"El Morocco" 1962 A La Carte/ Liquors Menu w/ Jaro Fabry Cover
$750
1962
15" x 11"
w/ insert hand-written menu for the day Wed. Oct. 3. 1962
*foxing condition noted*
El Morocco, sometimes nicknamed Elmo or Elmer, was a 20th-century nightclub in the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was frequented by the rich and famous from the 1930s until the decline of café society in the late 1950s. It was known for its blue zebra-stripe motif, designed by Vernon MacFarlane, and its official photographer, Jerome Zerbe.
After prohibition was repealed, it became one of the most popular establishments in New York City. Its regular clientele consisted of fashionable society, politicians, and entertainers. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had their wedding reception here. Part of what made the club the "place to be" was the photographs taken by Jerome Zerbe which were always in the news the next day. Everyone always knew where the celebrities had been from the background zebra stripes on the banquettes.
The neighborhood started changing after World War II. Eventually, Perona moved El Morocco to a four-story townhouse at 307 East 54th Street, on the north side of the street near the corner of Second Avenue, in 1960.
Perona died in 1961, and his son, Edwin took over the proprietorship. Later that year, Edwin Perona sold the club to John Mills, who owned it for three years.