Photos courtesy of Alison Martino’s “Vintage Los Angeles” archives
Introduction
Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, during the 50s through the 70s, several big-name stars decided to get into the restaurant business. Members of the Rat Pack, Jerry Lewis, and even famed Archie Bunker actor Carroll O’Connor all got in on the action. Cinema Scholars takes a look back at these establishments.
Dino’s Lodge
Located on the Sunset Strip at 8524 Sunset Boulevard, Dino’s Lodge was a restaurant owned by Dean Martin and his business partner Maury Samuels. Martin, a Hollywood legend, was in financial trouble when he was approached in 1958 by the owners of the then-named Alpine Lodge, Paul Wexler, Alex Wexler, and Harvey Gerry to lend his likeness and name to the establishment in exchange for 50% of the profits. When the agreement had been agreed to the “Alpine” portion of the name was dropped and replaced with “Dino’s.” They kept the “Lodge.”
“Dean Martin does not own the restaurant on the Strip…They just use his name and give him a percentage.”
-Los Angeles Times, April 1958
When the restaurant opened as Dino’s Lodge, Martin would bring in his Hollywood friends such as Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine to the leather boothed restaurant with dark wood paneling (including the after-party for the premiere of Some Come Running starring Martin, Sinatra, and MacLaine). Martin himself would hobnob stopping from table to table and greeting patrons.
The biggest change to the restaurant was the installation of a large neon sign which featured a caricature of Dean Martin’s face. Soon after the sign was installed Warner Brothers television reached out to the restaurant to use a shot of the sign in the credits of their series, 77 Sunset Strip. At the Warner Brothers studio lost an exact replica of the facade of Dino’s Lodge was constructed as one of the characters, Kookie (Ed Byrnes), worked as a valet there. This sign was also seen in episodes of Dragnet and The Andy Griffith Show. These television appearances made the restaurant a tourist trap and caused any celebrity appearances to cease, including Dean’s.
Dino’s Lodge became known for its live entertainment. One of the stipulations was that only female singers could grab a mic and belt out tunes. Most of these singers were b-movie starlets of Hollywood, and some weren’t even that. Some of the more notable singers included Gigi Galon, a secretary at CBS, and Michelle Tribola, who was hired because she was Lee Marvin’s girlfriend. After about 16 months post name change Martin, who was happy with the venture, renegotiated his contract to get his brother appointed as general manager of the Lodge as well as an additional $1,000 per month for the use of his name and likeness.
However, soon after this transpired things turned sour when Gerry and the Wexlers reneged on the additional monthly payment. Martin sued them in August 1961 for the $24,000 he was owed and to have his likeness removed from the business. Martin lost and his brother was fired. Due to all of this trouble, the partnership between Martin and Saunders also came to an unamicable end on October 15, 1961 (keep reading for the details below). Martin severed all ties with the restaurant in February 1962. However, Dino’s Lodge used Martin’s name and likeness for nearly 3 decades after Martin left the business.
“Any actor that opens up a restaurant should have his head examined”
– Dean Martin
Jerry’s
Jerry Lewis and Maury Saunders had one major thing in common; a relationship with Dean Martin that started more promisingly than it ended. On October 15, 1961, Saunders was approached by Lewis to ditch Dino and team up with him in his restaurant. Saunders agreed and Jerry’s was born.
Just down the street from Dino’s Lounge, at 8846 Sunset Boulevard, Jerry’s was like a jealousy-induced fever dream of a restaurant. In order to show up Dino’s Lodge, Lewis had a caricature of his face turned into an even larger sign. This one revolved one hundred feet above the building. Next, Lewis stole Dino’s head chef Rene Robbin, assistant chef Rafael Shapiro, and the maître d’, known by only his first name of Luigi, for his new establishment.
Despite stealing these people from Dino’s Lodge, Jerry served completely different food and had a more low-brow atmosphere than the restaurant that bared Dean Martin’s name. While the Lodge served Italian food and quality steaks, Jerry’s served “American and Hebrew viands”. Meanwhile, the interior of Jerry’s was filled with purple velvet with silver accents (including the menus) and absurdly large chandeliers.
By February 1963, Jerry’s was in dire straits. He had lost over $250,000 on the enterprise and was well on its way to going out of business. The doors to the establishment were shuttered in 1964. Soon after, the location became a strip club called “The Classic Cat.” This exotic dive was a hangout for stars such as Jim Morrison, Robert Conrad, and Adam West.
Puccini’s
Dean Martin wasn’t the only Rat Packer to get into the Los Angeles restaurant game in the late 1950s. The Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra partnered up with his buddy Peter Lawford to open an Italian eatery called Puccini’s. This establishment opened on April 2, 1959, at 220 S. Beverly Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
One of the most frequent patrons of Puccini’s was notable mobster Mickey Cohen. The underworld legend had Hollywood connections with both Lawford and Sinatra for many years. Cohen would often get belligerent with other customers at Puccini’s. He even once, literally, threw out Red Skelton’s manager on one occasion and threatened George Raft when he tried to intervene in the altercation.
The Ginger Man/Carroll O’Connor’s Place
Carroll O’Connor opened The Ginger Man, his saloon-inspired restaurant in 1978 at 369 N. Bedford Dr. in Beverly Hills. Twelve years later he lightened the walls with a fresh coat of paint and changed the name to Carroll O’Connor’s Place.
O’Connor’s establishment was essentially the bar from his television series Archie Bunker’s Place if Archie hit the lotto, moved to Beverly Hills, and charged $11 for a hamburger during the Reagan Administration years.
Casa Cugat and The Lobster Barrel
Casa Cugat and The Lobster Barrel were both on La Cienega in West Hollywood. They were so close in proximity that they advertised together in the same newspaper ads. The former was at 848 N. La Cienega. The latter was down the street at number 826.
Casa Cugat was owned by Xavier Cugat. The Spanish-Cuban bandleader and husband to Charro would sometimes perform there. Typically two guitar players roamed the restaurant from table to table taking requests from the diners. Casa Cugat opened in the 1940s and was in business until 1986 when it closed its doors.
TVs Skipper from Gilligan’s Island, Alan Hale Jr. opened The Lobster Barrel in the 1970s. It would stay open for about fifteen years, closing in the 1980s. The waiters at The Lobster Barrel wore tuxedos and the main entrees were steak and lobsters.
Hale would dress as the Skipper and mosy from table to table greeting customers and signing autographs. He especially took time to converse with children who dined at the restaurant with their parents. One customer, actor David Carradine (Kung Fu), wasn’t very interested in Hale’s Skipper schtick. While drunk, Carradine proceeded to trash the place. Hale had to personally throw the actor out with the assistance of a baseball bat.
