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Café Society began in the fall of 1939, when trust fund babies, deposed royalty and captains of industry mingled with the stars of Broadway and Hollywood, sports celebrities, showgirls and playboys in a giddy spree before the World War. The places to see and be seen were "21", El Morocco, the Stork Club and the Algonquin Supper Club.
The Oak Room cabaret tradition began when friends begged owner Frank Case to open the room to an after-theatre crowd that wished to continue their merry-making until the wee hours of the morning. One of those friends was a charming Viennese chanteuse named Greta Keller, darling of such dashing chaps as the Prince of Wales and King Carol of Romania. Greta, who had starred with Peter Lorre and Marlena Dietrich in Vienna (and who reportedly taught the latter how to sing), became the first Oak Room cabaret star in November of 1939, to great acclaim.
Keller's audience included Melvyn Douglas, Clifton Webb, tennis champ Frank Shields, Oscar Levant, James Cagney, Gene Tunney, Marian Anderson, Tallulah Bankhead, Katherine Hepburn, Prince Serge Obolensky, Hedy Lamarr (a childhood friend of Greta's), Walter Huston and Greta Garbo, to name just a few. Before Garbo entered the Oak Room, her escort sat at their table with a lit match to make sure there was no draft for the Queen of Hollywood.
Cabaret was eclipsed as more of Case's - and the Algonquin's - resources went to the war effort. The revival came during the 1980s when brilliant singer-pianist Steve Ross began charming audiences. Since then the Oak Room has served as launching pad to a wide variety of stellar talents.
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