As neighborhood seniors prepare for graduation, plan parties and sign yearbooks reflecting high school memories, a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School recalls the favorite hangout for the Class of ’44.
“Just about everyone from Woodrow went to Louann’s to dance,” says Ernest “Carl” Brandt, a resident of East Dallas since 1927.
“For 50 cents, we could get in and dance until 1 a.m. That was on Saturday nights, of course.
“There were two huge dance floors – one inside and one outside. We danced to records, mostly, and for 10 cents, we could make a special request at the window of the record room.
“There was a lady there who was in charge of the record library that contained hundreds of 78 rpm records. We could go up to the window, yell to her what song we wanted, and give her a dime to play the selection of our choice.”
Brandt says some of the most popular songs of the time were Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood”, “Tuxedo Junction” and “Pennsylvania Six Five Thousand,” Artie Shaw’s “Begin the Beguine,” Woody Herman’s “Woodchopper’s Ball” and Tommy Dorsey’s “Boogie Woogie”.
“Occasionally, big-name bands would perform in person. I saw Gene Krupa and Tommy Dorsey play there,” he says.
Named for its owners, Lou and Ann Bovis, the club at the southeast corner of Greenville Avenue and Lovers Lane remained a popular hangout for high school students until it closed in the 1960s following a fire.
