Hang Your Hat at Mister Kelly’s

The legendary mid-century Chicago night club, all the talent and that famous green goddess dressing: The Newberry Library presents “A Night at Mister Kelly’s”

Apr 25, 2024

*Mister Kelly’s, Chicago, 1957. Photo courtesy of The Newberry Library.*

If I could actually time travel, tonight I’d be sitting at a cocktail table at Mister Kelly’s on Rush Street in Chicago.

It’s March, 1957, and Billie Holiday is about to take the stage.

Billie Holiday on stage at Mister Kelly’s, 1957. Photo courtesy of The Newberry Library

You can imagine the electricity in the room — hearing the voice and being in the presence of Lady Day, so close she’s part of the audience.

Later, I’d pop over to October, 1959 and catch Lenny Bruce’s final set. He picks up the check for post-show cordials.

Lenny Bruce’s bar tab at Mister Kelly’s, 1959. Donated to The Newberry Library by Kitty Bruce, Lenny’s daughter.

The final stop on this particular skip through time lands me in June, 1963 — there’s 21-year-old Barbra Streisand, perched on a hydrant at dawn in front of Mister Kelly’s after finishing two shows.

Barbra Streisand on Rush Street in front of Mister Kelly’s, June, 1963. Photo: Don Bronstein. Courtesy of The Newberry Library

She’s headed to Oak Street Beach, a few blocks away, for a photo shoot, the sun just rising over Lake Michigan. This will be the photo for her album cover and it and she will win a Grammy.

Barbra Streisand at Oak Street Beach. Album cover for *People,* Photo: Don Bronstein. Columbia Records ©️ 1963

These are just three vignettes from an amazing exhibit currently on view at The Newberry Library in Chicago, “A Night at Mister Kelly’s”. Link: https://www.newberry.org/calendar/a-night-at-mister-kellys

From 1953 to 1975, Mister Kelly’s was THE place to launch a career in entertainment or burnish one. Two brothers, Oscar and George Marienthal created Mister Kelly’s (named after the first manager of the venue, Pat Kelly) and David Marienthal has produced a film documenting the magic created by both his larger than life father and his uncle.

The legendary nightclub, Mister Kelly’s, bedazzled the country by launching superstars like Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler and Steve Martin. It smashed the color and gender barriers to put controversial voices on stage and transformed entertainment in America in the ‘50’s, ‘60’s and ‘70’s.

From the documentary Live at Mister Kelly’s, here’s the link: https://www.misterkellyschicago.com

Vintage Postcard Courtesy of Newberry Library

The film will be screened as part of a series of events at The Newberry from now until July 20th.

I asked curator Alison Hinderliter for her thoughts about Mister Kelly’s and the exhibit:

I love that this exhibition has personal meaning to so many people. Long-time Chicagoans remember Rush Street and remember the clubs. In the Exhibition, we tried to recreate that feeling of being in an intimate nightclub, with lighting, video and music.

Ella Fitzgerald at Mister Kelly’s, 1958. Photo by Yale Joel Courtesy of The Newberry Library

We couldn’t recreate the smell of cigarettes and steaks, but this was the next best thing. — Alison Hinderliter

Cocktail Napkin and Ashtray at The Newberry. Photo: Jolene

Mister Kelly’s Green Goddess Dressing

Mister Kelly’s was known for having great steaks and seafood, but also for their Green Goddess Salad. The dressing itself was invented in 1923 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco where a play, The Green Goddess was being performed.

Here are the original recipes for four of the dressings served at Mister Kelly’s.

The Newberry has also included a link for an updated version of the Green Goddess dressing which is tangy and tart. (You can add a bit of honey if you want it a bit sweeter).

I dressed a romaine and scallion salad with it and also used it as cocktail sauce for some shrimp and had a very swanky cutting board lunch in my kitchen.