New exhibit remembers Chicago's Mister Kelly's, a legendary club where stars got their start
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 just household names, but big stars. Now, an exhibit at Chicago's Newbery Library takes visitors back in time to a Chicago institution.
Chicago's Rush Street in the 1950s and 1960s was bustling, busy, and full of life. Mister Kelly's, a night club at Bellevue Place and Rush, where many young comics 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."
People would come from around the Midwest and from small towns, according to David Marienthal, who also called Mister Kelly's home, but for a different reason. His father George, and uncle Oscar created it and grew it into a nationally known hot spot.
Marienthal said the first time he walked into Mister Kelly's, "really just took my breath away."
A "very glamorous" scene
The club's history comes alive at the Newberry Library in an exhibit called "A Night at Mister Kelly's," which is full of photos and memorabilia that tell the story of the club and its times. 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 night club," Marienthal said.
They were there to enjoy the best new performers. Marienthal said those performers were "just kids, starving artists."
"They were happy to have a job," he said.
On top of Streisand, other acts included the great jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, the Smothers Brothers, and Bob Newhart, among others.
There were the more tame performers 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.
"Mister Kelly's always had a reputation for being cutting edge," said Marienthal.
That included a duo prominently featured on the walls of the exhibit, Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen, an unusual combo in the racially-charged 1960s. Exhibit curator Alison Hinderliter said Mister Kelly's was a snapshot of America.
"The Civil Rights Movement, the Gay Rights Movement, the Women's Liberation Movement, it all can be told in the story of the nightclub," Hinderliter said.
Marienthal said the club welcomed Black patrons, staff, and entertainers. In face, 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 welcomed. But there was much more to Mister Kelly's than great entertainment.
There was also food.
A cup of French onion soup would cost 75 cents, and lobster tail could be $10.95, according to an old-time menu.
Family memories
The exhibit also offers visitors a chance to tell their stories.
"We're asking people to either scan a QR code or they can just write down who they saw on a cocktail napkin and post it on our wall," Hinderliter said.
Ken Denberg told CBS 2 some of his favorite memories.
"I saw Newhart, and I saw - what's his name? - the guy who was arrested, Lenny Bruce," Denberg said. "I never understand a word he said, but I saw him."
Denberg said what made Mister Kelly's so special was all the new talent it featured.
"Everybody wanted to see the new talent," he said.
For Marienthal, seeing all of the memories in the exhibit was very emotional.
"Seeing the picture of my father in front of his wall stars that wrote him personal notes, thanking him, being appreciative of him and the pride he took in that really touches me," he said. "It has given me an opportunity to get to know my father again 50 years later."
Mister Kelly's closed in 1975. In its place came the popular Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, but those nostalgic for another time can savor Mister Kelly's in the Newberry exhibit through July 20.
To learn more, visit Newberry.org.