Loner's Room", which was just past the Cub Room and much like a men's club, and a private barber shop. When the Blessed Event Room was added to the Stork Club, its walls were entirely mirrored. Patrons who had rented

24940-577: The sugar content in its drinks. Although Coca-Cola has publicly promoted consumer engagement in healthy lifestyles with its campaigns such as ' Coming Together ', activists have also exposed that Coca-Cola has secretly funded front groups or organizations that criticize social movement activists and legitimize controversial corporate activities . The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) and Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) are two main groups that engage activists on behalf of Coca-Cola even though they were not intended to be publicly associated with Coca-Cola as

25112-473: The threats involved Billingsley's family. In 1957, he was arrested for displaying a gun when some painters who were working at the Austrian Consulate next to the family's home sat on his stoop for lunch. Billingsley admitted to acting rashly because of the threats. Three months before his arrest, his secretary was assaulted as she was entering the building where she lived; her assailants made references to

25284-411: The time, but the real purpose of the Stork Club, according to journalist Ed Sullivan, was people watching other people, particularly non-celebrities watching celebrities. Author Mearl L. Allen, however, highlights that the club was more than a celebrity playground, and that "many decisions of tremendous social and economic importance regarding world affairs were made in the Stork Club during this time", and

25456-500: The two left their Cub Room table. Winchell said he was not aware of there being any problem, and left for a late screening of the film The Desert Fox . The next morning, Winchell's rumored failure to assist Baker was big news, and he received countless telephone calls. The incident blew into a major scandal and was widely publicized on the radio and newspapers. Mrs. Rico, who was part of the Baker party with her husband, said that Baker's steak

25628-402: The union issues at the Stork Club. As a result of the union dispute, many club patrons no longer visited the night spot. Those who were performers were informed of the possibility of fines and suspensions by their respective unions for crossing the Stork Club picket line as the issue continued. Many of Billingsley's friendships, including those of Walter Winchell and J. Edgar Hoover, were over as

25800-580: The way for acid house to flourish in the late 1980s, initially with Shoom and two acid house nights at Heaven : Spectrum and Rage. In the north of England, what later became the "alternative" scene was centred around the Roxy/Bowie room at Pips in Manchester, which opened in 1972; as small as this scene was, many notable figures attended the club, and Joy Division played their first gig there, billed as "Warsaw" before changing their name that night. During

25972-561: Was Russian Aeroflot that worked in a close coordination with KGB , SVR and GRU . The company conducted forcible "evacuations" of Soviet citizens from foreign countries back to the USSR. People whose loyalty was questioned were drugged and delivered unconscious by Aeroflot planes, assisted by the company KGB personnel, according to former GRU officer Victor Suvorov . In the 1980s and 1990s, specimens of deadly bacteria and viruses stolen from Western laboratories were delivered by Aeroflot to support

26144-401: Was Walter Winchell who began to call it the Cub Room. The Cub Room had no windows and was described in a Louis Sobol column as a "lopsided oval". The room was lit with pink tones. On the wood-paneled walls were paintings of beautiful women; Billingsley also had similar portraits by the same artist in the ladies' powder room. After the club's labor problems began in 1957, Billingsley redecorated

26316-585: Was a key part of the jazz- funk scene and also the early punk scene via its Vortex nights. The underground warehouse party scene was kicked off by Toyah Willcox with her Mayhem Studios at Patcham Terrace in Battersea . The emergence of this highly experimental artistic scene in London can be credited almost entirely to Rusty Egan , Steve Strange , the Bromley Contingent's Philip Sallon , and Chris Sullivan. Dozens of clubs came and went, but one of

26488-437: Was a mutual understanding that they were not welcome. Billingsley insisted on orderly conduct for all of his Stork Club guests; fighting, drunkenness, or rowdiness were prohibited. He ran the club on the principle of it being a place where people could have a good time and that it was somewhere he could bring his own family without worrying that they would see or hear something he did not want them to. Billingsley closely controlled

26660-652: Was an inexpensive activity to indulge in, and discos united a multitude of different minorities in a way never seen before; including those in the gay and psychedelic communities. The music ultimately was what brought people together. Some cities had disco dance instructors or dance schools that taught people how to do popular disco dances such as "touch dancing", the " hustle ", and the " cha-cha-cha ". There were also disco fashions that discotheque-goers wore for nights out at their local disco, such as sheer, flowing Halston dresses for women and shiny polyester Qiana shirts for men. Disco clubs and "hedonistic loft parties" had

26832-450: Was built between 1969 and 1972 and serviced tourists who were bused in until it closed in 1974. Responding to this influx of visitors, locals opened the first large clubs Pacha , Amnesia , and the Ku-club (renamed Privilege in 1995). By the early 1980s, the term "disco" had largely fallen out of favour in the United States . In parallel to the disco scene and quite separate from it,

27004-411: Was carried by various drug and department stores in the United States. Every female guest of the club received a small vial of perfume and a tube of Stork Club lipstick as souvenirs of her visit. It was also Billingsley's standard practice to send every regular club patron a case of Champagne at Christmas. Sunday night was "Balloon Night". As is common with New Year's celebrations, balloons were held on

27176-548: Was illegal in the city (except upscale horseracing tracks), and regular payoffs to political and police leadership was necessary. Prices were high and they were patronized by an upscale audience. Timothy Gilfoyle called them "the first nightclubs". By contrast, Owney Geoghegan ran the toughest nightclub in New York from 1880 to 1883. It catered to a downscale clientele and besides the usual illegal liquor, gambling, and prostitution, it featured nightly fistfights and occasional shootings, stabbings, and police raids. Webster Hall

27348-661: Was installed at the Palais Royale Saloon, San Francisco on November 23, 1889, becoming an overnight sensation. The advent of the jukebox fueled the Prohibition -era boom in underground illegal speakeasy bars, which needed music but could not afford a live band and needed precious space for paying customers. Webster Hall stayed open, with rumors circulating of Al Capone 's involvement and police bribery. From about 1900 to 1920, working class Americans would gather at honky tonks or juke joints to dance to music played on

27520-481: Was just to light her cigarettes. Billingsley later wrote that Merman had offered him $ 500,000 to leave his wife and that he turned down the offer. Prohibition agents closed the original club on December 22, 1931, and Billingsley moved it to East 51st Street for three years. It was raided on August 29, 1932, at the 51st Street location after an angry patron lost a quarter in a coin machine and notified police. The police asked guests to quietly pay their checks and leave

27692-449: Was kidnapped and held for ransom by Mad Dog Coll , a rival of his mobster partners, he became the sole owner of the Stork Club. It remained at its original location until it was raided by Prohibition agents in 1931 after which it moved to East 51st Street. From 1934 until its closure in 1965, it was located at 3 East 53rd Street , just east of Fifth Avenue , when it became world-renowned with its celebrity clientele and luxury. Billingsley

27864-443: Was known for his lavish gifts, which brought a steady stream of celebrities to the club and also ensured that those interested in the famous would have a reason to visit. Until World War II, the club consisted of a dining room and bar with restrooms on upper floors with many mirrors and fresh flowers throughout. Billingsley originally built the well-known Cub Room as a private place where he could play cards with friends. Described as

28036-472: Was lured to a telephone booth, where he was shot to death. After the incident, the secret gangster partners reluctantly allowed Billingsley to buy them out for $ 30,000. Another New York nightclub owner, Texas Guinan , introduced Billingsley to her friend, the entertainment and gossip columnist Walter Winchell, in 1930. In September 1930, Winchell called the Stork Club "New York's New Yorkiest place on W. 58th" in his New York Daily Mirror column. That evening,

28208-424: Was necessary for Billingsley to give the expensive gifts and to provide some or all of a celebrity's Stork Club services for free to bring the stars to the club and keep them coming back. The notables were what brought people from all over the country in all walks of life to visit the Stork Club. Billingley hosted the television series The Stork Club , in which he circulated among the tables, interviewing guests at

28380-418: Was never really comfortable on camera and it was noticeable. The television show moved to ABC by 1955. During the broadcast of May 8, 1955, Billingsley made some remarks about fellow New York restaurateur Bernard "Toots" Shor 's financial solvency and honesty. Shor responded by suing for a million dollars. He collected just under $ 50,000 as a settlement in March 1959. The Stork Club television show ended in

28552-473: Was not confined to those who were always at the club. He received the following letter in 1955: "I am grateful to you for your thoughtful kindness in sending me such a generous selection of attractive neckties. At the same time may I once again thank you for the cigars that you regularly send to the White House." It was signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower . During World War II, three bomber planes were christened with

28724-434: Was overblown. Hard times began for the Stork Club in 1956, when it lost money for the first time. In 1957, unions tried once again to organize the club's employees. Their major effort 10 years before had been unsuccessful; at that time, Sherman Billingsley was accused of attempting to influence his employees to stay out of the union with lavish staff parties and financial gifts. By 1957, all other similar New York clubs except

28896-579: Was rampant. Its dance floor was decorated with an image of the " Man in the Moon " that included an animated cocaine spoon . Other 1970s discothèques in New York City were Manhattan's Starship Discovery One at 350 West 42nd Street , Roseland Ballroom , Xenon , The Loft , the Paradise Garage , a recently renovated Copacabana , and Aux Puces, one of the first gay disco bars. The album cover of Saturday Night Band's Come On and Dance, Dance featured two dancers in

29068-470: Was the drink of choice and that catered to a very young public – mostly made up of French and Italians working illegally, mostly in catering, to learn English, as well as au pair girls from most of western Europe. A well known venue was Les Enfants Terribles at 93 Dean St., in Soho , London. Initially opening as a coffee-bar, it was run by Betty Passes who claimed to be the inventor of disco after she pioneered

29240-431: Was to listen to the chatter, determine fact from rumor, and then report the factual news to local columnists. The practice was seen as protective of the patrons by shielding them from unfounded reports, and also a continual source of publicity for the club. Billingsley's long-standing relationship with Ethel Merman , which began in 1939, brought the theater crowd to the Stork; there, she had a waiter assigned to her whose job

29412-454: Was waiting for her at the table after she returned from her phone call, but the entertainer chose to make a stormy exit from the Stork anyhow. News accounts show conflicting statements from the Ricos. Walter Winchell's name, along with those of Billingsley and the Stork Club, was further tarnished by the incident. After leaving the Stork, the Baker party made contact with WMCA 's Barry Gray , where

29584-447: Was well known for his extravagant gifts presented to his favorite patrons, spending an average of $ 100,000 a year on them. They included compacts studded with diamonds and rubies, French perfumes, Champagne and liquor, and even automobiles. Many of the gifts were specially made for the Stork Club, with the club's name and logo on them. Some of the best known examples were the gifts of Sortilège perfume by Le Galion , which became known as

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