Singing from a tigerish crouch in decollete, skin-tight gowns, she stopped the show nightly with a sexed-up version of "Love for Sale." Commented Hollywood Reporter critic Nat Kahn: "Miss Bryant stamped herself as a different entertainer-with terrific stage presence and a new style."īlack singers certainly faced discrimination in the 1950s, but it doesn't appear that Morrison was hesitant to book Fitzgerald due to her race. Silver-haired Joyce Bryant played a smash-hit, two-week engagement at Hollywood's plush Mocambo Club and drew rave notices from critics who called her the "beltin'est babe of the bistro set." Movie stars and entertainers packed the club every night, wildly applauded Miss Bryant in her biggest night club engagement to date. Joyce Bryant Gets Rave Notices at Mocambo Joyce Bryant also wowed crowds at the club two years before Monroe urged Morrison to book Fitzgerald. Singers Herb Jeffries and Earth Kitt both hit the stage at the Mocambo years earlier. However, Fitzgerald was not the first black singer to perform at the West Hollywood hot spot. It's also true that Monroe urged Mocambo's owner Charlie Morrison to book Fitzgerald in 1955. This is a genuine photograph of Monroe and Fitzgerald. In November 2019, the History Lovers Club Twitter account posted a photograph of the two celebrities along with one of the most oft-repeated versions of this story: The owner of the popular night club was reportedly hesitant to book a true jazz singer and thought that Fitzgerald wasn't glamorous enough to perform at the West Hollywood hot spot.Ī popular anecdote about how actress Marilyn Monroe helped Ella Fitzgerald book a gig at the posh West Hollywood night club Mocambo in the 1950s is frequently shared on social media. While race may have been a contributing factor, black entertainers had performed at the Mocambo club prior to Ella Fitzgerald.
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