A 麻豆传媒映画time travelogue brought to you by聽.
Granville Street, 1959. The speakeasies were a couple of blocks past theatre row.
Fifty-four years ago this week, a big local news story was the proliferation of after hours clubs in Vancouver. In his聽麻豆传媒映画Sun聽鈥渕an-about-town鈥� column,聽聽that the 鈥溾�榮peaks鈥� are in full bloom all over town,鈥� about 120 in total, and that the police were having a hard time shutting them down because the courts had raised evidence standards. The news wasn鈥檛 all bad, however. Wasserman pointed out that speakeasies satisfied a demand that once caused concerns about people drinking and dancing after hours at legit restaurants and cabarets.
After hours clubs had a convivial club-like atmosphere, according to Wasserman, and offered shuffleboard, darts, pinball, and a juke box for dancing, and drink prices ranged from fifty to sixty-five cents, cheaper than their legal counterparts. The VPD鈥檚 Dry Squad added 鈥渁 dash of excitement to the proceedings鈥� that prevented the night from getting dull.
Wasserman鈥檚 column created a bit of聽. Some aldermen took it as an attack on the police force while others demanded that the police report on the extent of the situation and what they were doing about it. Coincidentally, two speakeasies鈥�1128 Granville Street and 1058 Seymour鈥攚ere聽聽Forty-three people, including one juvenile girl, were arrested and charged with being inmates in a gaming house.
罢丑别听厂耻苍鈥檚聽Mac Reynold鈥檚聽聽the night of the raids, after a night at聽, where 鈥渢he Martini鈥檚 cost $1.25, and the floor show wasn鈥檛 half as much fun.鈥� The speakeasies felt more like home, 鈥淗ome Sweet Home,鈥� as Reynolds described them.
Home Sweet Home. That, a friend and I found, is what they鈥檝e gone and done to the bootleg joint. Mother is an ex-wrestler with a twitch. Sister is a call girl with legs that look ten feet long. The cradle is rocked to Bobby Darin singing Mack the Knife. But still, Home Sweet Home, where the guests drop in and brag about their Christmas cards and await the shaggy dawn.
Reynolds found a similar ambiance at another after hours club in the West End.
We saw a kitchen and, lo, a rumpus room. Couples fed coins into a vast chrome juke box. Dancers swirled on the parquet floor. The stagline mused from section lounges along turquoise panelled walls.聽And in the corner鈥攗nder the caparisoned ceiling鈥攁 Christmas tree, dripping with tinsel and Yuletide cheer.We pushed through the rumpus room and into a lounge which was more to our aging taste. Nice, Knotty pine walls. Smart sectional furniture and kidney-shaped tables. Heavy鈥攙ery heavy鈥攆lowered drapes. Metal ducks winging across the wall. Mirrors. Floral pictures. Ceramic lamps as well as indirect lighting. Wall to wall carpeting. Just like home, but more so 鈥�
It was a mixed crowd鈥攎ostly men, mostly, I鈥檇 say, in their early 20鈥檚. Well behaved, fraternal but modulated 鈥�
More girls began to drift in. Lookers.
A cabbie dropped them on the 1100 block of Granville. 鈥淜nock on any door,鈥� the driver told them. Outside 1128 Granville, a black maria (or paddy wagon) was outside as police led their captives through the door they鈥檇 shattered. 鈥淔ull and getting fuller. A drunken sailor. A man with a cast on his foot 鈥� Four o鈥檆lock in the morning on Granville Street and the whole gang鈥檚 here, shouting to the inmates, getting a doffed hat in return, before the van is off, to return for another load.鈥� Soon, a special 鈥渟limmer, sleeker, prettier鈥� black maria pulls up, 鈥渇or the ladies.鈥�
Source: Photo by BC Jennings, City of 麻豆传媒映画Archives聽
