and protests in front of his club. Rich Little offered to quit but Podell told him thatwas not necessary. In the end, after other critics came to see Littleâs controversial bit, the majority of them agreed that it was not offensive or disrespectful to the American people or the military. Rich Little would play the Copa several more times without causing any such controversy.
Ad for singer Billy Daniels. His most famous song was âThat Old Black Magic.â This was still during the time that Jack Entratter was working with my father at the club before moving to Las Vegas and becoming the entertainment director at the Sands.
As the decade of the 1950s was coming to a close, the Copa was still the âinâ place to be seen. This New York Sun article, from 1959, on the nightclub scene in the city, praised the club as one of its best-run operations:
The Copacabana, at 10 E. 60th St., is the only other major cabaret to give the LATIN QUARTER serious competition. It features a line of beautiful and stylish girls, picked less for their dancing talent than their ability to wear clothes, two dance bandsâone for the Latin-America rhythmsâsinging and dancing soloists and one big-name star. Joe E. Lewis is a perennial favorite, and so is Jimmy Durante. Whenever they perform in New York, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr. pick the COPA for their appearances. Some of the beauties who graduated from the COPA chorus line are June Allyson, Joanne Dru, Janice Rule and Carroll Baker.
The COPA is open seven nites a week the year around and is one nite club which puts an emphasis on good food. It has a special kitchen for Chinese dishes, which are popular with stay-up-lates.
Like most every other nite spot in New York, the COPA has an interesting background. During Prohibition era it was known as the Villa Vallee, featuring (naturally) Rudy Vallee. Jules Podell, the owner, previously operated a Coney Island restaurant, a Fulton Street chop house, and the Kit Kat Club, alate nite rendezvous where the BLUE ANGEL is now located. A friend who had returned from a visit to Rio suggested the name COPACABANA for Podellâs new nite club when he took over in 1940. The first floor show was staged by Ramon, popular as part of the dance team of Ramon & Rosita when the Latin-American dances first came in. With his new partner, Renita, Ramon headed the show, but the vogue for their type of ballroom dancing had gone out and the early shows were flops.
Podell took on as press agent Mary Anita Loos, niece of Anita Loos, and now a well established writer herself. She proposed bringing in Don Loper, who danced with Maxine Barratt. Loper designed all of Maxineâs clothes and she was the first member of a dance team to wear a hat and long gloves. Loper costumed the COPA girls in the same style, and that style has changed very little in the past 18 years.
Jules Podell usually puts in a full day at his club but seldom puts in a personal appearance in front. His club employs 275 people and his is one of the few restaurants where there is an employee pension plan for retirement.
The COPA is far more expensive than the LATIN QUARTER and its patrons are mostly big spenders from Miami Beach, Hollywood and New York. The name stars draw highly professional audiences.
Rip Taylor said, âMr. Jules Podell made the Copacabana the premier nightclub of its time because of the acts he booked and the high quality of the staff and food at the club he demanded. He insisted that everything was perfect and it was!â
Frank Military recalled, âWithout a doubt, the Copa was the best nightclub in all of New York, or the East Coast for that matter, throughout the 1950s. All the top acts worked at the Copa. There were other clubs, such as the Latin Quarter and Bill Millerâs Riviera, but the top spot was the Copacabana. The shows were productions, not just a singer or comedian onstage. The Copa Girls would come out and do a number or
Ad for singer Billy Daniels. His most famous song was âThat Old Black Magic.â This was still during the time that Jack Entratter was working with my father at the club before moving to Las Vegas and becoming the entertainment director at the Sands.
As the decade of the 1950s was coming to a close, the Copa was still the âinâ place to be seen. This New York Sun article, from 1959, on the nightclub scene in the city, praised the club as one of its best-run operations:
The Copacabana, at 10 E. 60th St., is the only other major cabaret to give the LATIN QUARTER serious competition. It features a line of beautiful and stylish girls, picked less for their dancing talent than their ability to wear clothes, two dance bandsâone for the Latin-America rhythmsâsinging and dancing soloists and one big-name star. Joe E. Lewis is a perennial favorite, and so is Jimmy Durante. Whenever they perform in New York, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr. pick the COPA for their appearances. Some of the beauties who graduated from the COPA chorus line are June Allyson, Joanne Dru, Janice Rule and Carroll Baker.
The COPA is open seven nites a week the year around and is one nite club which puts an emphasis on good food. It has a special kitchen for Chinese dishes, which are popular with stay-up-lates.
Like most every other nite spot in New York, the COPA has an interesting background. During Prohibition era it was known as the Villa Vallee, featuring (naturally) Rudy Vallee. Jules Podell, the owner, previously operated a Coney Island restaurant, a Fulton Street chop house, and the Kit Kat Club, alate nite rendezvous where the BLUE ANGEL is now located. A friend who had returned from a visit to Rio suggested the name COPACABANA for Podellâs new nite club when he took over in 1940. The first floor show was staged by Ramon, popular as part of the dance team of Ramon & Rosita when the Latin-American dances first came in. With his new partner, Renita, Ramon headed the show, but the vogue for their type of ballroom dancing had gone out and the early shows were flops.
Podell took on as press agent Mary Anita Loos, niece of Anita Loos, and now a well established writer herself. She proposed bringing in Don Loper, who danced with Maxine Barratt. Loper designed all of Maxineâs clothes and she was the first member of a dance team to wear a hat and long gloves. Loper costumed the COPA girls in the same style, and that style has changed very little in the past 18 years.
Jules Podell usually puts in a full day at his club but seldom puts in a personal appearance in front. His club employs 275 people and his is one of the few restaurants where there is an employee pension plan for retirement.
The COPA is far more expensive than the LATIN QUARTER and its patrons are mostly big spenders from Miami Beach, Hollywood and New York. The name stars draw highly professional audiences.
Rip Taylor said, âMr. Jules Podell made the Copacabana the premier nightclub of its time because of the acts he booked and the high quality of the staff and food at the club he demanded. He insisted that everything was perfect and it was!â
Frank Military recalled, âWithout a doubt, the Copa was the best nightclub in all of New York, or the East Coast for that matter, throughout the 1950s. All the top acts worked at the Copa. There were other clubs, such as the Latin Quarter and Bill Millerâs Riviera, but the top spot was the Copacabana. The shows were productions, not just a singer or comedian onstage. The Copa Girls would come out and do a number or
Similar Books
