Episode 5: All Costs
“You know, that incident was what many of us consider the ugliest black molar in our local history. It was just pure evil and ugly.” August 26th, 1950 was the…
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How did a Black man in 1940s Jim Crow South open a club where Black and white people danced together?
Charlie’s Place was revolutionary, and that meant it was dangerous.
In this 5-part series, host Rhym Guissé explores the unbelievable true story of Charlie Fitzgerald, a mysterious Black businessman whose nightclub became an unlikely site of integration in 1940s Myrtle Beach.
Charlie broke down racial barriers through the power of music and dance, hosting some of the greatest musicians of our time: Little Richard, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, and many more.
But who was Charlie? How did he rise to power? And what price did he pay for achieving the impossible—an integrated club in the Jim Crow South? This is a story of joy and passion that erupted into violence and changed a community forever.
Most Recent Episode
Episode 5: All Costs
“You know, that incident was what many of us consider the ugliest black molar in our local history. It was just pure evil and ugly.” August 26th, 1950 was the…
Episode 4: Mr. Nobody From Nowhere
“And in the minds of many, Charlie Fitzgerald's dance hall becomes the worst fears of the champions of white supremacy.” There’s much mystery surrounding Charlie Fitzgerald and who he was…
Episode 3: Power Cedes to Power
“He helped people. He loaned people. He wasn't to be trifled with” Charlie Fitzgerald built multiple businesses across Myrtle Beach – the hotel, the club, the cab company, the high-stakes…
Episode 2: Sin City
“All the dancers wanted that black music. Why? Because it had a danceable backbeat.” Dance at Charlie’s Place wasn’t just dance; it captured the spirit of an era defined by…
Episode 1: Whispering Pines
“Myrtle Beach was a good place, if you stay in your place, I’ll put it like that.” At the height of segregation, when everywhere else was divided. Black and white…
Introducing Charlie’s Place
Beloved. Notorious. Defiant. Folk hero. These are just a few ways to describe Charlie Fitzgerald, the entrepreneur who owned an integrated nightclub during Jim Crow in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.…
The Host
Rhym Guissé
Rhym Guissé is a Los Angeles-based director, actor and screenwriter whose work bridges the worlds of performance and filmmaking with a distinct emotional and cultural lens. A multidisciplinary storyteller, she…
