El Morocco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
El Morocco (sometimes nicknamed Elmo or Elmer) was a 20th century Manhattan nightclub frequented by the rich and famous in the 1930s and 1950s. It was famous for its blue zebra-stripe motif (designed by Vernon MacFarlane) and its official photographer, Jerome Zerbe.
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[edit] History
In 1931, John Perona (born Eriane Giovanni Perona in Chiaverano in the Province of Turin, Italy),[1] an Italian immigrant, opened El Morocco as a speakeasy at 154 East 54th Street where the Citigroup Center now stands. Part of what made the club the 'place to be' was the photographs taken by Jerome Zerbe which were always in the news the next day. Everyone always knew from the background zebra stripes on the banquettes where the celebrities had been.
Perona died in 1961, and his son, Edwin, moved the club to a four-storey townhouse at 307 East 54th Street. Later that year, Edwin Perona sold the club to John Mills, who owned it for three years.[2] It was then owned by Maurice Uchitel (1964–70) and Sheldon Hazeltine.[3] Before taking over El Morocco, Uchitel owned the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach for several years.[4] In 1981, the Second Avenue wing operated briefly as a steakhouse.[5][6] In 1992, it operated as a topless bar.[7] In 1997, Desmond Wootton bought the property and opened the Night Owls nightclub. The site is now occupied by the Milan Condominium.[8]
[edit] Miscellanea
- First club to use a velvet rope.
- In 1950, Humphrey Bogart was banned for life.
[edit] References in popular culture
- Setting for scene in the 1973 film The Way We Were
- Recreated in the 2006 motion picture Infamous
- Mentioned in the 1936 Cole Porter song "Down in the Depths"
- Mentioned in the 1946 film The Kid from Brooklyn
- Mentioned in the 1954 film Sabrina
- Mentioned in the 1960 film BUtterfield 8
- Mentioned in the 1966 novel Valley of the Dolls
- Mentioned in the 1969 novel The Love Machine
- The cruise ship Carnival Splendor will feature a bar named El Morocco Bar themed after the original
- Elmo Restaurant and Lounge on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan is named for the nightclub[9]
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.oldandsold.com/articles06/new-york-city-75.shtml
- ^ In Old Morocco - TIME
- ^ Hazeltine acquires N.Y.'s El Morocco; targets October reopening - Sheldon Hazeltine | Nation's Restaurant News | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ^ Maurice Uchitel, 88, Owner of El Morocco - New York Times
- ^ http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?res=9D04E6D61239F933A15750C0A967948260&pagewanted=print
- ^ '21' AND EL MOROCCO: 2 LEGENDS REOPEN - New York Times
- ^ El Morocco: Famous Sup 'n' Sip Is a Strip - New York Times
- ^ The Milan Condominium, New York City
- ^ Elmo - Chelsea - Details and Reader Reviews - The New York Times
[edit] References
- Beebe, Lucius (1967). The Lucius Beebe Reader, Charles Clegg and Duncan Emrich (eds.), New York: Doubleday.
- Zerbe, Jerome; introduction by Lucius Beebe (1937). John Perona's El Morocco Family Album. New York: privately published.
- Zerbe, Jerome; introduction by Lucius Beebe (1934). People on Parade. New York: D. Kemp.
[edit] External links
- "Ghosts of El Morocco", Laura Shaine Cunningham, The New York Times, September 4, 2004
- Angelo Zuccotti, 89, Artist of the Velvet Rope, Thomas, Robert, Jr., The New York times, August 12, 1998
- Nights on the Town, Taki Theodoracopulos, National Review, December 13, 1993
- Photos of El Morocco
- Photos of El Morocco
- http://theboweryboys.blogspot.com/2007/10/friday-night-fever-el-morocco.html
- Video of El Morocco and John Verona
