The gold dust of Hollywood glitz

In January 1943 at 8588 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Mocambo opened its doors, a club that would make history in the years to come. With an exotic, Latin setting that cost $100,000, very expensive for the time, the Mocambo featured a large orchestra and soon became a popular venue for late-night entertainment. Top actors, directors and producers of the film industry frequented its tables. In the same year it opened, the Mocambo’s stage first featured a talented young singer named Frank Sinatra.

In the years that followed, famous names of singing and entertainment passed by his stage. Internationally renowned artists such as Edith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt as well as the most famous actors gave the club a reputation as one of the most important places to be. Among its regulars were Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Also Errol Flynn, Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Henry Fonda, Lana Turner. As well as Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Bob Hope, James Cagney, Sophia Loren, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. Grace Kelly before her wedding, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, cranky billionaire Howard Hughes, Kay Francis, Marlene Dietrich, Theda Bara, Tyrone Power, blonde sexpot Jayne Mansfield and classic John Wayne. With this glamorous lineup of clients, Mocambo surged until June 30, 1958 when the curtain finally came down, leaving behind the gold dust of Hollywood glamour.

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