Helen Gallagher Solomon (died 1943) was an American
Ziegfeld girl
Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris.
Descripti ...
and
restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...
who co-founded
Gallagher's Steak House
Gallagher's Steakhouse is a steakhouse restaurant at 228 West 52nd Street in the Theater District in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in November 1927 by Helen Gallagher, a former Ziegfeld girl, and wife of Edward Gallagher (1873–1929) ...
. She was the wife of
Ed Gallagher (1873–1929), of the
Gallagher and Shean comedy team.
She had been a Ziegfeld Girl until the mid-1920s and the wife of Ed Gallagher, who with
Al Shean made up the comedy team of
Gallagher and Shean. In November 1927 she and Jack Solomon, a colorful gambler with a large loyal following from the sporting element, opened Gallagher's at 228 West 52nd Street next door to the
Alvin Theater
The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for ...
. These were the days of
Prohibition and Gallagher's was one of the first
speakeasy gathering places for gamblers, sports figures, and stars of
Broadway.
Dinner Reviews website
After Ed Gallagher's death, Helen remarried to Jack Solomon. She died from cancer in 1943 and her widower established the Helen Gallagher Cancer Fund to aid research.
References
1943 deaths
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
Singers from New York City
American women restaurateurs
American restaurateurs
Ziegfeld girls
Broadway restaurateurs
Year of birth missing
Place of birth missing
Date of death missing
Place of death missing
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