Today, it’s a world famous comedy club–The Comedy Store. In the 1940’s and 1950’s it was Ciro’s nightclub and for much of its life was one of the hottest nightspots in the world.

From the early 1940’s until it closed on the eve of the 1960’s, Ciro’s launched countless entertainment icons along the path to superstardom. It was one of the first major venues to host Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin before they took over the comedy world in 1950. A year later, an unheralded opening act called the Will Mastin Trio stole the show from the headliner. This was due in large part to a young entertainer that would before long outgrow his membership in the group–arguably the most talented entertainer in show biz history, Sammy Davis, Jr. After the car accident that cost Sammy his right eye, it was the site of his return to live performing. Countless other top entertainers performed there, from Sinatra sidekick comic Joe E. Louis to Nat King Cole.

The regulars at Ciro’s comprised a mind boggling array of the greatest entertainers in history–Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Judy Garland and countless others. It became the clubhouse for the Hollywood elite to drink, mingle and network.

In a more civilized era, the biggest cities had a network of top level nightclubs that would provide the best entertainment, drinking and dining in a luxurious atmosphere. Some of these venues included the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the Coconut Grove in Miami, the 900 Club in Atlantic City and the Villa Venice in Chicago. Even before its heyday, Ciro’s was still among the top tier of nightclubs hosting tars such as Bogart, Lauren Bacall, George Raft and Betty Grable. When the club began to ‘cool off’ and the clientele began to defect to the jungle themed Mocambo Nightclub, Ciro’s fell on hard times and briefly closed until Herman Hoover reopened the club.

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.

Ciros reopened on December 26, 1942 with longtime Sinatra pal Joe E. Lewis on stage and such stars as Mickey Rooney, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Joan Crawford and Cary Grant in the audience. Xavier Cugat (whod later marry a Latin dancer named Charo) became a regular headliner at the club, preceding the arrival of Martin, Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr.

In 1949, Hoover hosted Dean Martin’s second wedding at the club and Martin and Lewis debuted at Ciro’s a year later. Before long, they were among the biggest stars in the world but always remained indebted to Hoover for their big break. Even when they were making an at the time unprecedented $100,000 a week to perform they insisted that Hoover pay them their original salary for their first gig at Ciro’s–$7000 a week. Sammy Davis, Jr. got his start at Ciro’s and returned to the stage after his mid 1950’s car accident in what may have been the biggest event ever at the club. After an emotional introduction by Frank Sinatra, Davis tore down the house with a scorching performance.

It was the growth of “The Radiant City” in the Nevada desert–Las Vegas–that would eventually seal the fate of Ciro’s and nightclubs like it nationwide. With huge revenues afforded by legal gambling, Nevada casinos were in a position to lure away the best talent for its showrooms. Entertainers liked the fact that they didn’t have to travel, and Las Vegas afforded them a 24/7 playground. By the late 50’s, Ciro’s was forced to close its doors and was sold at a public auction in 1959 for a mere $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.