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Artist/Maker (active ca. 1940s-1960s)
Related institution (1931 - ca. 1981)

Spinner noise maker

probably 1960s
Painted metal and plastic
Overall: 2 × 4 1/8 in. (5.1 × 10.5 cm)
Gift of Gloria Tomba Daini in honor of her father Amedeo Tomba
2017.14.14
The nightclub El Morocco first opened as a midtown New York speakeasy in 1931 during Prohibition. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the club became one of the city’s most popular and glamourous locales. It was frequented by international luminaries, New York City socialites, movie and stage stars (Rudy Vallee, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Gloria Swanson, and Fred Astaire among them), directors, celebrated journalists, sports champions, and other dignitaries such Franklin D. Roosevelt, and, later, John F. Kennedy. The club was located at 154 East 54th Street until 1960, when its proprietor, John Perona, moved it to 307 East 54th Street. Its interior was nearly as famous as its clientele. The club’s ceiling was painted a deep, “glittering” blue, and its furnishings and tableware sported a bold blue and white zebra pattern. After Perona died in 1961, El Morocco closed and reopened several times under different owners into the 1990s.
DescriptionRound spinner with clown on yellow background.
MarkingsU. S. / METAL TOY / MFG. CO. / MADE IN U.S.A.
ProvenanceDonor received the objects through inheritance.
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.15
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.13
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.18
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.12
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.17
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.19
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.20
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.16
Spinner noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.21
Blow horn noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.6
Blow horn noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.5
Clapper noise maker
U. S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Company
probably 1960s
2017.14.8