All That Jazz – The Top Hat Cafe in the City of Sin (Montreal,Quebec)
Matchbook Cover
In my post Neon Signs/Modern Times, I analyzed a vintage postcard of Ste-Catherine Street, and one of the enlarged details showed a neon sign shaped like a top hat and cane. This turned out to be the famous Top Hat Cafe – a well-known 1940s/50s hotspot from Montreal’s nightclub scene. The Top Hat and the Bellevue Casino were two of the nightclubs that my parents frequented as a young couple. My parents loved Big Band style jazz (they were avid dancers) and my father loved Lili St. Cyr (which is not fodder for this blog!) so the post WWII years were great for them.
Today I’m sharing a vintage matchbook cover from the Top Hat Cafe, and an excerpt from Collet Tracey‘s article Montreal: Its Role in the Beginnings of Modernism in Canada, describing how Montreal came to be known as Canada’s city of sin (whereas our “rival” was Toronto the Good!)
“….. In addition to these more sordid details, prohibition was in place in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s so leading gangsters, such as Al Capone, frequented Montreal. Even though it was illegal to drink alcoholic beverages in public places in Canada, Montreal boasted at least fifteen major nightclubs and twenty-five or more smaller lounges, all of which served liquor along with flamboyant floor shows. Most of these establishments were located on or near Montreal’s main strip, St. Catherine Street, and they included the Venetian Gardens, the Pagoda, the Jardin de Danse, the Palais de Danse, the Brass Rail on Drummond Street, and the Frolics on St. Lawrence Main.
During the 1940s new owners replaced the old names with the Latin Quarter, the Esquire, the Maroon Club, the Samovar, the Copacabana, the Top Hat, the Tic Toc, and the Normandie Roof. Big Band and Dixieland Jazz came first to Montreal where it was in full swing by the 1940s, and could be danced to at the Palais d’Or, the Verdun Pavilian, the Black Sheep Room at Ruby Foo’s, the Bellevue Casino, and Dagwood’s. It was at the Chez Maurice Danceland, however, above Dinty Moore’s restaurant on St. Catherine Street, that the great big bands played, including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Cab Calloway and Stan Kenton.
In Westmount, at Victoria Hall, Johnny Holmes and his orchestra played on Saturda
y nights, attracting large crowds and beginning the careers of such legendary musicians as trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, and pianist and trumpeter Oscar Peterson, who grew up in St. Henri, and attended Montreal High School. The most famous of all the clubs, however, was the El Morocco, which was where Lili St. Cyr most often performed…..”
Note: In coming months I’ll also be sharing paper ephemera from the Bellevue Casino (post WWII).
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Related Posts:
Vintage Postcards of Quebec including Montreal’s St.Catherine St.
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I used to have an Oscar Peterson record. I didn’t know that he was Canadian.
I have some prohibition era comic postcards about drinking in Canada.
I’ve seen some of those prohibition postcards before but I don’t have any. I hope you’ll post some of yours some day and I’ll to them!
What interesting history about Montreal! I had no idea that Al Capone was a frequent visitor! My daughter and I were just talking about Quebec a couple of days ago, about how she wants to visit, and possibly live and work in Quebec, because she is majoring in business and minoring in French. I have been to all of the other provinces, except Quebec, so I told her I’d be happy to visit her there often!
If she ends up coming to Montreal let me know if she needs assistance getting settled!
And don’t let my post scare you about Montreal – now every city is sinful!
I love reading your VTT posts, I always learn something. You are a great teacher!
I don’t know what I was typing, my time is all off in my comment! Welcome to VTT, I love reading posts that give us some history.
I love history; this is very interesting.
I always enjoy seeing or reading about the beautiful places in Canada.
I love learning more about Canada…Happy VTT, have a lovely weekend. Looking forward to next week and learning more..
Very interesting post. I love vintage postcards and ephemera and always enjoy coming across “new to me” blogs. Welcome to VTT.
I adore St. Catherine Street!
I bet my dad used to go there before the war. He lost both legs in that war.
He was 21.
I learn something new every time I visit your blog.
Isn’t the weather fabulous Evelyn? Enjoy it while we can.
Love Claudie (Claudette)
xo
I also wanted to say that my BFF blogging friends name is CC (Catherine) so the St. is EXTRA special now.
xo
Welcome to VTT! My what a great post. I love the history of things, and then get to see a photo too adds to the charm of the post. I want to make it to Canada one day….hopefully!
Have a great Vintage Day!!
Al Capone had a vacation “hide out” near Hayward, WI where we vacation each summer. I mean – - – we vacation in Hayward, NOT at Al’s place! Hehehehe
Interesting and informative post. Thanks!
My VTT post has a French flavor…stop by sometime!
Pam
very interesting post! lots of facts! thanks for sharing
This was a very interesting piece of information, the kind of history you don’t learn at school! How exciting that your parents have lived it.
Interesting…never knew that.
-The Tablescaper
How interesting and exciting to know it was a place your parents loved to frequent!
Cheers!
How neat! Great history, and a great connection to your family. Terrific.
Cass