Excerpt

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the spirit of Lou Walters, who created the greatest show on earth, the famous Latin Quarter, a nightclub at 48th and Broadway in New York City.

This book was inspired on April 4, 2006, when Barbara Walters, Lou Walter’s daughter and the star of ABC News’ “The View,” decided to memorialize her dad, who died in 1977 by renaming the club’s original location on the corner of 48th and Broadway “Lou Walters Way.” Barbara Walters and Mayor Bloomberg of New York City, original Latin Quarter dancers, singers, and showgirls, including Arlene Dahl, and the entire press gathered in ceremony. Thanks to Barbara Walters, the memory of her dad lives forever at the corner of 48th and Broadway in New York City.

Thanks to the Latin Quarter girls, John Hemmer, and Janie Freed for encouraging me to write these memoirs and to my loving and nurturing husband, Dr. Philip Terman, who also served as photographer along with Steve Guerrin and Richard Lewin.


Forward – By Joe Franklin


I was honored when Toni Carroll Terman, author and entertainer, asked me to do the forward for this book. The Latin Quarter at 48th and Broadway in New York City was the most famous nightclub in America. Every night was New Year’s Eve. It was an electrifying atmosphere, a happening place that thrived from the forties to the sixties.

Lou Walters, the genius impresario, was responsible for the greatest show on Earth, with the most beautiful girls in the world. The showgirls were known as “Long Stemmed Roses,” as coined by Billy Rose. Six feet tall, perfect proportions, breath-taking femininity, as if drawn by Leonardo DaVinci.

The showgirls were put on a pedestal. They were the goddesses that brought in the customers. The club packed 600 people nightly. The audience drank in the intoxicating experience, the exquisite womanhood, girl dancers, can-can dancers, apache dancers, acrobatic acts, movie stars, and Broadway stars.

Lou Walters would invite me, the press, every opening night to review the shows. The next day I would have the stars appear on my radio and TV show. Stars like Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Tony Martin, Sophie Tucker, Barbara Streisand, Betty Grable, Johnny Ray, and the Ritz Brothers. Arlene Dahl, who was an original Latin Quarter showgirl and a famous movie star, appeared as a headliner.

Lou Walters as a kind, generous man with an eye for talent. He invited me backstage where I ran into a six-foot beauty…Wow! I looked up at her and said, “Take me to your ladder; I’ll see your leader later.” Ha! Those were the good old days! Another show biz culture gone by. Glamour slipped away when discos, television and Las Vegas came along. With every closing, shimmering glamour glided away. It was a wonderful time to have lived. The nostalgia will play as a soundtrack in my mind forever. I’m glad I was there!

Joe Franklin