Mister Kelly’s was the hottest of spots in Chicago nightlife back in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, hosting singers like Barbra Streisand, Della Reese, Ella Fitzgerald and comedians like Richard Pryor, Joan Rivers, Lily Tomlin, and many, many more.

The nightclub is the focus of an exhibit running through July 20 at a former neighbor of Mister Kelly’s, the Newberry Library.

“In the ‘50s and ‘60s – and of course I'm not talking from personal experience – but the Newberry neighborhood, also known as the near north side or the Gold Coast, was considered to be the Las Vegas of the Midwest,” said Newberry librarian Alison Hinderliter, who curated the exhibit.

The Rundown podcast host Erin Allen is joined by Hinderliter and David Marienthal – who produced a documentary on Mister Kelly’s and who is also the son of the nightclub’s former owner – for a conversation about the club’s star-studded history.

Spending ‘A Night at Mister Kelly’s’ with the Newberry Library 22:32 Share

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Spending ‘A Night at Mister Kelly’s’ with the Newberry Library