The Blue Angel

The Blue Angel, also known as the Blue Angel Supper Club, was a New York City nightclub founded in April 1943 and closed in 1964. It was located at 152 East 55th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues. Many artists would go to perform in the club and artists like Vaughn Meader had their careers launched at the Angel. History The Blue Angel was founded by Max Gordon, founder of Greenwich Village's venue, the Village Vanguard, which opened in 1934. The Blue Angel was co-owned by Herbert Jacoby. The duo, as Her‐Max, Inc., invested $5,000 each to open the club. A touch of interior design included a blue cherub—a blue angel—on the stage proscenium. Curt Weinberg acted as publicist. At capacity, the club held 150 people. The kitchen served gourmet food. The Blue Angel was a desegregated club, then a rarity. It was one of the venues at which Edith Piaf made one of her first performance appearances in the United States. Singers Irene Bordoni, Mildred Bailey, Mabel Mercer, and pianist Bobby Short performed at the venue in 1945. In 1946, actress, singer, dancer, and impressionist Florence Desmond debuted at the club. Eddie Mayehoff also performed on the bill. Also in 1946, the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron saw an advertisement for the club in the magazine The New Yorker, prompting them to rename themselves the Blue Angels. Other acts of the time to perform there included Eartha Kitt, Anita Ellis, and Alice Ghostley; Kitt undertook a number of residencies at the club, including an eight-week stint in 1952 and an unprecedented 20-week run. Other stars appearing at the club included Pearl Bailey, Alice Pearce, Paula Laurence, and the Bernard Brothers.