It’s Hip to Hang in Squaresville

Way back, before bell-bottoms, guitar solos and the Surgeon General’s Warning, there were lounges.

Usually located in restaurants that touted prime rib, these smoky, windowless rooms were equipped with cushiony Naugahyde booths, peroxide blondes and, oh yes, a piano bar you could sit around while an ivory-tickling crooner sang your troubles away.

But time, alas, marched on. One by one, the piano bars fell, victims first to the disco ball, then to the sports-bar craze.

Fortunately, though, some did steer a straight course through the decades. They made few or no concessions to the invading British rockers, the shaken bootie or any other trend du jour.

Thanks to the pretzel logic of the L.A. scene, what was yesterday beyond squaresville is today’s hip ticket. A generation too young to remember the Beatles is turning on to Cole Porter and George Gershwin in the kitschy milieus they thought only their grandparents could love.

The Dresden Room

The focal point of this lounge revival is without a doubt in Los Feliz at the Dresden Room. Not long ago, the gold lame-clad husband-and-wife duo of Marty and Elayne Roberts were singing “Embraceable You” in near obscurity. These days, they dish out their hot mix of jazz, standards and occasional contemporary tunes to a house packed with young scenesters.

The Robertses’ now-national reputation has been enhanced by recent visits to the Dresden Room by such Hollywood bigwigs as David Lynch, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sean Penn and the obliging Julia Roberts, who picked up the mike and sang a number. The Robertses work the piano bar Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday is open-mike night for all wanna-be Frank Sinatras, Mel Tormes, Patsy Clines and Billie Hollidays.

The rest of the week usually features guest musicians and singers. On weekends, it’s almost always SRO--Squeezing Room Only--so come early if you want a seat or even a reasonably oxygenated place to stand.

The Dresden Room, 760 North Vermont Ave., Los Feliz; (213) 665-4294.

Bob Burns

What’s oddest about the lounge at Bob Burns in Santa Monica is how sophisticated it is. The plush tartan rug, the fireplace and the gas-burning lanterns--quite an Old World feel for a phenomenon with its roots in ‘50s Las Vegas.

Singer Howlett Smith and his sidekick, known simply as Brina, deliver the goods with a spry theatricality. “In spite of all the serious music I write,” says Smith, who has penned tunes for Peggy Lee, Nancy Wilson and Andy Williams, “people always request my comedy songs.”

You will find out why if you drop in Saturday through Tuesday, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., and ask Smitty to play “An Ugly Woman (Told Me No)” or “Chitlins in the White House.”

Bob Burns, 202 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 393-6777.

Albee’s Beef Inn

Geography probably played a big role in preserving Albee’s Beef Inn in such pristine condition. Tucked safely out of fashion’s way in San Diego’s Hotel Circle, the faux antique lamps, dark paneling and oil paintings of nudes survive unreconstructed.

Though the place has a bit of a saloon feel to it, the entertainer, silver-haired John DeLuca, is an oasis of elegance. DeLuca plays his cocktail jazz and oldies on electric piano and synthesizer because Albee’s doesn’t have an actual piano bar--just a semicircle of seats and bar space built around the instruments.

“Lounge music should be lively but not overpowering,” says DeLuca, who says he has amassed a repertoire of more than 10,000 songs. “People should be able to conduct business or proposition a woman.”

DeLuca performs from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The early sets are almost all jazz. No singing until 7 p.m.

Albee’s Beef Inn, 1201 Hotel Circle South, San Diego; (619) 291-1103.

San Franciscan

Another fine “electric lounge” (i.e., with a makeshift piano bar) is at the San Franciscan in Torrance. Its credentials are unimpeachable. You could call its motif Bay ‘90s. There’s a brass rail, red flocked wallpaper and pictures of 1906 San Francisco everywhere, so revelry is kept within sober limits. The San Franciscan also boasts an unmatched consistency in its entertainers and clientele.

“I’ve been stuck here for the past 26 years,” says Freddie Ghezzi, the Freddie half of Freddie and Pattie (Pattie Peterson joined him 18 years ago). They keep things moving along with a steady stream of jazz, standards, swing and schmaltzy patter.

The under-30 crowd has yet to discover the San Franciscan, but that’s OK, because much of the original crowd hasn’t abandoned it. You’ll find the originals here, Wednesday through Saturday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

San Franciscan, 2520 Sepulveda Blvd. (at Crenshaw Boulevard), Torrance; (310) 325-5231.

Bob Henry’s Round Table

Another elder statesman on the circuit is Dick Leslie, resident minstrel at Bob Henry’s Round Table for 21 years. Stroll on in under the fake rafters and watch an old pro in action. Leslie can tap out a lilting waltz or improvise and blues-walk over a churning version of “Hound Dog.”

“It all depends on what the crowd wants,” says Leslie, “I just roll with them.” Leslie keeps things rolling between numbers with a string of jokes and repartee among him, the waitresses and the core of Round Table regulars. Performance nights are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Bob Henry’s Round Table, 2460 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 828-2217.

Haskell’s Prospector

On a lonely corner in Long Beach lies Haskell’s Prospector, not just a restaurant and lounge but a veritable museum of Western kitsch. You’ll find things like an Annie Oakley poster, a velvet painting of an Indian chief, saddles, sombreros, covered wagons--the works, pardner.

But to strike the Prospector’s mother lode, head for the piano bar and behold . . . Judy. A woman of 1,000 hats--she’ll change headgear after every song--Judy (full name, Judy Pierce) addresses her audience in a low growl that’s half Mae West and half Ray Bolger. Sit where she can see you and you’ll not only be asked to accompany Judy but you’ll be cajoled and begged to do so, with the microphone shoved in your direction.

Forget about pleading ignorance of the lyrics. Judy’s got a bunch of signs with the words to dozens of songs on them. She hangs them up behind her, so no excuses. Fridays and Saturdays only, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Haskell’s Prospector, 2400 E. 7th St., Long Beach; (310) 438-3839.

Dear John’s

Another anyone-can-join lounge party goes on in Culver City at a place with the melancholy name, Dear John’s.

To be sure, this is a lounge on a shoestring. Although there are the requisite leatherette booths and a fireplace, no partition exists between lounge and restaurant--nor is there even a proper piano bar. The chairs are simply set up around the piano.

But what Dear John’s lacks in accouterments, it more than makes up for in spirit. At the helm is the indefatigable Ruthie Who?, a.k.a. Ruthie Thomas, who’ll play the night away with nary a break.

“I’m so proud of them,” says Who?/Thomas, who plays to a busy bar Thursday through Saturday, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. “It just goes to show you what a need there is for these piano bars. I guess there just aren’t enough of them around anymore.”

Dear John’s, 11208 Culver Blvd. (at Sepulveda Boulevard), Culver City; (310) 397-0276.