Nightclub Nights: Art, Legend, and Style 1920-1960 [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Susan Waggoner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2001

From the era of Pan Am clippers, bias cut gowns, and free Cuba comes the nightclub—swank, sophisticated, and, sadly, no more. In their heyday, few destinations were as alluring as the Stork Club, El Morocco, the French Casino, Cotton Club, Latin Quarter, Cocoanut Grove and other clubs that lit up the velvety evening hours. Where else could one dine while Frank Sinatra sang, or sip a martini while Jimmy Durante and a troupe of Carmen Miranda–clad chorus girls danced across the stage?

For the first time ever, Nightclub Nights opens the door to that glamorous, colorful, and vanished world. Using gorgeous, riotously colored authentic programs, menus, and period photography, author Susan Waggoner brings the nightclub back to sizzling life—from celebrity sanctuaries like Sherman Billingsley’s Stork Club, where the rope line was invented, to the Latin beat of the Tropicana and the Chinese flair of Khubla Khan’s. Impeccably designed and printed on heavy stock that replicates the original quality of the authentic artwork, this volume is filled with period history and anecdotes about the clubs as well as the stars and other noteworthies who frequented and performed at them. Today, with the resurgence of the cocktail hour, ballroom dancing, and supper clubs, Nightclub Nights is sure to appeal to audiences young and old as well as to those interested in popular culture and graphic design.

Rich with color, style, and atmosphere, Nightclub Nights is the next best thing to a table for two at the Copa.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Waggoner has created, developed, and written nonfiction and fiction on a wide range of subjects for major book publishers, including Simon & Schuster, Henry Holt, Warner, and Bantam. An ardent enthusiast of popular culture history, recent titles include the lavishly illustrated Vintage Cocktails (32,500 copies sold since its publication in June 1999), which she coauthored with Robert Markel, and The Anniversary Album. A graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, she has lived in Manhattan since receiving her Masters degree in 1976.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (May 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847823318
• ISBN-13: 978-0847823314
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,669,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handsome Book, Good Source For Appreciators Of Cocktail..., April 10, 2003

By 

Scott Q (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightclub Nights: Art, Legend, and Style 1920-1960 (Hardcover)

A handsomely bound book with lots of colour and a real feeling of nostalgia throughout. I thought the book was well set up for easy reading and the enclosed anecdotes were usually charming and interesting. Some very sharp looking sepia-toned photos throughout the book along with colorful graphics and photos. Nice reproduced images of the various clubs' promotional material as well. I would have myself liked to see more photos of the people who worked in these establishments in "action" so to speak. Meaning, photos of flashy bartenders mixing up a martini, or beautiful cigarette girls, or a waiter with a tray full of fancy drinks, etc. I would have also liked to know what ever happened to the clubs themselves after they closed. Were they bulldozed? Do some still exist albeit in another form? However, the book is one of the few tributes in printed form to the period of the luxurious dinner clubs and night clubs of the first half of the 20th century. That alone makes it a must have for enthusiasts of the long gone cocktail "set". I was in the club industry for most of my working years, so I do know a little of the lifestlye! Wish I could have been around the "French Casino" or the "Cocoanut Grove" back in the heyday. It looked like a marvelous time to be alive in America and enjoy the true meaning of "a night on the town".

5.0 out of 5 stars At The Copa...Copacabana!!!, March 10, 2008

By 

Tiki Mon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightclub Nights: Art, Legend, and Style 1920-1960 (Hardcover)

This book is a beautiful look at the night club era of pre-disco.
When getting a table in a nightclub meant something. My heart is saddened that I came too late to see this era of true entertainment and deco design. It must have been magical. Some beautiful images, color graphics, and type from the era.
Hardback is linen.

2 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Classics!, May 6, 2001

By 

cheri waggoner (Holland, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightclub Nights: Art, Legend, and Style 1920-1960 (Hardcover)

I am here to actually review the author, Susan. I know how hard she works and her committment to presenting the best is phenomenal. Susan is an amazing author and I am honored to call her my cousin!!