The Latin first opened in 1948 on Walnut Street in Philadelphia and was a very popular Center City nightclub for a decade. In 1960, the owners decided to build a posh, new 1,500 seat dinner theater in Cherry Hill and renamed it the Latin Casino, even though there was no gambling on premesis.
In its heydey, The Latin brought in acts like: Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Durante, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Richard Pryor, Jerry Lewis, Milton Berle, Lena Horne, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Joey Bishop, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Frank Sinatra, The Temptations, The Supremes, Liza Minnelli, Tom Jones, Donna Summer, B.B. King, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Connie Francis, Don Rickles, Gloria Gaynor, Della Reese, Eddie Fisher, Trini Lopez, Allan Sherman, Danny Thomas and Engelbert Humperdinck. Pryor recorded his 1975 live album "Is It Something I Said?" at the Latin.
Some of you may remember (I'm dating myself here) that this was where:
- Jackie Wilson had a major stroke onstage while singing "Lonely Teardrops" in 1975.
- Brenda Lee broke her neck onstage in 1962.
- Tom Jones was attacked and molested by two ladies behind the club.(Sounds like an unlucky tour stop to me).
The arrival of the late-70's Pop Culture killed the Latin in 1978 and brought about creation of a new club, Emerald City at the height of the disco craze. Following all fads, Emerald City lasted until 1982, when it closed and the property was torn down.
To learn more, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Casino
This is a quick, easy find. Bring a pen and please return exactly as you found it. $5 to FTF.