Latin Casino  The Latin Casino was a Philadelphia-area nightclub that first opened in 1944 at 1309 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many top entertainers performed at the Latin including Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Durante, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Richard Pryor, Jerry Lewis, Milton Berle, Lena Horne, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, and Joey Bishop. The Latin was a very popular Center City nightclub for a decade. In 1960, owners Stanley and Bea Carroll (of "Carroll’s"), David Dushoff, and Daniel "Dallas" Gerson relocated the nightclub to 2235 Route 70 in nearby Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and built the plush 1,500-seat, Vegas-style dinner theater renamed from the "Latin" to the "Latin Casino", although casino gambling was not included. It was considered one of the fanciest, hippest dinner nightclub experiences of that time featuring dinner, drinks and a showcase of top entertainment, and was called "The Showplace of the Stars". Following a period of strong popular success, the Latin Casino finally closed in the summer of 1978 as an indication of an end of era and a symbol of the evolution of pop culture. Five months later, at the height of the disco craze, it reopened as an exotic disco club, Emerald City. Success was short lived and it was converted to a venue for progressive rock bands and finally closed in December 1982, and was later demolished for commercial use. The supper club was opened in 1943 by Jack Price and Arthur Friedman. Friedman, a US Army veteran, was the key—because of his veteran status—to obtaining the liquor license needed to open and operate the night club. Arthur Friedman was Jack Price's nephew. He was the son of Frieda Friedman who was Jack Price's sister. The night club was then purchased by Stanley and Bea Carroll, David Dushoff and Dallas Gerson in 1951 and was originally located near Juniper and Walnut Streets in Center City, Philadelphia. Frustrated by Pennsylvania's restrictive liquor laws, conflicts with city officials, the desire for more parking space, and outgrowing its small size, the two owners decided to move across the Delaware River five miles to Delaware Township, New Jersey (soon to be renamed Cherry Hill) in 1960. The new Latin was four times as large and located diagonally across the highway from the Seashore Line tracks and Garden State Park. Some of the first acts who played The Latin were Patti Page, comedian Sammy Shore, and Johnny Mathis.