• Home
• Blog
• Articles
• Features
• Forum
• About
• Contact
• Links
• Newsletter

The Story of Ciro's

It's been the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard for over twenty years now, but in the 1940's and 1950's, it was Ciro's-the hottest nightclub on the planet. From the time that Herman Hover took over management of Ciro's in 1942 until it closed in 1959, it was as important to the development of the civilized world as The Sands in Las Vegas. It spawned the career of legends not once but twice, first with the partnership of a skinny Jewish comedian and his Italian crooner sidekick-Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin-in 1950. Then, in 1951 an opening act for Janis Page-the Will Mastin Trio-tore the house down thanks, in large part, to the presence of arguably the most versatile entertainer in history, Sammy Davis, Jr. It was also the site of Sammy's return to the stage following the car accident in which he lost his right eye. Even when giants of our culture weren't being created on their stage, it hosted a profusion of top entertainers-Joe E. Lewis, Andy Williams, Xavier Cugat, Nat King Cole and on and on.

The names that frequented Ciro’s were a ‘who’s who’ of the American entertainment pantheon, starting at the very top with Frank Sinatra and including other A list stars like Anita Ekberg, Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Ava Gardner, George Burrns, Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford and too many others to mention. They came to drink, to see and be seen among a collection of other Hollywood illuminati, served by leggy cigarette girls in short skirts and heels.

In a more civilized time, there was a circuit of world renowned nightclubs that featured the best entertainment in the country in an atmosphere of indulgent luxury. In Las Vegas, the Copa Room at the Sands became the place to be in the 1960’s but before that there was the Coconut Grove in Miami, the 500 Club in Atlantic City, the Sam Giancanna owned Villa Venice in Chicago. Even during the early 1940’s, Ciro’s was part of this top tier of clubs. What would later become the “Holmby Hills Rat Pack” was already holding court nightly at Ciro’s, then owned and operated by Billy Wilkenson. From Bogie and Bacall to George Raft and Betty Grable, it was L.A.’s hottest spot. Like most clubs, however, it began to “cool off” a couple of years later and by 1942 owner Wilkenson was hard pressed to provide worthy entertainment for the celebrities that patronized his club. Customers were defecting in droves to the jungle themed Mocambo across the street. For a time, Ciro’s closed its doors. It wasn’t dark for long when Herman Hoover put together a plan to reopen the club.

Hoover, who had a background in running a nightclub—he was lured away from Columbia University’s Law School by the potent mix of wiseguys and chorus girls at New York’s “Silver Slipper”, which was a prohibition era joint owned by Arnold Rothstein and Charles “Lucky” Luciano among others. Hoover became a fixture at the club, along with Harlem’s Cotton Club before moving to Los Angeles in 1936.

Ciro’s reopened on December 26, 1942 with longtime Sinatra pal Joe E. Lewis on stage and such stars as Mickey Rooney, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Joan Crawford and Cary Grant in the audience. Xavier Cugat (who’d later marry a Latin dancer named “Charo”) became a regular headliner at the club, preceding the arrival of Martin, Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Hoover had hosted Dean Martin’s wedding in 1949, and Martin and Lewis debuted at Ciro’s in 1950. They always felt a deep debt of gratitude to Hoover and his club, and even when they were pulling down an astounding (for the 1950’s) $100,000 a week to perform they insisted on holding their fee at Ciro’s to what they were originally paid--$7,000 a week. In 1951, Sammy Davis, Jr., along with his uncle and father—the Will Mastin Trio—tore down the house. Several years later, in what may have been the biggest event ever at the club, Davis returned to the stage following a car accident where he lost his right eye and nearly lost his life. Following an introduction by Frank Sinatra, Davis put on a scorching performance before an adoring and emotional crowd of the biggest stars on the planet.

Ironically, it was the growth of Las Vegas that would spell the beginning of the end for Ciro’s and nightclubs like it nationwide. With coffers flush from gambling profits and mob revenues, the nightclubs just couldn’t compete with the money that Las Vegas casinos were able to offer. Headliners didn’t have to travel as much to make big money, and they were able to “live the life” 24/7 in the southern Nevada desert. As Hoover struggled to stay afloat, the IRS caught up to hundreds of thousands of dollars he owed in unpaid taxes. Ciro’s closed its doors in 1957. Hoover filed for bankruptcy in 1959, and Ciro’s was sold at public auction for $350,000.

It also represented the end of an era in Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard remained a vital commercial artery, but the glamorous strip of adult entertainment that became part of American mythology gave way to a tacky mishmash of restaurants, strip clubs, and tattoo parlors intermingled with more upscale businesses. Although another revolution would emerge from Sunset Boulevard—a culinary superstar named Wolfgang Puck, and his restaurant Spago—the world became a little less civilized with the passing of Ciro’s. The building has been the Comedy Store for the past 26 years, and has started its own crop of stars along the path to fame.

Back to Prophet's Place Main Page