My six months at the Copacabana, September 1961 thru January 1962, were surely an exciting experience for a young girl barely out of high school.  I was 18, and I was taking voice at the Juilliard School of Music during the day and rushing back just in time to get my hair done at the Larry Matthews salon prior to show time.  

My six months included working with Joe E. Lewis, Steve Lawrence & Edie Gorme, Sid Ceasar, Jack Carter and Sammy Davis, Jr.  We never knew what celebrity could be in the club on any given night and whom we might get a chance to meet. One evening Jules Podell invited the girls upstairs to meet John Wayne and Forrest Tucker. They were two of the biggest men I had ever seen, larger than life.  I believe they were trying to see who could drink the most Scotch.  I don't know who won. 

The most unforgettable night was going out with the "Rat Pack" - yes, that Rat Pack. All eight Copa girls climbed into two limos.  If I can remember correctly, in my limo were Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.  We proceeded to White Towers, where Frank Sinatra ordered hamburgers for everyone and on the way out gave an old woman a hundred dollar bill.  (Remember, it was 1961!)  We then headed down to a small hideaway on Mott Street, where we played Frank Sinatra records on the juke box until the wee hours of the morning . . . quite a heady experience for a young girl. 
  
Another highlight was having a column written about me in the "NewYork Post" penned by the famous Earl Wilson.  It was titled "Her Double Life (Jersey Copacabana Showgirl Studies for Opera All Day)." 
  
To make a long story short, I went on to be in musical theatre, marry, have three children and now five grandchildren.  I am a published and recorded songwriter, currently with a song on iTunes. 

I would never have given up my six months as a "Copa Girl."  It has afforded me a lifetime of memories. 

Michele Venet Koutris 
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