Steve Thomas Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 This is a side of the Cabana that I had not seen before. Doris Day was one of the original investors. " Waitresses in the club and lounge were referred to as “goddesses” and were required to wear short, lacy togas with gold accents. The most famous goddess was a young Raquel Welch..." https://www.aiadallas.org/v/columns-detail/Lost-Found-Cabana-Motor-Hotel/qe/ Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Where was the Cabana located. Who were the principal owners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 3 hours ago, Joe Bauer said: Where was the Cabana located. Who were the principal owners? Joe, As I understand it, the Cabana is located to the west/northwest of downtown Dallas along the Stemmons Freeway. I don't know about the owners, but I've read that the money came from the Teamsters pension funds, including Jimmy Hoffa. From the Dallas Morning News January 27, 1963. Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 (edited) Thank you Steve. Ms. Doris Day was for sure an innocent celebrity who would have no idea that a venture like this would be a creation of organized crime sleaze balls. Ms Day was an innocently trusting person despite her huge celebrity and often devilish others spot this trait from a mile off. Even her own husband Marty Melcher cleaned her out financially during her marriage to him. Coincidentally I worked full time at Ms Day's California Coast hotel ( she was and still is part owner ) in the early 2,000s. I was a peon position employee. Hardly ever saw her up close except to say "good morning" when I took her hotel mail to her when she would be driven by her assistant to the front entrance of the hotel, whereupon she would say "thank you" and then zoom off. Her assistant once told me she liked to go to our local Costco where she could taste their free food samples offered there. She was always dressed down when I saw her. Baseball cap and sunglasses. No make up. I am sure this helped her to not be recognized so easily and then mobbed by adoring fans. She is/was one of the most down-to-Earth, unpretentious "non" celebrity acting celebrities you could ever know. Edited November 4, 2018 by Joe Bauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Bulman Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 11 hours ago, Steve Thomas said: This is a side of the Cabana that I had not seen before. Doris Day was one of the original investors. " Waitresses in the club and lounge were referred to as “goddesses” and were required to wear short, lacy togas with gold accents. The most famous goddess was a young Raquel Welch..." https://www.aiadallas.org/v/columns-detail/Lost-Found-Cabana-Motor-Hotel/qe/ Steve Thomas One place Ruby went the night of 11/21/63 to meet old friends from the North who were staying there. https://flashbackdallas.com/2018/01/09/the-cabana-motor-hotel-of-dallas/ https://www.facebook.com/savethecabana https://www.aiadallas.org/v/columns-detail/Lost-Found-Cabana-Motor-Hotel/qe/?fbclid=IwAR2w36MW-tcn_u3-nPlOyxyI3S9XcifknAPtNbUHLKKtdrvLFU0DyuLl4RQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Joe Bauer said: She is/was one of the most down-to-Earth, unpretentious "non" celebrity acting celebrities you could ever know. Joe, I worked for a guy once who told me he used to fly Doris down to Mexico to get her marijuana. I didn't know whether to believe him or not. Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 (edited) Deleted. Edited August 17, 2022 by Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Bulman Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 5 hours ago, Steve Thomas said: Joe, I worked for a guy once who told me he used to fly Doris down to Mexico to get her marijuana. I didn't know whether to believe him or not. Steve Thomas While she did sometimes get excited, flummoxed or even angry, generally her characters were laid back, calm, and happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Bulman Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 5 hours ago, Steve Thomas said: FBI Report of J. Doyle Williams September 26, 1961 https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=71888&relPageId=4&search=Cabana Steve Thomas Interesting. What I get out of this and one of the links I posted is that Doris Day's husband was in bed with Hoffa on this deal committing her money and she was not happy about it. Then he died and left her in debt, in part because of this deal, with Hoffa, through who financing was found from the Teamsters Union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 I am sure you are right Ron. About this being a Marty Melcher deal. Not something Doris Day would ever do on her own. Like I said, Melcher cleaned her out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Mitcham Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 Been in love with Doris since I was a kid, and saw her in "Calamity Jane" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 On 11/4/2018 at 1:11 AM, Steve Thomas said: This is a side of the Cabana that I had not seen before. I don't know why, but I always had a picture of the Cabana in my mind as being a seedy little place, but it wasn't. I always got a kick out of this little exchange: HSCA Interview of Lawrence Meyers HSCA Report Vol. IX p. 885 https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=955&search=Ruby_Cabana#relPageId=893&tab=page Talking about why he went to the Carousel to meet Jack Ruby at the Carousel Thursday evening the 21st. prior to inviting him back to the Cabana to socialize with him and Jean West: Jim Braden aka Eugene Hale Brading was also staying at the Cabana. Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 One of life's oddest coincidences. Martin Melcher biography: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577455/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm “Was the third husband of Doris Day. After marrying her, he adopted Terry, Day's son from her first marriage to trombonist Al Jorden. Terry Melcher grew up to become a very successful record producer.” Terry Melcher biography: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577457/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_trv_sm#trivia “Son of Doris Day and her first husband, musician Al Jorden. He was adopted by her third husband, Martin Melcher, when he was 10 years old in 1952. Was a producer for Columbia Records who once auditioned and turned down Charles Manson for a recording contract. Initially, Melcher was believed to have been the original intended victim of the grisly Manson murders on Aug 9, 1969 at a house at 10050 Cielo Drive, Beverly Hills, where Melcher had previously lived with then-girlfriend Candice Bergen. Manson had previously visited Melcher there, and on a subsequent visit had learned that Melcher had moved. Nevertheless, Manson told his followers to kill anyone they found in the house on the night Sharon Tate and her house guests died, to send Melcher a "message". The house has since been demolished, and the location's address changed.” Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 (edited) Sadly true. I met Terry a few times when he came to the hotel. We chatted and discovered we each had a son who attended the same private high school. Like his mother, he was a very warm, friendly and down to Earth person. Not pretentious at all. Terry would chat warmly with other guests in the lounge as well. After Terry passed, the new restaurant built with the remodel was named " Terry's Lounge." I have wondered what Doris Day thought of JFK. And what JFK thought of Doris Day. I am guessing that Doris Day was generally apolitical although she might have personally been a quite liberal minded person. I wouldn't know from any direct personal knowledge however. Day is 96 now. Lives locally. Every birthday hundreds if not thousands of her fans ( many from other countries ) flock here and attend many planned events celebrating this. Rented tour buses and local auditoriums, Doris Day films shown, her music played everywhere ... This entire area becomes a Disney like "Doris Day Land." Edited November 5, 2018 by Joe Bauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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