Molly
Murphy's - The Building
She stood at 1100 S. Meridian, OKC, OK 73108
This is a shot of the original
Molly Murphy's sign on March 17, 1976.
The night before she opened.
Who can forget those 2-3 hour waits.......serving bread and champagne to the OKC faithful who wrapped themselves around the building.
Molly's floorplan.
Molly's sign on Meridian Avenue at closing time. My farewell shot......I knew I'd never see her again.
A beautiful photo. This is Tulsa, but OKC had the identical layout - even the curb. OKC front steps entered at ground level though, not the two steps up as shown here.
The Soup and Salad Car, an unattended waiter's tray (hello? must be Rat's section), and the fan chair from Table 33.
Another sweet 70's shot - OKC - I think Mack Harris (General Custer) took this.
One night in the 90's I came in from out of town to visit Adam, and just wandered the restaurant after closing, trying to take pictures of every table so I wouldn't forget the detail. Glad I did. Looking over the tennis racquets of Table 17 into the "Dead Zone" of Tables 15, 16 and 18. This was not a good place to sit if you were a customer expecting a night of hilarious activity. Especially Table 15. Why bother? Why didn't we just seat these people across the street at the Vicker's station?
A pro shot I found somewhere. Table 32 in the foreground, 31 to the right. Table 28 straight ahead to the rear, and Table 1 (The Hut) in the far right.
This is Tulsa, but similar to Oklahoma City. OKC Table 31 was a six-top, and in front of the car, OKC had a set of fan chairs. The glowing pillars in the back, by Table 28....looks confusing to me. In OKC, ours were wooden 4x4's. None of OKC's wooden chairs had cushions.
Another great shot of the Soup and Salad Car courtesy of Jeff. Table 27 in the right rear just behind the balloons.
Table 20 foreground, Table 10 front left - 2 steps up - Table 11 (The Wishing Well) on the left, the fan chairs of Table 12, and Table 19 on the right upstairs. Whoredogs and Tip Pool personnel will appreciate the white column of legendary Table 13 in the rear.
A nice shot of the front door (OKC) and Obi-Wan your greeter.
Again, Table 32 foreground, Table 31 on the right, the fan chairs of Table 33 right rear, Table 28 booth behind the fan chair, the club/restaurant connector hall in the rear, Table 29 deep right, Table 30 mid-right, Table 1 (The Hut) far left.
Note - the green lamp above Table 31 was Bob's favorite.
Pro shot, Tulsa, of Table 20 foreground, Table 9 rear right, Table 8 (The Button Booth) rear, and the hint of the Waiters' Station behind Table 8. You can see the small cabinet that held rolled silverware and ashtrays just outside the Front Waiters' Station.
A rare shot of the Front Waiters' Station, Table 8 on the right.
Table 32 in the forground, Table 5 (The Cave) left rear, Table 6 center rear, Table 7 right rear.
Our soup and salad car. A very nice shot of the stacks of rolled silverware outside the front waiters' station. Note inside the waiters station: the bus tubs, creamers, tea urn, racks of clean glasses, and most of all - the metal pitcher used to carry ice to the urinal!!! Tim Bell, as Conehead, entertains guests on Table 8 to the right.
The hobo figure and fire hydrants and that crazy 70's club seating.
Closeup of the hobo in the club.
Pro shot of Table 1 (The Hut) far left, Table 31 left foreground as a 4-top (evidence this is Tulsa), Table 32 right foreground, Table 2 left rear, Table 3 mid rear, and Table 4 (Boat Booth) right rear.
Molly's looking North, towards The Kettle restaurant.
Looking South towards Wendy's.
Club tables and chairs. Back bar is in the far left rear, club terrace behind the wooden frame on the right. Anytime there was a storm, or a blackout, or the lights flickered, and you knew there might be a blackout - you hoped to hear the offer, "Back Bar!", from your favorite cocktail wench. Forget about customers walking their tabs in the dark - I'm about to get lucky at the Back Bar!
Club shot - the famous swinging chairs that still smell like a Playboy photo shoot, and DJ booth in the background.
DJ booth with Adam
(he's the one on the left).
New Year's Eve in the club
Pro shot of Tulsa looking up onto the Terrace (Tables 11-19 without 17). Visible are Table 11 (The Wishing Well) left front, Table 12 left rear, Table 13 center rear, and Table 18 right front surrounded with tennis racquets.
The parquet dance floor, DJ booth, and the best place to go hide from everything, Table 35 in the club, left of the DJ booth. Once in, you would never be seen, no matter what you were doing in there.
The way up to Table 5 (The Cave).
One more set of doors, and you're in! You can almost smell the Steak Dianne from here!
Looking down into Table 11 (The Wishing Well), Table 10 in the background.
Soup and Salad Car, fan chair from Table 34 on the left, Table 20 right foreground.
The car again - who is that passenger?
Table 21 enjoying dinner with Bo Peep, Table 20 left rear, Table 10 right rear. Note palm tree branches above right.
Table 1 (The Hut) and Table 31 in front.
Closeup of Table 1.
The kitchen, featuring one of Susie's close Cambodian friends at the soup kettle. The big ice machine is in the right rear. The community employee bathroom/changing room/getting-it-on room is way back in the left rear.
Looking straight back towards Table 4 (The Boat Booth) in the rear, Table 32 foreground, fan chair from Table 33 left front, Waiter's Station cabinet right front.
Table 8. The Button Booth. The best seat in the house. There is a picture on the wall on the left - an old 1920's-looking photo of a man proposing to a woman, and it has a handwritten title beneath it, "The Proposal."
Teri put two pieces of masking tape on the photo one night in 1980, above the man and woman, and wrote her name and my name on the tape.
It was up there for years, and I'd check every time I came back to visit.
I wish I had known about the Molly's auction when it closed.........I'd have paid dearly for that photo.
A pro shot of the club and the hobo. Sorry, not much help on the club factoids.
A nice angle of the front bar.
Table 22, The Poker Chip Hut. Not a fun place for ummm.....the heavyset-type. Coked-out whores, yes. Heavyset patrons, no.
Table 21 left foreground.
Further inside Table 22.
The entry from the club into the TR Room (TRansition).
As a young waiter, you FEARED the TR Room. It was usually large parties, always loud, confusing, demanding, suicide-inducing, etc.
I think after a waiter had been around awhile, he/she learned to "work" the TR Room, and it became the kind of section you really kinda liked. You found it was actually easy to create comradarie between the four tables, and drop four tickets at the same time.
My opinion, anyway.
Another club shot looking toward the front of the building.
Susie at the podium during a New Year's Eve celebration.
Bo studies the recipe for a Shirley Temple at the front bar.
In the kitchen, looking at those memorable heavy double doors. I don't know what that big rack in the front is all about. Plus, I see the left door window has been boarded in but for a tiny peephole - wonder what the story is there...?
The upside-down flower pots above lonely, lonesome, lost Table 15 - Land Of No Interaction. As if THIS were enough to make you glad you came.
A shot I found somewhere of people entering Molly's Tulsa, probably because the Waffle House was across town, and just too far to drive. OKC did not sport the stairs up, but entered at street level.
Some crazy roofing decor, and a 15-year old palm tree with many leaves cut short, probably due the vast amounts of butter they collected from the hoisted tri-server night after night after night.
Satellite view of S. Meridian on April 15, 1990. Molly's center right. Wendy's to the South, The Kettle to the North. Shepler's is far North.
If you look real close, you can see the Day Prep staff getting stoned in the back of the parking lot. See 'em? Hey, is that Mike Cotten still in costume from the night before?
For the most amazing interactive satellite mapping, click here
Once loaded, you can click and drag the screen as far as your little heart desires.
Thank you everyone who has sent pictures - KimmyPoo, Mack, Jeffiee, Chris, Sullens, Gypsy Robin, Marv, Cindy Nance, Aunt Bee, Glenda, Ref Jeff, Pat, Miss Lopez, Buns & Tonyers.
If you've got pictures - send 'em!