[Incident at the Howdy Revue, New York]

On April 12, 1938, at four o’clock in the morning, three men attempted to rob the sixty patrons and employees of the Howdy Club. Police arrived and in the ensuing shootout one cop was injured. Weegee captured the aftermath here. Reputedly a lesbian hangout, the Howdy Revue featured colorful floor shows and risqué acts that ultimately brought harassment from the vice squad. The club was hit with a morals charge in 1944 and forced to suspend its cabaret shows. By 1945, musician Eddie Condon had taken over the club and operated it as a jazz venue for the next twenty years.