CHICAGO (CBS) – More than half a century ago, Mister Kelly’s in Chicago was the place to celebrate proms, anniversaries, birthdays and more.
It served as a springboard for young entertainers who later became not only household names, but also major stars. Now, an exhibit at Chicago’s Newbery Library takes visitors back in time to a Chicago institution.
Chicago’s Rush Street was bustling, busy and full of life in the 1950s and 1960s. Mister Kelly’s, a nightclub at Bellevue Place and Rush that many young cartoon characters and singers called home, was the place to be.
“I first came to Chicago when I was 21 years old to sing at Mister Kelly’s,” said Barbara Streisand, the famous singer and actress, in a documentary, “Live at Mister Kelley’s.”
Comedian and actress Lily Tomlin called Mister Kelly’s “a hip and happening place, you know? It was just cool.”
According to David Marienthal, who also mentioned Mr. Kelly’s house, people would come from the Midwest and small towns, but for a different reason. His father George and uncle Oscar created it and grew it into a nationally known hotspot.
Marienthal said the first time he walked into Mr. Kelly’s, “it took my breath away.”
CBS
A “very glamorous” scene
The club’s history comes to life at the Newberry Library in an exhibit called “A Night at Mister Kelly’s,” which is filled with photographs and memorabilia that tell the story of the club and its era. It evokes a time that was “very glamorous and people dressing up, the men in suits, women wearing hats and gloves and the whole mystique of going out to a nightclub,” Marienthal said.
They were there to enjoy the best new artists. Marienthal said those artists were “just children, starving artists.”
“They were happy to have a job,” he said.
In addition to Streisand, performances included the great jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, the Smothers Brothers and Bob Newhart.
There were the tamer artists like Bette Midler, Flip Wilson and Steve Martin. And there were the more controversial ones like Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, George Carlin and even Lenny Bruce.
“Mr. Kelly has always had a reputation for being progressive,” Marienthal said.
This included a duo prominently displayed on the exhibition walls, Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen, an unusual combination in the racially charged 1960s. Curator Alison Hinderliter said Mr Kelly’s exhibition was a snapshot of America.
“The Civil Rights Movement, the Gay Rights Movement, the Women’s Liberation Movement, it can all be told in the story of the nightclub,” Hinderliter said.
Marienthal said the club welcomed black patrons, staff and entertainers. In fairness, the Ebony Travel Guide listed Mister Kelly’s and London House, also owned by the Marienthal family, as the only two nightclubs between Los Angeles and New York where black patrons could feel safe and welcome. But there was much more to Mr. Kelly than great entertainment.
There was also food.
A cup of French onion soup would cost 75 cents, and a lobster tail $10.95, according to an old menu.
Newberry Library
Family memories
The exhibition also offers visitors the opportunity to tell their stories.
“We ask people to scan a QR code or write down who they saw on a cocktail napkin and hang it on our wall,” says Hinderliter.
Ken Denberg told CBS 2 some of his favorite memories.
“I saw Newhart, and I saw – what’s his name? – the man who was arrested, Lenny Bruce,” Denberg said. “I never understood a word he said, but I saw him.”
Denberg said what made Mister Kelly’s so special was the new talent on offer.
“Everyone wanted to see the new talent,” he said.
For Marienthal, seeing all the memories in the exhibition was very emotional.
“Seeing my father’s photo in front of his wall stars writing him personal notes, thanking him, appreciating him and the pride he took, that really touches me,” he said. “It has given me the opportunity to get to know my father again fifty years later.”
Mister Kelly’s closed in 1975. In its place came the popular Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, but those nostalgic for another time can enjoy Mister Kelly’s in the Newberry exhibit through July 20.
For more information, visit Newberry.org.
