Palumbos

Palumbo’s

Type	Restaurant
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	1940, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Key people	Frank Palumbo
Products	Food and beverage

Palumbo’s was an entertainment complex in Italian Market section of South Philadelphia, Palumbo’s included a banquet hall, Nostalgia’s Restaurant and the Click Club.^[1] The club was owned by local celebrity/businessman/humanitarian Frank Palumbo. Amid unsubstantiated rumors^[2][3] of mafia connections, Palumbo expanded a boardinghouse started by his grandfather, Antonio Palumbo into the entertainment complex.^[4]

Plaque at the former location of Palumbo's

In the 1940s and 1950s, Philadelphia was an important pop music center, with many bands and singers being made or broken in the city.^[5] The opulent, art deco Click Club was a significant element in the scene.^[5] Frequent performers at the club included Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong, the Clooney Sisters, Jimmy Durante and numerous others.^{[1][2][5][6][7][8]} A nightly radio series broadcast concerts from the club, many of which were later released as albums.

Well beyond the club’s heyday, the restaurant remained popular. Sinatra visited the “black tie saloon” frequently^[5] and mayor Frank Rizzo spent most evenings there during his rise to power, years in office and beyond.^[9]

Palumbo’s was destroyed by fires in 1994. The fires were determined to be arson.^[10] The site, marked by an unofficial historical plaque, is now occupied by a chain drug store.^[11]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Danny Cedrone". Rockabilly Hall of Fame website. http://www.rockabillyhall.com/DannyCedrone.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Clooney, Nick (2003-04-08). "Saluting 50 years of songs from Rosie". The Cincinnati Post (E. W. Scripps Company). Archived from the original on 2005-12-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20051204150000/http://www.cincypost.com/2003/04/18/cloon041803.html. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
3. ^ Tomlin, David (2007-04-29). "Frank Sinatra, A Thrown Fight, & The Rise of Pop Warner Football". http://www.davtom.com. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
4. ^ Guerrieri, Matthew J. (1997). "The Neglected Market". http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/annex/italmkt.html. Retrieved 2007-10-10. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Clooney, Nick (1998-07-15). "Nightclub debut didn't suit Funsy". The Cincinnati Post (E. W. Scripps Company). Archived from the original on 2004-11-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20041127011243/http://www.cincypost.com/living/1998/cloon071598.html. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
6. ^ "Ralph's Has Been A Celebrity Destination for over 100 years". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930092247/http://www.ralphsrestaurant.com/celebrit.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
7. ^ "quotes". The official web site of Louis Prima. http://www.louisprima.com/quotes.html. 
8. ^ "Recommended Rosie...and The Clooney Sisters". http://tribes.tribe.net/rosemaryclooney/thread/3460ab6f-5ab3-497d-8c31-1a0ff578c404. 
9. ^ Mitchell, Andrea (2005-09-07). "Me and Frank". Philadelphia Weekly. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930020002/http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=10398. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
10. ^ Cipriano, Ralph (1994-09-13). "3D ARSON RULED AT PALUMBO'S". The Philadelphia Inquirer. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB2A64A69F92235&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
11. ^ Dubin, Murray (June 1996). South Philadelphia; Mummers, memories, and the Melrose Diner. Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-429-5. 

External links

Philadelphia portal

• What were Sinatra's favorite haunts in Philadelphia

Coordinates: 39°56′22″N 75°09′29″W / 39.9395°N 75.1580°W / 39.9395; -75.1580