You might remember the Copacabana from the nightclub scene in The Goodfellas, the hit Barry Manilow song, the night members of the New York Yankees got into fracas that made headlines, the famous singers and comedians that performed there, or the clubs’ underworld connections.

This was “the place” for entertainment and to be seen in Manhattan for many years

The Hip 1940’s Rio Theme

The club opened on November 10, 1940 and was named after Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, with its Brazilian decor and his Latin themed orchestras.

It became the place for the best Latin hip swingers and fast-footed dancers in New York.   It had a beach theme and served an eclectic menu of South American and Chinese inspired food.

The Copa Girls, a modest sized chorus line staged nightly revues, flashing their best smiles and sequins at a Copacabana audience.

The club presented shows usually headlining a singer and a stand-up comic.  Stars like Danny Thomas, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Dionne Warwick, Pat Cooper, Joey Bishop, Martin and Lewis, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Don Rickles, Jimmy Durante, Desi Arnaz, Nat King Cole, and Jerry Vale performed there.

The Hollywood Connection

The nightclub was used as a setting in the film’s Raging Bull, Tootsie, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Carlito’s Way, The French Connection, Green Book,  Beyond the Sea,  One Night in Miami, but was most famous for the 1990 Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.

The incredible three minute one camera tracking shot from the street as Henry Hill and his wife Karen (Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco) avoid the crowd and make their way to the back of the entrance of the Copacabana, through the kitchen and finally to their front row seats for comedian Henny Youngman,  is sensational.

Segregation Recedes in the 1950’s

Originally the Copacabana had a strict “no blacks” policy until the 1950s when Harry Belafonte became a headliner at the club.

Sammy Davis Jr shattered attendance records with his run in May 1964 resulting in the Sam Cooke LP at the Copa live album.   Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and The Supremes all recorded live albums there.

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were frequent performers at the club and performed their last show there on July 5th 1956.

The Yankee Baseball Team Incident in 1957

The nightclub achieved a degree of notoriety due to a May 16th 1957 incident involving members of the New York Yankees.   On that evening teammates Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra and Billy Martin arrived at the nightclub with their wives to celebrate Martin’s birthday.

Sammy Davis Jr happened to be the headliner and during the performance a group of apparently intoxicated bowlers started to interfere with Davis’s act, even hurling racial slurs at him.

This behavior incensed the Yankees, especially Martin since his roommate was Elston Howard, the first black player to join the Yankees.   Tension erupted between the two groups and the resulting fracas made newspaper headlines and several of the Yankees were fined.   One of the bowlers a Bronx Deli owner ended up with concussion and a broken jaw.

More Headlines & Rumors from the 1960’s and 1970’s

In the 1960s Barry Manilow was a regular visitor at the nightclub and Lola Falana inspired him to write the song Copacabana “At the Copa”with the famous lyric “Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl”.

It was said the five bosses of the five mafia families owned the Copa known as the “Copa Crowd”.

In 1972 mafioso Joe Gallo operated the venue and it was closed for 3 years and reopened as a disco in 1976.

The nightclub today features two floors of dancing, driven by house, hip hop and Latin music plus a rooftop.  A 25,000 square feet entertainment destination that can easily accommodate a crowd of 4,000.