Steel Pier Entertainers of the Past

See Who Performed at the Steel Pier

Atlantic City Steel Pier – List of Past Performers, you won’t believe these names.

Have you ever wondered who performed at the Steel Pier?  How prestigous was it to perform live there?

The Steel Pier – “Showplace of the Nation” America’s history of entertainment is vast and performers have been round charming us forever.  Atlantic City’s Steel Pier offered an entire days amusement for one low price and it was once billed as the showplace of the nation. The Entertainment included concerts, attractions and films. In fact, The Steel Pier is credited with increasing the popularity of Big Bands and many of these bands began their careers at the Pier. The Steel Pier had four theatres in use and up 12,000 people could watch a performance at a time.

Atlantic City’s Steel Pier opened in 1898 and cost $350,000 to build.  Annie Oakley was the first act to perform there and its glory days were from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.

The performers that entertained the crowds during Atlantic City’s Steel pier’s heyday were diverse and well known.  The acts of the day that performed live at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, according to Historian Steve Liebowitz included:

• Bob Hope, Marilynn Monroe, Ed Sullivan, The Three Stooges, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, Mae West, John Philip Sousa, Charlie Chaplin, Jimmy Durante, Annette Funicello, The Rolling Stones, Guy Lombardo, Gary Lewis And The Playboys, Benny Goodman, Milton Berle, Dean Martin, Amos ‘n Andy, Dinah Shore, W.C. Fields, Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, Chuck Berry, The Temptations, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, The Allman Brothers, Beach Boys, Helen Reddy, Canned Heat, Byrds, Bill Haley & The Comets, Miss America,Astrud Gilberto, and the Beatles in 1964 to name a few.

The Miss America Pageant was saved by one of the Steel pier’s owners who agreed to host the event in one of the Steel Pier ballrooms. George Hamid who was an amazing tumbler for the Buffalo Bill Circus assisted the owners to highlight special performances that made the Atlantic City’s Steel Pier legendary. He located acts such as The Human Cannonball, Alvin Kelly who set a world record for pole sitting and he was responsible for the Diving Horse. The Diving Horse was an act where a horse dove off a 40 foot platform into water with a female rider.  In 1983 a fire closed the Pier down; fortunately it was reopened in 1993 with the attractions offered amusement only. It is now owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts – Atlantic City Hotels, Inc. and is still a popular family attraction open seasinally.