This week came the news that Covid-19 had taken its 100,000th victim. My heart aches for all those unfinished stories and all those heartbroken families. May they all somehow find peace.

And so it is with utmost respect for the departed that I also mourn a tiny bit for the Copacabana.

If you were around in the late 1970s, you’ll remember Barry Manilow’s “At the Copa” disco tune that endlessly told the story of Lola (she was a showgirl) and Rico (he wore a diamond). It then asked that immortal question: “who shot who?” (Which, by the way, should be “who shot whom“; perhaps there was a grammarian with an itchy trigger finger in the club that night.)

The only good thing I can find from this news is the opportunity to share a long-ago souvenir photo from that famous club.

Of course it came in a souvenir folder:

According to various news articles, Covid-19 may (or may not) have caused the Copacabana to close permanently. And it may (or may not) reopen in 2021 at a new location.

Who doesn’t love a good mystery, right?

Here’s another mystery: Who are these ladies?

Dad identified the lady in the back row – on the left – as Aunt Ginny. She was Grandpa Cassidy’s youngest sister, born in 1915. Ginny, who had polio as a child, walked with a pronounced limp. She didn’t let that slow her down one bit, though. She was loads of fun!

Dad says Ginny worked as a clerk at the Knights of Columbus in New Haven. He guesses she and “the girls” from work treated themselves to a night on the town.

A few curiosities from the photo:

• Who is that wolf … er, gentleman grinning at the lady in the polka-dot dress in the back row?
• Forgive me, but I can’t help but think the aforementioned wolf … er gentleman is goosing the polka-dot-dress lady. It looks like she’s ready to jab him mightily with her elbow once the photo is snapped.
• Dad and I became fascinated by what’s in the bowl on the table. If you look at what’s in front of the polka-dot-dress lady, there are stalks of something. At first glance, I thought they might be breadsticks. Dad, though, may have figured it out: that bowl appears to be full of ice. Are those sugar-cane nibblers for the ladies? It would certainly fit the tropical theme of the Copacabana.
• This just in: After giving it some more thought, Dad wonders if the bowl might contain bamboo shoots. That would fit the type of food offered; at least during the early years, the club’s menu was a variety of Chinese dishes.

Here’s the back side of the souvenir photo folder, signed: All the Best – always John A. Hoffbauer, Jr.

Who the heck is John A. Hoffbauer, Jr.?

Googling wasn’t a whole lot of help in finding the answer, so it’s probably safe to assume he wasn’t that evening’s headliner.

Luckily, Newspapers.com took me to a 1976 “Inquiring Photographer” column in the New York Daily News. The feature includes an opinion from a middle-aged man who is identified as a maitre d’. Sounds like we figured it out!

Music and passion were always in fashion at the Copa. Let’s hope this iconic New York club gets another chance in the coming year.

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Update: The Copacabana reopened in New York City on February 5, 2022. The new address is 625 West 51st Street.

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