Gypsy Camp Blog

Today, the Comedy Story sits on the same spot and has for over twenty years. In it’s earlier incarnation it was Ciro’s, and it was for a time the center of the entertainment universe.

From the early 1940’s until it closed on the eve of the 1960’s, Ciro’s launched countless entertainment icons along the path to superstardom. It was one of the first major venues to host Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin before they took over the comedy world in 1950. A year later, an unheralded opening act called the Will Mastin Trio stole the show from the headliner. This was due in large part to a young entertainer that would before long outgrow his membership in the group–arguably the most talented entertainer in show biz history, Sammy Davis, Jr. After the car accident that cost Sammy his right eye, it was the site of his return to live performing. Countless other top entertainers performed there, from Sinatra sidekick comic Joe E. Louis to Nat King Cole.

The names that frequented Ciros were a whos who of the American entertainment pantheon, starting at the very top with Frank Sinatra and including other A list stars like Anita Ekberg, Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Ava Gardner, George Burns, Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford and too many others to mention. They came to drink, to see and be seen among a collection of other Hollywood illuminati, served by leggy cigarette girls in short skirts and heels.

During a more civilized time, a network of top nightclubs hosted entertainment, drinking, dining and other hijinx in the major cities of the US. Ciro’s was among this elite group of nightspots dating back to the early 1940’s when the icons of that era including Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, Lauren Bacall and George Raft would frequent the place. It started to ‘cool off’ and by 1942 was forced to close its doors for a time. It didn’t stay closed for long, as Herman Hoover implemented his plan to re-open and revitalize the nightspot.

Hoover had an interesting background–while attending law school at Columbia University he was lured away by the mix of wiseguys and chorus girls at New York’s famed “Silver Slipper”. “The Slipper” was a prohibition era nightspot owned by a group of organized crime luminaries, and Hoover quickly became a valued management asset. He would later work at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club before relocating to the west coast in 1936.

Ciros reopened on December 26, 1942 with longtime Sinatra pal Joe E. Lewis on stage and such stars as Mickey Rooney, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Joan Crawford and Cary Grant in the audience. Xavier Cugat (whod later marry a Latin dancer named Charo) became a regular headliner at the club, preceding the arrival of Martin, Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Hoover had hosted Dean Martins wedding in 1949 to second wife Jeanne, and Martin and Lewis debuted at Ciros in 1950. They remained loyal to Hoover and his club, and even when they were pulling down an astounding (for the 1950s) $100,000 a week to perform they insisted on holding their fee at Ciros to what they were originally paid–$7,000 a week. Sammy Davis, Jr. got his start at Ciro’s and returned to the stage after his mid 1950’s car accident in what may have been the biggest event ever at the club. Following an introduction by Frank Sinatra, Davis put on a scorching performance before an adoring and emotional crowd of the biggest stars on the planet.

It was the growth of “The Radiant City” in the Nevada desert–Las Vegas–that would eventually seal the fate of Ciro’s and nightclubs like it nationwide. With huge revenues afforded by legal gambling, Nevada casinos were in a position to lure away the best talent for its showrooms. Entertainers liked the fact that they didn’t have to travel, and Las Vegas afforded them a 24/7 playground. By the late 50’s, Ciro’s was forced to close its doors and was sold at a public auction in 1959 for a mere $350,000.

It also represented the end of an era in Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard remained a vital commercial artery, but the glamorous strip of adult entertainment that became part of American mythology gave way to a tacky mishmash of restaurants, strip clubs, and tattoo parlors intermingled with more upscale businesses. Although another revolution would emerge from Sunset Boulevard”a culinary superstar named Wolfgang Puck, and his restaurant Spago”the world became a little less civilized with the passing of Ciros. The building has been the Comedy Store for the past 26 years, and has started its own crop of stars along the path to fame.

Lithuania, the southernmost of the 3 Baltic States, was well known for its wooden castles, built during the Medieval Ages. At one point in that period it was one of the largest if not the largest country in Europe, incorporating parts of present day Belarus, Poland, Russia and Ukraine, under a Grand Duchy.

The castles were therefore built in a manner to reflect its preeminence in the region. Lithuanian carpenters specialized in wooden structures as opposed to brick castles. Though a few of the latter were also built, the level of sophistication the workers achieved building the wooden structures ensured their demand in neighboring states as well, evidence lying in the Belarusian word for Carpenter being almost a copy of the original Lithuanian word.

The castles were primarily used by the Lithuanian Dukes as residences who also had forts built around them to repulse aggressive attacks, mostly by the Germans. While most of the wooden castles were destroyed or irreparably damaged or even abandoned over time a number of the forts still remain, numbering around 450.

Information about these wooden buildings is sketchy as only a few have been archaeologically researched and even fewer restored.

Looking at some of the other castles, the castle at Old Trakai now has a Benedictine monastery standing over it, while the castle of Krevo has the distinction of being the place where Duke Kestutis and his son Vytautas were imprisoned. While the former died there, the latter went on to escape and rule successfully. The same castle played host to the signing of the Krevo Act which laid the foundation to the Polish – Lithuanian union, in 1385. A few of the other, more well-known castles were the ones at Vilnius, Birzai, Kaunas, Lida, Grodno, Punia, Palanga, Imbare, Moletai, Miadzel and Novogrudok, the last being the place where Mindaugas coronation took place; however this was subsequently disproved.

The castle at Old Trakai now has a Benedictine monastery standing over it, while the castle of Krevo has the distinction of being the place where Duke Kestutis and his son Vytautas were imprisoned. While the former died there, the latter went on to escape and rule successfully. The same castle played host to the signing of the Krevo Act which laid the foundation to the Polish – Lithuanian union, in 1385. A few of the other, more well-known castles were the ones at Vilnius, Birzai, Kaunas, Lida, Grodno, Punia, Palanga, Imbare, Moletai, Miadzel and Novogrudok, the last being the place where Mindaugas coronation took place; however this was subsequently disproved.

With a number of these castles being rebuilt, tourist traffic to these places has gathered pace, especially after Lithuania joined the EU. Prior to the economic slowdown, Lithuania had one of the highest economic growth rates in Europe and has consistently developed its infrastructure. As a result of continuous economic growth there has been a lot of interaction with other countries in the Union and across the world. With new personal as well as business ties being built, sharing of gifts and flowers has also picked up. In this regard, all the major international online florists like Sendflowers.ru and Cityflora.com provide regular delivery services to the major cities of Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, and Siauliai.

Motivation is so personal as to hardly make sense. There is, however a science too understanding that different things motivate different people. Motivation means motive (a reason to ) and action (do something). Not really that complicated but might help understand what makes some of us think differently

Nobody is exactly the same as anybody else. There are, however four different things that you should learn about- they all motivate us by a greater or lesser extent. The four main motivators are: Participation, recognition, personal growth and achievement. Learning about them all helps us understand people a little more and will help us to get the best out of people

Personal growth is a big motivator. People who are motivated by this reason are generally self starters who use every opportunity to gain skills and strengths in areas in which they want to grow. They will often talk about what they learned from something, how they benefited, how they can use experiences gained in future tasks, etc.

Of all the four main motivators, recognition is the universal motivator. As a society, we all love awards, ceremonies, trophies, medals, badges and titles. This is universally shown across the world and shows the power of recognition. Even in the most primitive of societies, recognition is a powerful tool. Please make sure though that through your understanding of the power of recognition that it is never abused- deliberate refusal to recognize peoples achievements is manipulative and clearly very wrong, particularly to a child

The simple act of getting things done, i.e. achieving things is a key motivator for a significant proportion of people. No need for a song and dance for these people, they quietly get on with things and before you know it, they have achieved their goals. Even then, the inner satisfaction is far more important than the fanfare of recognition. Recognize them anyway- recognition never hurts- it can only help if it is genuine and heart felt

Being part of a team or just being involved in the decision making process is far more important to some people than all the recognition in the world. Leave them out at your peril. Want to turn off someone who thrives on participation? Just leave them out of things and see what happens. Men are prime culprits here- it seems as though this is more important for women than men. Involve everyone a best as you can and watch the team win

Whilst not one thing in isolation will make up for deficiencies in other areas, understanding the core principles governing our motivation can have a wonderfully productive effect on our families and our productivity. Better relationships are just one of the positive reasons to take more interest in this intriguing subject

Working with the principles within this article, it would be dangerous to just implement what you have read here without further research. Look into the subject a little more- you will be glad you did. There are a wealth of articles on this and many other subjects on our website- details at the end of the article