The Willowbrook Ballroom was a dance ballroom and banquet facility located in Willow Springs, Illinois , along Archer Avenue . It was founded in 1921 by John Verderbar and named Oh Henry Park.
60-480: The Willowbrook Ballroom is often cited as the last place Resurrection Mary danced before her death. Her ghost is said to appear at the ballroom at times, dancing with the patrons. On Friday, October 28, 2016, the Ballroom was gutted by a fire. The building was having work done on the roof where the fire was suspected of starting. Due to water pressure issues the fire department had to wait on tanker trucks, which caused
120-428: A cab driver came into Chet's Melody Lounge, across the street from Resurrection Cemetery, to inquire about a young lady who had left without paying her fare. There were said to be sightings in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1989, which involved cars striking, or nearly striking, Mary outside Resurrection Cemetery. Mary disappears, however, by the time the motorist exits the car. She also reportedly burned her handprints into
180-502: A course to further expand their operations. A 20,000-foot (6,100 m) addition installed new kitchens, a restaurant and a private room for parties and banquets. In 1959 the entire Oh Henry complex was renamed Willowbrook Ballroom. The 1960s were bringing record crowds to the ballroom, but toward the end of that decade, the public’s taste in entertainment underwent a radical change and fewer people took up ballroom dancing . Willowbrook Ballroom survived by having contemporary bands share
240-577: A delay in getting the fire under control. Founded in 1921 by John Verderbar, an industrious Austrian immigrant. Verderbar purchased 5 acres (20,000 m) along wooded Archer Ave. He planned to build a peaceful weekend home. His son, Rudy Verderbar, was one of the throngs of young people who danced at the nearly 400 ballrooms and dance halls that thrived in the Chicago area during the mid-to-late 1910s. After dancing in an outdoor pavilion in Michigan , Rudy waged
300-483: A group of dancers around Willis to perform in clubs and videos. Morali met the first recruit, Felipe Rose (who claims American Indian descent and dressed in costume as "an Indian" ) in a New York gay bar called The Anvil . Willis hand-picked Alex Briley (who initially appeared in nondescript costumes before switching to G.I. uniforms). The others were Mark Mussler (construction worker), Dave Forrest (cowboy), Lee Mouton (leatherman/biker), and Peter Whitehead (one of
360-569: A relentless campaign to scrap the idea of a summer home and build an outdoor dance pavilion. After some research, his father agreed, and in 1921, the all wooden Oh Henry Park was built. It proved so popular, in 1923, the open-air pavilion was enlarged and a new 10-cents-a-dance policy was implemented. The ballroom was supposedly named after the Oh Henry candy bar, manufactured in Chicago by the Williamson Candy Company , who paid Verderbar for
420-418: A small shopping center on Archer Avenue. "A couple miles up Archer there, she jumped with a start like a horse and said 'Here! Here!' I hit the brakes. I looked around and didn't see no kind of house. 'Where?' I said. And then she sticks out her arm and points across the road to my left and says 'There!'. And that's when it happened. I looked to my left — like this — at this little shack. And when I turned she
480-537: A successful string of hits in France and Europe. In 1977, they moved to New York City to attempt to break into the American market. Morali had written a few dance tunes when he was given a demo tape recorded by singer/actor Victor Willis. After hiring Willis to sing background vocals on the four tracks, Morali approached him and said, "I had a dream that you sang lead on my album and it went very, very big". Willis agreed to sing on
540-473: A term whose backlash resurgence is no laughing matter, and the gay stereotyping —right down to 'The Women,' every one a camp heroine of screen or disc —is so cartoonish that I can't imagine anyone taking it seriously. As for all the straights who think 'Y.M.C.A.' is about playing basketball, well, that's pretty funny too." The importance of Village People to the history of disco music is explored in Episode 3 of
600-440: A theory that has gained popularity in recent years. 41°45′35″N 87°49′39″W / 41.75972°N 87.82750°W / 41.75972; -87.82750 Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali , Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following
660-639: A three-month North American tour, several appearances on The Merv Griffin Show and American Bandstand , and performing with Bob Hope to entertain US troops. They were also featured on the cover of Rolling Stone , Vol. 289, April 19, 1979. Willis left the group in August 1979, during production of the upcoming musical movie tentatively titled Discoland: Where the Music Never Ends (retitled Can't Stop The Music ). He
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#1732852467498720-523: Is a well-known Chicago area ghost story , of the " vanishing hitchhiker " type, a type of folklore that is known in many cultures. According to the story, the ghost resides in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois , a few miles southwest of Chicago. Resurrection Mary is considered to be Chicago's most famous ghost. Since the 1930s, several men driving northeast along Archer Avenue between
780-526: The Chicago Tribune , "full-time ghost hunter" Richard Crowe has collected "three dozen … substantiated" reports of Mary from the 1930s to the present. The story goes that Mary had spent the evening dancing with a boyfriend at the Oh Henry Ballroom . At some point, they got into an argument and Mary stormed out. She left the ballroom and started walking up Archer Avenue. She hadn't gone far when she
840-473: The 1st Golden Raspberry Awards , the movie won two Razzies for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay ; it was also nominated in almost all the other categories. Although the title song became a club play chart success and moderate radio hit, it was nominated for the Razzie for Worst Original Song and did not live up to sales expectations, never obtaining gold status as a single or album. The soundtrack also featured
900-745: The Hollywood Walk of Fame . Willis was not in attendance at the ceremony. Willis gave his first live concert in 28 years in Las Vegas on August 3, 2007, and married Karen, a lawyer and executive, later that year. In May 2012, Willis won a landmark ruling in the first case heard regarding the Copyright Act of 1976 , which allows recording artists and writers to reclaim their master recordings and publishing rights initially granted to record companies and publishers after 35 years. He recaptured copyrights including "Y.M.C.A.", "Go West", "Magic Night", "Milkshake", and "In
960-473: The LGBTQ community. According to Jack Fritscher , Jacques Morali drew his inspiration for the character from the dress code of the gay BDSM leather bar and sex club The Mineshaft . Leather man Hughes frequented the club. In AllMusic 's entry on the group, Ron Wynn summarized them as "part clever concept, part exaggerated camp act" who were "worldwide sensations during disco's heyday and keep reviving like
1020-504: The Willowbrook Ballroom and Resurrection Cemetery have reported picking up a young female hitchhiker . This young woman is dressed somewhat formally in a white party dress and is said to have light blond hair and blue eyes. There are other reports that she wears a thin shawl, dancing shoes, carries a small clutch purse, and possibly that she is very quiet. As the driver nears Resurrection Cemetery, she disappears into it. According to
1080-502: The phoenix ." Village Voice critic Robert Christgau originally found the group to be a humorous annoyance, but warmed to their music after listening to the 1978 album Cruisin' ; he wrote in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): "I give up—I've never been capable of resisting music this silly. At least this time they're not singing the praises of ' macho ,'
1140-499: The 1993 film Wayne's World 2 , a mention in the 1991 comedy City Slickers , a 1993 episode of Married... with Children , the 1997 video for U2 's single " Discothèque ", a 2000 episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun , and the 2013 animated film Despicable Me 2 . The leather-clad biker character with a horseshoe mustache has also become a widespread pop culture icon associated with gay culture , and "Y.M.C.A." has become an anthem of
1200-619: The 1999 remaster of In the Street . In 1984, the group sang background vocals on a disco version of " Where The Boys Are " by Lorna Luft . Their next album, the 1985 dance/ Hi-NRG release Sex Over the Phone , was not a huge commercial success, but it fared better in sales and club play than Renaissance . The title track, when released as a single, was banned by the BBC because of its subject matter: credit-card phone sex . Despite this, it did peak at 59 on
1260-451: The Billboard a/c chart at #23, the highest chart entry for any Village People single. Due to their easily recognizable characters, the group have frequently been imitated or parodied in movies, television series, video games and music. Numerous covers and homages of their songs have been recorded. Examples of homages and parody include an episode of the 1990s CGI show ReBoot , a scene in
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#17328524674981320-566: The Chicago Bulls game as part of '70s Night. They also appeared in several commercials, including a LetGo commercial that aired during the 2016 Summer Olympics , and a series of commercials for YOPA online estate agents in the UK. In 2017, after years of legal battles over royalties and songwriting credits, Victor Willis and Can't Stop Productions settled their differences. This resulted in Willis obtaining
1380-655: The Morning". Willis rejoined the group briefly in late 1981 for the writing and recording of the album Fox on the Box , released in Europe and Japan in 1982 and in the United States in 1983 under the title In the Street . David Hodo and Ray Simpson both left the group in 1982 with Mark Lee and Miles Jaye replacing them respectively. Jaye contributed lead vocals to a single in 1983 called "America", which would be added as an extra track to
1440-666: The Navy" in a television and radio recruiting campaign. Belolo offered them permission if the Navy would help film a music video for it. The Navy provided access to the San Diego Navy base, where the USS ; Reasoner , several aircraft, and the crew of the ship would be used. This song was also performed on the TV series The Love Boat and Married... with Children , and in the 1996 comedy film Down Periscope . The group's fame peaked in 1979 with
1500-822: The Navy". Willis also began to recapture his 33% share of songs he co-wrote. In August 2013, Village People released a new song, "Let's Go Back to the Dance Floor", written by Harry W. Casey of K.C. and the Sunshine Band . Jim Newman joined the group as the Cowboy, and in October 2013, Bill Whitefield joined as the Construction Worker, a role he had filled in for the group over the years (for David Hodo, who had retired). Continuing his legal quest, Willis reclaimed ownership of "Y.M.C.A." and other songs written with Jacques Morali with
1560-436: The UK singles chart. The album featured yet another new lead singer, Ray Stephens (of The Great Space Coaster fame). It was the group's last album of new material until A Village People Christmas in 2018. Py Douglas came in to sub for Stephens for some of the group's live appearances in 1985 and can be seen in both promotional videos made for the group. Afterwards, the group took a hiatus. The band returned in 1987 with
1620-627: The Village People recorded with the Germany national football team on its official World Cup '94 song Far Away in America . In 1995, Eric Anzalone replaced Glenn Hughes as the Leatherman/Biker, and made his music video debut with Kelsey Grammer , Rob Schneider and other cast members during the end-credits of the film Down Periscope , performing "In The Navy" with Ray Simpson on lead vocals. At
1680-575: The Willowbrook Ballroom was again destroyed by a massive, multi-alarm fire. As of early Spring 2017 the Dance of Life Foundation —a Burr Ridge-based nonprofit organization—claims to have raised nearly $ 2 million to rebuild the historic ballroom. On Feb. 25, 2019 Crain's Chicago Business reported that suburban construction firm Westpoint Builders had purchased, on Feb. 13, 2019, half of the Willowbrook Ballroom site for 1.25 million dollars. When finished,
1740-748: The age of 14 when Carl was singing at The Willowbrook Ballroom as a front man for the Gem-Tones. It was one of Jim Lounsbury's local record hops. In 1997 the Verderbar family sold the Ballroom to Birute and Gediminas Jodwalis. The Willowbrook Ballroom is located at 8900 Archer Avenue, Willow Springs, Illinois, 60480. In 2000 The Willowbrook Ballroom was profiled as one of America's "Glorious, Historic, Legendary, Treasured Ballroom Dance Floors" in Amateur Dancers magazine. Criteria for being profiled as an Amateur Dancers magazine's "Finest Floor" is: On October 28, 2016
1800-535: The beginning of the 21st century, Village People released two singles, "Gunbalanya" (2000) and "Loveship 2001" (2001), under the name "Amazing Veepers". It was reported in 2001 that 'Gunbalanya', which was recorded with indigenous Australian people, took its title from a word meaning "in the tribe," even though it is in fact the name of an Aboriginal settlement. Leatherman/Biker Glenn Hughes died of lung cancer in New York City on March 4, 2001. Village People performed as
1860-508: The debut album Village People . Songwriters Phil Hurtt and Peter Whitehead wrote the lyrics for the first album (Willis would subsequently take over writing duties in 1978 for the group's biggest hits). The Village People studio band was called Gypsy Lane and was conducted by Horace Ott . Ott also provided many of the musical arrangements for Morali, who did not play any instruments. The album became an international hit, and demand for live appearances soon followed. Morali hastily built
Willowbrook Ballroom - Misplaced Pages Continue
1920-534: The end of 1980, Jeff Olson joined the group as the cowboy. In 1981, with new wave music becoming more popular than disco, Morali and Belolo ditched the familiar characters and re-branded Village People with a new look, inspired by the New Romantic movement, and released the album Renaissance . It only attracted minor, mostly negative attention, but it did produce the group's first hit single in Italy with "5 O'clock in
1980-577: The first dances in the new Oh Henry Ballroom. It had been built at the then-staggering Great Depression -era cost of $ 100,000. As Big Band fever spread throughout 1940s America, the Oh Henry Ballroom, now with air conditioning, became a major force in the Midwest’s entertainment industry. Even during the Second World War , typical weekly attendance was about 10,000 dancers. The ballroom’s popularity
2040-502: The group's Christmas album was re-released as Magical Christmas and included two additional tracks. On December 21, 2019, the group released its first Christmas single, "Happiest Time of the Year". On December 31, Village People performed live in Times Square on Fox's New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey and broke a world record for attendees doing the Y.M.C.A. dance (a record formerly held by
2100-446: The group's early songwriters), who appeared on American Bandstand and in the video for the group's first hit, "San Francisco (You Got Me)". When record sales soared, Morali and Willis saw the need for a permanent group. They took out an ad in a theatre trade paper which read: " Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache. " Glenn Hughes (leatherman), Randy Jones (cowboy) and David Hodo (construction worker) were among
2160-432: The group's position against Trump's use of his music at his rallies. On November 7, supporters of President-elect Joe Biden celebrated his victory by dancing in the streets and singing "Y.M.C.A." across the United States. Mark Lee , former "construction worker" between 1982 and 1985, died in 2021. In November 2022, a third single, "Magic Christmas," was released from the group's Magical Christmas album and entered
2220-485: The hundreds who answered the ad. With the "official" lineup in place, the group did a hasty photo shoot for the cover of the already recorded Macho Man album. The album's title track catapulted the group into the mainstream, and their single " Y.M.C.A. " from the group's third album Cruisin' became one of the most popular hits of the '70s. In 1979, the United States Navy considered using their single "In
2280-533: The license to use the name and characters of Village People and returning as lead singer with a new group of background singers, while Sixuvus Ltd, which had been performing as Village People since 1987 and included original members Felipe Rose and Alex Briley, had its licence terminated. The trademark "Village People" then became the subject of litigation, but in 2018, the US District Court denied Sixuvus' preliminary injunction and ruled that only Willis's group
2340-455: The line-up of Randy Jones, David Hodo, Felipe Rose, Glenn Hughes, Alex Briley, and Ray Simpson, and formed Sixuvus Ltd , a group that managed the affairs of the group and had the license to use the name Village People and its characters in use until 2017. The 1990s brought a resurgence for the Village People. On September 22, 1991, they performed in front of 41,815 in Sydney , Australia, as part of
2400-722: The mainstream, scoring several disco and dance hits internationally, including the hit singles " Macho Man ," " In the Navy ," " Go West ," and " Y.M.C.A. ," which was their biggest hit. In March 2020, the Library of Congress described "Y.M.C.A." as "an American phenomenon," and added the song to the National Recording Registry , which preserves audio recordings considered to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." French musical composer and producer Jacques Morali and his business partner Henri Belolo , known collectively as Can't Stop Productions, were enjoying
2460-399: The many thousands of burials in Resurrection Cemetery. A particular focus of these efforts has been Mary Bregovy, who died in 1934, although her death came in an automobile accident in the downtown Chicago Loop . In 1999, Chicago author Ursula Bielski documented a possible connection to Anna "Marija" Norkus, who died in a 1927 auto accident while on her way home from the Oh Henry Ballroom ,
Willowbrook Ballroom - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-450: The naming rights. In 1930, the pavilion was destroyed in a devastating fire. Verderbar quickly assembled a team of 200 carpenters to construct an enormous outdoor dance floor in time for the next Saturday night. The remaining ten weeks of Oh Henry’s 1930 dance season drew even bigger crowds due to massive publicity touting the romantic aspects of "dancing under the stars." On May 3, 1931, more than 1,700 invited guests and dignitaries danced
2580-427: The new construction on the site is said to include 168 condominiums and 42 townhomes. As of Oct. 28, 2021 there has been no announcement about the sale of the other half of the property, and the property as a whole is now apartments as of June 25th, 2023. 41°43′43″N 87°52′54″W / 41.7286111°N 87.8816667°W / 41.7286111; -87.8816667 Resurrection Mary Resurrection Mary
2640-449: The opening act for Cher on her Farewell Tour until it ended in April 2005. Former cowboy Randy Jones would later marry Will Grega, his boyfriend of 20 years. Later in the 2000s, Village People continued to make appearances worldwide. The original lead singer and "cop", Victor Willis, was arrested over drug and weapon related charges. On September 12, 2008, Village People received a star on
2700-827: The pre-game entertainment for the New South Wales Rugby League Grand Final held at the Sydney Football Stadium . They also performed a medley of self-parody songs at the MTV Movie Awards – "In the Movies" ("In the Navy"), "Psycho Bitch" ("Macho Man"), and "My MTV" ("Y.M.C.A."). The group also made a guest appearance on the hit show Married... with Children in the episode " Take My Wife, Please ". Founder Jacques Morali died of complications related to AIDS in Paris on November 15, 1991. Three years later,
2760-406: The previous touring group). On April 21, 2020, the group released a new single, "If You Believe", which hit #25 on Billboard ' s Adult Contemporary chart. This was the first Top 25 hit for the group in 40 years. On June 9, Victor Willis demanded that President Donald Trump not use Village People music at his rallies, in particular "Macho Man" and "Y.M.C.A." On September 11 that same year, it
2820-420: The release of the debut album Village People , which targeted disco's large gay audience. The group's name refers to Manhattan 's Greenwich Village , with its reputation as a gay village . The characters were a symbolic group of American masculinity and macho gay-fantasy personas. To date, Willis is the only original member still remaining with the group. The group quickly became popular and moved into
2880-450: The removal of Henri Belolo, previously credited as a third writer. In 2015, Victor Willis would release Solo Man , an album he recorded in 1979 featuring the Village People band. Willis appeared as himself on the game show To Tell the Truth and performed "Y.M.C.A." the following year. Village People continued to make television appearances, such as performing "Y.M.C.A." during halftime of
2940-488: The stage on the same evening with the top ballroom bands. As popular music changed, the entertainers on Willowbrook’s stage also changed, particularly on Friday night. Chubby Checker played the ballroom as did The Cryan' Shames , The Association , The Buckinghams , Otis Day and the Knights , Duke Tumatoe and The All Star Frogs , The Village People , and Martha Reeves . Songwriter James Holvay first saw Carl Bonafede at
3000-501: The stage, later so did Wayne King , Guy Lombardo , Sammy Kaye , Jimmy Dorsey , Bob Crosby , Dick Jurgens , Glenn Miller Orchestra and Gene Krupa . Theatre organist Hal Pearl known as "The King of the Organ" occasionally played in the ballroom between sets and sometimes offered his own concerts. In 1955, as ballrooms across the country scaled down or closed, the Verderbars set out on
3060-573: The talents of David London, who (under his real name Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen ) became the future lead singer of Toto and one of the main contributors to Village People's next album. The group embarked on a tour in promotion of the film in Australia and Japan. The Japanese show was filmed at Budokan and released on DVD as Village People Live In Japan. The group appeared in the November 22, 1980 episode of The Love Boat (season four, episode seven). At
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#17328524674983120-475: The wrought iron fence around the cemetery, in August 1976, although officials at the cemetery have stated that a truck had damaged the fence and that there is no evidence of a ghost. In a January 31, 1979, article in the Suburban Trib , columnist Bill Geist detailed the story of a cab driver, Ralph, who picked up a young woman – "a looker. A blond. ... she was young enough to be my daughter — 21 tops" – near
3180-542: Was Resurrection Mary at the Liberty Grove and Hall at 47th and Mozart (and not the Oh Henry/Willowbrook Ballroom). They danced and even kissed, and she asked him to drive her home along Archer Avenue, exiting the car and disappearing in front of Resurrection Cemetery. In 1973, Resurrection Mary was said to have shown up at Harlow's nightclub, on Cicero Avenue on Chicago's southwest side. That same year,
3240-699: Was entitled to use the Village People trademark. Original member Rose launched his solo career and released the single " Going Back to My Roots " (a cover of the 1977 Odyssey dance hit), which won an award for Best Dance Record at the 2018 Native American Music Awards. The rebranded group's first appearance was at the third annual Streamy Awards . Shortly after, G.I./Sailor Sonny Earl was replaced by Atlanta native James Lee, who filled in for Earl on more shows than he performed. In November 2018. Village People release their first studio album in 33 years, A Village People Christmas . On August 3, 2019, Village People co-creator Henri Belolo died aged 82. On November 4, 2019,
3300-556: Was gone. Vanished! And the car door never opened. May the good Lord strike me dead, it never opened." Geist described Ralph as "not an idiot or a maniac" but rather, in Ralph's own words, "a typical 52-year-old working guy, a veteran, father, Little League baseball coach, churchgoer, the whole shot". Geist goes on to say: "The simple explanation, Ralph, is that you picked up the Chicago area's preeminent ghost: Resurrection Mary." Some researchers have attempted to link Resurrection Mary to one of
3360-431: Was reason for Chicago bus lines to be rerouted to provide direct service to and from the ballroom. Willowbrook Ballroom attracted some of the most popular bands of their times including Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra in the 1930s with lead singer Harriet Hilliard . The 1940s orchestras of Harry James , Les Brown and Count Basie played the ballroom, and singers Frank Sinatra , Doris Day And Helen O'Connell graced
3420-424: Was released. The film was directed by Nancy Walker , written by Allan Carr and Bronte Woodard , had music and lyrics by Jacques Morali (except Willis, who penned the lyrics to "Milkshake" and "Magic Night") and starred Steve Guttenberg , Valerie Perrine , Jean-Claude Billmaer, and Bruce Jenner . The film was a box office failure , except in Australia. By the time it was released, disco's popularity had waned. At
3480-455: Was replaced by Ray Simpson , brother of Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson ), who had previously sung background vocals with the group on their 1979 tour. The end of 1979 saw the release of Live and Sleazy , a double album featuring Victor Willis on lead vocals on the "Live" disc and Simpson's debut with the group on the "Sleazy" disc. In June 1980, the feature film Can't Stop the Music
3540-459: Was reported that Willis said he was okay with him using "Y.M.C.A" at his campaign rallies. On September 22, the group was confirmed to be featured in the song "My Agenda" from the Dorian Electra album My Agenda (2020). On October 24, Saturday Night Live performed a parody of the group's reaction to Donald Trump's use of their music at his rallies. On October 30, Willis clarified his and
3600-415: Was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, who fled the scene leaving Mary to die. Her parents found her and were grief-stricken at the sight of her dead body. They buried her in Resurrection Cemetery, wearing a beautiful white dancing dress and matching dancing shoes. The hit-and-run driver was never found. Jerry Palus, a Chicago southsider, reported that in 1939 he met a person whom he came to believe
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