Riobamba (nightclub)

Riobamba

Address	East 57th Street New York City United States
Owner	Louis "Lepke" Buchalter
Type	Nightclub
Capacity	400
Opened	1942
Closed	1944

Riobamba was a New York City nightclub. Operating from 1942 to 1944, it was closely associated with singer Frank Sinatra, who made his solo nightclub debut there in 1943.

Location[]

The club was located on East 57th Street near Third Avenue in Manhattan.^[1]

History[]

The Riobamba was owned by American Mafia boss Louis "Lepke" Buchalter.^[2] While Buchalter was awaiting execution on death row, his wife ran the club.^[3] From 1942 to 1944 the club was managed by Linton D. Weil and Arthur Jawitz.^[4] There was a claim that the Duke of York owned the real estate where the club was located.^[5]

Patterned after the larger Copacabana, the Riobamba was a "glitzy jewel box of a joint" with a small dance floor on which stood a baby grand piano.^[2] There was no stage; the performers stood near the tables at which patrons sat.^[2] The room seated 400.^[6]

Shows typically featured a stand-up comedian, a dance troupe, and an orchestra^[7] in addition to the main act. At the beginning of the set, a line of chorus girls came out singing a song called "Riobamba", which had been written by Leonard Bernstein and which the club had purchased for $50; Bernstein recycled the musical trope in his 1944 ballet "Fancy Free".^[7] Floor shows were held at 8:30 pm, 12 am, and 2 am, while dance troupes and relief bands performed at other times.^[8]

Acts[]

Among the acts that performed at the Riobamba were singer Jane Froman,^[9] vaudeville performer Grace Hayes,^[10] singer-actress Hannah Williams,^[8] and the Chandra-Kaly Dancers.^[11] Dean Martin appeared as a last-minute substitute for Frank Sinatra in September 1943.^[12][13]

Frank Sinatra debut[]

Frank Sinatra Riobamba postcard, 1943

In 1943 Frank Sinatra's managers tried, unsuccessfully, to book him into the Copacabana, which was then "the hottest of the hot" of Manhattan's nightclubs.^[2] They settled for a three-week engagement at the Riobamba, which was experiencing serious financial trouble.^[15] Sinatra was offered $750 a week.^[2][16] The singer did not receive top billing; he was advertised as an "extra added attraction" under monologist Walter O'Keefe, singer-comedian Sheila Barrett, a dance troupe, and a choir.^[17][18] Though Sinatra was unnerved by the small size of the performance area and was gripped with stage fright, he leaned against the piano and began singing.^[2] According to columnist Earl Wilson, who was present, "Frank was in a dinner jacket and he was wearing a wedding band. He had a small curl that fell almost over his right eye. With trembling lips – I don't know how he made them tremble, but I saw it – he sang 'She's Funny That Way' and 'Night and Day' and succeeded in bringing down the house".^[2]

Before the week was out, Sinatra was attracting standing-room-only audiences even for his 2:30 am show, and Barrett had been demoted to second-billing under Sinatra and had quit.^[2] When O'Keefe announced that he was quitting, too, he told his last audience, "When I came to this place, I was the star and a kid named Sinatra, one of the acts. Then suddenly a steamroller came along and knocked me flat. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the rightful star – Frank Sinatra".^[2][18] The club increased Sinatra's pay to $1,000 and then $1,500, and he performed for a total of ten weeks,^[19][20] becoming "one of the biggest draws in any New York club".^[14] The gig served to prove Sinatra's appeal to more mature audiences than his "bobby soxer" fan base,^[21] while autograph seekers thronged outside on the sidewalk.^[22]

In the wake of Sinatra's success, other clubs rushed to hire "crooners". La Martinique hired Argentine vocalist Dick Haymes, jumpstarting his career.^[23] In August 1943 the Riobamba ranked in the top three clubs in New York in Billboard's fifth annual poll; the others were the Stork Club and the Latin Quarter.^[24]

Closure[]

In spring 1944 the Riobamba was shut down by the Federal government for nonpayment of taxes, including the amusement tax, alcohol tax, withholding tax, and Social Security tax, amounting to a back claim of $24,000.^[4] The club was also reportedly delinquent in paying musicians and performers, as well as on its mortgage.^[4]

In September 1944 it was announced that the club would reopen under the lease of Harold Jacobs and Julius Yablok;^[4] in December 1944, Café Society nightclub owner Barney Josephson was said to be interested in assuming the lease.^[6] In March 1945, theatrical producer George H. Kondolf and a group of other interested parties purchased the Riobamba, but the club was not immediately opened due to a curfew issue.^[25] By 1946, the Riobamba had been replaced by the Embassy Club.^[26][27]

The year after Louis Buchalter was executed, his widow Betty married the former manager of the club, Arthur Jarwood, also known as Arthur Jawitz.^[28]

References[]

Notes[]

Sources[]

• Bratkovich, Colin (2014). Just Remember This. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4836-4519-3.^{[self-published source?]}
• Carnes, Mark C., ed. (2005). American National Biography: Supplement 2 (Revised ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-522202-4.
• Cullen, Jim (2005). The Fieldston Guide to American History for Cynical Beginners: Impractical Lessons for Everyday Life. iUniverse. ISBN 0-595-34342-2.
• Frazier, George (3 May 1943). "Frank Sinatra". Life. Time Inc. 14 (18).
• Friedwald, Will (1995). Sinatra! The Song is You: A Singer's Art. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-19368-X.
• Goldstein, Norm (1982). Frank Sinatra, ol' blue eyes. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. ISBN 0-03-061921-1. Riobamba Club.
• Howlett, John (1980). Frank Sinatra. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-79094-3. ten weeks Riobamba.
• Kaplan, James (2010). Frank: The making of a legend. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-0-7481-2250-9.
• Leigh, Spencer (2015). Frank Sinatra: An Extraordinary Life. McNidder and Grace Limited. ISBN 978-0-85716-088-1.
• MacLaine, Shirley (2011). My Lucky Stars: A Hollywood memoir. Random House. ISBN 978-0-307-76505-5.