5/5 Karl 1. 4 years ago on Google
The
Café
de
Paris
is
a
London
nightclub,
located
in
the
West
End,
beside
Leicester
Square
on
Coventry
Street,
Piccadilly.
Opened
in
1924,
it
became
one
of
the
leading
theatre
clubs
in
London.
Café
de
Paris
first
opened
in
1924
and
subsequently
featured
such
performers
as
Dorothy
Dandridge,
Marlene
Dietrich,
Harry
Gold,
Harry
Roy,
Ken
Snakehips
Johnson
and
Maxine
Cooper
Gomberg.
Louise
Brooks
made
history
when
she
worked
there
in
December
1924,
introducing
the
Charleston
to
London.
Much
of
the
early
success
of
the
Café
de
Paris
was
due
to
the
visit
of
the
then
Prince
of
Wales
who
became
a
regular
guest,
often
dining
with
notables
from
high
society
across
Europe.
Cole
Porter
was
a
regular,
as
was
the
Aga
Khan.
During
World
War
II,
on
8
March
1941,
the
café
was
bombed
soon
after
the
start
of
a
performance
and
at
least
34
people
were
killed
and
around
80
injured.
Two
bombs
fell
into
the
basement
ballroom
down
a
ventilation
shaft
and
exploded
in
front
of
the
stage.
The
victims
included
26-year-old
bandleader
Ken
"Snakehips"
Johnson,
his
saxophonist
Dave
"Baba"
Williams,
other
band
members,
staff
and
diners.
One
survivor
was
cheered
by
the
crowd
outside,
when,
on
being
carried
out
on
a
stretcher,
he
shouted
to
them
"At
least
I
didn't
have
to
pay
for
dinner".
The
venue
did
not
reopen
until
1948
but
re-established
itself
as
one
of
the
leading
theatre
clubs
in
London,
playing
host
to
Judy
Garland,
Josephine
Baker,
Frank
Sinatra,
Ava
Gardner,
Humphrey
Bogart,
Lauren
Bacall,
James
Mason,
David
O.
Selznick,
Jennifer
Jones,
Tony
Hancock
and
Grace
Kelly.
In
the
1950s
Noël
Coward
often
performed
cabaret
seasons
at
the
Café
de
Paris
as
did
Marlene
Dietrich.
It
was
also
used
in
the
2006
music
video
for
I
Think
We're
Alone
Now
by
Girls
Aloud.
In
the
1980s
the
venue
experienced
a
revived
popularity,
hosting
scene
locations
for
films
including
Absolute
Beginners
and
The
Krays.
Today
the
venue
is
used
regularly
for
film
location,
and
has
been
used
for
scenes
in
The
Queen's
Sister
(based
on
the
life
of
Princess
Margaret)
and
in
The
Edge
of
Love
(based
on
the
life
of
Dylan
Thomas).
Brian
Stein
and
his
Maxwell's
Restaurants
Group
purchased
the
venue
in
2002.The
Café
de
Paris,
which
hosts
regular
cabaret
shows
on
Friday
and
Saturday
nights,
has
a
dress
code
for
its
club
and
dining
room,
which
states:
More
smart
than
casual.
No
trainers
or
sportswear.
Smart
jeans
are
fine.
No
fancy
dress
or
any
other
paraphernalia
for
hen
parties.
Vintage/Burlesque/cabaret
attire
is
encouraged.
18 people found this review helpful 👍