Manila, Philippines, c.1930's - A small sepia photo print and advertisement on the reverse from the famous Santa Ana Cabaret dance hall, "The largest Cabaret in the World.." with a great, interesting back-story of the pre-WWII era.:
"...The story of Santa. Ana Cabaret started as a humble bar envisioned by Italian man Giovanni Canzana.....born in 1878 in San Polo Matese, Italy...immigrated to the USA in 1903...traveled to the Philippines and married a local woman...there became a naturalized American citizen and became known to everyone as 'John Canson'....in 1909, he owned a bar in Pasig. He took on a lease for a large property on a backroad of Tejeros, then a small barrio of rural Makati. On that property was a small watering hole made of nipa and thatch, but it pulled in a good number of customers from the American military. ....That watering hole in question was Sta. Ana Cabaret.....the Cabaret was a popular place to dance to live swing music as much as it was a place to dine, boasting of its famous spaghetti dinners"
It became a popular social club with patrons such as Americans and other foreigners stationed, living in Manila. ...General Douglas MacArthur was known to have gone there and famous bands of the era played there including the Benny Goodman big band group....The Cabaret’s reputation was global and was featured on the cover of Life magazine’s November 1941 issue.
In January of 1942 the Japanese invaded the Philippines, confiscating and occupying the large club structure and imprisoning John Canson in a concentration camp in Los Baños. The club became a garment factory for the Japanese. Canson survived the war and re-opened the club, turning it over to a son in 1953....A great story !
*The sepia photo measures: 3-1/2" Wide x 2-1/2" High
In fine condition..See scans for a closer look.
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