Liquor, Lust and the Law: The Story of Vancouver's Legendary Penthouse Nightclub

by Aaron Chapman

Few Vancouver nightspots evoke such a fabled history as the Penthouse Nightclub. Founded in 1947 by the Filippone family, the Penthouse became the place to see and be seen in Vancouver in the 1950s and '60s; acts like Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, and Duke Ellington regularly performed on the Penthouse stage, and the venue was one of the few in town not only to welcome African American entertainers, but to lodge them as well, at a time when Vancouver hotels refused to. Audiences often included visiting stars such as Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, and many others. In the 1970s, the Penthouse became infamous for its exotic dancers, resulting in a colorful, lurid history involving vice squads, politicians, judges, and con men, and culminating in the murder of co-owner Joe Filippone in the Penthouse's office in 1983. However, through decades of evolving social mores and changing cultural styles in a city constantly trying to reinvent itself, the Penthouse has somehow survived, a testament to its storied history and the fortitude of the Filippone family that still owns it. Rife with nostalgia and just a hint of scandal, Liquor, Lust and the Law is a fascinating history of a Rat Pack-era nightclub that also reveals a darkly beautiful and slightly naughty view of Vancouver after dark. Aaron Chapman is a writer and musician with a special interest in entainment history. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Aaron Chapman is a writer, historian, and musician with a special interest in Vancouver's entertainment history.

He is the author of The Last Gang in Town, the story of Vancouver's Clark Park Gang; Liquor, Lust, and the Law, the story of Vancouver's Penthouse Nightclub, now available in a second edition; and Live at the Commodore, a history of the Commodore Ballroom that won the Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award (BC Book Prizes) in 2015. He lives in Vancouver.

Reviews

[Morgan M. Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim book starts off a bit too soft on the Fillipone family but gains real traction in its exploration of their prostitution-related trial. A fascinating slice of Canadian sex work and nightlife history.

[Linda Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book for those who know Vancouver and those who love Vancouver. It is a wonderful account of the u7ntold history of Vancouver and it's gritty often forgotten history.
Be sure read all three of Arron's books about Vancouver's history.
You wont be able to put them down!!

[Shelley L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading about the history of my hometown. This author pulls you into what he writes

[John Belshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s an old line from pantomime: “Infamy! Infamy! They’ve all got it…infamy.” Everyone from the Liquor Control Board to the police, morally tight-assed politicians, pimps, and the occasional small-time hood had it in for the Penthouse. But it survived and continues to survive because it did something simple well: it served up sin stylishly. This book tells the dramatic and sometimes tragic story of a remarkable family, their storied venue, and a multi-generational campaign to keep the ‘fun’ in Funcouver.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Chapman does a wonderful job of capturing Vancouver hip but seedy past, while telling the compelling story of an immigrant family's history in Vancouver. There's many points where you'll find yourself transported to the recent past, wishing all the while you could have been there. A quick and thoroughly enjoyable read and an important piece of Vancouver's history, thankfully now preserved in print.

[Josie Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breezy history of one of Vancouver's most famous/ infamous joints. A place that was far more interesting when only a semi legal place, but has adapted with each generation and is still busy and the penthouse

[Richard Lehingrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Chapmans historical looks at Vancouver.

[Betty-Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of the Penthouse Nightclub, which has been operating for over 70 years.
Well written. Informative. Exciting: Prohibition. Prostitutes. Celebrities. The Law. Family. ❤️

[rabble.ca]

http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2013/0...

Review by Daniel Francis

The Penthouse Nightclub, the kind of place the tabloid press usually describes as "notorious," was known to be a centre of prostitution in Vancouver when, in the summer of 1975, the police launched an operation to shut it down. After a lengthy investigation involving wiretaps, hidden cameras and undercover surveillance, the vice squad came calling just before Christmas and arrested the three Philliponi brothers, who ran the club, along with three other employees.

The doors were padlocked, the business licence was revoked and the city’s most infamous night spot -- the Vancouver Sun columnist Allan Fotheringham once called it "a minor league equivalent of the Eiffel Tower" -- went dark. Nine months later the trial of the "Penthouse Six" began.

The Crown charged that the club was a hotbed of sex and depravity, and the Philliponis (or Filippones; to confuse matters the brothers spelled their name differently) were nothing but pimps and procurers. The trial was labelled the "Charge-sex trial" after the Chargex credit cards that were used by patrons to buy sexual services.

Read more here: http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2013/0...

[Shaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice addition to my local history knowledge.