Rare "Arthur" Disco-Era Ashtray
Rare "Arthur" Disco-Era Ashtray
Regular price
$250.00 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$250.00 USD
Unit price
/
per
- Vintage ashtray from New York's 1960s-era discotheque
- Endangered object from the golden age of smoking and drinking
- Crafted in clear glass; branded with Arthur logo
- Measures 4-inches in diameter
When the Beatles came across the pond sporting those famous mop tops, a reporter asked Ringo Starr "What do you call that hairstyle?" Ringo solemnly replied, "I call it Arthur."
Sybil Burton, whose husband Richard had run off with Elizabeth Taylor, opened a discotheque on East 54th Street, the site of the old El Morocco, and she called it "Arthur." Clearly a shrewd businesswoman Sybil raised the cash to set up the club by selling shares to showbiz pals at $1,000. These patrons included Roddy McDowell, Julie Andrews, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. When it opened, no one could have imagined that Arthur would cause such a sensation, and that everyone would want to go there. Famous visitors included Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Jackie Kennedy, Sammy Davis Jr., Julie Andrews, Paul Newman, Jane Fonda, Rudolf Nureyev, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams and Liza Minnelli. In his book, "Popism," Andy Warhol reminisces about meeting Bette Davis, Sophia Loren and the astronaut Scott Carpenter there. From 1965 to 1970, it was the hottest club in Manhattan.
Artifacts from Arthur have mostly vanished into history, except for a rare ashtray or two. We have retrieved a few of these authentic specimens, each a one-of-a-kind gift for your own Arthur.