Night life in Havana in 1947 - Things to do and places to visit

Posted October 02, 2005 by publisher in Cuban Music

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Scanned from Havana Weekly 1947

THE NIGHTS Of HAVANA

Other capitals of the world had succeeded before the war in imitating the Parisian night, and there even was a time in the nocturnal life of Vienna when it rivaled that of Paris. But the night of the “Pearl of the Antilles”, the night of Havana is something that cannot be imitated, not even with the complicity of an ardent imagination and some of the tropical elements that characterize it. In other tropical places may be found the same soft voluptuosity of Havana’s climate, the same sky pierced by stars, the same whispers from a nearby sea, the same nocturnal flowers of intoxicating fragance, but the gaiety and that indefinable charm of its nights will surely be missing. And we say “nights”, be-cause they are many and varied: the luminous nights of the . streets, laden with laughter and music; those of the open-air cafes; of the popular dance-halls where the Afro-Cuban songs hold sway; the emotional nights of the Casino; the romantic ones of the Cabarets, dining and dancing under the trees; those of the hotels;. those of the clubs, the theatres, the Jai-Alai; the nights of dream-drives in the moonlight amidst enchanting vistas; and, in fact, the thousand and one Havana nights, typical, unmistakable, inimitable…

NIGHT CLUBS

GRAND NATIONAL CASINO. Gaming-rooms, ball-rooms and artistic shows. Phone FO-7478..

JOCKEY CLUB. At Oriental Park. (See Daily Calendar of Events.)

HOTEL NACIONAL. Dinner and dancing in an atmosphere of elegance and refinement Tel. U-8981.

TROPICANA. Located on Truffin Avenue, Buena Vista. Excellent music and entertainment. First class shows with foreign and Cuban stars. Tel. FO-4544.

CLUB ZOMBIE. First class open-air cabaret on Zulueta Street 256, near Central Park. Typical music and good entertainment. Tel. M-5000.

CASABLANCA. San Rafael and Prado Blvd. Good dance music.

FARAON. Situated in Chinatown (Zanja St.. 412) . Two orchestras and good show.

PENNSYLVANIA. Located on Miramar Avenue near the Beach, Marianao. Typical dance music.

PANCHIN. On Fifth Avenue, Miramar. Typical dance music.

COLONIAL CABARET. Located at Oficios street No. 164.

THEATRES

AUDITORIUM. Calzada and D St. Vedado.

PRINCIPAL DE LA COMEDIA. Animas and Zulueta Sts.

MARTI. Zulueta and Dragones Streets.

PAYRET. Prado and San Jose Sts. THE NATIONAL THEATRE. Central Park.

PRINCIPAL CINEMA HOUSES

ENCANTO. Neptuno and Consulado Sts.

FAUSTO. Prado and Colon Sts.

CINE AMERICA. Galiano between Neptuno and Concordia Sts.

RADIO CINE. Galiano between Neptuno and Concordia Sts.

REX CINEMA. San Rafael 161.

RIVIERA. 23rd St. between G and H Sts., Vedado.

TRIANON. Wilson Avenue between A and Paseo Sts., Vedado.

JAI - ALAI

THE FRONTON. Concordia and Lucena Sts.

HABANA-MADRID. 803 Belascoain Street.

Tropical Stadium. Baseball championship games. At 8:45 p.m.

Auditoriund Theatre. Grand violin concert by Jascha Heifetz. At 9:00 p.m.

Santos y Artigas Circus. Star per-formers and Roman Proske famous lion tamer with his tiger Nubian. At 9:00 p.m.

Razzore Circus. The flying Behees, Wong Gen Fo troupe and other famous performers. At 9:00 p.m.

National Theatre. Spanish Light Opera. At 9:30 p.m.

La Comedia Theatre. Spanish plays and comedies. At 9:00 p.m.

THRUSDAY, Dec. 4

Oriental Park. Horse racing at 2:30 p.m.

Jockey Club. Lunch, dinner, dancing, roulette, craps and baccarat, from 12 m. to midnight.

Night Clubs. Tropicana Club and Sans Souci (open-air), Zombie Club, Casablanca, and other popular cabarets such as Faraon, Pennsylvania, Panchin, Colonial and Chafl6n. Dinner and dancing. Show in same of them. From 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.

Fronton Jai-Alai. At 9:00 p.m.

Habana Madrid. Jai-Alai at 3:00 p.m.

Grand Stadium of Havana. Baseball championship games. At 9:00 p.m.

Tropical Stadium. Baseball championship games. At 8:45 p.m.

Santos y Artigas Circus. Star per-formers and Roman Proske famous lion tamer with his tiger Nubian. At 9:00 p.m.

Razzore Circus. The flying Behees, Wong Gen Fo troupe and other famous performers. At 9:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, Dec. 5 .

Night Clubs: Tropicana Club and Sans Souci (open air), Zombie Club, Casablanca, and other popular cabarets such as Faraon, Pennsylvania, Panchin, Colonial and Chaflon. Dinner and dancing. Show in same of them. From 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.

Habana Madrid. Jai-Alai games, a±. 3:00 and 9:00 p.m.

Grand Stadium of Havana. Baseball championship game. At 9:00 p.m.

Tropical Stadium. Baseball champ% onship game. At 8:45 p.m.