Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire

by Ron Elliott

Twenty years of silence. No one talked about it. No one wanted to. The public was shocked by ghastly televised images of an uncontrollable inferno and of the endless views of twisted, charred remains of what had been billed as “The Showplace of the Nation,” now reduced to smoldering rubble with 167 of its guests dead. How could this happen? From its notorious early years of illegal gambling, glamorous night life, and organized crime to its reborn reputation as one of the finest entertainment and dining establishments in the country, the Beverly Hills Supper Club was frequented by the biggest stars, governors, politicians, and athletes of its day and never failed to deliver a good time. But, On May 28, 1977, the final curtain fell. Now you can know what really happened. Follow long-time Beverly Hills dealer, waiter, and finally captain, Wayne Dammert, in his personal inside account, Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, of this renowned showplace and the horrifying events of one of our nations' worst disasters. Wayne Dammert and other survivors tell the inside story: true eyewitness accounts of the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

282 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Denise Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gripping account of the tragic 1977 fire in a fancy Cincinnati OH club is told mostly from the perspective of headwaiter Wayne Dammert. The book gives a history of the club, description of the fire, and legal aspects (lawsuits, changes to laws, etc.). Lots of black and white pictures accounts of survivors add to the interest. The dedication is a list of all 165 fatalities.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really quite an interesting read/ informative for those living in the Northern Kentucky area. I park at the bottom of the hill where the Supper Club was, and its haunting really to think about how many people lost their lives there. My father told me a story about how he had to drop his friend's mom off that night because she was a nurse and they needed anyone who could help. He said it was one of the craziest scenes he as ever witnessed in his life.

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was truly a horrifying event. The story of what took place was good but focused a little too much on the litigation that followed the fire. That took up a good portion of the book and it was, at times, hard to understand. The best part was the 2nd to last chapter when it talks about all the personal stories. Very sad.