Sammy's Bowery Follies

These buildings once housed Sammy’s Bowery Follies, a legendary nightclub known as “The place where the high life meets the low life.” Made famous by photographers Weegee, Erika Stone, Burt Glinn, Lisette Model, and Alfred Eisenstadt, it was known for raucous parties, zany variety shows, and for bringing politicians and celebrities together with “Bowery Bums” and busloads of tourists. Life magazine said prosperous uptowners came to see “how the other half staggers.” In 1934, Sammy Fuchs took over a grungy dive saloon that had once housed McGurk’s Mug, hired former vaudeville performers, incorporated a “Gay 90s” theme, and rebranded it the “Stork Club of the Bowery.” Sammy’s singing waiters, playful show tunes, sing-a-longs, and comedy skits attracted patrons from all over the globe seeking an “authentic” Bowery experience, including Albert Camus, Rosalind Russell, Edward G. Robinson, Harold Lloyd, Milton Berle, Jimmy Durante, and Mae West. To ensure guests were not disappointed, Sammy hired the most outrageous acts he could find and supplied Bowery drunks free booze to heighten the frantic atmosphere. He died in 1969, and Sammy’s closed its doors on September 29, 1970, after a three-decade run as one of the most heavily visited attractions in the city.

New York, New York · United States