BEVERLY
BEVERLY HILLS SUPPER CLUB FIRE OF 19-77. IN THE DECADES SINCE THE FIRE,
THERE HAVE
BEEN ACCUSATIONS OF ARSON... AND
CLUES OF
A POSSIBLE COVER UP.
TONIGHT, THE UNSOLVED TEAM IS IN
NEWPORT, KENTUCKY IN SEARCH OF
ANSWERS.
ANSWERS.
HERE'S
HERE'S SHAY MCALISTER. SUPPER CLUB FIRE 40 YEARS LATER-
PKG NEWSCASTER
PKG NEWSCASTER 20 "OUR MAJOR STORY THIS EVENING-
IS ONE
IS ONE
OF
OF DEATH
OF DEATH AND HOLOCAUST AT BEVERLY HILLS SUPPER CLUB SOUTH
OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY." 27
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE PILED UP INSIDE DOORWAYS.
DAVID BROCK/BEVERLY HILL SUPPER
CLUB BUS BOY
001A6848 1830
001A6848 1830 "HE SAID BROCK THEY'RE TRAPPED,
THEY'RE TRAPPED! I SAID WHAT DO
YOU MEAN THEY'RE TRAPPED? HE
SAID THEY'RE DYING IN THE CABARET ROOM." . AS FLAMES
ROARED ROOM. TO ROOM. FORMER
CLUB EMPLOYEE 001A6846
925
"I SAID- GET OUT OF HERE! GET
OUT OF HERE!"
STAFF WORKING TO SAVE THE
GUESTS. DAVID BROCK/BEVERLY HILL
SUPPER CLUB BUS BOY
001A6848 2226
001A6848 2226 "IT WAS A WAR ZONE."
. AND SAVE THEMSELVES. FORMER
CLUB EMPLOYEE 001A6846
1720
"BOOM, BOOM, TANKS AND STUFF ARE
BLOWING UP. FLAMES ARE SHOOTING
UP HIGH THROUGH THE BUILDING."
RESCUERS EVENTUALLY ORDERED OUT,
AS THE TRUE DIMENSIONS OF THE
DISASTER STARTED SINKING IN. FORMER CLUB EMPLOYEE 001A6847
718
"THIS IS THE WORST FIRE IN
AMERICA. IN 77 YEARS. AND IT
WASN'T AN ACCIDENT."
DRINKS WERE POURED, TOASTS WERE
MADE-- MAY 28TH 1977-- STARTED
LIKE ANY OTHER NIGHT AT THE BEVERLY HILLS SUPPER CLUB.
DAVID BROCK/BEVERLY HILL SUPPER
CLUB BUS
CLUB BUS
BOY
BOY 001A6848 138
001A6848 138 "IT WAS CONSIDERED THE SHOWPLACE
OF THE NATION ON THE EAST COAST.
ALL OF THE MAIN ENTERTAINERS
FROM VEGAS."
FROM VEGAS." "JOHN DAVIDSON WAS THERE THAT
NIGHT." 155
BIG CROWDS PILED IN. PETER
BRONSON/AUTHOR PPAN3050
2130
"ONCE YOU GOT INTO YOUR CHAIR
YOU COULDN'T GET OUT- THAT'S HOW
THEY PACKED THEM IN THERE FOR
THE SHOW." .THOUSANDS CASHED IN
THEIR
THEIR TEN-DOLLAR TICKET AND TOOK THEIR SEATS IN THE EXTRAVAGANT
CABARET ROOM. FORMER CLUB EMPLOYEE
001A6846
EMPLOYEE 001A6846 935
001A6846 935 "BLACK. BLACK SMOKE. POURING
THROUGH."
A SMALL FIRE. SNAKING THROUGH
THE
CEILING. MANY STARTED TO SMELL
THE
SMOKE BUT THEY COULDN'T SEE IT.
COULDN'T BELIEVE THEY WERE IN
ANY REAL DANGER.
SUPPER CLUB FIRE 40 YEARS LATER-
PKG
PKG
PKG ON
PKG ON SCENE WITNESS 57
"TWO COMEDIANS WERE PERFORMING
AND ANOTHER BUSBOY WENT UP AND
GRABBED
A MIC AND TOLD THE PEOPLE THAT
THE
ROOM WAS ON FIRE, NOT TO PANIC
AND TO LEAVE AND THEY LAUGHED AT
HIM THEY THOUGHT IT WAS PART OF
THE ACT." WITHIN SECONDS HOT
FLAMES ROARED DOWN THE HALLS OF
THE SUPPER CLUB.
PETER BRONSON/AUTHOR PPAN3050 535
"SPLIT SECONDS MEANT LIFE AND
DEATH. WE COULD BE SITTING AT
THE SAME TABLE AND I MADE IT OUT
AND YOU DIDN'T- JUST BECAUSE YOU
WERE SITTING ON THE WRONG SIDE
OF THE TABLE." SUPPER CLUB FIRE 40 YEARS LATER-
PKG
PKG
PKG RADIO
PKG RADIO CHATTER 142
"HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL IN
THE
BUILDING? WE DO NOT KNOW." DAVID
BROCK-- AN 18 YEAR OLD BUSBOY AT
THE TIME-- REMEMBERS THE RESCUE
EFFORTS IN DISTURBING DETAIL..
DAVID BROCK/BEVERLY HILL SUPPER
CLUB BUS BOY
001A6849 312
001A6849 312 "YOU WOULD GRAB SOMEONE BY THEIR
ARM, THEY WERE LIKE WAX COMING
THROUGH YOUR FINGERS AND YOUR HANDS." HIS COWORKER WAYNE. ALSO
THERE
THERE THAT NIGHT. FORMER CLUB EMPLOYEE 001A6846 1750
"I JUST SAID GOD PLEASE TAKE
THIS SOUL INTO HEAVEN. I DID
THAT TO MAYBE 50 BODIES I
GUESS."
26-HUNDRED PEOPLE MADE IT OUT
ALIVE. MORE THAN 200 WERE HURT.
AND 165 PEOPLE.DEAD.
PETER BRONSON/AUTHOR PPAN3050 825
"THEY HAD NO CHANCE. MOST OF
THEM. IT WENT THROUGH THERE SO
FAST AND THE
CLOUD OF TOXIC SMOKE, THE
SYNTHETIC
SUBSTANCES THAT WERE IN THE
BUILDING
MATERIALS WAS ABSOLUTELY
POISONING. IT WAS SO TOXIC
PEOPLE WOULD WALK OUT OF THAT
BUILDING
BUILDING AND LOOK PERFECTLY FINE JUST LIKE YOU OR I AND FALL DEAD
WITHIN SECONDS BECAUSE THEIR
LUNGS WERE JUST TOTALLY SHOT." 850 A MAKESHIFT MORGUE WENT UP
NEARBY.
FAMILY WALKING THROUGH ROWS OF
BODIES. LIFTING SHEETS FROM
FACES.
LOOKING FOR THEIR LOVED ONES,
ALL WHILE
HOPING THEY WOULDN'T FIND THEM
THERE.
BEVERLY FIRE SOUTHGATEMEMORIALJ
UNE5
SOUTHGATE MAYOR
128
"WE WILL NEVER AGAIN BE THE SAME
TYPICAL, AMERICAN
TOWN, THE
NATION WILL
REMEMBER AND ASSOCIATE SOUTHGATE
KENTUCKY WITH SMOKE, FIRE
AND
DEATH."
AND DEATH." ONE WEEK LATER. THE SMALL TOWN
MAYOR
HELD A MEMORIAL FOR THE VICTIMS.
BEVERLY FIRE
SOUTHGATEMEMORIALJ
UNE5
SOUTHGATEMEMORIALJ UNE5 150- TAPS NATS
AND AS THE LONE SOUND OF THE
BUGLE
ECHOED ACROSS THE VALLEY.
SUSPICIONS
STARTED TO GROW.
DAVID BROCK/BEVERLY HILL SUPPER
CLUB BUS BOY
001A6849 950
001A6849 950 "ITS NOT ELECTRICAL FIRE, ITS
NOT ALUMINUM WIRING LIKE THEY'VE
BEEN SAYING- THAT'S ALL A LIE-
COMPLETELY A LIE." STATE
OFFICIALS RULED THE FIRE
ACCIDENTAL VERY EARLY ON. BUT FORMER EMPLOYEES DIDN'T BUY IT.
FORMER CLUB EMPLOYEE 001A6847
205
"WE ARE POSITIVE WITHOUT A DOUBT
THAT
THAT
THAT IT
THAT IT WAS ARSON. NO QUESTION." THEY SPENT DECADES
PUSHING FOR
ANSWERS..
001A6843
ANSWERS.. 001A6843 130
001A6843 130 "THIS IS THE ROOM WHERE IT
STARTED."
BEGGING FOR AN INVESTIGATION.
001A6843
150
001A6843 150 "THAT'S WHERE THE GUYS WERE
WORKING
DURING THE DAY."
BUT SAY THEY WERE MET WITH PUSH
BACK
AND
BACK AND
BACK AND EXCUSES. SO THEY STARTED
THEIR
OWN QUEST FOR ANSWERS. FORMER
CLUB EMPLOYEE
001A6847
46
001A6847 46 "WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED."
AND THEN A FORMER JOURNALIST PUT
ALL OF THE PIECES IN ONE PLACE. PETER
BRONSON/AUTHOR
BRONSON/AUTHOR
PPAN3051
PPAN3051 106 "IM PETER BRONSON- AUTHOR OF
FORBIDDEN FRUIT- SIN CITY'S
UNDERWORLD AND THE
SUPPER
SUPPER CLUB INFERNO. I SET OUT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE 1977 SUPER
CLUB FIRE
CLUB FIRE
CLUB FIRE WHICH IS THE GREATEST TRAGEDY IN
REGIONAL HISTORY AND HE LEAD ME
DOWN A
DOWN A
DOWN A PATH TO THE MOB." THE TEENAGE BUSBOY REMEMBERED
SEEING
WORKERS IN THE ROOM WHERE THE
FIRE
STARTED. EARLIER THAT DAY. HE
SAYS HE
ASKED THE PROPERTY OWNERS ABOUT
IT
IT
IT WEEKS
IT WEEKS LATER. DAVID BROCK/BEVERLY HILL SUPPER
CLUB BUS
CLUB BUS
CLUB BUS BOY 001A6848
BOY 001A6848 445
001A6848 445 "I SAID THEY WERE WORKING IN THE
CEILING FOR TWO HOURS. HE GOES
WELL WE HAD NO CONTRACT OF WORK
THAT DAY. HE SAID WHAT DID THEY
SAY THEY WERE WORKING ON? I SAID
THE
THE AIR
THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. HE GOES WELL THEY LIED TO YOU. HE
GOES THERE WAS NO AC IN THAT ROOM AT
ALL." 458
IT WAS THE FIRST SIGN THAT
SOMETHING
WASN'T RIGHT. BUT NOT THE LAST.
PETER
BRONSON/AUTHOR
PETER BRONSON/AUTHOR PPAN3050
BRONSON/AUTHOR PPAN3050 940
PPAN3050 940 "YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF
NORTHERN
KENTUCKY IN THIS ERA- YOU CAN GO
BACK
BACK
BACK THROUGH THE 70S AND EVERY YEAR A
MAJOR NIGHTCLUB, CASINO, STRIP
JOINT OR RESTAURANT IS BURNED DOWN, BY
ARSON, BY THE MOB. AND THEN ALL
THE
THE
THE SUDDEN HERE WE GO- 70, 71, 72 ALL THE WAY
UP TO 77 AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW
THERE'S
THE BEVERLY HILLS SUPPER CLUB.
THE
BIGGEST, MOST SPECTACULAR OF
THEM
ALL." 1004
44 YEARS LATER. THROUGH DENSE
FOREST AND OVERGROWN GROUNDS.
PICTURES MARK WHERE THE
SUPPER CLUB ONCE STOOD. DAVID
BROCK/BEVERLY HILL SUPPER CLUB
BUS
BOY
BUS BOY
BUS BOY 001A6850
BOY 001A6850 51
001A6850 51 "THIS WAS THE BIG MAIN FOUNTAIN
THEY HAD UP
HERE AT BEVERLY HILLS." PLANS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION ON
THE
PROPERTY ARE UNDERWAY. THOUGH
FORMER STAFFERS CONTINUE TO
SEARCH.
HOPEFUL THERE COULD BE
UNDISCOVERED EVIDENCE BELOW
GROUND. EVIDENCE
THAT COULD PROVE THE FIRE WAS
NEVER
AN ACCIDENT AT ALL.
DAVID BROCK/BEVERLY HILL SUPPER
CLUB BUS
BOY
001A6848
BOY 001A6848 1008
001A6848 1008 "THEY DESTROYED THIS WHOLE TOWN-
SOUTH
SOUTH
SOUTH GATE SUFFERED, STATE OF KENTUCKY
SUFFERED- IT'S NEVER BEEN THE
SAME." 1015 SHAY TAG
LESS THAN TEN YEARS AFTER THE
DEVASTATING FIRE-- A LAWYER KNOWN FOR LITIGATING SUCCESSFUL CLASS
ACTION LAWSUITS BUILT A
CASE AROUND CLAIMS
OF FAULTY WIRING. AFTER A
LENGTHY
COURT BATTLE INCLUDING A
MISTRIAL
AND APPEAL- THE ATTORNEY AND
DEFENDANTS WERE AWARDED MILLIONS
IN
DAMAGES. FOR
THE UNSOLVED TEAM-
IM
SHAY MCALISTER.
SHAY MCALISTER. TO DISCUSS THIS CASE AND OTHERS,