Eldorado Club

A few weeks went by after Edith visited Isherwood and Otto at Noster's Cottage. At the end of their last meeting, Isherwood mentioned how Edith needed to meet his boyfriend, Bernhard Laundauer. Edith was finally beginning to feel like she belonged in Berlin. Something about Isherwood's sexuality intrigued her, and the gay couples at Noster's Cottage felt rather comforting. For the first time, she wondered if there was a greater romance among individuals that didn't require a heterosexual love. Isherwood and Edith planned to meet again at The Eldorado Club. Edith was so excited to see what a true LGBTQ+ environment felt like.

The club was a lot different then the bars she had been to. It was very extravagant and lively with more people than she could've imagined. Everyone was so rich and elegant. There was main stage with a Marlene Dietrich performing. Her singing encapsulated the entire room. There were other parts and rooms to the club too with smaller performances. Each room had a different vibe and group of people. However, Isherwood, Edith, and Bernhard tended to stick to the main room. Isherwood then mentioned how the song 'Falling in Love Again" that was playing reminded of a time he was visiting Otto's mother in the sanatorium. They were listening to the gramophone in the ward, and dancing with girls. He talked about how he kissed a girl named Erna and felt something was wrong. He had no attraction towards the girl's hot dry lips. Overtime, he began to understand himself more and realized he had an attraction only to men. Immediately, Edith felt extremely connected to Isherwood's story. She started to wonder if maybe she loved in a way similar to Isherwood.

After talking and dancing the night away, Edith runs to the powder room and bumps into Marlene Dietrich. They become fast friends, and talk about meeting for drinks the next night to discuss life.

In the 1920's The Eldorado was one of the most popular nightclubs in Berlin. Its location changed sometimes over the years, but it operated from 1848 to the present day. It was a pretty much openly gay and transvestite friendly bar in a time where most people would not have expected such liberal tolerance. It also attracted a lot of artists, authors, celebrities, and tourists. The cabaret shows and the refined atmosphere of the nightclub became legendary, and were immortalized by artists such as Otto Dix. It featured regular performances by the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Paul O’Montis, Claire Waldoff, and the Weintraub Syncopators.

TheAdvocateMag. “A Peek inside Berlin's Queer Club Scene before Hitler Destroyed It.” ADVOCATE, 19 July 2016, www.advocate.com/books/2016/7/19/peek-inside-berlins-queer-club-scene-hitler-destroyed-it. 

Yardley, Jo, and Jo Yardley. “The Eldorado.” The 1920s Berlin Project, 29 Sept. 2011, 1920sberlinproject.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/the-eldorado/.