When I first met Hollywood Frank he surprised me with a question. “Do you know who you were named after?” Not many people know who she is until I tell them but he already knew. Hollywood Frank reminisced about times he saw Sonji Clay, Muhammad Ali’s first wife, at the 50 Yard Line Sports Bar. He knew her, he spoke to her and even kissed her. Sonji died of natural causes in her home in Chicago in 2005. Certainly, these were Hollywood Frank’s memories and flashbacks of times at the Fifty more than a decade ago.
Hollywood Frank pointed to a seat and said, “Sonji sat right there.” Every time I go to The Fifty, I remember this story and I try to sit in Sonji’s seat when I can. Smile. In a sentimental way, the 50 Yard Line has become more than a place for me to go stepping in Chicago. It holds some sense of nostalgia and I feel like a part of the bridge of The Fifty’s rich history. And when I show up at the Fifty and Hollywood Frank is there, I feel like there is no better place to be. I just want to dance.
What stuns me now every time I see Hollywood Frank, is that he has a new story to share about someone past or present that he has met – names I recognize and others that I don’t know. Every conversation with Hollywood is education and history that I don’t hear anywhere else. He never repeats the same story. I am convinced that bartenders like Hollywood are great historians and storytellers who keep people alive by saying their names. I have not met anyone else like him.
Who Is Hollywood Frank
Hollywood Frank was dubbed “Hollywood Frank” by Charlie Green – the man that created the “Bus Stop” and started line dancing for black people in Chicago. When Frank would walk into Godfather Disco on 78th all dressed up, Charlie would announce, “Here comes Hollywood Frank!” And the name stuck. In different places, I hear people call him just “Hollywood” because he still dresses to the nine every time. He flashes a million-dollar smile and coordinates every outfit from head to toe. The hats, the shoes, the jewelry, and the suits show Hollywood Frank is a fashionable man.
When Hollywood bartends at the Fifty you’ll find him at the Sky Bar and all the seats at his bar are reserved. Although he has been there since the doors opened for the Fifty, his bartending days didn’t start there. Before the Fifty, he bartended at Sweet Georgia Brown on Chicago’s Southside and sometimes helped his ex on nights at The Red Pepper Lounge on 87th near King Drive. Hollywood first started working for Jimmy Jones and his wife Willa in a place at 75th and Vernon near King Drive thirty years ago. When they were looking to move to a bigger place they moved to 75th street. Hollywood moved with them to bartend and although he has left a couple of times, he always came back. Jimmy Jones and Willa were the best bosses and started it all.
Bartending in the 1970’s. Still at it in the 2000’s. God is GOOD!!!
Hollywood Frank
Hollywood Frank Shares A Little History on the 50 Yard Line
The Very Beginning
When Jimmy Jones and Willa moved to their new location, they opened the El Matador on October 5, 1990, at 69 E 75th Street, Chicago, Illinois. It has most definitely always been the place for steppers. The El Matador was renamed Willa’s 50 Yard Line which we now call The 50 Yard Line or the Fifty. From the very beginning, the location attracted a mature crowd of patrons and it was packed every day of the week and was making a lot of money. People started dancing and it took off like wildfire and was a success! It was beautiful. So much so, they had to change the carpet twice a year from all the dancing and eventually decided to put a dancefloor down.
The 50 Yard Line is a Chicago landmark and people – celebrities and steppers – know about the Fifty across 40-50 states. You can’t come to Chicago and not visit the Fifty. Celebrities, out of towners, and movie stars have been there – Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Billy Dee to name a few. Two days before Phyllis Hyman committed suicide, she was at the 50 Yard Line.
Changes over Time at the 50 Yard Line
If there was a camera on a post to show a reel of the transitions of the Fifty over the years, it would be unbelievable.
Hollywood Frank
It has changed three or four times as far as clientele. When the Fifty opened, it was an older mature crowd, and everyone was spending. Now on Saturday nights, 7/10 dancers don’t spend any money. “It takes money to run a joint, to buy liquor and keep the lights on. If you had a business and I come there just to window shop, you’re gonna get pissed.” I’m going to continue buying my drinks and shrimp basket when I go. Although The Fifty has been closed before because of incidents, they have always opened back up. The main thing is, despite this evolution, The Fifty is still making money.
In Hollywood’s opinion, the best time at the Fifty was the first five or six years when it opened. There was not a whole lot of pants dragging. Celebrities and out-of-towners were sharp wearing tuxedo suits. Even the staff wore bowties and vests when the sports bar first opened. As time passed, they went with the flow of things, and how the staff dressed changed. Jimmy Jones and Willa are no longer running the Fifty and sold it to a new proprietor, Alonso who took ownership right at the pandemic. And even Alonso has a story. Hollywood said he has a great voice and performs with the jazz band on some Tuesdays at the Fifty.
The best times in the Fifty now are the weekends on the nights I work – Sundays and Fridays. I’ma do it till I drop as simple as that.
Hollywood Frank
The Brunch, The DJs, and The Chicken at The Fifty
The Saturday afternoon Brunch has been going on for eons and used to start at noon. That’s what made stepping really take off at the Fifty. At first, they gave away a little food for free and weren’t charging anyone to get in, but that has changed. They don’t really charge now and in present-day, the Brunch is still on Saturdays and starts around 4 p.m. but there is no free food. DJ TR Smith “TR” was the best DJ who started with the brunch. DJ Jeff Carter “Big Jeff” was also a very good DJ and he was a bodyguard and DJ. Both have passed on. The Fifty has some of the best chicken in the world and a lot of cooks want to claim the recipe. Hollywood says a fellow named Jackson created the chicken recipe that all the cooks have been using for years. He was a big, tall black guy who could cook his butt off and was the first cook at the Fifty.
Hollywood Frank Turns 80 and Celebrates at The 50 Yard Line
Many patrons celebrate at the Fifty and every time I visit there is a birthday table set up or section reserved for someone’s party. It’s a place with a vibe for celebration and I have been to many parties there. Of all the parties and birthday celebrations I have witnessed at the Fifty, one of the most ostentatious was Hollywood Frank’s in October 2021 when he celebrated turning 80 years old. It was standing room only. In case you didn’t know, Hollywood was also a Stepping instructor. He bops, walks, and steps. The infamous video of Hollywood Frank and LeAnna Miles walking was captured at his 80th birthday party. Hollywood Frank’s 80th birthday party at the 50 Yard Line is one of those nights boppers, walkers, and steppers who were there will remember.
When the Fifty first opened up, many of the steppers you see today didn’t know their left from right foot. We were bopping. Walking is what we called Stepping. They took it to another level but it is a beautiful thing. I do it all! You’ve gotta be smooth when you’re walking like you’re gliding across the floor.
Hollywood Frank
Every stepper should go to Chicago. Every stepper should go to the 50 Yard Line. There are many people I meet in Chicago that make the city feel like a second home for me. One person at the top of the list for making every stepper like me have a good time in Chicago is Hollywood Frank. I hope every stepper can find and appreciate the relevance and history of The 50 Yard Line, meet Hollywood Frank, and find a piece of nostalgia right there as I did. Thank you Hollywood Frank for being a big part of why I keep visiting Chicago.
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Welcome! I am the writer Sonji Stewart. These are my travel stories about my Chicago Stepping experiences, traveling from city to city to dance. I hope my stories encourage you to join me in the adventure.
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