VENUE
Isy's Supper Club
1959—1976
1125 W. GeorgiaAlthough it was located outside of the Hornby Street area, which was Vancouver's hub for upscale entertainment, Isy's Supper Club was unquestionably one of the city's top nightspots. Built in 1959 by Isy and Richard Walters, Isy's was the Cave's major competitor. Both had an established reputation for booking the "name acts" and the "big stars."
Like the Cave, Isy's embraced the Golden Age of Striptease and even used the same choreographer, Jack Card, to stage the lavish production numbers featured in the floorshows. As was the case in many of the clubs in the affluent, predominantly white West End, Isy's hired mostly white dancers. However, shows such as "A Night in a Turkish Harem"(1963) and "Viva la Roma" (1966) were mounted in an attempt to capitalize on the erotic appeal of the exotic. In later years, Isy's Supper Club became known as Isy's Strip City.
Isy's flourished in the booming entertainment scene of the 1950s and 60s, during which, as musician Bob Murphy notes, it was "nearly impossible for a musician to be out of work." House bands were commonplace and played an important role in backing dancers and imported star performers. The band at Isy's was led by such well-known Vancouver musicians as Fraser MacPherson and Bobby Hales, who took over for Fras. Hales recalls the pass-off in an interview with Guy Macpherson: "So I walk in one night just to hear the band and Fraser says to me, in that voice of his that's twelve octaves below mine, "Do you want to be a leader, kid?" And I said, "What?" He says, "Well, I'm taking the band into the Cave. And Isy's looking for a band. So go down and talk to him."" Other local musicians that performed in or with the house band at Isy's include Tony Clitheroe, George Ursan, PJ Perry, and Ron Small.
Like the Cave, Isy's embraced the Golden Age of Striptease and even used the same choreographer, Jack Card, to stage the lavish production numbers featured in the floorshows. As was the case in many of the clubs in the affluent, predominantly white West End, Isy's hired mostly white dancers. However, shows such as "A Night in a Turkish Harem"(1963) and "Viva la Roma" (1966) were mounted in an attempt to capitalize on the erotic appeal of the exotic. In later years, Isy's Supper Club became known as Isy's Strip City.
Isy's flourished in the booming entertainment scene of the 1950s and 60s, during which, as musician Bob Murphy notes, it was "nearly impossible for a musician to be out of work." House bands were commonplace and played an important role in backing dancers and imported star performers. The band at Isy's was led by such well-known Vancouver musicians as Fraser MacPherson and Bobby Hales, who took over for Fras. Hales recalls the pass-off in an interview with Guy Macpherson: "So I walk in one night just to hear the band and Fraser says to me, in that voice of his that's twelve octaves below mine, "Do you want to be a leader, kid?" And I said, "What?" He says, "Well, I'm taking the band into the Cave. And Isy's looking for a band. So go down and talk to him."" Other local musicians that performed in or with the house band at Isy's include Tony Clitheroe, George Ursan, PJ Perry, and Ron Small.
PHOTO GALLERY
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Greenwell, Kim, and Becki Ross. "Spectacular Striptease: Performing the Sexual and Racial Other in Vancouver, B.C., 1945-1975." Journal of Women's History 17.1 (2005): 137-164.Hales, Bobby. Personal interview with Guy Macpherson. 23 Oct 2006. Transcript on VancouverJazz.com. 16 June 2008. http://vancouverjazz.com/inview/bhales.shtml
"Isy's Supper Club." Pacific Northwest Bands. Home page. 11 June 2008. http://pnwbands.com/isyssupperclub.html
Murphy, Bob. Informal interview with Skye Friesen. Vancouver, BC. 29 May 2008.
"Music of Vancouver." Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. 11June 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
