On May 22, 1955, an era in Boston nightlife ended when the Latin Quarter closed its doors for the last time.
The Latin Quarter (46 Winchester Street) packed a lot of nightlife history into its 16-plus years. None were more fascinating than its last chapter, from October 1952 to May 1955. That was the era of Rocco “Rocky” Palladino, a character with a cloudy past, a stable of race horses, and a history of run-ins with the Boston Licensing Board.
Christine Jorgensen: The Boston Licensing Board had it in for her
The BLB forced Palladino to close another of his clubs, the College Inn, for putting female impersonators on stage in 1952. That was illegal in Boston, and had been since 1948. I’m sure the BLB was less than pleased to see Palladino back in action at the Latin Quarter.
The Latin Quarter was not a jazz club but the previous owners had booked jazz artists with crossover appeal. Palladino, though, had a special fondness for the Italian-American boy singers who rose to prominence in the 1950s, such as Tony Bennett, Tony Martin, Al Martino, and Jerry Vale. In January 1953, Palladino brought in Frank Sinatra, the biggest Italian-American boy singer of all, in what was his only Boston nightclub appearance as a single.
It came apart for the Latin Quarter a year later with l’affaire Christine. Palladino booked Christine Jorgensen for a week in February 1954. Ms. Jorgensen was much celebrated because of her sex-change operation, and she was touring with a low-key nightclub act. Mary Driscoll, chair of the Boston Licensing Board, said she’d “move heaven and earth” to prevent the show on the grounds that Jorgensen was a female impersonator. Upon being told Jorgensen wasn’t impersonating anybody, the Boston City Council passed an order essentially forcing Jorgensen to submit to a medical examination. Jorgensen sued. Driscoll backed off, saying she was “misinformed.” The show, apparently, could go on.
Driscoll’s board then suspended the Latin Quarter’s operating license for the duration of the show, blocking Jorgensen’s appearance. After ten days, they lifted the suspension and business resumed for Billy Eckstine, Nat Cole, Sammy Davis, Jr. and others. But the Licensing Board continued to hound Palladino.
In May 1955, Eartha Kitt opened for a week, accompanied by a good band: Perry Lopez, guitar, Al Escobar, piano, Gene Ramey, bass, and Denzil Best, drums. After she closed on May 22, the word went out that the club was closed effective immediately. Even the employees were caught by surprise.
It wasn’t the Licensing Board’s war with Palladino that brought the closure, it was the changing economics of entertainment. The Latin Quarter could no longer compete for the big names that were its stock in trade. To afford the escalating salaries, the Latin Quarter raised its prices, and the public was chafing. Only two years before, Frank Sinatra played the club with no cover charge, even on weekends, and that was impossible in 1955. But the barn-like Blinstrub’s, with seating for well over 1,000 in 1955, could afford to pay the big stars without constantly raising the prices it charged its customers—they made it up on volume. The Latin Quarter didn’t have the volume. “There was no compromise with quality at the Latin Quarter right up to the end,” wrote George Clarke in the Record. “There just wasn’t enough money coming in.”
It’s a lament Boston heard again when the doors closed for the last time at Storyville five years later, and at the Jazz Workshop a few decades later. There just wasn’t enough money coming in.
New comment by Joanne Trabazan
I wanted to add a little more to my family’s connection to the Latin Quarter. My brother, Nick Trabazan, was greatly influenced during his teenage years hanging out there. When he grew up he became a very talented trumpet player. My dad paid a musician from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to teach him. He played weekly “gigs” at the Sherry Biltmore Hotel and the Boston City Club. It’s amazing to me that people went out ballroom dancing after work. For several years he played with the Tommy Stevens band and was regularly booked at Mosley’s on the Charles, Hampton Beach Casino, Starlight Ballroom in Lynnfield, also the Winter Carnival activities at colleges in Vermont and New Hampshire. When famous singers came to town to perform, they did not bring their whole band. The singer’s manager would call the Boston Musician’s Union to fill spots in the band. Nick always got the call. He played for Bobby Darren, The Boston premier of the movie, The Thomas Crown Affair (which was about an art theft from a museum in Boston.) He was in the pit, while the movie stars from the movie did The Red Carpet thing. Later on, he got a call to play in a band that was backing up a Rock ‘N Roll show in Boston. He took me with him!!! I was in the front row as my brother played for Chuck Berry, Frankie Avalon, The Diamonds, a new singer called Jodi Sands and many other DoWop groups. I met Chuck Berry and still smile when I think of it. Now we pay so much money to see a singer at Boston Garden and the seats are so far away from the performer. It was so great to see your favorite performer in a night club setting. I hope you will write more about Boston’s Latin Quarter. Thanks!
Joanne, thank you for this snapshot of your brother Nick…one more musician’s story that I am happy to include on this website. Wpnder if John Coffey was the BSO member he studied with. I’m sure Nick knew many of the guys I interviewed who worked on the dance band circuit in the 50s and 60s.
I’ve been trying to find info on this Boston night club for the longest time. My father worked there in the 40’s and 50’s. His name was Mike Trabazan. I believe he was in a management position. I was born in 1944, so I was way too young to see the inside of this club. I learned of it from my brother. He was about 12 years old when my father brought him into the club on the weekends and put him in charge of the velvet rope. He stood at the entrance and let people in when their table was ready. I have a picture of him wearing a red short double-breasted jacket, black pants and a little red round hat that sat on top of his head. I have seen this uniform in old movies of the day on what they called skycaps. Imagine how exciting this was for a teenage boy getting to know all these big stars. In his year book from high school, the club was mentioned very often. When he got older, he brought his friends there and must have been “big man on campus” in high school. I think his time in the club influenced him greatly, as he became a trumpet player in a big band and played several nights a week at Boston Hotels and ballrooms all up and down the New England coast. I was just born too late. I could have met Frank Sinatra!!
Thanks for this great story, and glad I could provide a bit of background on this place, which was one of Boston’s finest mid-century night spots. There is quite a bit more to tell–I should probably write a second post on the Latin Quarter. When was your brother at the club?
My mother Marie McCormack was the photographer for a short while at the Latin Quarter in 1953. She probably took the picture above. We went there on “family night in 1953 when I was about 6.
I’ve always wondered how the club photographers got the prints into the hands of the customers so fast. There had to be a while-you-wait darkroom right around the corner–can’t believe every club had its own. Shades of nightclubs past…
I have a picture of my grandparents at that restaurant from many years ago. I heard that Barbara Walters’ father owned the restaurant.
Lou Walters, Barbara’s father, did indeed own the Latin Quarter. He opened it on Sep 15, 1939, and he wanted that Left Bank kind of atmosphere — exposed brick walls, candles in wine bottles, Toulouse-Lautrec posters, can-can girls. Walters went on to open Latin Quarters in New York and Miami Beach. He sold the Boston club to Mickey Redstone in 1945, and that’s a whole other story.
I was born in ’44 and my brother was 14, so I think he was at the club about 1942. I would be thrilled if you found photos of my dad.
I have a photo of my mom at the club in 1947 still in the photo holder card. On the back it says CLUB PHOTO SERVICE located at 12 Winchester Street so just a few doors down and 2 minute walk between the photo shop and the club. That’s how they got them to customers so quickly! Would love to hear more Richard! I believe our family was celebrating my Uncles graduation from an ROTC program at TUFTS –
There must be hundreds of these photos still in existence. Maybe I should start collecting them for a Latin Quarter page. There’s still a lot of interest in the club.
My Dad’s Bachelor Party, held here in 1953, produced a Classic Picture – I see no way of attaching here!???? – in which Jackie Gleason, who was either performing or simply drinking, sat amongst the Boys…Cigarettes and Full Bottles of Booze everywhere! Classic! When Men were Men!
Lmk how I can Post??
Paul Buckley
Here is Paul’s photo of his dad and company at the Latin Quarter in 1953. Paul’s dad, Jack Buckley, is standing behind Gleason. Is that Frank Fontaine sitting to Gleason’s right? Sure looks like him. Thanks for sharing!
My Grandfather was Bie Palladino Sr.and we used to go to the Club in his Cadillac which st that time was as big as a car got! I got lost in the Club on my way to the bathroom! I was 5! A cigarette girl with the longest legs rescued me and brought me back to my table! That night Dorothy Lamour put an Hawaiian lei around my neck and planted a kiss on my cheek! 21 years later I became a Diocesan Priest in the Archdiocese of Boston! Quite a change from Lamour!
Oh, would I like to hear some of the stories told around your dinner table, Father! I’m guessing your grandfather was Joe P, and Bie is a typo. Great to hear the story about Dorothy Lamour but I bet it was more than a kiss on the cheek that started you on your worldwide journey. Thank you for dropping by — RV