The Latin Quarter was one of the most important nightclubs of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Comedians hated it.
Earl Wilson, Columnist: For almost a quarter of a century New Yorkers had been walking up those red-carpeted steps at Broadway and 48th to see the glittering café stars. For years New Yorkers had sniffed loftily about the Quarter, calling it a ‘tourist joint.’
Norm Crosby: Are you familiar with the old Latin Quarter in New York at all? It was a big, big nightclub and it was strictly production shows like Follies Brasserie with a lot of showgirls and a lot of dancers. The main attraction was the big, big show; like a follies. Everyone would be moving around the stage - the band, the girls, everything. The owner told me, ‘Stay out there for twelve minutes while we get the set ready for the big production number. Not eleven and not thirteen. Twelve minutes. I don’t care if you get a million laughs or if you get no laughs. I need you out there for twelve minutes because that’s how long it takes to change the set.’ And that’s exactly what I did. I went out there for twelve minutes.
Marilyn Michaels, Comedienne: The famous Latin Quarter was where the showgirls wore these little cone shaped things with tassels and sequins to cover their nipples. It was funny and also a little cheesy. The sound system at the Latin Quarter was an old time piece of shit. I hated it.
Will Jordan: The comedians always bombed. You knew that when you played the Latin Quarter, it would be a bomb - yet you played it because it was the Latin Quarter.
Shecky Greene, Comedian: I played the Latin Quarter in New York once. It was strictly a tourist joint. That was an A-B-C-D type of an audience. They got off the bus, you come in, you did your act, that’s it. I said, “This is not for me.” After about three days I quit the job even though it was supposed to really be something to play the Latin Quarter.
Norm Crosby: I was out there for five or six minutes before anybody even knew I was on. No introduction, no band, it was just, “Hi! Hello? Hello?” I did twelve minutes every night for a week. When I finished I packed as quickly as I could. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. It was horrible.
Jackie Curtiss, Comedian: Yeah, it was not the happiest place. The owner was Lou Walters and his daughter was always backstage and a real pain in the ass. We would always have to slam the door in her face. An annoying young lady named Barbara Walters.
Will Jordan: The owner was the father of Barbara Walters - Lou Walters. No one ever mentions it, but he had an identical lisp - same side of the face and everything!
Peter Marshall, Comedian: We worked with Sophie Tucker at the Latin Quarter. It was a big production with girl dancers and boy dancers. Sophie Tucker was the meanest woman I ever met. She just berated one of the gay gypsies, just screamed at him. I was there. I saw this. He came in the next day and he had had a little voodoo doll made. He said, ‘This is Sophie Tucker. I’m gonna put a needle in her left leg!’ He put a needle in this doll and… I’m not talking a week later, I’m not talking a day later, fifteen minutes later she fell down the stairs and broke her left leg!
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