Friday, October 25, 2024 – NOT THE UPPER CRUST ENTERTAINMENT IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD

By admin

 SATURDAY IS “GOLDEN DAY” TO REGISTER AND VOTE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION

This Saturday is the last day to register and and vote in the Presidential Election.  If you live on Roosevelt Island, stop in our Early Voting Site.

You will be able to register and vote (by affidavit ballot) on Saturday.

Saturday, October 26th is the last day to register and be able to cast a ballot for this election.

See you at Gallery RIVAA, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Other Early voting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 pm. weekends and 8am. to 8 p.m. weekdays.

Early voting ends Sunday. November 3rd.

Related Web Link: WWW.VOTE.NYC  

Harry Hill’s Concert Saloon

and the

Underbelly of Gilded Age NYC

Friday, October 25, 2024


UNTAPPED NEW YORK


ISSUE #1335

Inside there were multiple rooms and bars and a small simple stage where various acts were performed. The proprietor himself took to the stage every week to recite some of his own poetry. Mark Twain wrote of his visit to Harry’s in 1867, describing the female dancers who “did spin around with such thoughtless vehemence that I was constrained to place my hat before my eyes.”

Harry posted a list of rules for his establishment on the wall including no profanity, no loud talking, and no drunkenness. Thanks largely to the owner’s low tolerance for any truly disruptive behavior, Harry’s was a cut above the worst of the dance halls where robbery and violence were rampant, but still on a lower rung than the more reputable theatres of Broadway further uptown. In his New York Times obituary, Harry Hill was described as “a queer combination of the lawless, reckless, rough, and honest man.”

In April 1862, New York passed the Concert Saloon Bill. The New York Times reported that this ambiguous bill would “purge our places of public amusement of most of their evils” and” to “make respectable and popular those that are properly conducted.” Essentially, the bill required all venues to obtain a license for any spoken or sung performances, though no licenses were granted to places that served alcohol or had waiter girls. Hefty fines were imposed on venues that skirted these rules, though many concert saloon proprietors took their chances, either ignoring the bill entirely or finding crafty ways around the new rule.

Image via NYPL

At Harry’s, the entertainment offering shifted to boxing matches. Some of the most well-known boxers got their start on Harry’s stage. Hill even put on a fight between two female boxers.

Due to financial struggles from his other business ventures, Harry was forced to close the dance hall in the 1880s. By the turn of the 20th century, most concert saloons had closed but their influence led to other forms of entertainment like burlesque and vaudeville.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
NEW  HOLIDAY MERCHANDISE

ARRIVING SOON AT THE RIHS VISITOR KIOSK
STAY TUNED AFTER ELECTION DAY FOR DETAILS

CREDITS

EPHEMERAL NEW YORK
JUDITH BERDY

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