Friars Club of Beverly Hills
Encyclopedia
The Friars Club of Beverly Hills (also known as the Friars Club of California) was a private show business club started in 1947 by comedian/actor Milton Berle
, among other celebrities who had moved from New York. It was forced to change its name in 2007 after losing a lawsuit with the New York Friars' Club
, and later closed. Its building, designed by modernist architect Sidney Eisenshtat
, was demolished in 2011.
got a group together at the old Savoy Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, including actors Jimmy Durante
, George Jessel
, Robert Taylor
, and Bing Crosby
. The Friars Club of California was originally established as a spinoff from the New York Friars' Club
, as a non-profit, membership only club. In 1961, the club moved into a distinctive, almost windowless building at 9900 Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills designed by architect Sidney Eisenshtat
. Past members included Al Jolson
, Frank Sinatra
, Jack Benny
, Dean Martin
, Jerry Lewis
, the Marx Brothers
, Sammy Davis, Jr.
, Billy Crystal
, and Johnny Carson
among many others. Like the New York club, for many years the Friars Club of Beverly Hills
was known for its celebrity members and "Roasts
."
under the Lanham Act
, among other claims; in September 2007 the federal district court granted substantial portions of the New York Friars Club's motion for summary judgment, which effectively forced the California club to cease operations under the Friars Club name.
The club changed its name to "Club 9900" for a few months, but as of June 2008, the club was apparently closed and the landmark building was listed as available for lease. In late January 2011 the building was demolished, despite objections from the Los Angeles Conservancy
.
The Friars Club was not related to the Friar's Inn
, a famous 1920s jazz cabaret in Chicago, Illinois, which was sometimes casually referred to as "Friar's Club".
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
, among other celebrities who had moved from New York. It was forced to change its name in 2007 after losing a lawsuit with the New York Friars' Club
New York Friars' Club
The Friars Club is a private club in New York City, founded in 1904 and famous for its risqué celebrity roasts. The club's membership is composed mostly of comedians and other celebrities. It is located at 57 East 55th Street between Park and Madison Avenues in a building it calls the Monastery...
, and later closed. Its building, designed by modernist architect Sidney Eisenshtat
Sidney Eisenshtat
Sidney Eisenshtat was an American architect who was best known for his synagogues andJewish academic buildings.-Biography:...
, was demolished in 2011.
History
The modern history of the club began in 1947 when Milton BerleMilton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
got a group together at the old Savoy Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, including actors Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, George Jessel
George Jessel (actor)
George Albert Jessel was an American illustrated song "model," actor, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning movie producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies...
, Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
, and Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
. The Friars Club of California was originally established as a spinoff from the New York Friars' Club
New York Friars' Club
The Friars Club is a private club in New York City, founded in 1904 and famous for its risqué celebrity roasts. The club's membership is composed mostly of comedians and other celebrities. It is located at 57 East 55th Street between Park and Madison Avenues in a building it calls the Monastery...
, as a non-profit, membership only club. In 1961, the club moved into a distinctive, almost windowless building at 9900 Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills designed by architect Sidney Eisenshtat
Sidney Eisenshtat
Sidney Eisenshtat was an American architect who was best known for his synagogues andJewish academic buildings.-Biography:...
. Past members included Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
, the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
, and Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
among many others. Like the New York club, for many years the Friars Club of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
was known for its celebrity members and "Roasts
Roast (comedy)
A roast is an event in which an individual is subjected to a public presentation of comedic insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes, the implication being that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and...
."
Later years
In 1992, Irwin Schaeffer became president of the Friars Club of California. By 2004, after years of declining membership, the assets of the Friars Club of California were sold to a for-profit corporation owned by Irwin Schaeffer's son, Darren Schaeffer. After the sale, the club was renamed "The Friars of Beverly Hills" and continued to operate under that name until 2007. However, in 2005 the New York Friars' Club commenced a lawsuit claiming trademark infringementTrademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attaching to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees...
under the Lanham Act
Lanham Act
The Lanham Act is a piece of legislation that contains the federal statutes of trademark law in the United States. The Act prohibits a number of activities, including trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising.-History:Named for Representative Fritz G...
, among other claims; in September 2007 the federal district court granted substantial portions of the New York Friars Club's motion for summary judgment, which effectively forced the California club to cease operations under the Friars Club name.
The club changed its name to "Club 9900" for a few months, but as of June 2008, the club was apparently closed and the landmark building was listed as available for lease. In late January 2011 the building was demolished, despite objections from the Los Angeles Conservancy
Los Angeles Conservancy
The Los Angeles Conservancy is an historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Conservancy is the largest membership based historic preservation organization in the country...
.
The Friars Club was not related to the Friar's Inn
Friar's Inn
Friar's Inn was a nightclub and speakeasy in Chicago, Illinois, a famed jazz music venue in the 1920s.Though some sources refer to it casually as "Friar's Club", it was not related to the Friars Club of New York....
, a famous 1920s jazz cabaret in Chicago, Illinois, which was sometimes casually referred to as "Friar's Club".
See also
- Membership discrimination in California social clubs
External links
- Friars National Association, Inc. v. 9900 Santa Monica, Inc., et. al., Case No. CV 05-4109 ODW (PLAx) (United States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaThe United States District Court for the Central District of California serves over 18 million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population...
, Otis D. Wright II, District Judge; Order Granting In Part and Denying In Part Plaintiff's Motion for Summary JudgmentSummary judgmentIn law, a summary judgment is a determination made by a court without a full trial. Such a judgment may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case....
, entered September 6, 2007). - Friars' Club of Beverly Hills Official site
- Club 9900 website