Detroit tribune. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1933-1933, 1933-09-16
Stage and Night
Clubs
BY Juan Del Roy Grant

5-U<-o~ ~oo>'~sSooS0
cleverest and most versatile prize
fighters that ever stepped inside a
ring and donned glove-we refer
TO "Lil Arthur" Mr.. Jack Johnson
10 you. Haven't seen nor heard
from him since last spring when II
was my pleasure to be at a ban
quet given in his honor at Grand
Terrace Mite club in Chicago. Also
at Percy Venerable's dancing
school. A great guy. Jack is, and
we admire him too. Felt sorry for
him when the Prohibition squad
raided his Club Showboat out on
the Western Coast on the opening
mite two years ago.
Wonder what became of Les
Hite and his orchestra who kept
Fetchit, the boy who had such a
Coast? Lionel Hampton, Step-in-
the Cotton Club on the Western
glorious and promising future in
pictures? Danny Small. Josephine
Oliver, Marguerite Jones, Poppy
the crowds dancing and singing at
Prince. George Ramsay, Curtis
Mosby. Dee Jones. Happy Lasses
Brown. Stompy Celestan and ]. II.
Coleman? And there is a bit OF col
or for you. Mite club owners. news
paper men, stage. screen and radio
favorite. Theatre managers and
chorines, all in one paragraph.
Mildred Washington. and Flora
Washington (The queen of flow
ers) are two sisters and stars who
can and do work in the same show,
but neither is Jealous of the other.
Harry Smith. Allegretti Ander-
son, Nina Mae Mckinney. Aurora
Greeley, Leroy Broomfield. Baby
Mack, Junior Rutlege, Johnny Tay-
lor? All OF these favorites kept
Central avenue, The Cotton Club,
The Showboat. The Apex, Lincoln
theatre. Douglas Club. Harlem
Mite Club. Log Cabin Inn. and the
Tivoli theatre, bright with their
own brilliancy because OF their
popularity, fame and prestige in
the theatrical and pugilistic world.
Peculiar. how fighters. race tract;
men, chorines, the world of sports
and the realm OF stars naturally
take to each other. But they GER
tainly know how To stick together
and towering over them all are the
newspaper men. publicity directors
and press agents. They all seem 70
have so much in common. and yet
of different worlds in choice OF
professions. Tia Juana and Agqua
Caliente. In Old Mexico. at one
time were full of professional foil
from the states. In Old Mexico
men and women could get goo(
drink ebf whatever one desired
theft see good horse race and still
get back across the border and in.
I to Los Angeles before time to &c
to work at nine p. H.. And that
mite the Apex Mite Club would be
full of football players, race track
men and prize fighters and every
other professional man. And how
we did make money! Those fellows
would spend twenty, sixty and
sometimes tear a century note all
to pieces. because they knew that
the next day they would probably
make twice what they would spend
Good old California back in 1925
90 and even until 1891.
Jackson Johnson's Club Show
boat folded up soon after we left
the coast and now we learn that
there Is a Jewish fellow running
the place. II seems like shame to
have some one else running the
place when our own business men
and professionals wore tuxedoes
and long flowing dress suits,
while lovely ladies' wore some of
the smartest evening gowns that
Paris and London could create.
The place fairly echoed the tunes
played by Sylvester Scott and his
Merrymakers orchestra. While
Dorothy West, Evelyn Preer. Flora
Washington. and the other very
clever favorites kept the floor hot
with their dancing feet.
Dorothy West is now in Russia
going over big. Leroy Broomfield
and Aurora Greeley Just returned
from China. Lee Hite has been Of
fered fabulous sums to appear In
China. Albertine Pickens recently
returned to this country from Aus
tralia, and we could go on and on
turning back the pages OF yester-
years and relating incidents and
events. George Ramsey. once the
owner of the Douglas Mite Club In
San Deigo. Is now very wealthy
and prosperous race horse owner
in Old Mexico. Pops McElroy. the
owner and manager OF McElroy's
Dance Casino in Portland, Oregon,
is going we'll with his dance hall.
Well, that's all the space we
have, so we must stop our dreams.