In theory, the spirit of vaudeville, complete with floor shows featuring chorus lines, emcees, dancing monkeys, magicians, emcees and hypnotists, might seem an exciting concept.
But by the late 50s nightclubs were clearly on the decline and their acts were underwhelming.
In September 1958 you could hop in in the tail-fin, drive downtown and leave your keys with doorman for free valet parking and sit and listen to falsetto-ish Arthur Lee Simpkins and funny violin guy Baron Buika at the Bellevue Casino. See them below. They weren't that great.
But then again you could also just catch a movie: Frank Sinatra, Carey Grant or Jerry Lewis all had films playing. Why not just plunk a couple of bucks on that? .
Or you could simply stay home and watch Playhouse 90 and not pay a cent. (Heck if you want local? The CBC was airing a drama production starring Cafe St. Michel doorman and future-Hollywood star Percy Rodrigues.)
Chances are your postwar prosperity had you in a suburban home with a modern kitchen. You've got those boomer babies running around needing attention. You have your TV dinner, kids get a Pop Tart treat. So are you going to camp out on that new couch in front of the TV or hitting the town?
The El Mo on Closse across from the Forum offered up Kathryn Grayson, a torch singer from the mid-west. By now she was in her mid-30s by now and her film career was behind her. Would you pay to see this?
Also on St. Cat was the Yeomen, a fok music group with lots and lots of banjos. They were playing the Venus de Milo Room, across from Simpson's. Politically progressive though they may have been, they music grated.
Radio deejays were still under enormous pressure to play old fashioned tunes, even though kids wanted rock'n'roll.
Music industry executives pushed acts like Perry Como and Andy Williams but kids wanted Chuck Berry, Elvis and Eddie Cochran. The emerging boomers were culturally oppressed by the big overlords foisting sleepy music on them at all times, which explains some of the cultural explosions of the 60s. Check out these Montreal radio top 10 charts below. Even the three French radio DJs were pushing this same dreck. That music, below, just blows.
Nightclubs were slow to pick up on the demand for a new sound. Norm Silver would be the first to aim at the rock crowd at the Esquire Show Bar on lower Stanley.
