Old Detroit Bars

[alkiwat]

wasn't the Willis Show Bar across from Anderson Gardens ----This was hooker central -- What a great time with the ladies coming thru the front door every few minutes --Nearby hotel rooms [in fact one hotel shared a lot with one of them] were in the $3 to $5 range if I remember --- certainly not much more!

[daisy]

I currently operate the Bagley Bar located on Bagley between Clifford and Grand River. We are a store front bar and part of the Michigan Building [[location of the old Michigan Theatre). I am interested in the background of the bars at this location. I know it was known as the Cracker Barrel, Skippers and previously Lorrys Lounge. Does anyone have any information when it was Lorrys Lounge and prior to that time?

[stromberg2]

^^^
Welcome, Daisy!! I never knew there was a bar currently in there. I will have to stop in one of these days.

Stromberg2

[lit joe]

1965 was a great year. My mother managed collage manor on third & prenttis. A couple of the willis dancers live there. I worked for a beverage co. called sweet sixteen over on canfield. The owners son drove I was the helper. We service every low class dive around.I can't forget most had trap door that led to the basement, guess who lugged them down. Those cases of sweet sixteen all bottles got a little heavy. While he B'S with the owners. The willis show bar was always hoppin with alot of robberys outside at night. They walked out and on the way to the car, Bam right up side the head. Rolling the drunks a past time back then. Anyone remember oh oh Inn on sceond Donald Woo was the owners son, got the frist 409 chevy around. I now live in texas but never forget that neighborhood. The roller rink on Woodward friday night white night, saturday night black night. Any thing you wanted for a price, any some paid dearly.

[lit joe]

That some picks you got. I lived at collage manor in the mid sixes, in its prime. Third st. was made for a party. Is sweet sixteen beverage over on canfield still standing. I recall those red brick alleyways with the concrete trash containers, no garbage bags then alive and ripe with flies. There was a race froum / magizine stand on sledon that sold more bunbar than any place know to man. The vice squad sat outside his place watcting nite and day trying to bust him. If you knew him you walk in skook hands with and amout of money in your plam to his. he reach down as if he was getting your order in the candy counter reach underneath the counter. Come up with your special bun bar with a hollow out in the middle full of uppers and downers. Vice watch but never got thier man. It was a very wild place and I loved every minute of it. Thanks for the picks but it's alot difference than the time I roam those streets.

[Tommy Udo]

How about bookies on 6 and Woodard. I used to go there back in the days of sex pistols. I no this isn't a Detroit bar but how about the Hurling green on Rochester rd?

[Jimg]

Hey Tommy Udo, remember the band in that niteclub scene? Actually the Cafe Society Downtown, band led by ace Detroit drummer J.C. Heard [[who is seen a few times in performance). Great film noir!

[Tommy Udo]

Haven't thought of that name in 20 years. It's good to remember the late 70's. Time sure goes buy fast!!!!!

[lit joe]

There were bookies all over the place. In 62 we live on merrick ave across john lodge. At the conner of merrick & trumbull about three doors down was jim's barber shop. Jim took mostly horse bets. I was the shoe shine stand nice wood and metal one. Sat was money day pick up drop offs. High rollers win or lose they always got a shine, when they won a nice two dollar tip when they lost it's on the house. They never forgot one guy I gave free shines for 4 weeks but when he poped it was a twenty dollar bill. Not bad when you got a breakfast next door for 49 cents with coffee. Raceform six seven people all the time talking about horses. I was 14 at the time jim always had a bottle thats where I got my frist drink of whiskey. I learned to drink and gamble at that joint money had no home just changed hands ever so often.

[jptrs]

Does any one remember the Children of God coffee house right next to the Willis Show Bar? We would go to sleep hearing the beat of the strip music. Years later me and some friends would hang out there and talk to the hookers, then they would get angry cause we weren't buying just wasting their time. Anderson gardens was across the street, I guess that's where you would go with them.

[65GTO409]

There was once a bar in a dilapidated old house on [[I think) Cass where my great-uncle and aunt used to hang out. It had a man's and woman's name [[like Bob and Betty, but not them)

Was it "Chris and Carl's" or something like that???

[pgn421]

Was it "Chris and Carl's" or something like that???

Chris and Carl's was on Cass, at the intersection of W.Columbia

[candee]

I was in most of these places back in the late '70s and early '80s. I also remember some other Corridor bars, like the one on Cass just north of Myrtle [[the Kibitzer?) where I saw a guy get shot dead, the one on Selden where Honest John's is now [[which I think was just called Selden, but I don't remember ever seeing a sign) that was hooker central, the Comet and the Bahamas down closer to Cass Tech, and the immortal Willis Show Bar.

I also remember Cobb's Corner, of course, which was maybe the best little Detroit jazz bar ever. Wasn't the Charlotte Bar once known as the Gaiety, or something like that? I was in there a few times and remember the guy. He had a collection of belt buckles on the wall and served cans of sardines with crackers.

There was once a bar in a dilapidated old house on [[I think) Cass where my great-uncle and aunt used to hang out. It had a man's and woman's name [[like Bob and Betty, but not them) and sometimes the folks would entertain with some piano numbers. I was in there was as a young teen and remember only old folks, smoke, and an improbably sagging floor. It disappeared sometime in the early '70s and I've been trying to recall the place for years. Anybody?

the name of the bar in the old house was Buddy and Jimmy's on Cass Avenue.

[65memories]

Cobb's Corner, when the Lyman Woodard organization was playing [[especially with Norma Jean Bell), was the ultimate late-night jazz emporium. Classic cool.

[mikefmich]

Was installing new natural gas lines on Third in the 70's. Played pinball with the working girls at Andersens Gardens on lunch break. They were cool. Andersens had some good bands on Fri. nights during that time.

Wow, so was I. I know this is a late reply, do I know you?

[Bobl]

lit joe: You mentioned the Ho Ho Inn. I lived nearby and liked dropping in there late, in the late 60s. Never knew who or what you might run into.
One time, a chicken was running around the place, after escaping the kitchen area. Fun. Long gone.

[Radiogoon]

Johnny's Swetheart Lounge was at 2nd and Selden. Played behind Little Mac Collins there in 1990. The hookers would help carry gear into the bar for cigarettes. Only played there a couple times, but I'll never forget the place!

[Bobl]

Radiogoon: I miss Little Mac Collins!

[Radiogoon]

I do too. Hell of a musician, and a kind heart.

[Debbie]

WOW!!! I LOVE all this info

[Debbie]

My Great Grandma owned Jumbo's on 3rd...I recently lost my Grandma and discovered this. I have kick butt pics, newspaper articles, etc. Several "regulars" of the Purple Gang were threatened w a wooden spoon, by Grandma Greats, to leave my Grandma alone. She was 14-16 at the time Definite beauty, even at 93 yrs. when she passed 6/14/2012. Hope this thread isn't too old & u may have something to add

[stromberg2]

Welcome, Debbie! Post those pics!

Stromberg2

[Jody]

The Willis Show Bar building [[Third and Willis, SE corner) was for sale a short time ago for something like $500,000. It's owned by a florist in Birmingham, or was at that time. It would be cool to see that reopen... it's one of the few remaining old streamline moderne bar buildings with an enameled-porcelain exterior [[now painted over). Architecturally, it's very similar to the long-gone Flame Show Bar.

I tried to pass myself off as 24 but I was only 17. They found out but I was allowed to stay as long as I didn't sit at the bar or drink. I was the only female dj in a club at that time. When I started working there, everyone had to be "dressed up" in fine clothes. Even the prostitutes. The exotic dancers were: Shauna, Patty Dee, Vicky Valdez, Jean Harris, Virginia [[she was known as the white orchid) who was up in age but you'd never know by her body, and Frosty Winters, who was tall, and wore her platinum hair up in curls all the time, and the men would drool over her. Jean was different because she was once a flight attendant, and would do her act twice a night in her uniform. The difference between strippers and exotics, is basically the acts, as well as the costumes. I thought about going into the business, but I couldn't afford even the cheapest costume which at the time was $300.00. Strippers were "bump and grind", exotics were enticing, giving that come hither look, and when they got to the pasties and g-string, the guys would be in a trance. The only one I knew who was different was Vickie Valdez. She was a comedienne, who would pantomime to adult comedy songs, and would also make her stomach do flips. I can tell you more if you want, but this is a good start. I left the Willis in 1972 to get married. I was a straight kid, and everyone there took me under their wing to make sure nothing "bad" ever happened to me.

[Jody]

Anderson's was across the street from the Willis. The prostitutes at the Willis made a lot more than those at Anderson's. Also, these women were no fools. They had great paying day jobs. Not all, but some. One of them was a highly paid secretary to an attorney downtown. She would steal high end clothes in her "spare" time and sell them. Her pimp rode around in his limo wearing his full length mink, and all his gold and diamonds, collecting money from her and all her "sisters" every night. These girls would have many of the high paying johns that would spend hundreds for "strange" requests. To get things over with quick, they would go to the apartment building on Willis that got paid nicely for their time.

[Jody]

Ho Ho's was fantastic! It had a certain ambiance to it. Felt bad to see it go. Another great place was the Mexican Garden on Columbia downtown. We'd be having our dinner and watching the roaches crawling up the walls, but the food was great.