[Dixielandjazz] The Riviera in Fort Lee, New Jersey

[Robert Ringwald]

Ramsey Authors' New Book Tells the Story of Fort Lee's Riviera Nightclub
by Evonne Coutros
Bergen Record, October 24, 2011
Fort Lee's famed Riviera nightclub, which closed in the early 1950s to make way for
the Palisades Interstate Parkway, is given its due in a new book by the son of a
police officer who once worked there.
"Bill Miller's Riviera: America's Showplace in Fort Lee, New Jersey," co-authored
by Tom Austin of Ramsey, is a tribute to the nightspot and to his late father, Al,
who was a backstage special police officer there. The book, which goes on sale Tuesday
($19.99, The History Press), was co-authored by Ron Kase of Ramsey, associate vice
president for sponsored programs at Ramapo College.
Austin, a realtor, artist and musician, says he hopes to capture a bygone era. The
nightclub on the Palisades employed many of the last century's greatest entertainers,
including Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Tony Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis, Joey Bishop, Sophie Tucker, Eddie Fisher, Vic Damone and Jackie Gleason.
"On occasion, my father would take me down to the club," Austin said. "He was a special
policeman hired by [owner] Bill Miller, but worked through the Fort Lee Police Department....
His permanent assignment was to be at the Riviera."
He added, "My father was typically backstage, and when I would go there to see a
show, I would go backstage and hang out with the stars... the chorus... [bandleader]
Pupi Campo or meet people like Tony Martin and Sammy Davis Jr."
"I was 13, and I would always be dressed [in] my Sunday church clothes."
Austin, who grew up in the Coytesville section of Fort Lee, has had his own career
in the arts, co-authoring the song "Short Shorts" with Bob Gaudio and performing
as a member of the Royal Teens band. He recently painted an image of the Riviera
from memory, and that, along with a talk he gave last year about the club at the
Fort Lee Historic Park, inspired him to write the book.
The original Riviera was destroyed in 1936 by a fire; then-owner Ben Marden rebuilt
it the next year into a state-of-the-art Art Deco structure just south of the original
spot.
"The Riviera's iconic design resembled a grand yacht," write Austin and Kase. "Its
curving front close to the cliff's edge turned slightly toward the [George Washington]
bridge, sporting huge windows that looked out at the massive suspension bridge that
was an engineering marvel for its time."
The nightclub's windows overlooked the Hudson River and could be retracted into the
floor by electric motors. There was a retractable roof and tiered dining. The dance
floor revolved, and so did the bandstand. There were hat check girls, cigarette girls,
camera girls and even a barbershop for the stars. Not one of the 1,200 patrons had
a bad dining table -- and there was room for an additional 200 or so in the bar.
The club closed as rationing set in and good times waned during World War II. It
was bought by Broadway talent agent and nightclub owner Bill Miller -- the father
of former New York Times journalist Judith Miller -- who catered to a clientele thirsting
to hear top singers, bands and comedians on the Jersey side of the Hudson. The headliners
were complemented by first-rate choreography and showgirl entertainment.
The building held its own secrets. One day in the early 1950s, Al Austin showed his
teenage son how to access a small but secret private party room on the second floor.
Patrons would enter through the first-floor janitor's closet, which could be opened
only after a large electric floor fan nearby was plugged into the outlet.
"I plugged the plug in and the wall opened up, and there was a red-carpeted staircase
with glass handrails going upstairs," Austin said. "It was just a dingy janitor's
closet with a slop sink and buckets and mops, and I went upstairs with him and there
was this big room.... The wall was leathery mauve-colored squares. My dad always
told me Bill Miller would use it for private parties."
There was also a "machine-gun nest," as Austin calls it, where anyone entering or
leaving the club could be watched through a peephole.
"I was so fascinated by the whole set of circumstances -- the stage revolving, the
excitement of show business," Austin said. "I just loved being there."
By the 1950s, Las Vegas was turning into the next entertainment hot spot. That was
where Miller headed after the Riviera was condemned, and he was later credited as
being the father of the lounge act. Miller died in Palm Springs, Calif., in December
2002 at age 98.
"The Riviera ran its course," Austin said. "In retrospect, it was the best of the
best at the time, but then something came that was better."
__________
Upcoming events around the book:
* "The Lost Riviera of the Hudson": Dec. 2. Reception at 7 p.m. Illustrated talk
with the Fort Lee Film Commission at 7:30 p.m. Fort Lee Historic Park (Hudson Terrace
immediately south of the George Washington Bridge). Free.
* "The Riviera": Dec. 4. History hike with Eric Nelsen of the Palisades Interstate
Park New Jersey Section. Hikers should meet at 1 p.m. at Fort Lee Historic Park.
The hike is about 2 miles and 1.5 hours, and rated as easy. Free. For more information:
201-768-1360, ext. 108.


--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
530/ 642-9551 Office
916/ 806-9551 Cell
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"All the problems we face in the United States today can be traced to an unenlightened
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