1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: a show that believes there's no time like the present 4 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: to learn about the past. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: we're looking at an unusual conservation effort from the final 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: months of World War two, a ban on late night 7 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: entertainment in the entire United States. The day was February. 8 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: At the stroke of midnight, the US federal government instituted 9 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: a nationwide curfew on nightlife. Citizens were still allowed to 10 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: stay out after midnight, but there wouldn't be much for 11 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: them to do. The order required all places of entertainment 12 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: to close it midnight, no exceptions. The order applied not 13 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: only to bars and nightclubs, but to just about any 14 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: establishment where people go to have a good time. That 15 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:16,119 Speaker 1: included theaters, dance halls, skating rinks, sports arenas, bowling alleys, 16 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:22,199 Speaker 1: amusement parks, country clubs, and circuses. At first, it seemed 17 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: like the curfew didn't apply to all night restaurants, provided 18 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: they stopped serving alcohol at midnight. However, some cities interpreted 19 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: the rules more strictly and required any restaurant with a 20 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,919 Speaker 1: liquor license to close promptly at midnight. One Texas newspaper 21 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: described the country's reaction to the curfew as quote the 22 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: biggest howl since prohibition. The ban on nightlife began as 23 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: a request from Franklin Roosevelt's Director of War Mobilization, James F. Burns. 24 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: Its stated purpose was to conserve fuel, manpower, and transportation 25 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: for use in the war effort. Many reporters speculated that 26 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: a secondary goal was to stop the public from wasting 27 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: millions of dollars on entertainment so that they'd buy more 28 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: war bonds instead. There was also the question of whether 29 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: the nightlife industry was actually obliged to follow the curfew, 30 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: since Burns had merely issued a request for them to 31 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: close at midnight. However, the director warned that other government 32 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: agencies were willing to step in and then force the 33 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: curfew should the need arise. Faced with that not so 34 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: veiled threat, proprietors nationwide dimmed their lights at midnight and 35 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: hoped for the best. Nightclub owners in New York estimated 36 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: revenue losses as high as seventy five per cent. Others 37 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: worried they would have to close up shop altogether or 38 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: at least until the ban was lifted, whenever that would be. 39 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: Another common concern was that speakeasies would pop up across 40 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: the country, flaunting the curfew and cutting into the profits 41 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: of businesses that complied with it. An article in the 42 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: Tucson Daily Citizen captured the tension of the moment. It reported, quote, 43 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: the return of the speakeasy and the loss of thousands 44 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: of jobs were sighted today by many cabaret proprietors as 45 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: the logical results to be expected from the federal government's 46 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: enforcement barbed request. Many patrons shared the frustration and uncertainty 47 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: of those in the entertainment industry. For example, on February, 48 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: the Baltimore Sun reported that quote, the midnight curfew came 49 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: to Baltimore last night, and people downtown didn't quite know 50 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: what to do with themselves. A moment before midnight, a tall, 51 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: pretty blonde emerged from the Club Charles on North Charles Street. 52 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: She looked about blankly for a moment and said, everyone's 53 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: the Cinderella. Now the shoe fits all of us. That said, 54 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: some establishments took the curfew and stride, including one man 55 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: and restaurantur named Bernard Toots Shore. He famously declared that 56 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: quote any bum who can't get drunk by midnight ain't trying. 57 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: Despite the complications of imposing a curfew in such a 58 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: large city, there was surprisingly little pushback from traditionally outspoken 59 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: New Yorkers. In fact, on February, The New York Times 60 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: reported that the only exceptions were a few third Avenue 61 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:33,720 Speaker 1: saloons and Theater District cafes, but otherwise quote New York's 62 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: twelve thousand amusement places fell in step last night with 63 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: the nationwide midnight curfew as easily as if this city 64 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,840 Speaker 1: had always rolled up the sidewalks early. But as the 65 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: curfew stretched on into late March, the pushback finally came, 66 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: although not from where you might expect. Instead of an 67 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: irritated nightclub owner or a desperate bartender, it was the 68 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: Mayor of New York City, Fiarello loquardy You who openly 69 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: defied the midnight order. On March twenty, he extended the 70 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,160 Speaker 1: official local closing time to one am, and he did 71 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,159 Speaker 1: so without the permission of Director Burns or anyone else 72 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: in the federal government. Mayor LaGuardia insisted that the extra 73 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: hour was necessary to combat quote rapid drinking and to 74 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: relieve strain from the public transportation system. Other large American 75 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: cities like San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, and Reno had 76 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: all found ways to cope with and abide by the 77 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: midnight curfew without much fuss, But according to LaGuardia, New 78 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: York just couldn't hack it without those extra sixty minutes. 79 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: Some outlets praised LaGuardia for standing up to Washington interference, 80 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,359 Speaker 1: but mayors across the country were quickly to cry his 81 00:05:55,440 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: combative attitude. Many journalists and cartoonists backed them up, and 82 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: perhaps most tellingly, most New York bars and nightclubs continued 83 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: to close at midnight. The American public had started out 84 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,919 Speaker 1: annoyed with the curfew, viewing it as an unnecessary inconvenience 85 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: that probably wouldn't make much difference in the waning days 86 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: of World War Two, But once New York's mayor declared 87 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 1: a special set of rules just for his city, public 88 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: support from the midnight curfew actually increased. It certainly wasn't 89 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,360 Speaker 1: his intention, but by not being a team player, LaGuardia 90 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: gave people a villain to root against, even if doing 91 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 1: so meant backing a pointless rule. In the end, the 92 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,599 Speaker 1: federal government didn't take direct action to enforce the midnight 93 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: curfew in New York or anywhere else. However, Roosevelt's administration 94 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: did twist LaGuardia's arm a little by instructing the Army 95 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: and Navy to crack down on after midnight revelry within 96 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 1: their ranks. This meant that for the few establishments that 97 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: did take advantage of that one am closing time, doing 98 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: so was no longer worth it. If servicemen weren't drinking 99 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: after midnight, there wasn't much point staying open for just 100 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: a few civilians. This ensured that LaGuardia's defiance had next 101 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: to no impact in practice. Of course, all of this 102 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: wrangling was rendered moot about a month later, when Washington 103 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: announced the immediate lifting of the midnight entertainment curfew. The 104 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: good news was delivered by Director Burne's successor, Fred M. Vincent, 105 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: at a press conference on May nine, the day after 106 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: Great Britain and the United States celebrated victory in Europe. 107 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: Vincent proudly proclaimed that quote curfew shall not ring tonight. 108 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: The celebratory mood was only slightly undercut by the revelation 109 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: that the curfew hadn't actually saved that much energy, a 110 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: fraction of a percent at most, But the bars were 111 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: open late again and the war was over. I doubt 112 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: anyone cared or even notice that the curfew had been 113 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: for nothing, well except for maybe LaGuardia. I'm Gabe Bluesier 114 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 115 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you have a second 116 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: and you're so inclined, consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, 117 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d I HC Show, and if 118 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions, you can always send 119 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: them my way at this Day at I heeart media 120 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks as always to Chandler Mayze for producing 121 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: the show, and a special thanks to Joey pat our 122 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: guest editor for this episode, and of course thank you 123 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow for 124 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: another Day in History class. For more podcasts from I 125 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:00,839 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 126 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.