Dramaturg's Notes:
GLOW Lyric Theatre
Greenville, SC
Summer 2015
by Allison Gibbes

Speakeasies and the Prohibition Era

 

"The reign of tears is over. The slums will soon be a memory. We will turn our prisons into factories and our jails into storehouses and corncribs. Men will walk upright now, women will smile and children will laugh. Hell will be forever for rent."

- Reverend Billy Sunday at the beginning of Prohibition (31)

 

In 1919, United States legislature ratified the 18th amendment which began the Prohibition era. The new law, which was effected in 1920, declared that "the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages were restricted or illegal. Prohibition was supposed to lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America. Instead, Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; organized crime blossomed; courts and prisons systems became overloaded; and endemic corruption of police and public officials occurred." (29) The decree continued until 1933, when it was finally abolished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Without government regulation, home-brewed alcohol was often dangerous and deaths from alcohol poisoning increased. "Prohibition also presented lucrative opportunities for organized crime to take over the importing ('bootlegging'), manufacturing, and distributing of alcoholic drinks. Al Capone, one of the most infamous bootleggers of them all, was able to build his criminal empire largely on profits from illegal alcohol."(29)

 

Al (Alphonse) "Scarface" Capone (1899-1947) "controlled organized crime in Chicago during the late 1920s. From gambling rackets to bootlegging, it is estimated that Capone's enterprises netted him close to $100,000,000 during his career." (30)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speakeasies

"Though they may have appeared to close down for a short period, saloons simply went underground in basements, attics, upper floors, and disguised as other businesses, such as cafes, soda shops, and entertainment venues. Given its name because of the need to whisper or "speak easy,” these many illegal drinking enterprises quickly became established institutions, so much so that some said for every former legitimate saloon that closed, it was replaced by a half dozen illegal "gin joints.” At one time, there were thought to be over 100,000 speakeasies in New York City alone, New Jersey claimed there were 10 times as many as before the amendment, and Rochester, New York, twice the number. The same became true all over the nation." (31)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women and Prohibition

"Gone were the boardwalks, swinging doors, spittoons, and mustache towels of the saloon era, as speakeasiesdisguised themselves in numerous creative ways. Generally before a thirsty patron could cross the illegal threshold, a password, specific handshake or secret knock was required. Gone also were the tinkling sounds of the player piano and dance hall girls, as Prohibition ushered in the age of Jazz. With stiff competition from numerous establishments, many of the speakeasies provided music for their patrons and hundreds of jazz musicians easily found work. And, where there is dancing, there will be women." (31)

 

"But in these new 'saloons' of the Prohibition era, these many women were not exclusively dancehall girls or entertainers. Having been long banned from the saloonsof the past, 'regular' women found easy entrance into these new establishments. Prior to the amendment, women drank very little, and even then, perhaps just a bit of wine or sherry. Just six months after Prohibition became law in 1920, women got the right to vote, and coming into their own, they quickly "loosened” up, tossed their corsets, and enjoyed their newfound freedoms. The 'Jazz Age' quickly signified a loosening up of morals, the exact opposite of what its Prohibition advocates had intended, and in came the 'flapper.'" (31)

 

"With short skirts and bobbed hair, they flooded the speakeasies, daring to smoke cigarettes and drink cocktails. Dancing to the jazz tunes of such soon to be famous jazz greats as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bojangles Robinson, and Ethel Waters, their powdered faces, bright red lips, and bare arms and legs displayed an abandon never before seen by American women. Quickly, both Prohibition and jazz music was blamed for the immorality of women and young people were attracted to the glamour of speakeasies and began to drink in large numbers. The new era was described by songwriter Hoagy Carmichael as: it came in 'with a bang of bad booze, flappers with bare legs, jangled morals and wild weekends.'" (31)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mafia

"The American Mafia, an Italian-American organized-crime network with operations in cities across the United States, particularly New York and Chicago, rose to power through its success in the illicit liquor trade during the 1920s Prohibition era. After Prohibition, the Mafia moved into other criminal ventures, from drug trafficking to illegal gambling, while also infiltrating labor unions and legitimate businesses such as construction and New York’s garment industry. The Mafia’s violent crimes, secret rituals and notorious characters such as Al Capone and John Gotti have fascinated the public and become a part of popular culture. During the latter part of the 20th century, the government used anti-racketeering laws to convict high-ranking mobsters and weaken the Mafia. However, it remains in business today." (33)

 

"During the 1920s Prohibition era, when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcoholic beverages, Italian-American gangs (along with other ethnic gangs) entered the booming bootleg liquor business and transformed themselves into sophisticated criminal enterprises, skilled at smuggling, money laundering and bribing police and other public officials. During this time, the Sicilian Mafia in Italy, which had flourished since at least the mid-19th century, was under attack from the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). Some Sicilian Mafiosi escaped to the United States, where they got involved in bootlegging and became part of the burgeoning American Mafia. The Mafia in the U.S. and Sicily were separate entities, although the Americans adopted some Italian traditions, including omerta, an all-important code of conduct and secrecy that forbid any cooperation with government authorities." (33)