A postcard showing the interior of The Oasis Ballroom in Michigan City, as seen on the Web site www.dunelady.com.
Michigan City’s Oasis Ballroom jazzed up the county
As the world was again facing more and more sounds of war, the sounds of the Big Bands were infiltrating the ballrooms and people
were very much enthralled by the music. Whether they could dance or not seemed secondary; just to listen to the music appeared to be the primary interest. Many times ballrooms were packed with people shoulder to shoulder, making dancing impossible even if they wanted to. Most came to hear and sing along with the music.
The Oasis Ballroom was built in the early 1920s and was a haven for the Big Bands during the 1940s. Many bands that played there were also playing gigs at famous night spots in Chicago such as the Aragon, Trianon, Blackhawk, LaSalle, Chez Paree and the Edgewater Beach Hotel.
Some of the bigger names to play at the Oasis were Gene Krupa, “America’s Ace Drummer Man”; Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra, and Alvino Rey, whose visit included a reunion with a local Navy buddy, Richart Cathcart, a former member of the band; and drummer Buddy Rich and his “Great New Band Styled in the 1948 Way.”
An autographed promotional photo of a band called Gene Cook and his Cookies, who were appearing at The Oasis. Year unknown.
Hal Zander, “the little man with the great big band,” and his band appeared at the Oasis several times. Other performers there were Bill Carlsen and his “Band of a Million Skills” and Jan Garber, also known as “The Idol of the Airlanes,” with his popular theme, “My Dear.” With Jan came Lee Bennett, known to millions as “The Sweetest Singer of Sweet Songs.” There was also Tiny Hill, known as “America’s Biggest Band Leader” with his group, “The Merry Mad Gang in Musical Melange.”
Local dance bands entertained primarily on regular dance nights — bands such as Bill Boese and his Orchestra, third-place winner in the Look magazine district band contest; Spanky Meyers and his Orchestra, Lewis Bartholomew and his Casa Del Mar Orchestra, and Irvin Denny and his Rhythm Masters Orchestra, featuring Nancy Caserie, who was then “Michigan City’s newest singing sensation.” In 1944, Mickey Isley, his trumpet and his orchestra opened the Oasis season, this being his 10th consecutive season there.
Food was available not only inside the ballroom but outside. The menu included steaks, chops, southern fried chicken, sandwiches, refreshments and a complete fountain service.
During intermission, many dancers would step outside the Oasis for a breath of air. A stamp with special ink was placed on the backs of their hands for re-admission; a display of the hand under a special light would reveal the stamp.
There was no air conditioning at the Oasis; the breeze from Lake Michigan, just yards away, cooled dancers. It was advertised in a publicity brochure that the Oasis was “under a canopy of stars … breeze-swept and near enough the lake to hear the surf on a quiet summer night. Here is an unforgettable experience. Young men and young women will like this fine floor for new steps; there is room for Mother and Dad, too, in this ballroom that holds 1,200 couples comfortably. The Oasis gets its name and decorative scheme from its location on the beach sands. Roof support columns around the dance floor promenade are palm trees. Murals decorate the walls … and overhead is the star-studded Oasis sky.”
The Michigan City News-Dispatch added in 1939: “Dancing ease is assured everyone through the cork-cushioned floor … the ballroom is not only Indiana’s largest, but one of the most beautiful, with large paintings covering the four walls, depicting life in all four corners of the globe.”
As the Big Band Era passed, the Oasis continued in existence for some time, housing among other things an arcade. In 1962, the building was demolished, taking with it many pleasant memories.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on the Oasis and other local history, visit the LaPorte County Historical Society Museum and its Web site, www.laportecountyhistory.org
The photo of the band appears on freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com.
