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Tag Archives: Chez Paree

June 1, 1935 – Hopefully we can celebrate for many years to come.

6/1/35

Dear Sisters,

After finishing my last letter we went to Gray’s and showed homemade movies in their “penthouse” on the roof of their home. Had a nice evening.

[Continued 6/2/35]

Sunday we had beautiful weather and we visited with [LJG’s daughter] Flora Mae. Afterwards we went to a very good movie: “Going to Town” with Mae West.

Click image for YouTube

Monday night with I went with Aunt Henny to a movie show about her current business. Then we went for about an hour to Leonard’s office.

Tuesday at Samuels, met a Mr. Bartenstein, who will call you when he is in Germany the beginning of July for 2 weeks.

Wednesday eve we met Henny in the office so the three of us could celebrate my first year in Chicago at the Chez Paree supper club. We had a very excellent meal, good wine, and 2 beautiful floor shows. Left past midnight. Hopefully we 3 can celebrate that anniversary together for many, many years to come.

Chez Paree

Thursday – Decoration Day. Excellent dinner at Gwen and Eddy Bishop, then to Grays who have a fur business in the same building where they live. I tried on several silver fox scarves. Nothing for me! We were there from 5:00 until 10:00 p.m. Eddy drove us home.

Friday – no work – holiday – we are not busy at all. Have to find money for Leonard’s birthday July 4th.

Click for YouTube

Beautiful weather. Take several walks.

Saturday morning breakfast downtown. Then starting this letter after talking to Gene Weil for ½ hour.

Aunt Jenny has not been well for some time already.

We went shopping with Flora Mae and her “kinderfraulein” who had come downtown. Then we went to see the movie “G-Men.” It was pretty good.

Much mail this week. Doris, Hilde Meyer, Ernst Goldschmidt etc.

Now I am hungry again. I have lost 12 lb. since I am here.

Love,
Trudel

Trudel celebrated her life in Chicago for more than 70 more years.

This is the first of the letters Trudel translated in a more abbreviated style. I wish she hadn’t thrown away the originals when she finished translating so that I could fill in details.

Trudel’s Son

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Posted by Leonard Grossman on June 1, 1935 in Chicago, immigrant experience, Letters

Tags: American styles, Anniversary, celebrate, Chez Paree, Chicago, Chicago weather, clothes, dinner, floor show, movies, music, Penthouse, roof garden, working

August 20, 1936 – The biggest and best night club; elegant people

20 Aug

Roof garden at the Seneca Hotel.

Trudel continues to translate only brief summaries of her original letters. The two entries she made for August 1936 only hint at the changes she had made in her life. But we can fill in some of the blanks from her photo album. Last month she mentioned sitting on the roof of the Seneca Hotel because it was so hot. Since posting that I found a photo of the Roof Garden at the Seneca in her album, which I have included here.

Although she doesn’t mention it in her translations, her photo album for the period includes photos on Chicago’s lake front and in the parks. I have included some of those as well.

The biggest and the best

8/3/36
Last night we went for the first time in the Chez Paree, the biggest and best nightclub here. Very elegant people, good dinner, excellent entertainment.