This is the first time I’ve seen actual footage of a “speakeasy”—an illegal alcohol-dispensing joint that operated during Prohibition in America (between 1920 and 1933). Sent by reader Michael, the video even has sound, and shows dancing girls, a band, and an oily top-hatted master of ceremonies. And, as Michael pointed out, the booze is clearly visible on the tables.
The YouTube notes say this,
Old film of Mack’s Club (12 East Pearson Street) in Chicago, Il on February 13, 1931. The troupe leader is Harry Glen. These scenes were taken with early Movietone sound cameras.
This club was in downtown Chicago, and I can’t find any other information about it, nor any about Harry Glen. Perhaps ambitious readers may find other information. I’m just showing this because movies of speakeasies during Prohibition, which were illegal, are rare, and those with sound even rarer.
I don’t know how America survived…
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Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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