THE MOCAMBO

January 3, 1940 – June 30, 1958

The Mocambo was a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, at 8588 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were frequent guests at the Mocambo and were close friends of the co-owner Charlie Morrison. Morrison’s partner (in name only, mostly) was Felix Young. 

The Mocambo was once described as “a mixture of imperial Rome, Salvador Dali, and a birdcage.” Interiors were designed by Tony Duquette with murals by Jane Berlandina. Duquette was an uncredited costume designer on Ziegfeld Follies (1945), which featured Lucille Ball. The dominant feature was a large aviary containing 21 parakeets, 4 macaws, and a cockatoo. The club’s opening was scheduled for New Year’s Eve 1939, but was delayed when animal rights activists asserted that the loud noise might negatively impact the birds!  Morrison died a year before the club closed. He was broke at the time of his death, so Frank Sinatra volunteered to sing at the club for two weeks to make enough money to pay for his funeral. 

Lucy and Desi at the Mocambo in July 1942. 

Bonita Granville with Lucy and Desi at the Mocambo in 1943.  

Lucy and Desi at the Mocambo in 1949. On June 6, 1949, LA Examiner reporter Dorothy Manners wrote: 

“Desi Arnaz and his gang open at the Mocambo, June 21.”

Desi remarried Lucille Ball in a Catholic ceremony on June 19, 1949.

Lucy and Judy Garland in a Charleston dance contest at the Mocambo in 1950.

The idea for “Hollywood Anniversary” (ILL S4;E24) came from the fact that Desi Arnaz threw a surprise anniversary party for Lucy at the Mocambo on November 30, 1953. After a huge cake was served, a TV set was wheeled out and the guests watched the “I Love Lucy” episode “Too Many Crooks” (ILL S3;E9). 

Lucy and Desi with Gordon and Sheila MacRae at The Mocambo in the 1950. Sheila MacRae was featured in “The Fashion Show” (ILL S4;E20). 

Lucy and Desi at the Mocambo during the 1950s. During the 1950s Marilyn Monroe used her influence to get Ella Fitzgerald booked at the club, thereby reinvigorating her career. Contrary to popular belief, Fitzgerald was not the first black singer to play the Mocambo.  

The Mocambo’s main stage was the inspiration for the Tropicana set. 

In “Hollywood Anniversary” the Mocambo was recreated on the “I Love Lucy” soundstage. The club was previously mentioned in “Don Juan and the Starlets” (S4;E17) as the nightclub hosting the party for the premiere that Ricky is invited to – without Lucy. 

~ From Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams by Donald Bogle

Among the many celebrities who frequented the Mocambo were: 

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Errol Flynn, Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Henry Fonda, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Bob Hope, James Cagney, Sophia Loren, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner, Grace Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Howard Hughes, Kay Francis, Marlene Dietrich, Theda Bara, Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, Jayne Mansfield, John Wayne, Ben Blue, Ann Sothern, and Louis B. Mayer. 

Universal Studios in Orlando replicated the exterior of the nightspot on their backlot. The buildings actually house studio administrative offices. For many years, the theme park also hosted a Lucille Ball museum and gift shop. 

The West Hollywood Mocambo IS NOT connected to the El Mocambo nightclub in Toronto, Canada. That location opened in 1948 and is still around today. It is also NOT related to the Mocambo restaurant in Calcutta, India, which is said to be the oldest nightspot in India, opening in 1956.