Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire [Hardcover]

Ron Elliott (Author), Wayne Dammert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 1563112477 | ISBN-13: 978-1563112478 | Edition: 1St Edition

Twenty years of silence. No one talked about it. No one wanted to. The public was shocked by ghastly televised images of an uncontrollable inferno and of the endless views of twisted, charred remains of what had been billed as “The Showplace of the Nation,” now reduced to smoldering rubble with 167 of its guests dead. How could this happen? From its notorious early years of illegal gambling, glamorous night life, and organized crime to its reborn reputation as one of the finest entertainment and dining establishments in the country, the Beverly Hills Supper Club was frequented by the biggest stars, governors, politicians, and athletes of its day and never failed to deliver a good time. But, On May 28, 1977, the final curtain fell. Now you can know what really happened. Follow long-time Beverly Hills dealer, waiter, and finally captain, Wayne Dammert, in his personal inside account, Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, of this renowned showplace and the horrifying events of one of our nations' worst disasters. Wayne Dammert and other survivors tell the inside story: true eyewitness accounts of the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Turner; 1St Edition edition (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563112477
• ISBN-13: 978-1563112478
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a child, I heard the adults in my family talk about how my dad's Uncle Berry (Howard) was the man who killed Kentucky's would-be governor, William Goebel in 1900. Finally, in 1993, I happened across the transcript of Berry Howard's murder trial. As a fascinating story unfolded before me, I decided that I had to tell the world the true story of the killing of William Goebel. The result, "Assassination at the State House," was my first book.

I've been asked if my academic training in math and computer science is of any benefit as a writer. I find that attention to detail and following the clues as one does in those disciplines is an asset in any endeavor.

My next book, "The Silent Brigade," to quote the publisher, is still being silent.

Then the publisher put me in touch with a suvivor of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. I put my research and writing skills to use resulting in my best-seller (to date) "Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire."

In 2009, Lincoln's bicentennial year, I published "Through the Eyes of Lincoln" in conjuntion with my friend and great photographer, John Snell. John's photographs are truly spectaular and I managed to discover a few previously unknown facts about "Old Abe."

In 2010, I was very proud to add a new book, "From Hilltop to Mountaintop," the life and legacy of Iwo Jima flag raiser, Franklin Sousley to my resume. The research for this book led down some very interesting paths and the access Franklin's family gave me uncovered a great story and helped produce that I think is a great book!

This year (2012), will see the publication of "American El Dorado," the story of the great diamond hoax of 1872. If you think Bernie Madoff had a new idea, the tale of how a Kentucky con man perpurtrated a great swindle on a lot of important people in 1872 will thrill and amaze.

I'm often asked about my writing style. I like writing what's called "historical fiction," meaning that the history is real but the conversations are fiction. I take pride in getting the actual facts and therefore am comfortable in putting words in the characters' mouths, just as my literary heroes James Mitchner, Allan Eckert and Jeff Shaara have done.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Study of the Details Behind this Disaster, January 5, 2007

By 

John B "Cindergeezer" (Overland Park. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire (Hardcover)

The author of this book gives a precise and complete in-depth picture of the rise and fall of the Beverly Hills Country Club from its beginnings and growth, to its horrific end. As a long time employee of the club, Ron Elliot tells the story from an insiders first person point of view. You feel that you've been there since the Club's inception, getting to know the owners and the employees on a first name basis. You watch as the building is remodeled and expanded on multiple occassions, but without regard to fire codes for reasons unknown. This is an excellent read for fire fighting professionals as well, giving multiple examples of crowd response to an emergency and reinforcing the need for adherence to fire codes in construction, as well as on-going safety inspections. Everyone would do well to read this as a reminder to be aware of where the exits are when going out for an evening's entertainment. An excellent book. I highly recommend it.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fitting Memorial, April 11, 2000

By 

L.H. (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire (Hardcover)

I was very happy when I discovered that this book had been written. My mother lost a good friend in this fire, and I appreciate the fact that Mr. Dammert included the names of all those lost in his book. I did find myself skipping over some of the history of the Supper Club itself, but the story of the fire is compelling and sobering. For those of us who remember that night, it is a reminder of just how horrible it all was. There are individual stories of heroes and victims and it is a book that I will keep in my library forever. Thank you.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It has given me some history about how my in-laws had died., May 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire (Hardcover)

I had chills from just looking at the cover. My mother and father-in-law both parished in that fire. My husband was just five years old in 1977. This book has been the only accurate information that has been given to us. I feel that the book was heart-wrenching and very compelling. If someone had taken the time and the expense to fix the problems at the Supper Club my daughter would know her grandparents. I want to thank Mr. Dammert for having the courage to bring back all of the memories from that night. I hope that many facility owners read this compelling book and learn from the mistakes that were made at the Beverly Hills Supper Club. Thank you again.