Boom Boom Room, Lansing, MI (bar)

Name:Boom Boom Room
Type:bar
Street:Frandor Shopping Center
City:Lansing
State:MI
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
The Boom Boom Room was open in the late 50s through the 80s in the Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing, Michigan.

Here is a postcard of the interior. I have seen another one out there as well.

A matchbook

The shopping center

Some stories I found on the web:

“First opended in the late 50's I believe. It was owned by an East Lansing family that lived on Butterfield. They used to rent out the basement for small gatherings etc. At one time served a decent steak and a great drink. It was on the rounded sothern corner across from Sears. There use to be a railing in front of it and a bakery next door. “

“The Boom Boom Room was open well into the late 80's. We used to go every once in a while and get an "Orgy". It was a big rum, pineapple drink thing that served about 8 people. Came in a big volcano bowl, the top of the volcano was filled with 151 that they lit it on fire."

“They had a drink called "Between the sheets" and they weren't lying. Also, under the the bar top glass, they had this little critter that looked like a alien. “

“My last visit to the Boom Boom Room (late '70s) landed me in the E.L. drunk tank. The "Orgy" was a bad mutha”

“I remember playing Don Ho on the jukebox. Also the drinks were strong and cheap. I heard they had a long lease since the early days of Frandor and paid very little rent.”

I wanna try that Orgy!

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2009-05-27 16:24 ]

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2009-05-27 16:25 ]

Love those aqua stools!

and who wouldn't have fun at the "Boom Boom Room"??

Nice research, DC.

I wonder what came first, the TV show or the bar?:

Surfside 6 is an ABC television series (1960–1962) about a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat, featuring Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield, II, Van Williams as Kenny Madison (a character recycled from Bourbon Street Beat, a similar series that had appeared in exactly the same time slot the season before), and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne. Diane McBain co-starred as socialite Daphne Dutton, whose yacht was parked next to their houseboat. Margarita Sierra also had a supporting role as Cha Cha O'Brien, an entertainer who worked at The Boom Boom Room, a popular Miami Beach hangout at the Fontainebleau Hotel, directly across the street from Surfside 6.

In other words, it was just another Warner Brothers detective show, inhabiting the same warped, incestuous TV universe as 77 Sunset Strip, Bourbon Street Beat and Hawaiian Eye. In fact, originally, Kenny Madison was a private eye on Bourbon, but when that show flopped, he was recycled into Surfside. The truth is, you just never knew who would drop in from another show.

For a photo of the Boom Boom Room, see TIKI MODERN page 17

Great work on this one Dusty. I live only half an hour away and have never found that postcard. I have been looking for one for a long, long time. The only history I have found is the same story you have quoted in your post. Now that the weather is better it may be time to get down with some Tiki detective work. I've got some other Michigan treasure to dig for such as The Aku Aku, Boom Boom Room, Mai Kai Lounge, Tur Mai Kai, McGuire's Tiki Room and a few more gems. Thanks for this great post.

I'm guessing this is the same place, the tiki looks the same.

Same place. It later became just the Charcoal House.

here are some coasters

Very nice! After years of nothing now some great finds are showing up. Where did you find those?

ebay a few years ago

Heard a funny story about the Boom Boom Room while I was working the MDA Telethon. Someone from the engineering department knew that he was going to be fired as soon as he stepped into work. To drown his sorrows and drink up some courage before going in, he stopped for a quick drink. About two hours and 4 zombies later a friend and co-worker stopped in to see him and witnessed him falling off his stool, curse everyone in the bar and his boss, and take a spectacular head first dive across the salad bar. Then he walked to work and quit before he could get canned.

On 2010-09-09 00:02, ErkNoLikeFire wrote:
Heard a funny story about the Boom Boom Room while I was working the MDA Telethon. Someone from the engineering department knew that he was going to be fired as soon as he stepped into work. To drown his sorrows and drink up some courage before going in, he stopped for a quick drink. About two hours and 4 zombies later a friend and co-worker stopped in to see him and witnessed him falling off his stool, curse everyone in the bar and his boss, and take a spectacular head first dive across the salad bar. Then he walked to work and quit before he could get canned.

THIS!

?

We used to frequent the Boom Boom Room in the late 70's early 80's. The Boom Boom Room was originally the bar side of the Ziegler's Charcoal House which basically had an open grilling stainless steel kitchen and an eating area. That was before my time. The kitchen was still there but unused. The eating area was quite dated and not nearly as cool as the bar. The whole place was a bar when I went there. A friend that I took there said he expected Humphrey Bogart in a white suit to appear right from Casa Blanca. A few funny stories (that I'm willing to share) follow. First when you sit down and have a few, you didn't think the drinks were that strong, until you tried to stand. I saw many who weaved quite a bit (not me of course). Falling off barstools there was a pretty regular occurrence. Naturally the bathrooms were in the basement. It took some well lubricated individuals quite a while to get back to the table. One time about twenty of us were there partying when one of the group who was not drinking due to medication, passed out (basically to little food while on meds). We were all summarily waltzed out the back door. The drinks mostly came in the tall cylindrical glasses of the 50's and 60's. You could get a larger drink that used what originally was the container for candles. You know the ones, they were larger at the bottom and had a sort of bubble texture to the glass. OK, I'm sure I have more, but I lost too many brain cells there. Finally there was THEE drink! I have one of the Aloha Orgy drink containers (basically an ornate Tiki bowl on a short pedestal). The drink was a light beige color, had 7 different kinds of liquor in it, and was quite sweet. The flaming 151 in the "volcano" was pretty awesome. You were given 4 straws which were about a foot and a half in length (yes it served 4 at a minimum). They may have raised that to 8, but I'm again not sure I remember that much detail. I'll take a picture of the Aloha Orgy bowl and post.

OK, as promised here are some pictures of the Aloha Orgy Bowl. I also remember there were three (I think) tiki style drums by the front door. The entrance had a heavy bamboo curtain of sorts shielding the outside from the inside. It was not hanging by rope, but solid to the floor and ceiling. I can also remember the puffer fish decorations hanging from the ceiling. If you notice the bar sort of resembles the main part of a Hawaiian canoe. In the center there was a glass panel so you could see what was in the canoe. There was white sand on the bottom and all sorts of shells and sea creature carcasses. There was one that looked like a devil of sorts. I'm not sure what that really was. Behind the bar was the undersea artwork shown in the postcard previously uploaded by Dustycajun. Someone had, well, a few too many, became angry at the bartender and threw an ashtray (I think) which poked a hole in the artwork. :( Wow, I just used some much dormant (and presumed dead) brain cells! :D I would love to know where some of the decorations went. As mentioned before I'll try eBay, etc. Enjoy the pictures (if you can remember) :wink:

I think after a few, she starts to actually do the hula (Soup can for scale).

For some reason I keep hearing the Jimmy Buffet song "Volcano".

OK, it couldn't be made in Hawaii could it? At least they named it "Orchids of Hawaii".

Awesome history, thanks for sharing. I've been looking for stuff from my local tiki bar with no luck so far.

This is hilarious. On a hunch I googled my Great Gradfather's old bar to see if anything came up, and here it is. My Mom mentioned the 'Orgasm' once, sort of quietly of course lol. So funny! He was an interesting man, but he passed when I was quite young so I've only heard a few stories about his business ventures. Keep the posts coming they're fun to read! -Great Gran Daughter

For tiki bowels similar to the one I have you can try http://www.myriahsbazaar.com/Volcano-Bowls-Scorpion-Bowls-And-Compotes-s/134.htm .
Also try http://www.tikimaster.com/ as well for other stuff. If you look in the forums here there are some other links as well. Hope this helps and Pomaika`i ! By the way I remember the bowl drink being called the 'Aloha Orgy', Ziegler's mother who says he's a relative of the owner called it an 'Orgasm'. The name may have changed over the years.

[ Edited by: JDan 2012-04-13 06:00 ]

[ Edited by: JDan 2012-04-13 06:02 ]

Yeeeah, Tiki Master! :D

http://www.tikimaster.com/product/LBJ30025/Marquesian-Island-Tiki-12---Museum-Replica.html

Saw this hat while looking on the net and thought I would add the pic here. It was from a completed eBay auction.

Dang, how cool is that!

"The Hawaii of Lansing" - classic line!

Free parking for FIVE THOUSAND cars! First, what was the capacity of this place? Second.... I wanna see this parking lot.

A corn field?

But in reality a shopping center parking lot.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2014-10-18 08:26 ]

Thank you for sharing! I love the graphics on the coaster so much, I created a T-shirt from it.
http://www.tikibartshirtclub.com/products/boom-boom-room-lansing-mi-july-2016

Tiki Bart

On 2016-06-06 14:15, Tiki Bart wrote:
Thank you for sharing! I love the graphics on the coaster so much, I created a T-shirt from it.
http://www.tikibartshirtclub.com/products/boom-boom-room-lansing-mi-july-2016

Tiki Bart

So you steal images from here and make unlicensed t-shirts that you charge $27 for? Rad.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2016-06-06 17:39 ]

Hi Mike,

You bring up an important topic. I have a lot of respect for original artwork from this era and would never want to use any image that is protected under a copyright or a live trademark. Before any design goes on a t-shirt, I make sure it is not protected in any way. I only use designs from businesses that are long gone.

Another ad from the Boom Boom Room Buffet Luau with the signature Tiki circa 1960.

DC

Here is an ad from the grand opening of the Boom Boom Room, January 26 & 27 1960.

The building had an A-Frame entrance flanked by two Tiki poles.

DC

Good stuff DC. Must have been a sight being stuck in a shopping center. Here’s another add for the Boom Boom Room.