The Ritz Ballroom was a popular cabaret, jazz, and swing nightclub located in the Black Rock neighborhood of

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

near Ash Creek.

History

The ballroom opened on March 23, 1923, under the management of owners Joe Barry and George McCormack.Andrew Pehanick, ''Bridgeport: 1900–1960'', Postcard history series, Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia, 2009,
p. 117
The final event held was the New Year's Eve Dance on December 31, 1961. After it was closed on January 1, 1962, the building became a furniture store but was then completely destroyed by a fire on June 12, 1970."'Home of Happy Dancers' recalls famed Bridgeport ballroom"
''The Connecticut Post''. Accessed 14 December 2011.

Building

The ballroom was located on Fairfield Avenue near Davidson Street and Courtland Avenue."History of Black Rock".
Accessed 15 December 2011. The wood for the dance floor was originally the ice skating rink at the Parlor Rock Amusement Park in Trumbull, which had been moved to the Brooklawn Pavilion, another hall owned by Barry and McCormack."The Parlor Rock Story".
Accessed 15 December 2011. The hall set a record attendance of 1,724 people in 1943 for a

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

show, and again that same year with a similar sized crowd for

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

; a ticket was priced at $0.88."Kenton Drew Top Crowd for Season at Ritz,"
''Billboard'' July 3, 1943, p. 23. However, in 1950 a one-night event with big band leader

Ralph Flanagan Ralph Elias Flenniken (April 7, 1914 – December 30, 1995), known professionally as Ralph Flanagan, was an American big band leader, pianist, composer, and arranger for the orchestras of Hal McIntyre, Sammy Kaye, Blue Barron, Charlie Barnet, an ...

drew 3,054 people at $1.50 a ticket."Flanagan Tour Chalks Up Hefty Scores for Week,"
''Billboard'' May 20, 1950, p. 4.

Notable events

A variety of musical artists played the ballroom throughout its existence, including Les Brown,

Frankie Carle Frankie Carle (born Francis Nunzio Carlone, March 25, 1903 – March 7, 2001) was an American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard". "Sunrise Serenade" was Ca ...

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and othe ...

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 t ...

, and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

as well as

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

Connie Haines Connie Haines (born Yvonne Marie Antoinette Jasme; January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008) was an American singer and actress. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Fra ...

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

and

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

."Book Dances to the Beat of the Ritz Ballroom"
"The Review." Accessed 15 December 2011. The hall was also often used for formal functions, such as the farewell dinner honoring

Clare Boothe Luce Clare Boothe Luce ( Ann Clare Boothe; March 10, 1903 – October 9, 1987) was an American writer, politician, U.S. ambassador, and public conservative figure. A versatile author, she is best known for her 1936 hit play '' The Women'', which h ...

on April 10, 1953, before she took up her post in Rome as

United States Ambassador to Italy Since 1840, the United States has had diplomacy, diplomatic representation in the Italian Republic and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946), Kingdom of Italy, with a break in relations from 1941 to 1944 while Italy and the U ...

."MRS. LUCE TO BE HONORED; ' Godspeed' Dinner for Envoy Will Be Held on April 10".
''The New York Times''. Accessed 15 December 2011.

Glenn Miller

On January 2, 1938, the final show of

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

's first band was held at the Ritz. Miller would then go on to form the

Glenn Miller Orchestra Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was an American swing dance band formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and com ...

.George Thomas Simon, ''Glenn Miller and His Orchestra'', New York: Crowell, 1974,
p. 105

Bunny Berigan

In January 1939, jazz musician

Bunny Berigan Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...

was famously charged $117 by the city of Bridgeport for permission to play the ballroom after missing a concert at the city's Pleasure Beach Ballroom.Robert Dupuis, ''Bunny Berigan: Elusive Legend of Jazz'', Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University, 2005,
p. 190

Famous cancellation

A dance scheduled for May 22, 1955, featuring

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

was cancelled by the

Bridgeport Police Department The Bridgeport Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in Bridgeport, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is responsible for most law enforcement within the geographical boundaries of City of Bridgeport, with the ex ...

, citing worries about rock and roll music and a recent near riot at the

New Haven Arena New Haven Arena was an indoor arena on Grove Street in New Haven, Connecticut, that served as a venue for ice hockey, concerts, and circuses. The first arena opened in 1914 but burned down in 1924. The new arena was started but went bankrupt; it ...

.Rick Coleman, ''Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock 'n' Roll'', Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo, 2006,
p. 105

Tributes

WVOF WVOF (88.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. The station is owned by Fairfield University. As of August 2008, the station has been a partner with Connecticut Public Radio and carries Connecticut Publi ...

hosts a weekly radio show featuring music, commentaries and interviews from the venue. Host Jeffrey Williams has also written a book, ''"Home of Happy Dancers" - The Story of Bridgeport, Connecticut's Ritz Ballroom'', on the venue, and declared 2011 the "Year of the Ritz" in honor of its being 50 years since it closed."'At the Ritz"
''At the Ritz — Official Website''. Accessed 14 December 2011. A "Ritz Supper Club" featuring big band music and jazz still plays local venues as of December 2011."Ritz Supper Club keeps the big band era going strong".
''The Connecticut Post''. Accessed 15 December 2011.

References

Sources

* Jeffrey C. Williams. ''"Home of Happy Dancers": The Story of Bridgeport, Connecticut's Ritz Ballroom''. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning, 2011. {{coord, 41.1553, -73.2327, region:US-CT, display=title Buildings and structures in Bridgeport, Connecticut Music venues in Connecticut Culture of Bridgeport, Connecticut