Mid-Century Modern Freak

Ella & Marilyn at the Mocambo Nightclub 1955

Mocambo nightclub on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood was the place to be for A list celebrities. They would flock to see the biggest bands and musicians but the club refused to feature black performers. All that changed when Marilyn Monroe, at the peak of her fame and a huge civil rights supporter, called the owner personally and struck a deal with him to book Ella Fitzgerald for a long stint in exchange for her sitting in the front row every night of Ella’s performance. The press went nuts, the club owner got huge publicity, and Ella never played a small jazz club again.

“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt; it was because of her that I played the Mocambo. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her time. And she didn’t know it.” - Ella Fitzgerald

That’s class. Pure class.

Source: artmodel.wordpress.com