Cafe Society - An "Un"-American Establishment
Open Access
- Author:
- Milz, Samuel
- Area of Honors:
- History
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Daniel L Letwin, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Cathleen Denise Cahill, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Cafe Society
Josephson
Barney Josephson
Nightclub
Integration
New York City
Political Cabaret
Political Satire
Billie Holiday
Josh White
Hazel Scott
Nightlife - Abstract:
- This thesis provides an analytical overview of the first completely racially integrated nightclub in the United States known as the Café Society. The establishment opened in New York City in December of 1938 under the proprietorship of a young Jewish-American entrepreneur by the name of Barney Josephson, who had been inspired by the stinging political commentary in the cabarets he had visited on a trip to Europe in the interwar period. Having found success by tapping into the popularity of the Left-wing of those sympathetic to the liberal New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Café Society was essentially a microcosm of the nation’s attitude toward the leftist policies that were a response to the Great Depression. The Café Society offered African-American artists a place to genuinely express themselves and an opportunity for the broader African-American population to participate in the nightlife that before that had then been a luxury exclusive to white people. The names of seminal American artists who got their start, or performed, at the Café Society include Billie Holiday, Josh White, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. That enthusiasm eventually waned, however, as the Red Scare set in following the Second World War. In 1948, Josephson was labeled as a communist in the press after his brother Leon-- who loaned Barney the money he needed to initially open the Café Society-- refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. As a result, business began to decline and Josephson was forced to sell his beloved nightclub.