The Holiday House was much more than just a supper club

At age 95, Marty Allen is one of Pittsburgh's treasures — a hometown boy from Squirrel Hill who graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1940, made it big in show business and still thinks the world of his city and his family.

His career as an actor and standup comedian has taken him to the stages of Las Vegas, Hollywood and New York, but he still has a soft spot in his heart for his old stomping grounds at the former Holiday House in Monroeville.

The Holiday House motel and 900-seat supper club stood along William Penn Highway from 1956 until it closed in 1988 and was demolished a year later to make way for a shopping center. In its heyday, Allen says it was one of the top night spots on the East Coast.

“It was the biggest night club in the country next to the Copacabana in New York City,” the comedian says. “All the big acts wanted to play there.”

Famous entertainers from Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Phyllis Diller, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Charo and Ben Vereen, to Connie Francis, Frankie Avalon, David Brenner, Mel Torme, Milton Berle and many more played the Holiday House.

Allen, who was a solo performer and earlier in his career a comedy partner with Steve Rossi, appearing as Allen & Rossi, performed at the Monroeville venue many times and has fond memories of his time spent there.

He will be the only original headliner at the club's Holiday House Reunion Party on May 19, joined by his wife and singer-songwriter Karon Kate Blackwell performing their musical comedy act.

The special event at the Monroeville Convention Center also will feature tribute artists Ryan Pelton as Elvis Presley, Brian Duprey as Frank Sinatra, Tom Stevens as Dean Martin, Cookie Watkins as Tina Turner, Sandy Anderson as Dolly Parton and Rob Caudill as Rod Stewart.

After the main stage show, guests will have an opportunity to continue their trip back in time with “Rick J.” Jankowski of O'Hara, former disc jockey at the Holiday House from 1976 to 1981, who will be spinning the oldies from his large collection of records at a disco dance party. Also on hand will be some of the original Backstage Disco Dancers.

Promoter Kelly Simon says the idea for the reunion party came about as the convention center was becoming a popular venue for entertainment and comedy shows — in addition to trade shows — over the past few years.

“Any time we'd do a show there, the No. 1 comment we'd hear from people is, ‘This reminds us of the old Holiday House.' After two years and 15 concerts, we decided to do the tribute show as we were nearing the 30th anniversary of its closing,” Simon says.

Bert Sokol, former Holiday House manager who booked all of its singers and comedians, will be coming from his home in West Palm Beach, Fla., to attend the reunion party. He'll have a display of autographed photos of many of the big names that played the supper club.

Sokol, son-in-law of John Bertera, one of the club's owners, says all the entertainers knew Marty Allen and often went to his parents' house for his mother's homecooked meals when they were in town, including Allen's friend, singer Tony Bennett. Allen's folks, Louis and Elsie Alpern, lived in Monroeville, as did his sister, Elaine.

Allen talks about his recollections of those days in his self-published autobiography, “Hello Dere!” ($18.99, available at Amazon.com).

“When I came home from being on the road, whoever was appearing at the club would be invited to our home,” Allen says. “One night it would be comedian Shecky Greene; another night it would be Sammy Davis Jr. They were regulars. My mother was known for her wonderful dinners.”

Sokol also has great memories of the supper club and its performers.

“Al Martino did his own cooking and made his own sauce in the Holiday House kitchen,” he recalls. “Carol Channing ate some special, very strange food that our chef had to prepare. And nobody could smoke while Vikki Carr was there performing.”

He remembers when comedian Totie Fields was doing a show one night and as she bent down toward the audience at the edge of the stage, “her wig came off and landed on someone's plate. She was so embarrassed.”

Sokol says he loved his job, where “every day was a different challenge. The people that came in for the shows were all so happy; they were celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. Thousands of people came through those doors and every week we had big entertainers performing.”

For those who want to experience the “supper club” atmosphere of the old Holiday House, a reunion party buffet dinner will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. at the convention center for a $16 additional charge. The meal prepared by Tolerico's Restaurant will include cheese ravioli with tomato & basil cream sauce, chicken Marsala served with sautéed mushrooms and Marsala wine reduction, Tolerico's homemade meatballs with penne pasta and housemade marinara sauce, tossed salad, rolls and butter. Reservations are required.

Candy Williams is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.