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Photograph of the entrance to the French Casino, 1937. Image from ebay.com
1934
By the end of 1934 the former Earl Carroll Theatre found the formula for success, with its conversion into the French Casino. But for most of the second half of the year, it sat empty. In July it looked as though a new enterprise would come to the rescue. The enormous theatre would undergo a conversion into a mixed entertainment venue.
Theatrical Notes, The New York Times, July 9, 1934, Pg. 18. Article from proquest.com.
For reasons now lost to us today, the plan for converting the theatre into the largest radio studio in the world never materialized. Instead a new entertainment trend was beginning. By the time the United States hit the rock bottom depths of the depression in the summer of 1932, many Manhattan theatres sat unused. The election of Franklin Roosevelt created hope and the economy started a very slow recovery. Repeal of prohibition in December of 1933 brought the speakeasy era to and end. Probably the most famous NYC speakeasies turned cafe society nightclubs were, 21 Club, The Stork Club and El Morocco. These typified Manhattan nightclubs, small spaces crammed into basements or brownstones.
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- 21 Club, circa 1946: Richard Rodgers and his wife, lunching with friends in bar at “21” Club. (Photo by Eileen Darby/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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- 1933 postcard showing the main dining room of the Stork Club. Image from wikiwand.com.
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- Visitors of the night club ‘El Morocco’ in New York celebrate the transition into the New Year 1936). Image from alamy.com.
With the combination of repeal and a seemingly recovering economy, the nightclub industry in New York City started to boom. New and larger venues were needed and empty theatres were perfect for conversion into large nightclubs. And with full stage facilities, providing elaborate shows was easy. In 1933 Continental Music Halls, Inc. took over the Hammerstein Theatre on Broadway and, directly adjacent to it on 54th Street, the Gallo Opera House. The Hammerstein became the Music Hall and the Gallo the Casino de Paris. Showman Billy Rose (1899-1966) oversaw the operations of both nightclubs and produced their shows.
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- Billy Rose, circa 1935. Image from britannica.com.
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- The former Gallo Opera House after its conversion into the Casino de Paris, circa 1934. Image from the book Lost Broadway Theatres.
French Casino producer, Clifford C. Fischer.
Producer Clifford C. Fischer (1882-1951) who staged the Folies Bergeres show at the Century Progress World’s Fair in Chicago was looking for a venue in Manhattan for his revue. The empty Casino / Earl Carroll Theatre proved to be the spot being three times the size of either the Gallo Opera House or the Hammerstein Theatre. The enormous stage facilities were perfect for his elaborate Folies Bergeres show. The New York Times ran this announcement –
The New York Times, November 7, 1934, Pg. 33. Article from proquest.com
Christmas, 1934
Advertisement for the Folies Bergeres, the show that opened the French Casino. New York Herald-Tribune, December 24, 1934, Pg. 4. Image from Proquest.com.
On 10:00 P.M. of Christmas Day, the French Casino opened to the public. The remodeled interior consisted of some decorations applied to the black velvet walls. Tables replaced the seats in the orchestra and balcony. By enlarging and extending the stage into the house it became a dance floor between shows. New staircases extending down from the former box seats allowed guests in the balcony direct access to the dance floor. The enormous lounge under the balcony became a cocktail lounge. A new room length bar completed the space. This new cocktail lounge alone was nearly the size of the average Manhattan nightclub.
French Casino view from under the balcony looking toward the stage. Image from the Folie Parisienne program, collection of the author.
French Casino, view from the stage / dance floor, showing new staircase and wall decorations. Image from the Folie Parisienne program, collection of the author.
The former lounge underneath the balcony converted to a cocktail lounge of the French Casino. On the right is the newly installed bar. Image from the Folie Parisienne program, collection of the author.
The new nightclub and the Revue Folies Bergeres received excellent reviews. The French Casino immediately became the place to go for a night on the town.
Review of the Revue Folies Bergeres, New York Times, December 27, 1934, Pg. 25. Article from proquest.com.
Scenes from the Revue Folies Bergeres
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- Image from mcny.org
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- Image from mcny.org
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- Image from mcny.org
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- Image from mcny.org
1935 – 1937
As the economy continued its slow improvement during the mid-1930s, the French Casino remained a popular night spot. And celebrities were often seen in the audience. Which made the French Casino even more popular with the general public.
John Barrymore and friend at the French Casino. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Mrs. John Jacob Astor 3rd is chatting with Robert Gardiner, and some of their friends at the French Casino here. Photo from Getty Images.
Jack Dempsey, the Mansassa Mauler, and his wife, the former Hannah Williams, singer, are pictured in the French Casino. Soon Jack will open a restaurant of his own. Photo from Getty Images.
Over the next three years, the French Casino presented some of the most continental nightclub shows in Manhattan. Even the French Line’s S.S. Normandie was featured in the show. Folie Parisienne featured scenes at the boat train, on board and at customs on the pier.
Cover of the Folie Parisienne program. From the collection of the author.
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- Folie Parisienne revue. Normandie boat train scene. Image from mcny.org
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- Normandie scene from the revue Folie Parisienne, 1935. Image from the Folie Parisienne program, collection of the author.
The French Casino was such a success that the Clifford C. Fischer expanded the company by opening night clubs in other cities. Over the next couple of years French Casinos opened in Chicago, Miami and a London Casino in that city’s West End theatre district. Then in 1937 two events took place that would effect the fortune of the French Casino. First in August, the slowly recovering economy stalled and the United States slid back into a severe recession. Then less than a month later a new, large night club theatre opened in the heart of Times Square. The International Casino, after many delays, opened on September 17, 1937. It was huge, streamline moderne in design and it offered shows just as lavish and continental as the French Casino.
The International Casino, 1938. Located on the east side of Times Square between 44th and 45th Street.(Photo by Keystone/FPG/Getty Images)
New Year’s Eve 1939-1940 inside the International Casino. Photo from Getty Images.
The combination of the new night spot, a shrinking economy and over expansion from opening night clubs in other cities dealt a death blow to the French Casino. Without any notice the French Casino closed on November 20, 1937.
The New York Herald-Tribune article about the abrupt closing of the French Casino. November 23, 1937, Pg. 17. Article from proquest.com
After almost four years, the former Earl Carroll Theatre sat empty once again. But this was just a temporary situation. Soon into 1938 a new tenant decided to try his luck with the unlucky theatre.
1938
It’s time to welcome Producer Billy Rose back into the story. Rose who started the vogue of the theater/restaurant/nightclub back in 1933 with the Casino de Paris, moved into the former French Casino. In 1935 the success of the French Casino was the direct reason that those first two Billy Rose nightclub/theatres went out of business. Now Rose moved into the white elephant at 7th Avenue and 50th Street. The French Casino became the Casa Manana. For the Texas Centennial in 1936 Billy Rose was hired by Amon G. Carter to produce shows in a 4000 seat, amphitheatre / restaurant, the Casa Manana. It was very successful and popular remaining in operation even after the Centennial had passed. Now Rose decided to bring the Casa Manana to New York City. Just two months after the French Casino’s closing, on January 18, 1938 the Casa Manana opened its doors.
Advertisement for the opening night of the Casa Manana. New York Daily News, January 13, 1938. Clipping from newspapers.com.
The opening night show, Let’s Play Fair spoofed the up coming 1939 World’s Fair. Like the French Casino, the Casa Manana was off to a successful start. It was not unusual to spot celebrities in the audience.
Claire Trevor joins Edward G. Robinson and wife for the opening of the Casa Manana. Image from Getty Images.
Review of the opening of the Casa Manana. New York Daily News, January 19, 1938, Pg.47. Clipping from newspapers.com.
Billy Rose and Aquacade swimming star and the future Mrs. Rose, Eleanor Holm relaxing in the Casa Manana lounge. Image from Getty Images.
Outside of some fresh paint the interior remained basically unchanged.
The Casa Manana stage and dance floor. The proscenium arch was little changed from the days when it was the Earl Carroll Theatre. Image from the Bill Morrison Collection – Shubert Archive.
Casa Manana auditorium. Daily News Collection – Getty Images.
1939
The new year began well for the Casa Manana, with shows generally receiving good reviews and audiences still filling the large nightclub. But with the upcoming World’s Fair and Billy Rose getting his Aquacade ready, the quality of the shows in the spring started to lessen. So the inevitable of course happened. In mid-June Billy Rose closed the Casa Manana. After just a year and a half the large theatre sat vacant once again.
The closing notice for the Casa Manana. New York Daily News, June 13, 1939, Pg. 41. Clipping from newspapers.com.
1939 – 1940
For the rest of 1939 many items appeared in the newspapers about what would happen next to the former Earl Carroll Theatre. George White showed interest in leasing the space to stage another revue of his, but it did not happen. Then, pretty much to everyone’s surprise just before New Year’s 1939/1940 The French Casino moved back into its old home. Song writer / producer Lew Brown reopened the place with a variety show. But this show was nothing like the continental revues that Clifford C. Fischer produced during the French Casino’s heyday.
The French Casino reopens. The New York Daily News, December 27, 1939, Pg. 43. Clipping from newspapers.com
And pretty much to no one’s surprise, it was not long into 1940 that this new version of the French Casino, closed. The owners, Haring and Blumenthal, must have been fed up with show business. By the summer, looking around for a new tenant, they made it known that they would not refuse a commercial business a lease. And that is just what happened.
The New York Daily News, May 23, 1940, Pg. 48. Clipping for newspapers.com.
In preparation for the conversion of the former Earl Carroll Theatre / Casino Theatre / French Casino / Casa Manana into a retail space, the six story building fronting 7th Avenue was demolished in the summer. It would be replaced by a two story “taxpayer”. A “taxpayer” is a small two, or three story building constructed to cover the property taxes.
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- Looking east across 7th Avenue, August, 1940. Image from NYPL Digital Collection.
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- Looking east along 50th Street, summer of 1940. The Roxy Theatre is on the left, and the R.C.A. building can be seen in the background center right. Image from NYPL Digital Collection.
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- The six story office during demolition. Looking south east down 7th Avenue. Image from NYPL Digital Collection.
On August 28, 1940 Variety ran an article announcing the new tenant for the former Theatre/nightclub.
Variety, August 28, 1940, Pg. 45. Clipping for proquest.com.
Finally Haring and Bluementhal found a successful tenant. Woolworth’s moved in by the end of 1940 and stayed for the next 50 years.
Looking south east along 7th Avenue at the 1940 two floor taxpayer built on the former six story office building site, 1956. Photo from CInema Treasures.
The lobby was completely demolished. But the auditorium partially survived. The orchestra floor and balcony were completely torn out. New walls and a drop ceiling were installed and the stage was blocked off. But above the drop ceiling some of the original 1931 theatre remained. Some black velvet still survived on the walls, the original proscenium light fixtures and the top of the proscenium arch were there. And beyond that, most of the backstage facilities remained intact and unused. The dressing rooms sat empty and abandoned. Some of the black and buff modernistic brick work was still visible on 50th Street.
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- The remains of the proscenium arch, 1988. From the book Lost Broadway Theatres.
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- What was left of the back of the upper auditorium, 1988. From the book Lost Broadway Theatres.
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- Dressing room, 1988. From the book Lost Broadway Theatres.
Color photograph showing proscenium, ceiling and sidewall detail (1988). Image from the book Lost Broadway Theatres.
Looking east on 50th Street towards the former Earl Carroll Theatre / French Casino. 1980 NYC tax photo.
But nothing in Manhattan is forever. Even Woolworth’s passed from the scene. Finally in 1990, the Woolworth’s at 7th Avenue and 50th Street was demolished and with it what was left the second Earl Carroll Theatre.
The second Earl Carroll Theatre at 7th Avenue & 50th Street. View looking Southeast. Image from Getty Images / New York Historical Society.
