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Paradise Club (Atlantic City, New Jersey)

November 01, 2023

The Paradise Club or Club Paradise was a nightclub and jazz club at 220 North Illinois Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was one of two major black jazz clubs in Atlantic City during its heyday from the 1920s through 1950s, the other being Club Harlem. Entertaining a predominantly white clientele, it was known for its raucous floor shows featuring gyrating black dancers accompanied by high-energy jazz bands led by the likes of Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Lucky Millinder. In 1954 the Paradise Club merged with Club Harlem under joint ownership.

Paradise Club
Paradise Club
Location in Atlantic City
Address220 North Illinois Avenue
Atlantic City, New Jersey
United States
Coordinates39°21′50″N 74°26′2″W / 39.36389°N 74.43389°W / 39.36389; -74.43389
OwnerHarold Abrams, Clifton Williams, Ben Alten
TypeNightclub, jazz club

History edit

Opened in the 1920s,[1] the Paradise Club was owned by Harold Paul Abrams, who also owned Harold's Club and the Basin Street Club. Abrams was also the general manager of the 500 Club.[2] Abrams promoted the Paradise as "the oldest nightclub in America".[2] It was the first club to offer "breakfast shows" after the nightlong entertainment.[1]

Willis notes that most of the white clientele came from the Traymore Hotel, a summer resort. While it was fine for them to frequent the all-black shows at the Paradise Club, none of the black performers could use the whites-only beach at the Traymore.[2] Blacks in the racially segregated city were restricted to one section of the beach, but were able to enter attractions on the entire Boardwalk.[3]

During the 1946 off-season the club opened the Paradise Swing Room, a musical bar.[4]

In May 1954 the Paradise Club announced its merger with Club Harlem.[5] Clifton Williams and Ben Alten of Club Harlem became co-owners with Abrams. With the merger, the elaborate Smart Affairs revue presented by Larry Steele at Club Harlem began appearing at the Paradise Club as well.[5][6]

Like other nightclubs in the district, the Paradise Club succumbed to a drop-off in business from the advent of legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City. By the mid-1980s, only Club Harlem was still operating.[7] The site of the club is now a parking lot.[8]

Architecture and interior edit

The club's nondescript exterior and "simple neon sign" revealed nothing of the raucous goings-on within.[9] The interior was designed like "a Prohibition-era roadhouse" with darkened rooms, low ceilings, and small tables arranged around the dance floor and stage. During the stage shows, while, amber, and blue colored spotlights played around the room.[2][10] A girl in a short skirt walked around taking souvenir pictures of the guests.[2]

Shows edit

The stage shows opened with singers warming up the crowd with "risqué vaudeville tunes" and comedians dressed in "overalls and straw hats [who] told raunchy jokes".[9] These were followed by a troupe of six "dark-skinned, full-bodied" women outfitted in "top hats, short black shorts, and tuxedo vests a size or two too small" performing as the Sextuplet Dancers, backed by the Count Basie band. Alternate shows featured "light-skinned" dancers in feather boas and bikinis performing in front of "a trio of African American drummers dressed like the natives in a Tarzan movie".[11]

The gyrating, hip-thrusting dancers were considered a bigger draw for the white audience than the musicians, who included future jazz greats Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Lucky Millinder.[12] As Johnny Coles, a member of Clifford Brown's band, described it: "This gig was about playing the show; it wasn't about playing jazz. . . We'd get a chance to do maybe a jazz tune or two before the show started".[13] However, after the last show ended, the musicians would often go over to Club Harlem to jam with their band into the early morning hours, and musicians performing at the Steel Pier would make their way to the Paradise for the same purpose.[14]

Popular acts at the Paradise Club included Salt and Pepper, a black female tap dancing duo,[2] Dorcyee Bradley, an exotic dancer,[15] and comedy team Stump and Stumpy.[16] The club also featured novelty acts,[17] such as tap dancer Peg Leg Bates, whose "Jet Plane" finale, in which he leaped over the stage, landed on his wooden leg, and then executed a series of backward hops accompanied by trumpet blasts from the band, saw his leg puncture the wooden stage floor in the early 1940s. It took half an hour to pull him out. After that, the stage floor was reinforced with metal sheeting.[18] Cholly Atkins and Honi Coles directed a revue at the Paradise in the summer of 1941.[19] In the 1950s Tadd Dameron arranged and conducted the music for the club's revue.[14] Other jazz musicians who played the Paradise included Frankie Manning,[20] Sonny Clay,[21] and Clifford Brown.[13]

The Count Basie Orchestra had a summer residency at the club in 1947, opening on 27 June. They agreed to perform for reduced wages for the opportunity for a full summer booking.[10][22] During the engagement, Basie was on a deep fishing trip and fell overboard while trying to land a fish. Club owner Abrams jumped overboard to save the musician.[23]

Illegal gambling edit

The Paradise Club was one of four Atlantic City nightclubs raided by police in July 1940 on suspicion of illegal gambling activities. Led by the new mayor, Tom Taggert, the raiding party confiscated "three truckloads of gambling paraphernalia" and arrested 32, then shut down the Paradise Club, Club Harlem, the Wonder Gardens, and Grace's Little Belmont.[24][a] The clubs were doing business as usual the day after the raid.[26]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Taggart began the action by calling 40 policemen into his office, strapping on a revolver and stating, "Come on, we're going places."[25]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Schweibert, Ray (15 September 2010). "Atlantic City Nightlife Circa 1920s". Atlantic City Weekly. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Willis 2016, p. 98.
  3. ^ Manning & Millman 2007, p. 80.
  4. ^ "Oldest Nitery Opens Musical Swing Bar". Billboard: 45. 23 March 1946.
  5. ^ a b "Harlem and Paradise Clubs Merge in Atlantic City". Jet: 58. 13 May 1954.
  6. ^ "Larry Steele's shore revue sensational". The Washington Afro American. 29 June 1954. p. 6.
  7. ^ UPI (28 April 1987). "Club Harlem may soon be history". The Washington Afro-American. p. 11.
  8. ^ Willis 2016, p. 101.
  9. ^ a b Simon 2004, p. 45.
  10. ^ a b Vail 2003, p. 98.
  11. ^ Simon 2004, pp. 45–46.
  12. ^ Simon 2004, p. 46.
  13. ^ a b Catalano 2001, p. 71.
  14. ^ a b Catalano 2001, p. 72.
  15. ^ Simon 2004, p. 53.
  16. ^ McMillan, Alan (11 July 1953). "Tropicana Revue". The New York Age. p. 6. Retrieved 7 August 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  17. ^ Waltzer, Jim (22 January 2009). "Creatures of the Night". Atlantic City Weekly. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  18. ^ Waltzer & Wilk 2001, p. 23.
  19. ^ Atkins & Malone 2012, pp. 47–49.
  20. ^ Manning & Millman 2007, p. 117.
  21. ^ Vacher 2015, p. 174.
  22. ^ Love 1997, p. 80.
  23. ^ Izzy (August 2, 1947). "Basie Goes Fishing, But Is Fished Out". The Pittsburgh Courier. Retrieved August 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. 
  24. ^ "Mayor Leads Atlantic City Raid Squads". The Day. Associated Press. 29 July 1940. p. 12.
  25. ^ "Shore Mayor Conducts Raid". Chester Times. July 29, 1940. p. 3. Retrieved August 28, 2016. 
  26. ^ Rowe, Billy (August 10, 1940). "Business 'Going On As Usual' After Sepia Night Life Circle Raids in Atlantic City". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 20. Retrieved August 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. 

Sources edit

  • Atkins, Cholly; Malone, Jacqui (2012). Class Act: The Jazz Life of Choreographer Cholly Atkins. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0231504126.
  • Catalano, Nick (2001). Clifford Brown: The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter (Revised ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195144007.
  • Love, Preston (1997). A Thousand Honey Creeks Later: My Life in Music from Basie to Motown—and Beyond. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 081956320X.
  • Manning, Frankie; Millman, Cynthia R. (2007). Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1592135639.
  • Simon, Bryant (2004). Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1951-6753-5.
  • Vacher, Peter (2015). Swingin' on Central Avenue: African American Jazz in Los Angeles. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0810888333.
  • Vail, Ken (2003). Count Basie: Swingin' the Blues, 1936–1950. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4882-5.
  • Waltzer, Jim; Wilk, Tom (2001). Tales of South Jersey: Profiles and Personalities. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0813530075.
  • Willis, Cheryl M. (2016). Tappin' at the Apollo: The African American Female Tap Dance Duo Salt and Pepper. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476623153.

External links edit

  • "Harold P. Abrams Collection" Atlantic City Public Library

November 01, 2023
paradise, club, atlantic, city, jersey, paradise, club, club, paradise, nightclub, jazz, club, north, illinois, avenue, atlantic, city, jersey, major, black, jazz, clubs, atlantic, city, during, heyday, from, 1920s, through, 1950s, other, being, club, harlem, . The Paradise Club or Club Paradise was a nightclub and jazz club at 220 North Illinois Avenue in Atlantic City New Jersey It was one of two major black jazz clubs in Atlantic City during its heyday from the 1920s through 1950s the other being Club Harlem Entertaining a predominantly white clientele it was known for its raucous floor shows featuring gyrating black dancers accompanied by high energy jazz bands led by the likes of Count Basie Jimmie Lunceford and Lucky Millinder In 1954 the Paradise Club merged with Club Harlem under joint ownership Paradise ClubParadise ClubLocation in Atlantic CityAddress220 North Illinois AvenueAtlantic City New JerseyUnited StatesCoordinates39 21 50 N 74 26 2 W 39 36389 N 74 43389 W 39 36389 74 43389OwnerHarold Abrams Clifton Williams Ben AltenTypeNightclub jazz club Contents 1 History 2 Architecture and interior 3 Shows 4 Illegal gambling 5 Notes 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksHistory editOpened in the 1920s 1 the Paradise Club was owned by Harold Paul Abrams who also owned Harold s Club and the Basin Street Club Abrams was also the general manager of the 500 Club 2 Abrams promoted the Paradise as the oldest nightclub in America 2 It was the first club to offer breakfast shows after the nightlong entertainment 1 Willis notes that most of the white clientele came from the Traymore Hotel a summer resort While it was fine for them to frequent the all black shows at the Paradise Club none of the black performers could use the whites only beach at the Traymore 2 Blacks in the racially segregated city were restricted to one section of the beach but were able to enter attractions on the entire Boardwalk 3 During the 1946 off season the club opened the Paradise Swing Room a musical bar 4 In May 1954 the Paradise Club announced its merger with Club Harlem 5 Clifton Williams and Ben Alten of Club Harlem became co owners with Abrams With the merger the elaborate Smart Affairs revue presented by Larry Steele at Club Harlem began appearing at the Paradise Club as well 5 6 Like other nightclubs in the district the Paradise Club succumbed to a drop off in business from the advent of legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City By the mid 1980s only Club Harlem was still operating 7 The site of the club is now a parking lot 8 Architecture and interior editThe club s nondescript exterior and simple neon sign revealed nothing of the raucous goings on within 9 The interior was designed like a Prohibition era roadhouse with darkened rooms low ceilings and small tables arranged around the dance floor and stage During the stage shows while amber and blue colored spotlights played around the room 2 10 A girl in a short skirt walked around taking souvenir pictures of the guests 2 Shows editThe stage shows opened with singers warming up the crowd with risque vaudeville tunes and comedians dressed in overalls and straw hats who told raunchy jokes 9 These were followed by a troupe of six dark skinned full bodied women outfitted in top hats short black shorts and tuxedo vests a size or two too small performing as the Sextuplet Dancers backed by the Count Basie band Alternate shows featured light skinned dancers in feather boas and bikinis performing in front of a trio of African American drummers dressed like the natives in a Tarzan movie 11 The gyrating hip thrusting dancers were considered a bigger draw for the white audience than the musicians who included future jazz greats Count Basie Jimmie Lunceford and Lucky Millinder 12 As Johnny Coles a member of Clifford Brown s band described it This gig was about playing the show it wasn t about playing jazz We d get a chance to do maybe a jazz tune or two before the show started 13 However after the last show ended the musicians would often go over to Club Harlem to jam with their band into the early morning hours and musicians performing at the Steel Pier would make their way to the Paradise for the same purpose 14 Popular acts at the Paradise Club included Salt and Pepper a black female tap dancing duo 2 Dorcyee Bradley an exotic dancer 15 and comedy team Stump and Stumpy 16 The club also featured novelty acts 17 such as tap dancer Peg Leg Bates whose Jet Plane finale in which he leaped over the stage landed on his wooden leg and then executed a series of backward hops accompanied by trumpet blasts from the band saw his leg puncture the wooden stage floor in the early 1940s It took half an hour to pull him out After that the stage floor was reinforced with metal sheeting 18 Cholly Atkins and Honi Coles directed a revue at the Paradise in the summer of 1941 19 In the 1950s Tadd Dameron arranged and conducted the music for the club s revue 14 Other jazz musicians who played the Paradise included Frankie Manning 20 Sonny Clay 21 and Clifford Brown 13 The Count Basie Orchestra had a summer residency at the club in 1947 opening on 27 June They agreed to perform for reduced wages for the opportunity for a full summer booking 10 22 During the engagement Basie was on a deep fishing trip and fell overboard while trying to land a fish Club owner Abrams jumped overboard to save the musician 23 Illegal gambling editThe Paradise Club was one of four Atlantic City nightclubs raided by police in July 1940 on suspicion of illegal gambling activities Led by the new mayor Tom Taggert the raiding party confiscated three truckloads of gambling paraphernalia and arrested 32 then shut down the Paradise Club Club Harlem the Wonder Gardens and Grace s Little Belmont 24 a The clubs were doing business as usual the day after the raid 26 Notes edit Taggart began the action by calling 40 policemen into his office strapping on a revolver and stating Come on we re going places 25 References edit a b Schweibert Ray 15 September 2010 Atlantic City Nightlife Circa 1920s Atlantic City Weekly Retrieved 7 August 2016 a b c d e f Willis 2016 p 98 Manning amp Millman 2007 p 80 Oldest Nitery Opens Musical Swing Bar Billboard 45 23 March 1946 a b Harlem and Paradise Clubs Merge in Atlantic City Jet 58 13 May 1954 Larry Steele s shore revue sensational The Washington Afro American 29 June 1954 p 6 UPI 28 April 1987 Club Harlem may soon be history The Washington Afro American p 11 Willis 2016 p 101 a b Simon 2004 p 45 a b Vail 2003 p 98 Simon 2004 pp 45 46 Simon 2004 p 46 a b Catalano 2001 p 71 a b Catalano 2001 p 72 Simon 2004 p 53 McMillan Alan 11 July 1953 Tropicana Revue The New York Age p 6 Retrieved 7 August 2016 via Newspapers com nbsp Waltzer Jim 22 January 2009 Creatures of the Night Atlantic City Weekly Retrieved 7 August 2016 Waltzer amp Wilk 2001 p 23 Atkins amp Malone 2012 pp 47 49 Manning amp Millman 2007 p 117 Vacher 2015 p 174 Love 1997 p 80 Izzy August 2 1947 Basie Goes Fishing But Is Fished Out The Pittsburgh Courier Retrieved August 7 2016 via Newspapers com nbsp Mayor Leads Atlantic City Raid Squads The Day Associated Press 29 July 1940 p 12 Shore Mayor Conducts Raid Chester Times July 29 1940 p 3 Retrieved August 28 2016 nbsp Rowe Billy August 10 1940 Business Going On As Usual After Sepia Night Life Circle Raids in Atlantic City The Pittsburgh Courier p 20 Retrieved August 7 2016 via Newspapers com nbsp Sources editAtkins Cholly Malone Jacqui 2012 Class Act The Jazz Life of Choreographer Cholly Atkins Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0231504126 Catalano Nick 2001 Clifford Brown The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter Revised ed Oxford University Press ISBN 0195144007 Love Preston 1997 A Thousand Honey Creeks Later My Life in Music from Basie to Motown and Beyond Wesleyan University Press ISBN 081956320X Manning Frankie Millman Cynthia R 2007 Frankie Manning Ambassador of Lindy Hop Temple University Press ISBN 978 1592135639 Simon Bryant 2004 Boardwalk of Dreams Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 1951 6753 5 Vacher Peter 2015 Swingin on Central Avenue African American Jazz in Los Angeles Rowman amp Littlefield ISBN 978 0810888333 Vail Ken 2003 Count Basie Swingin the Blues 1936 1950 Scarecrow Press ISBN 978 0 8108 4882 5 Waltzer Jim Wilk Tom 2001 Tales of South Jersey Profiles and Personalities Rutgers University Press ISBN 0813530075 Willis Cheryl M 2016 Tappin at the Apollo The African American Female Tap Dance Duo Salt and Pepper McFarland ISBN 978 1476623153 External links edit Harold P Abrams Collection Atlantic City Public Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Paradise Club Atlantic City New Jersey amp oldid 1014996520, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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