The Wilshire Bowl was a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Located on

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard ( wɪɫ.ʃɚ is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica), Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue (Lo ...

, it operated from 1935 until 1950, later under the name Slapsy Maxie's when

Maxie Rosenbloom Max Everitt Rosenbloom (November 6, 1906 – March 6, 1976) was an American professional boxer, actor, and television personality. Nicknamed "Slapsy Maxie", he was inducted into '' The Ring's'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972, the International Je ...

managed it. Local architect Max Maltzman designed the building in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style. In 1950, the building was demolished and replaced with a Van de Kamp's coffee shop. The site is currently used as retail space.

History

Karl L. Loeb, manager of the Hillcrest Country Club, commissioned construction of the Wilshire Bowl at 5665

; it opened on April 26, 1935, with an eleven-piece band conducted by composer Bela Schaffer. Its first manager was Dave Blumgarten. On October 1, 1936, Sterling Young began a 10-month residency as the Wilshire Bowl's bandleader, taking over duties from Larry Lee. Les Parker signed a six-month contract to play at the venue in January 1938, broadcast on the radio stations KEHE and KNX. On October 25, 1938,

Phil Harris Wonga Philip Harris (June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995) was an American actor, bandleader, entertainer and singer. He was an orchestra leader and a pioneer in radio situation comedy, first with '' The Jack Benny Program'', then in '' The Phil ...

opened with his band at the Wilshire Bowl to an audience that included

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, repertory theatre, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 19 ...

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

Mary Livingstone Mary Livingstone (born Sadya Marcowitz, later known as Sadie Marks; June 25, 1905 – June 30, 1983) was an American radio comedienne and actress. She was the wife and radio partner of comedian Jack Benny. Enlisted casually to perform on her ...

, and

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...

. On November 3, 1943, the Wilshire Bowl reopened as Slapsy Maxie's, under the new management of

with Phil Harris remaining as the house bandleader. On March 10, 1950, Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries signed a 25-year, ($ in ) lease for 5665 Wilshire with plans to replace the Wilshire Bowl with a coffee shop. The new building, designed by Welton Becket and Associates, opened in 1951. The coffee shop was eventually demolished and replaced with retail space, its current use.

References

{{reflist 1935 establishments in California 1950 disestablishments in California Wilshire Boulevard Art Deco architecture in California Defunct restaurants in Los Angeles Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Nightclubs in Los Angeles County, California