Google
 

Danny Thomas at Chicago’s 5100 Club (1943)

June 22nd, 2008 by Scott Marks

Located at 5100 N. Broadway Avenue, The 5100 Club was a forerunner of contemporary stand-up comedy clubs. When struck by a sentimental pang, my mother would pull out the enormous satchel that housed the Marks/Aaronson Tribe Archives.

This 5 x 8 souvenir photo was taken April 4, 1943. Mom spoke very fondly of the nights she and various family members spent watching Danny Thomas perform at the club. This was before television and the 5100 was not only “Chicago’s Greatest Entertainment Value,” it offered desperately needed relief for families whose brothers, sons and husbands were off fighting Hitler and Tojo.

According to the Daily Catholic’s equivalent of People Magazine’s 100 Sexiest People list, Danny Thomas placed 86 on the Top 100 Catholics of the Century. While failing to mention his coveted recipe for Eggs Danny Thomas Style, the ecumenical electronic tabloid does provide this blessed bio.

As a struggling radio actor, Danny fell to his knees before the Blessed Sacrament and asked: “Help me find my place in life and I will build You a shrine where the poor and the helpless and the hopeless may come for comfort and aid.” The BS put him in touch with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus who suggested he change his name from Amos Jacob to Danny Thomas. In no time the beak-nosed Thomas was hired by the club as their head funnyman.

Leo Salkin booked him into the Uptown club for $75 a week and within a year Danny was the star attraction raking in $500. Abe Lastfogel, head of the William Morris Agency, took over as his personal manager, brought his star to New York and eventually Hollywood where he became an overnight sensation on ABC-TV’s Make Room For Daddy.

This happy gathering looks like something out of The 3 Stooges Scrapbook, but it’s my family. Back row: Unidentified, my maternal grandparents Benjamin and Elizabeth Aaronson, my aunt Gen and Mom. Front row: PRC bit player, my aunt and uncle Sarah and Jerry Glickman and my beloved Aunt Syl.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Filed Under Image Blog