Lou Walters

Louis Edward Walters (January 26, 1894 – August 15, 1977) was a British-born American booking agent, theatrical producer and the founder of the famed Latin Quarter nightclub in New York. He was the father of journalist Barbara Walters.

Early life Lou Walters was born in Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, London, on January 26, 1896, as Louis Abraham Warmwater to Abraham Isaac Warmwater (né Waremwasser) and Lillian Schwartz. He was one of 7 children, and the eldest son. Abraham Warmwater was a tailor, and during a strike in the clothing business in 1906, he moved the family to Belfast. Three years later, Isaac and his sons moved to New York, with his wife and daughters following seven months later. There, the family changed their surname to Walters.

Lou Walters found a job working as an office boy at a vaudeville booking office, and soon began booking acts himself. By his early 20s, Walters had opened his own booking agency in Boston, Massachusetts. His business originally booked only vaudeville acts, but as the popularity of vaudeville declined, he branched out to book acts into nightclubs and supper clubs. According to the memoir of his daughter Barbara, Walters discovered comedians Fred Allen and Jack Haley.

Walters was not an imposing man, standing at only 5'4" and weighing about 125 lbs. Over the next ten years, they had three children: Burton, who died of pneumonia as a toddler, Jacqueline, who had a mental disability (died from ovarian cancer in 1988), and Barbara, a television journalist and anchor. The chorus girls were cast after auditions in London, Paris, and major cities in the United States. The dancers wore skimpy costumes designed by leading fashion designers, including Erté. He produced two other Broadway shows, Artists and Models, and Star Time, but neither were popular. He was convinced that he could recreate his success with a new chain of clubs called Cafe de Paris. Although opening week was successful, the club was too large, and the rent too high, for Walters to cover his expenses. Facing bankruptcy, Walters attempted suicide in June 1958. His family covered this up, convincing the press that Walters had only had a heart attack. Walters was also sued by New York for failing to pay income or payroll taxes while he operated the Cafe de Paris. The court case lasted two years, and Walters began missing court appearances, claiming he did not have the funds to travel to New York. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest. According to the memoir of Walters' daughter Barbara, she contacted her friend, powerful attorney Roy Cohn, to let him know about the charges, and within a week the charges were dropped and the case was settled.

Las Vegas In Miami, Walters regained his equilibrium. The Hotel Deauville hired him to produce their nightly shows. That work led to an offer from the Tropicana Las Vegas to manage their stage shows as Entertainment Director. At the Tropicana, he introduced the Folies Bergère to Las Vegas. The Folies Bergere at The Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas became the longest running theatrical production in the world. In 1978, the Boston Center for the Arts named a rehearsal hall for Walters.

In 2006, New York City renamed a street near the old Latin Quarter nightclub "Lou Walters Way".