In the 21st century, it seems that a near-unlimited supply of entertainment is at our fingertips, or at least at the click of a mouse. That flow seems constant with a staggering variety of options. But what did folks do around 75 years ago? Sure, radio was still dominant, though this new “gizmo” called television was making inroads. And of, course the movies were there. As for live entertainment, many performers played at regional venues like state fairs and auditoriums. If you were looking for something more intimate, the big cities had nightclubs. And in between meccas like LA (with Ciro’s and Slapsy Maxie’s) and NYC (with the “Copa” and the Latin Quarter), there was the “Windy City”. When the vaudeville and burlesque venues began to shutter, lots of big-name talents, in music and comedy, could be seen at the bustling “classy joint” near Rush and Oak. But for those who couldn’t get there, they still enjoyed the feel of the place when those artists committed their routines and songs to vinyl, which they proudly proclaimed in the liner notes, and often on the cover, was recorded LIVE AT MISTER KELLY’S.
The story of that club actually begins a few years earlier with another club. And this empire, which would include a later entertainment spot, was established by two brothers, the Marienthals, Oscar and George. At the end of WWII, the men decided to provide an upscale eatery in the heart of Chicago, the London House, formerly the Fort Dearborn Grill. Inspired by the wartime meat rationing, they struck a “hungry” chord with their catchphrase “Make a date with a steak”.Eventually, they would offer the best of jazz music with the meals in 1955. Ah, but two years before that they opened Mister Kelly’s (named after the previous owner’s doorman/manager, who didn’t remain), which would have their own “house band” the following year. In 1959, the owners instituted a new policy of combining a comedy act and a musician (singer, band, etc.) on the same bill usually lasting a couple of days. Though the stage was tiny and the space limited, Kelly’s attracted the hottest acts of the early 1960s. For comedy, the audiences were laughing with Bob Newhart, Nichols & May, Mort Sahl, and Lenny Bruce. Plus they “tapped their toes’ to Laine Kazan, Peggy Lee, and a rising star that Oscar lured away from the “Big Apple”, Barbra Streisand. One of the most radical decisions by the brothers was their hiring of black entertainers with no segregation on stage or in the audience as Della Reese, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughn packed the place along with Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory, and Flip Wilson (who recorded an album there). When audiences became interested in the more “radical comics” and zany improv groups, another venue The Happy Medium (which would prove a springboard for the comedy team of Stiller & Meara) opened its doors around the corner. Despite a couple of devastating house fires, Kelly’s remained a hot spot (oops, sorry) well into the 1970s. But by then the rising comic stars and many music acts, filled the late-night TV talk shows and they upped their fees, pricing out the smaller nightclubs for the big theatres and arenas. Before the end of 1975, Mr. Kelly’s was shuttered and, along with the London House and the Medium, became part of Windy City history.
Ah, but what a slice of lively and fun history (I didn’t want to end the last paragraph on a sad note). Considering that no film footage of the interior of the club exists, director Ted Bogosian has somehow found a way for us to feel as though we have a stage-side seat (and it was just 4 or 5 feet away from the action) to enjoy an incredible gathering of the world’s most iconic performers. Luckily there are lots of archival photos of the club’s exterior and interior along with countless ads and promotional materials. Big kudos to co-producer and editor Scott Dummier for assembling all of this art and for the massive amount of interviews. Some were a bit …challenging (Streisand gives only an audio recollection), others are archival, as we hear from many who are now workin’ the “main stage in the clouds”. We encounter Shelly Berman, Fred Willard, and Jerry Stiller ( he hints that a current comedy superstar was conceived during his Medium gig). But happily many are still here and very happy to look back, including Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Dick Gregory, Shecky Greene, and Dick Smothers (hey, I still have the LP he and brother Tom recorded there). Speaking of the archives, we view bits of local TV news segments, Bill Murray on the Tonight Show, and the closest TV show to being at Kelly’s, “Playboy After Dark”, right from “Hef’s swingin’ pad”. Oh, and the jazz greats certainly get their due, in some great music excerpts. Aside from the Marienthal family members and the relatives of late stars (Kitty Bruce), there are some very witty stories from playwright David Mamet, who worked a variety of jobs, and even “tickles the ivories”. Most informative is an entertainment historian who scoops up dozens of albums recorded at Kelly’s at a massive used record store (Kelly’s has its own section), along with a radio DJ/show host. I guess the closest we have to this place is Vegas, though their big showrooms have none of the amazing intimacy. Until “Doc Brown” gets the “bugs’ worked out we can’t take a sixty-year jaunt back in time to catch Ella and Lenny, but the engrossing and highly entertaining feature documentary LIVE AT MISTER KELLY’S is pretty darn close. Now I’m itching for one of their big juicy steaks along with a fresh Green Goddess salad! Tasty!
3.5 Out of 4
LIVE AT MR. KELLY’S is now playing at select theatres and is Video-On-Demond streaming on most apps and platforms
