Feb. 10, 1957
Los Angeles
I stumbled across this story while researching yesterday’s post on South-Central vice raids and it was too wonderful to ignore. It sounds almost like one of the “Honeymooners” episodes involving Ralph Cramden, Ed Norton and the International Order of Friendly Sons of the Raccoons.
Apparently some lodge member had a perfect plan: “Our wives are always complaining about us going out to lodge meetings at night, so we invite them, OK? After some refreshments, our wives go play bridge while we have a business meeting! ” So 62 of them rented the Hollywood Eagles Hall, 1203 N. Vermont Ave., for an evening.
But instead of holding a business meeting once the wives left,
the members of the unidentified lodge rolled out a projector and began watching stag films.
(At right, the result of a 1951 raid on the Eagles hall.)
And although the wives weren’t aware of the scheme, the police knew all about it.
Police Lt. W.C. Nemetz and the Central and Hollywood vice squads stationed themselves around the hall, “peered through bamboo blinds when the movies began and then crashed the ‘business meeting,’ ” The Times said.
” ‘Follow us down to the Police Building. Your husbands will need help to bail out,’ vice squad officers informed the women as they roared off into the night with their convoy of lodge members,” The Times said.
The men were charged with suspicion of viewing lewd films and bail was set at $500 ($3,582.64 USD 2006).
The Times apparently didn’t follow up on the case. The domestic turmoil is best left to our imaginations.
ladailymirror.com 