Boulevards of Paris
University and Lexington Avenues
St. Paul
This page covers three night clubs in the same location:
- The Boulevards of Paris
- Vanity Fair
- Silver Dime
BOULEVARDS OF PARIS
The Boulevards of Paris was operated by John J. Lane, and was described as a “well-known Prohibition spot” (Minneapolis Tribune, June 3, 1952) – don’t know what that means, but Lane was a Detective in the St. Paul Police Department, and a Ramsey County Commissioner from 1926 to 1934.
“Peg About Town” in the Minneapolis Tribune gave it a rave review when it opened in September 1929. The Northwest’s Smartest Night Club featured a complete dinner for $1.50.
The place was known to be very elegant, and provided top-name entertainment to its patrons, such as:
- Fats Waller
- Benny Goodman
- Louis Armstrong
- Ben Pollack’s band made a lengthy appearance in the late 1920s and early ’30s with Jack Teagarden.
- McKinney’s Cotton Pickers
- With the end of Prohibition, Norvy Mulligan’s band played there frequently. (But that doesn’t make sense because it was out of business six months after beer was made legal…)
VANITY FAIR
The next venue at this spot was the Vanity Fair, which opened on October 5, 1933, about six months after the end of Prohibition. The ad below tells us that it was designed by Werner Wittcamp, and managed by Donald Norton.
Is the ad below the best or what? It shows what will happen to you if you don’t take your wife to the Vanity Fair on Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) – 15 years of the rolling pin as you creep in the door! This may be my favorite ad ever.
The ad below tells us that Connie Ralles has taken over as the “Congenial Host” of the Vanity Fair. The 11-piece Harmony Masters seems like a big band for 1934.
The ad below appears to be the last one for the Vanity Fair. A Russian Orchestra provides variety, with Connie Rallis still the manager.
SILVER DIME
Its next iteration was the Silver Dime. Apparently the people were underwhelmed with the Vanity Fair, because the Silver Dime was advertised as “Formerly the Boulevards of Paris.” Below is the first ad found, from September 1934. Jack Kennedy and His Orchestra would go on to be the house band for about a year.
On Sundays, Whoopie John would come out and put on an old time polka show.
Whom ever is writing the ad copy for this place is AOK in my book!
Ah, but Armistice Day 1934 was not nearly as fun at the Silver Dime as it was at the Vanity Fair, at least in the advertising department. This was in the depth of the Depression, and this was a small ad.
After this, the Silver Dime did not advertise as such, but radio listings tell us that Jack Kennedy and His Orchestra broadcast from the club on WTCN radio starting on December 12, 1934. Whoopie John took over each Sunday.
On January 11, 1935, the house band was led by Johnny Beardlesy, and on April 18, 1935, it was led by Jack Foster.
The last broadcast listed was June 11, 1935.
A curious end-note to the Silver Dime was a classified ad that ran from July 15 to 17, 1936, asking that if anyone knew Hans C. Fabian of the Silver Dime, please call, confidential, important. How intriguing.
Because these venues were always described as the intersection of University and Lexington Avenues in St. Paul, we don’t have an exact address. By 1949, 1100 W. University Ave. was the site of a National Food Store. There was also the O’Brien funeral home at that intersection.