GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let's put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”
All those who attend will receive a free (square) G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you, without asking the staff.
THE DATE: October 13th, 2011 (Thusday)
THE PLACE: The Comedy Store
8433 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood (Map)
THE TIME: 8:00pm to the witching hour
NOTE: There will be no cover charge for those coming to the famous Comedy Store for SPIRITS with SPIRITS. Also, our group will have access to the notorious haunted basement, as well as other surprises. Because there is limited space in the club, it's best to RSVP. (to RSVP find us on Facebook, or email us at ghoulahq@live.com)
THE GHOSTS:
The "Sunset Strip" is generally defined as the part of Sunset Blvd that connects Hollywood to Beverly Hills. Anyone who has driven down the Strip on a Saturday night (or watches TMZ) knows that this area represents the wild side of Tinseltown, where Angelenos go to party. This street's raucous reputation seems to date back to the 1920's, and possibly even further to the era when outlaws and bandits like Tiburcio Vasquez rode through here.
It is thought that Sunset Blvd was created back in 1780 and up until 1984, this infamous section of it was still unincorporated land, as in it was officially not part of the city of Los Angeles.. Thus, the Strip was outside the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Police Department. As a result, from the 1920's and up, it was a safe haven for casinos, brothels (both gay and straight), burlesque theaters, and speak-easys, which explains the high concentration of historic night-clubs that still stand along this winding section of Sunset.
The building that the Comedy Store occupies is no exception. Before this legendary comedy club, and the larger than life people associated with it, occupied this location, other equally grand clubs and characters occupied this spot. In the 1920's, the Club Seville operated out of this address with its themed "Arabian Nights Room" and its "Marine Room," which featured a dance floor made of crystal with fountains, fish, and colorful lights underneath it (fifty years before "Saturday Night Fever"). Other less memorable night clubs followed from Marcel's to the futuristic-sounding Spectrum 2000.
However, the most famous club previously at this site was Ciro's restaurant, where the Hollywood elite would come to drink and socialize, possibly before visiting Hollywood's most notorious brothel next door. It is widely suspected that gangster, Mickey "The King of the Sunset Strip" Cohen, used this glamorous hot-spot as his base of operations. There are even claims that the building still has the peep-holes and hidden gun stations left over from the bloody turf tensions of the "Sunset Wars" of 1947.
Additionally, a popular legend states that the basement was used by Cohen and his cohorts to beat and/or murder their enemies, and possibly dispose of the bodies under the floor. Likewise, there has been claims that illegal abortions were conducted down there for Ciro's dance girls, and possibly the neighboring prostitutes, who found themselves in a "family way." Stories like these are often given by charlatan psychics and ghost hunters, since there is generally no way to verify them, but given the area's lawless history, such tales seem quite plausible for this location.
It is commonly believed that the ghosts and spiritual unrest of today's Comedy Store stem from this dark era of the building's history. Witness' claim that a mysterious man in a brown leather World War II bomber jacket has been seen in the office upstairs as well as the kitchen and other locations in the club. He often appears to be hiding or crouching before vanishing into thin air. Could this be one of Mickey Cohen's victims?
Additionally, there are claims of disembodied moans, voices, cries and even snarls coming from the infamous basement, as well as phantom men in suits in the back of the main room, and a presence believed to be a former hit-man that employees refer to as "Gus." Chairs are said to slide across the floor by themselves. One witness even saw an ashtray float above a table.
However, the most famous story about the ghosts of the Comedy Store involves comedian Sam Kinison, a former preacher, whose loud, frenzied style of delivery always seemed to stir up paranormal activity. Strange audio and electrical problems would only occur during his sets, including mysterious hisses over the speakers that sounded suspiciously like someone repeatedly chanting "It's him!" One night after such problems, Kinison challenged the ghost from on stage to stop playing around and to make its presence known to everyone. At that moment, the lights in the club went out instantly, leaving everyone in pitch blackness. After a beat, the lights came back on by themselves. Everyone in the room gasped.
Lastly, there are two curious stories concerning the pavement just outside the Comedy Store's entrance. First, in 1960, a gas line under Sunset ruptured and large blue flames shot out of every crack in the sidewalk along the facade of the building. Though the curtain of blue flames didn't actually touch the building (or cause any damage), everyone inside was trapped until the firemen could figure out how to stop the eerie-looking fire.
Then, in 1979, a relatively unknown comedian named Steve Lubetkin unsuccessfully tried to organize comedians to go on strike for higher wages. Depressed, and banned from this venue, he went to the top of the Continental Hyatt House (now known as the Andaz West Hollywood) and jumped 13 stories to his death, landing next to the Comedy Store's entrance. His suicide note said "My name is Steve Lubetkin. I used to work at the Comedy Store." Some have theorized that his sad spirit still haunts the premises, wanting to perform one last time.
Most believe that the Comedy Store is one of the most haunted buildings in Hollywood. Is it? Come out, have a drink, and find out for yourself.
http://thecomedystore.com/
(to read more about the ghosts of this haunted location... )
(to read about last month's haunted location...)
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