Café Montmartre

Hollywood’s first nightclub, Café Montmartre, opened on the second floor of the Christie Realty Building in 1923. Its motto was: “Where everyone goes to see and be seen.” Among its patrons were actors Charles Chaplin, Marion Davies, Buddy Rogers, and Gloria Swanson as well as diplomats such as Winston Churchill and Prince George of England. The club facilitated many connections. While performing there, Bing Crosby met his first wife, Dixie Lee; Joan Crawford was also discovered there by talent scouts after winning a Charleston dance competition. The Lee Strasberg Institute’s L.A. branch was founded here in 1969.