Bagdad Supper Club facts for kids

The Bagdad Supper Club was a famous place for fun and entertainment in Grand Prairie, Texas. It opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1928. This was just before the Great Crash of 1929, a big economic event. The club was a fancy building where people could eat, dance, and listen to music. It even appeared in a movie called Juke Joint in 1947. A man named J. Wiley Day was its first manager. The club was designed by W. Scott Dunne, a well-known architect who designed many theaters in Texas.

What the Club Looked Like

The Bagdad Supper Club building looked like something out of a fairy tale! It was built in a Moorish style, which means it looked like old buildings from the Middle East. It had two stories and was covered in pinkish-gray stucco. The outside had round towers, like those you might see in ancient castles. Everything about it looked very unique and "oriental."

The building sat on about 4.5 acres of land. It was set back 300 feet from the road, with a horseshoe-shaped driveway leading to the main entrance. There was a path to the door with a big fountain in the middle. When the club first opened, it had a huge parking lot for over 300 cars.

Inside, the club had a stage for performers, a large dance floor, and several dining and lounging rooms. The dance floor was said to be the biggest in the Southwest! The main dining room could seat 450 people.

Who Managed the Club?

Many different people managed or leased the Bagdad Supper Club over the years. Here are some of them:

• 1929–1931: J. Wiley Day
• 1931: Jimmy Martin
• 1931: Louis Estes
• 1933: Hal Wortin
• 1935: R.S. Sims and D.H. Taylor
• 1946–1948: Ross Pastory
• 1949–1950: Lillian May Teague and her daughter, Marian Louise Teague, along with Robert Preston Bridges

How the Club Changed

In 1945, Dr. Frank H. Newton and his wife, Dr. Cosette Faust Newton, bought the club. Dr. Cosette Newton was once a Dean of Women at Southern Methodist University. They closed the club in 1950.

Later that year, a film company called All American News leased the building. They used it as their main office for the Southwest. They made short films and movie trailers there. They even called it the largest sound stage east of Los Angeles!

In 1953, the Newtons started to change the building into an art center. They brought in many valuable art pieces from all over the world. They designed different rooms to show art from specific countries.

Destroyed by Fire

Sadly, the Bagdad Supper Club burned down completely on April 19, 1953. People called it "the most spectacular fire in western Dallas County." A lot of valuable artwork was lost in the fire, worth about $1 million at that time. This included 45 paintings by a Hungarian artist named Armand Grotz, and even paintings by famous artists like Gainsborough and Van Dyck. Other precious items lost were furniture, beautiful Japanese and Chinese decorations, many tapestries, drapes, and countless handmade rugs.

The Newtons sold the land where the club once stood in 1956 for $125,000.

Famous Performers

Many talented musicians and bands performed at the Bagdad Supper Club. Here are some of the notable acts:

• Phil Phillips and His 14 Californians (1929)
• Smith–MacDowell Orchestra (1929)
• Alvin Wahl and His Bagdad Colored Orchestra (1930)
• Vincent (Jelly) Parrino and His Orchestra (1933)
• Gus Heilig and His Orchestra (1933 & 1934)
• Isham Jones (1935)
• Ben Bernie (1935)
• Jack Little (1935)
• Lou Harris and His Orchestra (1935)
• Ike Silver (1936)
• Glen Gray and His Casa Loma Band (1945)
• Durwood Cline and His Orchestra (1945)
• Charlie Carl and His Orchestra (1948)
• Dude Ranch Buckaroos (1948)
• Earle Spencer and His Orchestra (1948)
• Chet Bundy (1949)
• Morrey Brennan and His Brennan–Aires (1950)

See also

• List of supper clubs