Last Chance Bar

[Det1952]

Last Chance Bar
Does anyone remember the Last Chance Bar at 8 mile and Woodward, on the S.E. corner?
I will admit, I occasionally frequented it back in the day, late 70’s till it was forced to close. It was famous for Hookers and Pool Sharks. Beer and Drinks were relatively cheap. It was not as I remember it a "Rip Off Joint."
I being 20 something at the time, I had a blast in that bar. The good thing [[I thought) was I didn‘t have to go "Down Into Detroit" for some Excitement [[Action). It seemed plenty safe enough to me.
Cops were always cruising through the lot, looking for a bust. I being a "White Boy" from Warren or Roseville during that period of time, I can honestly say, I never had a problem there!
One time, one of the Spinks Bros. [[Leon I think) was in there and took a Hooker across the street to a motel. [[N.W. corner of 8 & WW) I cant remember the name at this time, and got robbed. The thing is, they took his false teeth, which had Gold in them. I shouldn’t laugh about it, but I did!
I thought it was hilarious at the time.
Nothing like letting your guard down, is there!
Im sure plenty of you have memories of that bar, and possibly stories willing to share. Those were the days.
I now live "Up North" and it is extremely boring compared to those days. Up here, their idea of crime is someone stealing a bike.
Im not kidding.
Im sure glad some Politican invented the internet.
[[Al Gore I think, serious sarcasm there)
P.B.

[Al Publican]

I met a "stress management specialist" in the Last Chance bar in the late '70s. We ended up at her apartment on 11 Mile in Royal Oak. She kept a Doberman pinscher in her room to keep her clientele in line. The presence of her pooch added to my stress, but I received enough, er...therapy to feel better upon leaving the, er...clinic. That may have been the only time that I visited the Last Chance.

I was prompted to visit the Last Chance from all the jokes Dick Purtan did on his radio show about the place.

[eno]

My in-laws lived in Ferndale just off Hilton about 1/2 mile north of 8 Mile. My brother-in-laws and I would sneak away to check out the action at the Last Chance on Sunday afternoons. I may have played pool there. They had a band playing country music with a female singer seated in a rocking chair. It was part of our tour of titty bars on 8 Mile.

[softailrider]

Leon Spinks lost his teeth down at Spears Bar. It was [[is) a couple miles South of where the Last Chance Bar was [[ SouthEast corner of Eight Mile Rd and Woodward )

[Det1952]

Correction:
The bar Spinks was leaveing when he was attacked and robbed was a west side bar. He woke up at the motel on the N.W. corner of 8 mile and WW.



Leon Spinks Tells Police He Was Attacked, Robbed

UPI

Published: January 16, 1981

DETROIT, Jan. 15— Leon Spinks, the former heavyweight boxing champion, told police today he was attacked on a city street and awakened hours later in a motel to find he had been robbed of $45,000 worth of clothes, jewelry and other items.
Spinks told authorities he had been stripped of his clothes and left on a bed and that his gold dental plate was among the items taken.
Spinks, who bought a house in Detroit a few years ago, told police he was leaving a west side bar last night when he was struck on the head. He told the police he did not see who attacked him.
The next thing he remembers, Spinks said in a police report, was waking up at about 1 P.M. today in a motel about five miles away. Missing, Spinks said, were his jewelry, his removable front teeth, and his clothes, including an expensive blue fox coat. He apparently was uninjured and requested no medical treatment.

[mikefmich]

So you live '"up north" now. Does that mean you're near Dort Hwy.?

[Bluenote132003]

I don't remember if it was just us, or if a comedian had picked up on it, but there was a lot of "Where's my teefusses?!?" going around after that!!

[DetroitDutchgirl]

I found this great photo of The Last Chance Bar from August 1977 in the WSU libraries.

[preserve]

At the time Ferndale was "dry" so the bar was like the last place to get an adult drink before crossing 8 mile. Frequented it one time with a group that bowled in a league south of there and one time was sufficient.