A crowd of men wait for Marlene Dietrich to leave the Cotton Club. At the Cotton Club, the black performers did not mix with the white clientele. It closed in 1940. George Karger/Pix Inc./The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesThe American sprinter Jesse Owens and dancer and actor Bill Robinson —on the left — surrounded by dancers during a rehearsal at the Cotton Club, Sept. 2, 1936. But as much as we praise the club for bringing names like Duke Ellington and Lena Horne into the spotlight, the truth was that the Cotton Club functioned under a very thinly-veiled cover of racism — and A-listers gobbled this up faster than prohibition booze.African-American heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson purchased a fledgling casino at 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem in 1920. Many genuine talents got their start at the infamously bigoted but popular speakeasy. The big numbers which included “Dancemania” and “Jazzmania” featured Cotton Club singers and a chorus of women dancers who would be billed as the Cotton Club Girls.Others who made their name at the club included Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Adelaide Hall, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Ethel Waters, and Louis Armstrong. In preparation for the The Cotton Club closed permanently in 1940 under pressure from higher rents, changing taste, and a federal investigation into Madden's goal for the Cotton Club was to provide "an authentic black entertainment to a wealthy, whites-only audience. Romance with a cutting edge. That included the racial riots of 1919’s Red Summer, ... Cotton Club to Scottsboro Boys. "The Cotton Club Comes To Broadway", in Vogel, Shane. Marlene Dietrich, glamorous film star, visited the Cotton Club with director Fritz Lang on Feb. 6, 1937 — and was almost mobbed by a group of fans.
The Cotton Club exemplifies this point - lots of atmosphere, an abundance of acting and musical talent, and a little history for those too young to appreciate the Harlem Renaissance or prohibition-era segregation in the big city. Other awe-inspiring acts included Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Adelaide Hall, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Ethel Waters, and Louis Armstrong. Attacking his food with relish after the opening game of the World Series, Joe DiMaggio, NY Yankees star, dines at the Cotton Club on Oct. 6, 1937. Here, pianist Fats Waller poses with members of Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club Cuties, at Frank Sebastian's New Cotton Club, circa 1935 in Culver City, California.
The male dancers' skin colors were more varied.
In 1934, Adelaide Hall starred in the "Cotton Club Parade," the highest-grossing show the club ever had. Fletcher Henderson was the first bandleader, with Duke Ellington who recorded over 100 compositions taking the helm in 1927. earlier magic. The club operated during the United States' era of Prohibition and They were expected to be "tall, tan, and terrific," that meant they had to be at least 5'6" tall, light-skinned, and under 21 years of age.
"Upon a visit to the Cotton Club, the black writer and poet Langston Hughes, who was only let in because of his well-known status, Indeed, other Harlem nightclubs like the Savoy Ballroom, Lenox Club, and the Renaissance Ballroom were where black Harlem-ites truly felt welcomed. At its prime, the Cotton Club served as a hip meeting spot, with regular "Celebrity Nights" on Sundays featuring guests such as Another notable "Cotton Club Parade" in 1933 featured In June 1935, the Cotton Club opened its doors to black patrons. During the waning years of the Harlem Renaissance Cotton Club, Ella Fitzgerald ascended the stage at the tender age of 17, after she'd been discovered at a talent show in Harlem's Apollo Theater. The Cotton Club was an essential part of the Harlem nightlife in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. Mr. Rug Cutter 160,045 views. and Mrs. Joseph Giambrone welcome the the New Year by doing the "Big Apple" at the Cotton Club, 1937.Rose Halpert, left, enjoys her New Year's Eve party, despite the fact that she is blind, 1936.George Karger/Pix Inc./The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesThe Cotton Club got a second location in California. We were looking forward to the evening at The Cotton Club, we both enjoy jazz music so thought this would be a great option for a night out. The Cotton Club Comes to the Ritz (film-documentary) “The Cotton Club Encore will remain one of our country‘s greatest works of cinema. This was a popular segregated New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940 that exemplified how American racial intersectionality and inequity lived together. The Cotton Club Encore presents a dizzying, rich, inspiring achievement in the creative partnership of Francis Ford Coppola and William Kennedy. It wasn't until the gangster Owney Madden acquired the property from the boxer in 1923 and renamed it the Cotton Club that things took off. In 1934, Adelaide Hall starred in the “Cotton Club Parade,” the highest-grossing show the club ever had. The Cotton Club is a 1984 American crime drama film co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.The story centers on a Harlem jazz club in the 1930s, the Cotton Club and stars Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, and Lonette McKee.The supporting cast included Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Laurence Fishburne, Gwen Verdon and Fred Gwynne. But what they found remains a secret even today — known only to the police and to the owners of the club, 1931.Mr. And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:If there was a staple of Harlem nightlife in the 1920s and 30s, it was the Cotton Club.
Billy Rose, who runs the Casa Manana, pictured at the Cotton Club opening with Eleanor Holm, left, and film star Estelle Taylor, right, 1938.Acrobatic dancers performing onstage at the Cotton Club. It wasn't until the gangster Owney Madden acquired the property from the boxer in 1923 and renamed it the Cotton Club that things took off.