New Britain herald., 1930-02-21
JOE ZELLI COMES
 ID SEE DRY LAND
Noted Parisian Champagne Seller Curious About Prohibition

{. P"OAo Seller Curious About Prohibition
 New York, Feb. 2l.-For ten years, Joe Helli has been operating the most popular American night club. No tourist who makes any pretense of doing" Paris considers ne has been properly introduced to the city until he goes to Zelli's. sits in the Royal Box" submits to a sketch for the golden gallery, watches an impromptu show with Broadway headliners doing their stuff for fun. and drinks some of Joes honest-to- goodness cham pagnc.
 In the tourist season, which nor- lasts nearly 3G5 days. Joe keeps open house for Americans, and nc probably meets more of them than any other person in Europe.
 Then when he gets q vacation. what does he do? Why, he comes right over 10 America. 10 meet
 
 clubs, The hiking mailman has nothing on him.
 An International Snowman
 However. this is his first visit here in fifteen years Prohibition America IS new to him, though the lmpIhlnG Am2rlcan is not. Zclii Is an ntcrnationalist-an Italian by birth, an American by adoo- tcn and q resident Of Paris. He lS born rcStaurateur and a show man. He could have retired years ago on the money he has made, hut not to have q. night club would make him as unhappy as an actor without a public.
 He has had clubs in London, Paris, New York. and even in Cape Town, Africa. Before the World War he conducted a small cabarot i' the Broadway section of New ork, which vas just becoming fa- nous when he joined the Italian army at the outbreak of the War and went to Europe.
 Immediately after the armistice, 1 /elli opened a night club in Tours. France, for the accommodation Of number of American officers who were stationed there. intending 10 i'Iurn to America, and resume his l club there.
 Profits from L. $. Prohibition
 About this time, the news was broken 10 him that America had 1 gene dlN. Joe. naive fellow. be- ! loved this, so he went 10 Paris in stead, figuring that there were lots oi Americans there. oand that they would appreciate a night club - something for which the real Fari- | san has no particular use.
 So he opened Icll's in Paris, l and it clicked so hard from the start that he has pevor had the 1 i,mc to get back to this country, even for a visit,
 T am supported hy Americans.' l he said frankly. "T should haze closed the first week if had de- | pended on French patronage. l would prefer to be in America but really l couldn't serve my guests poison. Honestly, I could 1 .nCt: nor could l drink it myself"
 Poison is what our bootleg li- QUOT tastes like to Zcli, who is a connoisseur os vintage wines aIll 1 champagns, but has no taste for | hard liquor. He doesn't even sch 1 the latter.
 But the drinking water IS the Test I have ever tasted" He be- came ecstatic at the sight of a goh- let of 1t. NO bottled waters in Europe compare with what gushes right out of the taps here. It is e9 good as champagne. And it !s free What a country"
 Likes Our Night Clubs
 Except for the liquor, he thinks American night clubs are grea., that the entertainment is supero, and the women well, he can't say enough for their beauty and their gaie'.
 It is a great disappointment 10 him that he cannot see Tex Guina1 in action because he has heard 90 much of her Hello, Sucker' and the informality of her club.
 His technique is quite different, IclI is magnificent host who meets all his guests with bow and 2 flourish, and orders them 10 h. sholn 10 the "Eoyal Box" Every box is 2 royal box" hu, the stranger doc. not know that ?nd aftcrward he thinks it q good joke.
 If Paris itself has T way Of ma',- ing the tourist feel like an our- sder and a stranger. Zelli dispels Of importance immediately. lie Understands the American pcrfc2t- ly. and knows he can't stand not being noticed. and that though he may be writing home about what a swell time he is having, and how wild Paris is, he is apt 10 be a lonely soul, longing 10 hear hjs own language spoken by congenial countrymcn.
 Imports Much Talent
 That's where Zelli comes in. He provides a thoroughly American place. with just enough French a. mosphere to add a flavor-hut no; 10 deceive q Frenchman, He WAS the first rcstaurateur to rcallze that Americans like pretty girls Tn cabaret numbers. and that the French type of show girl was too mature for their taste. He made 1t popular for American actors and dancers 10 appear in his club as guests and do their stuff-by re- quest. ''I can crack jokes only in Eng fish, he said. "because if you learn them m that language, they