Its been the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard for over twenty years now, but in the 1940s and 1950s, it was Ciros”the hottest nightclub on the planet.

From the time that Herman Hover took over management of Ciros in 1942 until it closed in 1959, it was as important to the development of the civilized world as The Sands in Las Vegas. It spawned the career of legends not once but twice, first with the partnership of a skinny Jewish comedian and his Italian crooner sidekick”Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin”in 1950. Then, in 1951 an opening act for Janis Page called “the Will Mastin Trio” tore the house down thanks, in large part, to the presence of arguably the most versatile entertainer in history, Sammy Davis, Jr. It was also the site of Sammy’s return to the stage following the car accident in which he lost his right eye. Even when giants of our culture werent being created on their stage, it hosted profusion of top entertainers”Joe E. Lewis, Andy Williams, Xavier Cugat, Nat King Cole and on and on.

The audience at Ciro’s was frequently more star packed than the stages at most venues. The clientele represented the very top of the entertainment world starting with Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart and all of their “A-list” contemporaries including Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Judy Garland, Jack Benny and countless others. Ciro’s was the “in” spot for stars and would be stars, making it the hottest ticket in town.

During a more civilized time, a network of top nightclubs hosted entertainment, drinking, dining and other hijinx in the major cities of the US. Ciro’s was among this elite group of nightspots dating back to the early 1940’s when the icons of that era including Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, Lauren Bacall and George Raft would frequent the place. It started to ‘cool off’ and by 1942 was forced to close its doors for a time. It didn’t stay closed for long, as Herman Hoover implemented his plan to re-open and revitalize the nightspot.

Hoover had considerable experience in running a night club. He cut his teeth at New Yorks Silver Slipper, which was a prohibition era joint owned by Arnold Rothstein and Charles Lucky Luciano among others. He would later run Harlem’s famed Cotton Club before heading west to Los Angeles in 1936.

On December 26, 1942 Ciro’s re-opened to a packed house including Frank Sinatra, Mickey Rooney, Lucille Ball and Cary Grant. The headliner on opening night was Sinatra’s longtime friend and opening act, comic Joe E. Louis.

Hoover had hosted Dean Martins wedding in 1949, and Martin and Lewis debuted at Ciros in 1950. They always felt a deep debt of gratitude to Hoover and his club, and even when they were pulling down an astounding (for the 1950s) $100,000 a week to perform they insisted on holding their fee at Ciros to what they were originally paid–$7,000 a week. In 1951, Sammy Davis, Jr., along with his uncle and father”the Will Mastin Trio”tore down the house. Several years later, in what may have been the biggest event ever at the club, Davis returned to the stage following a car accident where he lost his right eye and nearly lost his life. Following an introduction by Frank Sinatra, Davis put on a scorching performance before an adoring and emotional crowd of the biggest stars on the planet.

Ironically, it was the growth of Las Vegas that would spell the beginning of the end for Ciros and nightclubs like it nationwide. With coffers flush from gambling profits and mob revenues, the nightclubs just couldnt compete with the money that Las Vegas casinos were able to offer. Headliners didnt have to travel as much to make big money, and they were able to live the life 24/7 in the southern Nevada desert. As Hoover struggled to stay afloat, the IRS caught up to hundreds of thousands of dollars he owed in unpaid taxes. Ciros closed its doors in 1957. Hoover filed for bankruptcy in 1959, and Ciros was sold at public auction for $350,000.

It also represented the end of an era in Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard remained a vital commercial artery, but the glamorous strip of adult entertainment that became part of American mythology gave way to a tacky mishmash of restaurants, strip clubs, and tattoo parlors intermingled with more upscale businesses. Although another revolution would emerge from Sunset Boulevard”a culinary superstar named Wolfgang Puck, and his restaurant Spago”the world became a little less civilized with the passing of Ciros. The building has been the Comedy Store for the past 26 years, and has started its own crop of stars along the path to fame.

Ross Everett is a Las Vegas and restaurant industry historian as well as an expert on CFL football betting. He has served as a management consultant for many restaurants, casinos and nightclubs. In addition, he’s a noted fight sport journalist, and writes extensively on strategies to successfully bet on CFL football, MMA and boxing.