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Monte Proser's Beachcomber, New York and Other Locations |
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
|  Posted: 2010-08-04 6:02 pm Permalink
I picked up a dinner and drink menu set from the Beachcomber in Miami Beach.
The a la carte drink menu.
Some of the drink descriptions.
The dinner menu cover.
Some fun little write-ups from the menu.
This one is really funny in the broken English.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-08-09 3:38 pm Permalink
Here is a cool comparison of the matchbook from the Ruby Foo's Beachcomber in Boston and the original Monte Proser's Beachcomber in New York.
 
 
DC
[ This Message was edited by: Dustycajun 2010-08-09 15:39 ]
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-11-14 7:43 pm Permalink
Some folks entering the New York location on a rainy night:
This photo is a wonderful example of a quality that these pre-tiki South Seas bars have that I love - A juxtaposition of two contrasting styles that go really good together. You've got this building facade with all the charm of a driftwood shack on the islands... with some GREAT NEON signage thrown on top!
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[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2010-11-14 21:33 ]
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Humuhumu
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 3536
From: San Francisco
| Posted: 2010-11-14 8:17 pm Permalink
From the 1944 Billboard rankings of nightclub promoters (Monte Proser came in at #4):
According to this, Monte Proser's Beachcomber had closed by 1944, and become Zanzibar.
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Critiki - Ooga-Mooga - Humu Kon Tiki
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sneakyjack
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 25, 2004
Posts: 988
From: NYC Area
| Posted: 2010-11-15 06:48 am Permalink
Looks like this place in its NY location would have competed with the Hawaii kai? - or maybe it became the Hawaii Kai as the address and winter garden are same block same street side etc? The Hawaii Kai had a bigger entrance but looking at
the photo above the doors could have been close to each other. I'm uncertain of the years of each place maybe someone can help shed some light... ?
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-11-15 1:40 pm Permalink
Sneakyjack - I researched the newspapers and found that the Hawaii Kai did take over the old space of the Zanzibar. However, didn't find any dates or timeline. In fact, this was a trivia question for New Yorkers back in the early 70s - "In what current club on Broadway have their been at least 8 previous clubs?" The answer was the Hawaii Kai.
The Hawaii Kai in its previous incarnations had been: the Zanzibar, Singapore, Lanai, Midnight Sun, Plantation, Beachcomber, Copper Door, Mardi Gras, Palais de Dance, and others.
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[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2010-11-16 16:24 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-11-16 09:52 am Permalink
Sabu,
That is a great old photo, nice score.
Here is a another pic from the Beachcomber at Miami Beach from Life Magazine.
There is some more info on the Beachcomber connection to the Hawaii Kai in the Hawaii Kai thread. Monte Proser was actually involved in opening the Lanai Restaurant which went into the space before the Hawaii Kai.
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=33090&forum=2&start=30&hilite=hawaii kai
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-12-08 7:33 pm Permalink
I just got an early 1940 advertising mailer from the New York Beachcomber choked full of info.
Here is the cover art showing a suitcase with exotic luggage labels.
Inside fold out with the Island of Manhattan surrounded by other tropical locations.
The entrance with the exotically dressed doorman.
Also seen in Sabu's great photo
The honorable Ching, master of the kitchen.
The food
The new Rum drinks for 1940
The band
No cover, no minimums.
Old Monte Proser really knew how to sell it!
Lots of great info in this mailer.
DC
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10558
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-12-09 09:55 am Permalink
Wow! Congrats on that score! What a fantastic find, that paper piece has it all, a treasure trove of Pre-Tiki Poly pop imagery and concepts. 
Man if I only could find a publisher to do my Beachcomber Book...
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-12-09 1:32 pm Permalink
DC - Thanks for posting that great mailer. I had been hoping that the man in the fez on my photo was another cool example of the races mixing in New York in the 30s/40s the way they were at the Jazz clubs in Harlem. But alas, it seems he was only the doorman - another feature of exotic novelty for the club.
I thought he might have been a hold-over from the club's days as the Zanzibar, but from what I can find in the newspaper archives, the Zanzibar came after the Beachcomber and not before.
The Zanzibar had its own unique doorman - Four-foot-nine Peewee Marquette, who worked through several incarnations of the club, up to and including the Hawaii Kai.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10558
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-12-10 10:14 am Permalink
Interesting. And he continued the turban/fez costume tradition:
"The last time I saw Pee Wee Marquette was probably in the 60's - after the original Birdland had closed. He was acting as the doorman for a Hawaiian Restaurant called "Hawaii Kai" on Broadway within a few blocks of Birdland. I believe that he was wearing some kind of uniform with a turban, which made him look taller. He was still strutting around and "barkering' in his high-pitched voice to try to get people to come inside.
I photographed him many times after I joined the staff of METRONOME in 1955. Since I got in free, I went at least once a week to shoot the various performers. I'm now sorry that I never tried to interview him, as I have so many musicians from that era, but having heard so many stories about him from other musicians, I'm sure that he would have wanted to charge me to listen to his stories!"
He is best known for having been the M.C. at Birdland:
Above in middle row, below on the right:
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2010-12-11 08:42 am Permalink
DC, that mailer has got every angle covered, and is absolutely a classic. It makes it sound like this is the greatest place on earth to enjoy an evening out. If someone where to get this in the mail it would be impossible for them to stay away. That picture of the Honorable Ching is over the top.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2011-06-15 7:16 pm Permalink
Found another souvenir photo holder from the Beachcomber in Miami Beach. This one has some fun graphics on the outside selling the photos.
The inside has a nod to the Zombie
Here is the photo, a great shot of the guests and the interior of the Beachcomber.
Close up of the table and the lamps, surprised one of these has never surfaced on TC.
Man that looks like a good time!
DC
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10558
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2011-06-16 10:58 am Permalink
SCORE! An inside-out, back to front, all around eye candy ticket to the past!
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hiltiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 10, 2004
Posts: 2772
From: Reseda, calif.
| Posted: 2011-10-11 7:26 pm Permalink
Beachcomber Miami.
I am not sure if there is another picture somewhere here. I tried to look for it and couldn't find it.
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