(1939-c1946) Tropic Cafe. Loosely tropical-themed cafe and nightclub in the heart of Imperial, a suburb of El Centro, California. The Tropic was established in 1939 by wealthy Imperial valley rancher Arthur Laurence “Larry” Lambertz and his half-sister Bessie. Located across the street from old city hall, Larry’s Tropic featured nightly burlesque floorshows and musical entertainment in the Palm Room. Interesting, because his wife was New York’s “Angel of Broadway,” pastor Reba Crawford, once a disciple of evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. In 1940, a major earthquake destroyed much of the downtown business district, and later, new owners remodeled.
Blair Paul “Gilly” Gilroy, J. Sterling Oswalt (El Centro’s former Police Chief), and Raymond W. Sulzner next operated the successful restaurant, bar, and had a poker room in the back. Oswalt resigned as Chief after front page headlines accused him and other Imperial Valley cops of conspiracy in the kidnapping a Japanese gambling kingpin. Their main clientele during the war years were service members training at Marine Corps Air Station in El Centro and at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Holtville.
Stop in for a steak dinner. Enjoy a cocktail in the air-cooled floorshow with your singing mc, Mona Monroe, Vaudeville marionette master Cliff Arvin, and dancers Diane Del Rio and Kay Bowle.
Why did The Tropic go out of business? Gilly’s daughter explains — when the LA mob tried to move in for a piece of the action, her father shut the whole place down. The old building is long gone, but in its place today is El Zarape restaurant.
The Tropic Cafe
143 South Imperial Avenue
Imperial, CA 92251
Tropics grand opening ad, Imperial Valley News, 1939.