The Copa

October 1, 2007
The Copacabana was the New York hot spot throughout the 1940s, '50s and '60s that hosted the great singers and musicians of the era-Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, The Temptations. Jules Podell, a Russian immigrant, was one of the men responsible for the nightclub's success (the other was business partner Jack Entratter). In this loving and honest memoir, Podell-Raber, Podell's only child, recalls the club's heyday and her life as the daughter of the city's best-known impressario. Augmented by more that 100 b&w photos of the club and performers, Podell-Raber's narrative is filled with memories of attending shows every Sunday night with her mother and meeting the entertainers afterward (Sammy Davis Jr. once gave her a pet puppy). She doesn't, however, shy away from discussing mob boss Frank Costello's involvement in the club, nor does she paint her young life as completely idyllic: "After a short time I didn't want to be a Podell and live up to a certain standard of perfection." In the end, with photos and stories, Podell-Raber's nostalgic look at the club and her father show what made the club legendary.

October 29, 2007
The Copacabana was the New York hot spot throughout the 1940s, '50s and '60s that hosted the great singers and musicians of the era-Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, The Temptations. Jules Podell, a Russian immigrant, was one of the men responsible for the nightclub's success (the other was business partner Jack Entratter). In this loving and honest memoir, Podell-Raber, Podell's only child, recalls the club's heyday and her life as the daughter of the city's best-known impressario. Augmented by more that 100 b&w photos of the club and performers, Podell-Raber's narrative is filled with memories of attending shows every Sunday night with her mother and meeting the entertainers afterward (Sammy Davis Jr. once gave her a pet puppy). She doesn't, however, shy away from discussing mob boss Frank Costello's involvement in the club, nor does she paint her young life as completely idyllic: "After a short time I didn't want to be a Podell and live up to a certain standard of perfection." In the end, with photos and stories, Podell-Raber's nostalgic look at the club and her father show what made the club legendary.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2007
Russian immigrant Podell, who had dropped out of elementary school to help support his family, struck gold, nightclubwise, in October 1940 with the opening of the Copacabana, a Manhattan art-deco monument to high times. Affectionately called the Copa, the club hosted such hot entertainers and A-list clientele (often the same people) as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin (with and without Jerry Lewis), Nat King Cole, and Judy Garland, not to mention dapper gangster Frank Costello, who helped with the clubs launch. Mickey Mantle and some teammates were famously involved in a brawl at the Copa, and in his eponymous TV sit-com (aka Make Room for Daddy), Danny Thomas worked at the Copa Club. In short, the Copa was all over pop culture and the place to see and be seen. Podell-Raber, Jules only child, grew up upstairs from the club, and her intimate knowledge aids the text while the many family photos and shots of the Copa in full swing make the book stand out among nightclub histories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)