A Night at Mister Kelly's

Free and open to all | At the Newberry – Trienens Galleries

Details

Relive a night on the town in the mid-twentieth century

Mister Kelly's was one of the hotspots of Chicago nightlife in the 1950s through the mid-1970s. Located on Rush Street in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood, the club was a welcoming venue where people could be entertained by top-shelf jazz and comedy talent and see rising stars who later gained international fame. Names like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Mort Sahl, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, and Richard Pryor regularly graced the marquee of Mister Kelly's. And club founders and brothers George and Oscar Marienthal thought of everything to ensure a quality experience for their patrons. This exhibition draws on the Mister Kelly's Collection at the Newberry to re-create the excitement of a night at Mister Kelly’s.

A Night at Mister Kelly’s is supported by the Rosaline G. Cohn Endowment for Exhibitions. The Newberry also thanks David Marienthal for his gift of the Mister Kelly’s Collection.

CURATOR: Alison Hinderliter, Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Selector for Modern Music, Newberry Library