Copacabana (nightclub)

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Copacabana
City New York City
Country United States
Type Nightclub
Opened November 10, 1940
copacabanany.com

The Copacabana (often referred to as The Copa) is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba Buena song "Guajira" is set there. The Copa was used as a setting in the films Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Tootsie, Carlito's Way, The French Connection, Martin and Lewis, and Beyond the Sea, as well as several plays, including Barry Manilow's Copacabana.

Contents

[edit] History

A photograph of Willie Colón performing opening night at the new Copacabana.
Willie Colón performing opening night at the new Copacabana[1] on July 12, 2011 in Times Square, New York City.

The club opened November 10, 1940[2][3] at 10 East 60th Street in New York City. Although Monte Proser's name was on the lease, he had a powerful partner: mob boss Frank Costello. Costello put Jules Podell on the scene to look after his interests, and within a few years Proser was out and Podell was the official owner.[4]

Podell originally had a strict "no blacks" policy. In 1944 Harry Belafonte, then a member of the U.S. Navy, was denied entry with a date. Eventually Podell was persuaded to change his policy, and Belafonte returned in the 1950s as a headliner at the club. Sammy Davis Jr. shattered attendance records with his run in May 1964, and Sam Cooke performed there on July 8, 1964, resulting in the LP Sam Cooke at the Copa. In July 1965 the Supremes made their debut there, resulting in Motown Records booking the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, and Marvin Gaye performing at the Copa in the next few years.

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were frequent performers at the club, and did their last performance there as well, on July 25, 1956, which is seen in the 2002 TV movie Martin and Lewis.

This nightclub achieved a degree of notoriety due to a May 16, 1957 incident involving members of the New York Yankees. On that evening, teammates Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Johnny Kucks and Billy Martin, along with the wives of the former five arrived at the nightclub to celebrate Martin's birthday. Sammy Davis, Jr. happened to be the headliner. During the performance, a group of bowlers, apparently intoxicated, started to interfere with Davis' act, even hurling racial slurs at him. This behavior incensed the Yankees, especially Martin, since his roommate was Elston Howard, the first African American to join the Yankees. Tensions erupted between the two factions, and the resulting fracas made newspaper headlines. Several of the Yankees were fined. One of the bowlers sued Bauer for aggravated assault, but Bauer was found not guilty. Martin was later traded from the Yankees to the Kansas City Athletics, with this incident cited as a main cause.

In the mid-1970s, the Copa became a discothèque. It was closed for three years in the 1970s after the owner died.[5]

Miss Dirty Martini performing at the Times Square location.

In 1992, then-owner Peter Dorn moved the club from its original location of over 50 years, to 617 West 57th Street. Dorn charged landlord Nicola Biase with "not liking Hispanics," the stated reason for the move.[6]

In 2001, the club was forced to move a third time to W. 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue on the west side of Manhattan, when its landlord terminated its lease early to build office towers on the site. It has presented mostly Hip-Hop and Salsa acts since then.[5]

On January 20, 2007, the club announced that it would have to move by July 1 because its current location was condemned due to the planned expansion of the IRT Flushing Line (7 <7>) of the New York City Subway.[7] June 30 of the same year was the last night the club was open with El Gran Combo performing.

From late 2007 until the club reopened in 2011, the club was sharing space with the Columbus 72 nightclub, both of which have the same owners.

In April 2010 the club owners were approved for a liquor license to operate the club in a new location 760-766 8th Avenue on the Second and Third Floors.[8] In November 2010 the club owners were granted permission to alter the method of operation on the 2nd floor to permit dancing by restaurant patrons as well as the general public, not limited to private parties and catered events.[9]

On July 12, 2011, the club re-opened to the public in Times Square at 268 W. 47th Street, New York, NY. The first performer at the new location was world-renowned salsa musician Willie Colón.

[edit] Notable headliners

[edit] Musicians

[edit] Comedians

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Copacabana". http://www.copacabanany.com. Retrieved 2011-07-12. 
  2. ^ Austen, Brie (2002). "The Great American Supperclub". http://www.brieaustin.com/journalism/thegreat.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  3. ^ "New York City - The Cabarets". 1959. http://www.oldandsold.com/articles06/new-york-city-77.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  4. ^ "THE COPA: JULES PODELL AND THE HOTTEST CLUB NORTH OF HAVANA by Mickey Podell-Raber and Charles Pignone". Scott Marks' Emulsion Compulsion. 2007-11-05. http://www.emulsioncompulsion.com/tag/Monte_Proser/. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  5. ^ a b Navarro, Mireya (2001-08-04). "Night Spots Confront Residential Growth And Higher Rents". The New York Times: p. B1.  Late Edition (East Coast).
  6. ^ Zwecker, Bill (1992-11-23). "Charging Bias, Owner To Move Copacabana". Chicago Sun-Times: p. 18. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB373E3A01332A8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
  7. ^ "Storied Nightclub Copacabana Looking for a New Home". 1010wins.com. http://1010wins.com/pages/187376.php. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
  8. ^ "CB5 Resolutions April 2010". Manhattan Community Board 5. http://www.cb5.org/cb5/resolutions/april/#760-766_8th_avenue_a_k. Retrieved 2012-02-06. 
  9. ^ "CB5 Resolutions November 2010". Manhattan Community Board 5. http://www.cb5.org/cb5/resolutions/november/#760-766_8th_avenue_a_k. Retrieved 2012-02-06. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 40°45′51″N 73°58′18″W / 40.764299°N 73.971741°W / 40.764299; -73.971741

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