Highway 301 stretches from Biddles Corner, Delaware, to Sarasota, Florida. For the sake of the Lonely Street Bar Noir Pub Crawl, the distance traveled will be shortened. Shrink the route some more and it puts the locations within reach.
During the 1940s, five men robbed banks, payroll vans, and businesses along Highway 301. They became known as the Tri-State Gang because they followed a path Highway 301 cut through Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. According to the movie, these heists, though violent, were carried out to give the men a clothing allowance, an entertainment expenditure, and enough leftover cash to eat like Gatsbys all around town.
This brings the bar noir pub crawl to its first stop along Highway 301 and that is Club Madrid.
Intimate circular tables, covered with white linen and topped with centerpiece lamps, were spread around a dance floor in the center of the dining room. Ladder back chairs with upholstered seats were grouped as many as eight to a table just big enough to hold drinks, ashtrays, and ladies' clutches. Patterned carpeting surrounded the dance floor which was framed by crowned columns and topped by a tented ceiling. Club Madrid was a place for an upscale celebration by the affluent or by patrons hoping to rub elbows with them.
Unless, of course, you were a gang of thieves that slapped, punched, and throttled to get your way or to silence someone who talked too much. Secrets stayed kept at the Club Madrid--or else...
Contrary to the swanky Club Madrid the following two stops along Highway 301 catered to the everyday, working-class Joes.
Up next was the kind of dive that hid behind a second name. Durphy's was painted on the frosted glass window in that kind of old saloon font seen in westerns. Dave's, the name above the double doors, lit up the night inside a neon frame over the Durphy's window. It was literally the kind of place someone would kick the bucket in front of during a fight.
An L-shaped counter and a row of booths provided seating opportunities for patrons. A postcard carousel offered a keepsake memory of any visit. Additional sundries were available at the register. The menu was light but undoubtedly filled with traditional dishes.
Wall-sconced lamps offered a warmer, cozier feel to the diner. Napkin dispensers and ashtrays were available on every table. A booth comfortably held four guests.
Now the story of Highway 301:
Nothing good is going to happen in this movie. That is not to say it's a poorly made film. It's the kind of film that telegraphs its message. Right from the start, three sitting governors of the day addressed the audience with a warning of how dangerous the Tri-State Gang was. From there it's a Kelly's Heroes march to an inevitable, violent end. The movie is particularly rough on women.
Highway 301 was written and directed by Andrew L. Stone. Steve Cochran stars as gang leader George Legenza. The movie offers early performances by Richard Egan and Robert Webber. If a rating is needed, 3 out of 5 whisky sours.
And so ends this stop along the Lonely Street Bar Noir Pub Crawl. The tour will continue as long as venues like Club Madrid, Dave's and Durphy's, and the Golden Poppy Cafe open their doors. Until then, make sure you settle your tab.
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