By DF (208.27.111.121) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 10:57 am:

Eli,

My mother used to tell me stories about her favotite stomping ground, The Latin Casino in Cherry Hill. She would take the bus from NYC all the time and see acts such as the Spinners, Natalie Cole, Gladys Night, Lou Rawls, etc. She loved that place.

She even told me about the imfamous show with Ben Vereen (Chicken George, Roots). My understanding is that he did a blackface act, and the whole crowd was gonna have his head.

Anyway, you're thoughts on the Latin Casino. Great club, I hear. Then came Atlantic City. Peace.

By Eli (141.151.85.204) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 11:51 am:

Hi DF,

The Latin Casion had its rots in downtown Philly in the fifties where the leading acts of the day such as Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Sinatra, Sammy,etc would perform and it was a hangout for
the "wiseguy types" as well.
In the early sixties they moved to Cherry Hill New Jersey not far from Philly and opened up a beautiful Las Vegas style showroom which was second to none and every seat was in great view of the stage with tiers of seating.
The Gersons , who owned it were great fans of Motown and other R&B acts of the day and they would book them there regularly usually with an opening comedian generaly of the old school.
It was a great place to take your girl or wife for a night on the town.
I once conducted there for the Three Degrees.
The Supremes were there regularly although the last time they were there Diana accused the Gersons of poisoning her dog (s?)because the animal(s) aparantly ate rat poison that had been sprinkled around.

The last show that I saw there was Al Green.
that was also the place where Jackie Wilson collapsed on stage.

As far as the Ben Vereen thing goes, I doubt it ever happened, although I could be wrong.
In 1979 because of declining attendance due to Atlantic City, it turned in to a disco called Emerald City. It was short lived.

On the site stands the offices of Subaru of North America.

By DF (208.27.111.121) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 12:34 pm:

Thanks, Eli,

The Ben Vereen "incident" may have happened (if it did) during the dying days of the club. But Mom used to talk about it all the time. In fact, Vareen is known to do blackface. Whether he did it there, or another place Mom was at (memories fade with age, they say), is another story.

Anyway, wait till I tell Mom that Subaru is on the site. She's gonna flip. Peace.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 01:43 pm:

DF:
I remember Ben Vereen's infamous "blackface" performance but not from the Latin Casino.

When Ronald Reagan was inaugurated in 1981, Ben Vereen performed at the inaugural ball in blackface right on live television. My family was shocked as hell when we saw it (so was my brother, who was a friend of Vereen's)and it was the big topic at my high school the next day. If it did anything, the performance made my classmates & I question our teachers (especially Mrs. Fleming, my vocal music teacher)as to why he did it and why did blackface performance exist in the first place. Whether that was Vereen's intention or not who knows.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By DF (208.27.111.121) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 02:01 pm:

KevGo,

I saw Vereen do blackface as recently as 2-3 years ago, on PBS. I tried to watch through it to get a better explanation. While I don't recall the details, I believe he was telling a very positive story. Obviously, people will jump when they see blackface (they should!). So that's why I myself sat through the whole episode to get a better understanding.

It does, however, seem strange: 1) to do blackface in front of conservative Reaganites; and 2) to use blackface as a vehicle for telling your story, no matter how positive. Peace.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 02:05 pm:

DF:
That's what was so bewildering - why did he do this performance in front of (of all people) Ronald Reagan & his cronies, & on the inauguration! It puzzled me & my family as well.
Kevin Goins - KevGo