Chez Parée (Montreal)

1. Overview

For much of the twentieth century, Stanley Street was one of the important centres of downtown Montreal nightlife. It was in this environment that Chez Parée opened in November 1950, directly succeeding the Tic Toc cabaret at 1258 Stanley Street.

When it opened, Chez Parée was not the strip club with which its name would become associated several decades later. It was an upscale cabaret combining dining, dancing, live music, revues and variety entertainment. Over the years, its stage welcomed numerous Canadian and American stars, as well as major figures from the worlds of jazz and popular entertainment.

The history of the venue, however, predates Chez Parée itself. It belongs to a succession of establishments that traces the evolution of Montreal nightlife from the 1930s onward: the Lido, the Tic Toc, Chez Parée, and later a series of discotheques and bars before the Chez Parée name returned in 1982.

2. The Stanley Street Building

The history of Chez Parée must be distinguished from that of the Stanley Grill, another famous establishment associated with the same building. The Stanley Grill occupied the third floor at 1254 Stanley Street, while the Lido and later the Tic Toc occupied the ground floor at 1258 Stanley Street.

The Stanley Grill was notably remembered for opening a section of its roof around five o’clock in the morning in order to release the thick cigarette smoke that had accumulated during the night. According to accounts later published in the press, the operation could produce impressive clouds of smoke above the building.

On March 25, 1934, a major fire originating in the basement devastated the building. Damage exceeded $140,000, a considerable sum at the time. Two firefighters fell when the roof collapsed, while several others narrowly escaped disaster.

Harry Feldman, president of Stanley Grill Inc., quickly undertook the reconstruction. The Stanley Grill reopened on November 30, 1934. On the ground floor, another chapter in Montreal nightlife was also beginning: the Lido.

3. The Lido (1934–1937)

Located on the ground floor at 1258 Stanley Street, the Lido replaced the Cabaret des Beaux-Arts following the reconstruction of the building in 1934. The club belonged to boxing promoter Louis Dettner. Management was entrusted to Phil Maurice, who was also associated with the Chez Maurice cabaret, while Roy Cooper, described in the press as the “dean of Canadian impresarios,” organized the entertainment.

The name evoked the famous Parisian Lido and reflected the establishment’s ambitions. Despite the Depression, the cabaret sought to offer a luxurious experience. Prestigious automobiles lined the street outside the club on show nights, while its programming featured performers from the stage, motion pictures and radio.

In 1937, the Lido was also equipped with an air-conditioning system, an installation that remained highly unusual for entertainment establishments of the period.

4. The Tic Toc (1937–1950)

Following major renovations, Louis Dettner transformed the Lido and opened the Tic Toc on October 28, 1937. The new establishment advertised in local newspapers a “new show and dinner for $1.”

The Tic Toc retained the cabaret-and-floor-show format but aimed to appeal to a broader audience. Performers from the stage, film and radio appeared there regularly.

In February 1944, a young American crooner named Dean Martin made his Montreal debut at the Tic Toc, several years before becoming one of the major stars of American entertainment.

Businessman Harry Ship, described in the Montreal press as the city’s “king of gamblers,” also held interests in the Tic Toc. His story forms part of the complex history connecting certain Montreal nightlife establishments with the city’s illegal gambling networks.

5. Jerry Taylor & the Transformation of the Tic Toc

In 1947, Jerry Taylor, a familiar figure in Montreal nightlife, took over management of the cabaret. The establishment was subsequently advertised as Jerry Taylor’s Tic Toc.

Taylor travelled to New York in search of new talent. On May 31, 1947, the Tic Toc introduced the Glass Grill, a glass-enclosed kitchen that allowed customers to watch their meals being prepared. The feature added another theatrical element to the cabaret experience.

On June 1, 1950, the Tic Toc closed for a far more ambitious transformation. The goal was now to create a cabaret capable of competing with the most luxurious establishments on the continent.

6. The Birth of Chez Parée (1950)

After several months of work, the Tic Toc was reborn under a new name. On November 14, 1950, the Chez Parée cabaret officially opened at 1258 Stanley Street.

More than $100,000 was invested in the transformation. Contemporary descriptions emphasized the luxurious character of the room, its picturesque murals and the attention devoted to its décor. Jerry Taylor intended to make the new establishment one of the most elegant cabarets in North America.

For the opening show, Taylor travelled to New York and selected twelve dancers from approximately 600 applicants. The production was coordinated by Boots McKenna, a figure from the New York theatre and nightclub world.

The program combined dance, song, comedy and acrobatics, including a pickpocket act and a Parisian comedian. The show was accompanied by a nine-piece orchestra under the direction of Nick Martin and Peter Barry.

7. The Cabaret’s Golden Age

During the 1950s, Chez Parée became part of Montreal’s golden age of cabaret entertainment. Patrons came to dine, drink, dance and watch live performances, often all during the same evening.

Food formed an important part of the experience. The menu included charcoal-broiled fish, steaks, chicken, chops, delicatessen specialties and sandwiches.

Above all, however, it was the stage that established the club’s reputation. Performers associated with Chez Parée included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Vic Damone, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Woody Herman, Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, Johnny Hodges and Carmen Miranda.

In 1954, Jerry Taylor sold Chez Parée to Solly Silver, beginning a new phase in the cabaret’s management.

8. Frank Sinatra at Chez Parée

One of the most famous engagements in the cabaret’s history was that of Frank Sinatra, who appeared at Chez Parée from February 9 to 23, 1953.

Sinatra’s Montreal engagement came at a particular moment in his career. Following the enormous success of the 1940s, his popularity was going through a difficult period, while his personal life with Ava Gardner was attracting considerable press attention.

Jimmy Nichols, who was associated with the Montreal engagement, later recalled that Sinatra had made one particular request for his stay at the Mount Royal Hotel: he wanted a room with a view of the mountain so that he could paint it.

Only a few months later, Sinatra’s career underwent a spectacular revival. His Chez Parée appearance therefore belongs to a pivotal period in his professional life.

9. Jazz & Charlie Parker

Chez Parée also occupies a place in Montreal jazz history. Musicians such as Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, Johnny Hodges, Woody Herman and Billy Eckstine were among the performers associated with the venue.

The most remarkable episode, however, remains the appearance of saxophonist Charlie Parker in 1953, in connection with the activities of the Montreal Jazz Workshop.

Montreal pianist Paul Bley, who founded the Montreal Jazz Workshop with Keith White, later recalled concerts organized at Chez Parée and Parker’s visit to Montreal.

10. The Transformation of Montreal Cabaret Culture

Beginning in the 1950s, and particularly during the 1960s, the traditional model of the large Montreal cabaret gradually began to lose its importance.

The growth of commercial television changed entertainment habits, while rock music profoundly reshaped the tastes of a new generation. Establishments that had built their reputations on dinner shows, elaborate revues and visiting stars increasingly had to adapt their formulas.

This transformation also took place amid growing municipal and police scrutiny of nightlife establishments. Licensing, closing hours, public morality and organized crime became recurring issues in the history of Montreal cabarets.

Sources dealing with organized crime in Montreal also associate various operators of Chez Parée with criminal networks of the period. These claims should be understood within the broader context of the complicated relationships between nightlife, illegal gambling, protection rackets and organized crime in mid-twentieth-century Montreal.

11. The Hawaiian Lounge

On March 28, 1966, Chez Parée opened a new upstairs space known as the Hawaiian Lounge.

The expansion reflected the establishment’s efforts to diversify its offerings at a time when Montreal nightlife was undergoing major change.

12. The 1971 Closure

In 1971, the first chapter in the history of Chez Parée came to an end following a police raid. The cabaret closed, bringing more than twenty years of activity under that name to a close.

The address did not disappear from Montreal nightlife, however. Instead, it soon entered another phase reflecting the rapid rise of discotheques during the 1970s.

13. Marie-Chantal, Lime Light & Le Jardin

Following a period of closure, the premises experienced another incarnation under the name Marie-Chantal. Beginning in 1973, however, the building became especially associated with one of Montreal’s most famous discotheques: the Lime Light.

Founded by Yvon Lafrance and inaugurated on September 7, 1973, the Lime Light occupied the upper floors and became one of the leading centres of Montreal disco culture during the 1970s.

Beginning in 1977, the gay bar Le Jardin also occupied part of the building at street level. The Stanley Street address thus remained central to several successive communities and generations of Montreal nightlife.

14. The Return of Chez Parée in 1982

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, several business names were associated with the building or its various spaces, including La Brasserie Charles IV, Chez François, Club Le Neuf, Le Clique and Ray The Piano Bar.

On August 18, 1982, the name Chez Parée officially reappeared, this time referring to a strip club.

The name that had once symbolized elaborate revues and international stars during the 1950s acquired a new meaning within Montreal nightlife. This second incarnation remained active for decades afterward.

15. Historical Significance

The historical significance of Chez Parée extends well beyond that of a single cabaret. The address offers a remarkable window onto nearly a century of change in Montreal entertainment culture.

The Lido represents the luxurious cabaret culture of the 1930s; the Tic Toc illustrates the broader popularization of dinner-show entertainment; Chez Parée embodies the golden age of postwar cabarets; the Lime Light marks the explosion of disco culture; while the return of Chez Parée in 1982 reflects another transformation of the nightlife industry.

Few Montreal addresses allow so many successive transformations in popular culture and nightlife to be observed within the same building during the twentieth century.

16. Timeline

March 25, 1934 — Major fire in the Stanley Grill building.

November 30, 1934 — Stanley Grill reopens after reconstruction; the Lido occupies the ground floor.

October 28, 1937 — The Lido becomes the Tic Toc.

1944 — Dean Martin performs at the Tic Toc.

1947 — Jerry Taylor takes over management; the venue becomes known as Jerry Taylor’s Tic Toc and introduces the Glass Grill.

June 1, 1950 — The Tic Toc closes for major renovations.

November 14, 1950 — Chez Parée officially opens.

February 9–23, 1953 — Frank Sinatra performs at Chez Parée.

1953 — Charlie Parker appears in Montreal in connection with the Montreal Jazz Workshop and concerts at Chez Parée.

1954 — Jerry Taylor sells Chez Parée to Solly Silver.

March 28, 1966 — The Hawaiian Lounge opens upstairs.

1971 — Chez Parée closes following a police raid.

1973 — Lime Light opens in the building.

1977 — Le Jardin opens at street level.

August 18, 1982 — The Chez Parée name returns as a strip club.