Advertise on podcast: Charlie's Place

Rating

4.6

from

65 reviews

Description

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. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Charlie's Place podcast

Episode 1: Whispering Pines

2025/07/22

“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 people danced together to the biggest R&B acts of the time at Charlie’s Place. How was this possible? And who was the mythic proprietor of this mythic space? Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 2: Sin City

2025/07/28

“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 both segregation and creativity. When white audiences arrived for the music, these moments sparked shifts that transformed Myrtle Beach and resonated far beyond its borders. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 3: Power Cedes to Power

2025/08/04

“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 poker game – and loaned money to white folks in town to bend the rules in his favor. How long would this last before Charlie became a target? Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 4: Mr. Nobody From Nowhere

2025/08/11

“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 before Myrtle Beach. Before he was Charlie Fitzgerald he was Lucious Rucker. So who is Lucious Rucker? Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 5: All Costs

2025/08/18

“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 night that changed Myrtle Beach. It changed Charlie and the impact reverberated throughout the south. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Charlie’s Place

2025/07/14

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. What happened in Myrtle Beach at Charlie’s Place would come to define a community and generations to come. This is the almost forgotten history of Charlie’s Place. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Read Charlie's Place podcast reviews

4.6 out of 5

65 reviews

KimboSlice2017 2025/10/29

Keep History Alive!

I’m grateful to have heard this podcast about a time in America that there was a fearless black man who stood up for himself and his rights to own a b...

MyHusbandsJealous 2025/08/20

History Comes Alive

I enjoyed this podcast so much. It felt like I was sitting on the porch listening to the elders talk about their lives. I tend to forget they were you...

Klig 2025/07/28

Local love

I’m a local of myrtle beach and I love hearing this history of myrtle beach. this is a great narrative of not only myrtle beach but of the south as a ...

chipper40 2025/07/28

What an amazing story of a time in space where it’s almost repeating itself as we speak.

what an amazing podcast, thank you Snap Judgment for introducing us to one that time forgot.

Jen B. from Raleigh 2025/07/21

A lost story of history

A well told story about a time in history that can be often left out of history books. It also shows how music is a powerful connector. A great listen...

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