The Lambs Theatre Club

From its origins in 1874 as an intimate actors’ dining club, The Lambs by 1925 had become the most famous theatrical club in the world. Fred Astaire said, “When I was made a Lamb I felt as if I had been knighted.” The roster of its 6,000 members over the years includes Irving Berlin, W.C. Fields, John Barrymore and Will Rogers, with honorary members like John Wayne and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Drawn extensively from The Lambs’ official archives, and including many anecdotes from oral histories, this is the definitive record of the venerable club. It traces The Lambs’ roots in London and its initial development in America, their famous touring “Gambols” in the early 20th century, rivals like The Players and The Friars, patriotic efforts during both world wars, Prohibition and the Great Depression; bankruptcy in 1975; and relocation and resurgence today. The book includes numerous rare photographs, bibliography and four appendices.

The late Lewis J. Hardee, Jr., was a Lambs officer and lived in New York.

Lewis J. Hardee, Jr.
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 288
Bibliographic Info: 112 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012 [2006]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6095-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      ix
Introduction: The Namesake of the Club      1

1. Union Square      17
2. Madison Square      38
3. Dublin-on-Hudson      52
4. Herald Square      64
5. Times Square      86
6. The Lambs at War      108
7. Lightnin’ Strikes!      124
8. When Lambs Roared      147
9. A Flag at Half Mast      162
10. World War II and Aftermath      179
11. “Chapter 11”      203
12. Happy Hours      233

Appendix I. Shepherds of the Lambs      249
Appendix II. Immortal Lambs      250
Appendix III. Clubhouses and Meeting Places of the Lambs, 1874–2004      253
Appendix IV. The Lambs Foundation, Inc.      254
Notes      255
SelectedBibliography      263
Index      269