The Copa: Jules Podell and the Hottest Club North of Havana [Hardcover]

Mickey Podell-Raber (Author), Charles Pignone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007

This beautifully illustrated history of Jules Podell's legendary club Copacabana features colorful characters, romance, and intrigue from the golden age of nightclubs.

In this fascinating look behind the scenes of one of the world's most legendary nightclubs, the story of the Copa begins and ends with its fiery owner, Jules Podell. A Russian immigrant, Jules dropped out of the fourth grade to make money for his family and went on to create the number one destination for the rich, famous, and dangerous of New York.

All the legends of the fifties and early sixties stood on his stage, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Tom Jones, Sam Cooke, Johnny Mathis, and the Temptations.

This book, which includes the Podell family's never-before-seen photos, menus, and club memorabilia, as well as interviews, allows us to truly get a peek at the Copa and its great moment in New York history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Copacabana was the New York hot spot throughout the 1940s, '50s and '60s that hosted the great singers and musicians of the era-Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, The Temptations. Jules Podell, a Russian immigrant, was one of the men responsible for the nightclub's success (the other was business partner Jack Entratter). In this loving and honest memoir, Podell-Raber, Podell's only child, recalls the club's heyday and her life as the daughter of the city's best-known impressario. Augmented by more that 100 b&w photos of the club and performers, Podell-Raber's narrative is filled with memories of attending shows every Sunday night with her mother and meeting the entertainers afterward (Sammy Davis Jr. once gave her a pet puppy). She doesn't, however, shy away from discussing mob boss Frank Costello's involvement in the club, nor does she paint her young life as completely idyllic: "After a short time I didn't want to be a Podell and live up to a certain standard of perfection." In the end, with photos and stories, Podell-Raber's nostalgic look at the club and her father show what made the club legendary.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Mickey Podell-Raber is the only child of longtime Copacabana owner Jules Podell. She grew up going to the club every Sunday night for dinner and a show, and even had a direct line into the kitchen to order all her meals and shared many of the big moments in her life with many of the stars who graced her father's stage.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061240990
• ISBN-13: 978-0061240997
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #515,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fond look back at one of the great entertainment venues in America., January 20, 2008

By 

Paul Tognetti "The real world is so much more... (Cranston, RI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Copa: Jules Podell and the Hottest Club North of Havana (Hardcover)

Every so often I discover a new book about a totally off the wall topic that really piques my curiosity. Ordinarily, I read books about serious subjects such as history, politics, medicine and the environment. But as one might well imagine some of these books can be quite depressing. I was ready for something lighter when I happened upon "The Copa: Jules Podell and the Hottest Club North of Havana". Co-authored by Jules Podell's adopted daughter Mickey Podell-Raber and longtime Sinatra family archivist and producer Charles Pignone, "The Copa" documents the star-studded history of one of America's great nightclubs. Packed with never before seen photographs, menus and club memorabilia, "The Copa" transports the reader back to a time and place the likes of which we will probably never see again. For those who were lucky enough to have attended a show at the Copa, this book will bring back wonderful memories. For the rest of us it is a glimpse at a bygone era. Either way this was one highly enjoyable book.

In "The Copa" you will learn all about Jules Podell. Podell was one of the co-owners of the Copa when it opened for business way back in 1940. And for more than three decades Jules Podell would oversee operations at the Copa. He was a tough, gruff owner who made sure that everything was "just so" at his nightclub. Indeed, the food at the Copacabana was always superb and the entertainment second to none. During the club's hey-day in the 1940's and 1950's the roster of entertainers who graced the stage at the Copa reads like a "who's who" of American show business. People would line up for hours to see legendary singers like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee. And in the early 1950's the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis packed them in for 3 shows each night for weeks at a time. Those were the days when people dressed up and looked forward to going out for a night on the town. However, with the dawn of television the habits of the American public slowly began to change. Now people were much less inclined to leave the comfort of their homes to see a "live" show, particularly on weeknights. And when stiff new competition for top acts emerged from the clubs and hotels in Las Vegas Jules Podell could see the handwriting on the wall. By the early 1970's the business had changed dramatically and shortly after Jules Podell's death in 1973 the Copacabana as we knew it would be forced to close its doors. A few years later the club did re-open under new management and The Copacabana has managed to remain open over the years at various locations. But the glory days were gone forever and the Copa would never again be considered the entertainment mecca of America.

I found "The Copa: Jules Podell and the Hottest Club North of Havana" to be a fun read from cover-to-cover. The photos from the Podell family's collection are sensational. They sure make me wish that I had been around New York City in those unforgettable days. For me, "The Copa" proved to be a terrific change of pace. Recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE COPA WAS THE PLACE TO BE!, July 6, 2009

By 

Franz Douskey "franz douskey" (Nesbit, Mississippi) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Copa: Jules Podell and the Hottest Club North of Havana (Hardcover)

THE COPA is a surprisingly good, honest book. Mickey Podell-Raber opens most of the doors to the Copacabana. She should be justly proud of her reminiscences and the taut way she and Charles Pignone put the stories together. If you're interested in New York nightclub life, this is the book to read. A smooth two hundred pages with details about Frank Sinatra, the Mantle-Bauer-Martin fight, Tony Bennett, Sam Cooke, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Anytime Charles Pignone writes about The Chairman, it's important to listen. There is no better Sinatra historian around. Not only do we learn about the acts of stage, Mickey Podell-Raber respectfully tells what's going on in the kitchen. THE COPA: JULES PODELL AND THE HOTTEST CLUB NORTH OF CUBA lives up to its name and the club's reputation. It's so good, I'm buying another copy because I intend to wear out the one I own. Great subject, good insights and good writing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick up "The Copa" and you will not want to put it down, February 27, 2010

By 

Gerry Lemmons "nightclub lover" (Denver CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Copa: Jules Podell and the Hottest Club North of Havana (Hardcover)

The story of Jules Podell and the Copacabana Night Club in New York as told by his daughter is a beautifully written memoir. There is no fluff here: the story is told in a "matter of fact" manner with little emotional drama. Mickey Podell-Raber tells it like it was: she was adopted by the Podells and brought up in a world where the Copacabana was at the center of her parents every day life. As a child, she spent every Sunday evening at the club, at her father's special table eating the award winning food and seeing the hottest stars performing in her father's world famous cabaret. She met some of the most important entertainers in the world and lets the reader in on her opinion of each of them as people: she found Jerry Lewis to be mean, obnoxious, and a man who did not like children, while she informs us that Nat King Cole was one of the nicest men she ever met. Lots of good stories and a good overview of what the club itself was like, and how it was operated. My only disappointment is that I wanted to see more pictures of the Copa and its different rooms, as opposed to many, many "table shots" of stars sitting at tables. Overall, this is a good read and will take you back to a time when going to the Copa meant an evening of outstanding food, drink, and entertainment. If you are a fan of the great American night club era, this book is for you.