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Mister Kelly's

{{Short description|Defunct American nightclub in Chicago}}

Mister Kelly's was a nightclub on Rush Street in Chicago which existed from 1953 to 1975. From around 1956 until its demise, it was a springboard to fame for many entertainers, especially jazz singers and comedians. As reported in the Chicago Tribune, "It was a supernova in the local and national nightlife firmament." Mister Kelly's was owned and operated by brothers Oscar and George Marienthal, whose Chicago empire included the London House, an upscale jazz supper club, and the theatrically oriented Happy Medium.Chicago Sun-Times, August 21, 2005

Early days

Mister Kelly's opened on November 24, 1953, on Rush Street in ChicagoChicago Social Magazine, Klobuchar, January, 2000 as a restaurant featuring steaks and Green Goddess salad as a house special.Chicago Tribune, January 11, 1959 In 1954, entertainment was added with two singer-pianists, Buddy Charles and Audrey Morris, as the first entertainers.Chicago Tribune, October 17, 1954Chicago Tribune, October 24, 1954

The nightclub was destroyed on December 8, 1955, when a fire started in a grease chute and spread through a ventilator into the club.2 Mister Kelly's was rebuilt and reopened on August 29, 1956Chicago Tribune, Tower Ticker, August 29, 1956 with a new policy of standup singers. Previously the nightclub specialized in singers who played their own accompaniment.Chicago Tribune, On the Town, August 26, 1956 Recording star Jeri Southern was one of the first standup singers to appear.Chicago Tribune, November 4, 1956 The club also had a completely new décor but retained an original Mister Kelly's feature, stairways which went nowhere for casual enthusiasts who simply wanted to sit and watch the show.2Chicago Tribune, August 19, 1956 Mr. Kelly's became a springboard to fame for countless entertainers.Chicago Tribune, August 21, 2005

In November, 1956, the Marienthal brothers’ nightclubs made their debut on WNBQ Channel 5 (NBC) in Chicago. The new color television show was entitled Here’s Music – At London House and Mister Kelly's. The set duplicated the décor and many of the appointments of Mister Kelly's as an authentic supper club setting for the show.Chicago Tribune, November 18, 1956 Entertainers appearing at Mr. Kelly's begin to record albums at the nightclub. By 1958, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy King, Della Reese, Buddy Greco, Anita O'Day, Sarah Vaughn and comedian Mort Sahl had recorded there.Billboard, October 20, 1958 , p. 34

Middle years

In 1959, Mister Kelly's instituted a new entertainment policy, which combined a musical act with a comedy act. This combination remained the club's format for the next 16 years. New talent and established entertainers were featured. For example, in April, 1960 comedian Bob Newhart, and songstress Janice Halpern were featured.Chicago Tribune, On the Town, April 10, 1960 In 1963, Oscar Marienthal discovered a young singer at a small New York nightclub and booked her several months before she was to appear. Oscar died suddenly at the age of 50 before that new talent, 20-year-old Barbra Streisand, made her debut at Mister Kelly's on June 11, 1963.Chicago Tribune, June 9, 1963; Chicago Tribune, Tower Ticker, June 12, 1963

Other entertainers who played the club early in their careers included Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Shelley Berman, Nancy Wilson, Shecky Greene, Jackie Vernon, Jackie Mason, Eartha Kitt, Joan Rivers, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Aretha Franklin, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand and Bob Newhart. Established stars, too, such as Ella Fitzgerald, the Kingston Trio, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne and Billie Holiday headlined at the club.

On the night of February 8, 1966, about 200 patrons fled Mister Kelly's as fire engulfed an entire block on Rush Street in Chicago. It had begun in a drugstore, swept through the buildings and completely destroyed Mister Kelly's.Chicago Tribune, February 9, 1966 The club reopened on May 15, 1967. It was rebuilt on its original site and redesigned to increase seating capacity at tables from 165 to 180 seats.Variety, Vaudeville, p. 58, 1968 The old stairways now known as "bleachers" were reinstalled with cushions and additional seating space. The bleachers continued to be a no-minimum, no-cover area where a customer could see and hear the show for a price for a drink or two.Chicago Tribune, On the Town, May 14, 1967 Among the stars who returned to perform were Woody Allen and Mort Sahl, for whom the initial appearance at Mister Kelly's became a stepping stone to their star status.Chicago Tribune, On the Town, May 14, 1967

Post-acquisition

In 1969, Mister Kelly's was sold to Arts and Leisure Corp., entertainment division, and things began to change. In 1971, Paul Wimmer bought Mister Kelly's from Art's and Leisure and he and his managing partner, Jerry Dambra instituted new policies that were more informal; the maître d' wore a casual suit instead of a tuxedo. Young entertainment was featured with a low-price package deal.Chicago Tribune, PB3, February 26, 1971 In July, due to financial problems, the club closed on August 25, 1975. Its demise was not sudden. Security issues, late-night TV, and the emergence of Las Vegas style venues that could afford to pay the performers more money, took its toll, and top talent commanded top fees to appear there. This required a high volume of patrons, but Mister Kelly's had fewer than 200 seats, including the "bleachers."Chicago Sun Times, August 23, 2005 Comedian and actor Tim Reid states that he was the last comedian to appear as Mister Kelly's on New Year's Eve in 1975, exactly seven years after he and his wife were fortunate enough to see Richard Pryor there also on New Year's Eve in 1968.{{cite interview |last=The Television Academy Foundation |first= |interviewer=The Television Academy Foundation |title=Actor Tim Reid on appearing on the Richard Pryor Show |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmwxQgurbYs&t=219s |date= |access-date=March 9, 2022}} Jerry Dambra famously said, "I was a lucky man to have closed the two greatest clubs in the world."

Legacy

In 2021, a documentary titled Live at Mister Kelly's,directed by Ted Bogosian and narrated by Bill Kurtis,IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt13517842/ was released as a streaming feature. Film reviewer Peter Sobcynzkski called it "fascinating," noting that it showed "how Mister Kelly's not only transformed from a nightclub into a institution, but helped to make the corner of Rush and Bellevue into arguably the epicenter of American popular culture during its heyday."RogerEbert.com, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/live-at-mister-kellys-2021

In 2024, the Newberry Library in Chicago mounted an exhibit entitled "A Night at Mister Kelly's," curated by Alison Hinderliter, Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Selector for Modern Music, Newberry Library. In addition to the exhibit scheduled to run March 21 to July 20, 2024, the Newberry offered a related series of public programs, adult education courses, and screenings of Live at Mister Kelly's.{{Cite web |title=A Night at Mister Kelly's |url=https://www.newberry.org/calendar/a-night-at-mister-kellys |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=Newberry Library |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2024-03-27 |title=As memories of a Chicago nightclub echo, a Johnny Carson book is set to arrive |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/03/27/as-memories-of-a-chicago-nightclub-echo-a-johnny-carson-book-is-set-to-arrive/ |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}

Recordings at Mister Kelly’s

Notable performers

Among the notables who performed at Mister Kelly's were Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Ramsey Lewis, Barbra Streisand, Julie London, Anita O'Day, Abbey Lincoln, Lou Rawls, Eartha Kitt, Oscar Peterson, Liza Minnelli, Dionne Warwick, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae, Muddy Waters, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Morgana King, Rufus with Chaka Khan, Lainie Kazan, Carmen McRae, Rod McKuen, Buddy Greco, Bette Midler, B.B. King, Carly Simon, Phoebe Snow, The Mamas & the Papas, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, Melissa Manchester, Mel Torme, Oliver, Barry Manilow, Spanky and Our Gang, and Captain and Tennille. Comedians who also performed at Mister Kelly's included the likes of Shecky Greene, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Joan Rivers, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, The Smothers Brothers, Freddie Prinze, Robert Klein, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Flip Wilson, Tim and Tom, Redd Foxx, Phyllis Diller, Bob Newhart, Jackie Mason, Fred Willard, Don Adams, Jack E. Leonard, Ace Trucking Co., Steve Martin, Dick Cavett, Marilyn Michaels, Totie Fields, Godfrey Cambridge, Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen, Lily Tomlin and Dick Gregory. Musical directors at the club included Dick Marx, Marty Rubenstein and Larry Novak.

See also

External links

  • [http://www.misterkellys.co.jp/roots/index.html Info page] in Japanese with exterior photos
  • [https://books.google.com/books?id=B_Yzl5uXacwC&dq=mister+kelly's&pg=PA308 Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s] includes an excerpt about Mister Kelly's
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080605192746/http://www.juilliard.edu/update/journal/554journal_story_0209.asp Bill Cosby talks about performing at Mister Kelly's]
  • [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/1308 Mister Kelly's collection] at The Newberry
  • [https://www.wbez.org/stories/mister-kellys-exhibit-newberry-library-chicago-nightlife/b9f2ad95-e71e-479d-964d-ec4da08c7691 WBEZ Chicago photos and 4:35 minute retrospective] in conjunction with Newberry Exhibit.

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References

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Category:Defunct nightclubs in the United States

Category:Former music venues in the United States

Category:Nightclubs in Chicago

Category:1953 establishments in Illinois

Category:1975 disestablishments in Illinois