Le Club De Cinq

[Lacy Tortelli]

TheClub Cinq-Sept fire was a major blaze at a nightclub just outside Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, Isre, France, on Sunday, 1 November 1970. The fire claimed the lives of 146 people, almost all of whom were aged between 17 and 30.[1] The scale of the disaster shocked the country. Subsequent official enquiries revealed a catalogue of shortcomings, oversights and evasions with regard to fire safety at both local and dpartement level. Criminal charges were brought against a number of people; some received suspended jail sentences.

The Club Cinq-Sept quickly established itself as a popular draw for young people in the region, attracting customers from Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, the nearby towns of Chambry and Voiron, and the city of Grenoble, 20 miles (32 km) away.

On the night of 31 October/1 November 1970, the Club Cinq-Sept had drawn a large crowd to watch a live performance by Les Storms, an up-and-coming six-piece rock group from Paris. An estimated 180 people were still in the club at 1:40 a.m. when a fire broke out. It was reportedly caused by a carelessly discarded match igniting a foam-filled seat cushion on the first-floor gallery.

The blaze spread rapidly through the roof space fuelled by the building's flammable dcor and furnishings. People in the gallery struggled to escape down the single spiral staircase as flames spread across the ceiling. Only 30 people within the main club area managed to exit the building via the main entrance turnstile before a wall of fire plunged down from the gallery turning the whole building into an inferno.[2] Survivors later claimed that the emergency exits had been padlocked and then nailed shut with planks to stop anyone from sneaking into the venue without paying.[3]

Few managed to escape after this point, and of those who did, most suffered severe burn injuries. A group of four survivors claimed they were able to escape the premise shortly after noticing the flames and attempted to pry open the emergency exit doors to help others escape. Additionally, they claimed that some passers-by noticed their attempts to help, and most did not stop to help but instead laughed at them.[3]

The club had no telephone on the premises.[4] One of the club's managers, Gilbert Bas, was among those who had managed to escape and he had to drive into Saint-Laurent-du-Pont to raise the alarm. With the great speed with which the fire engulfed the building and the delay in alerting the emergency services, there was little the arriving firefighters could do when they eventually reached the club. A firefighter was later quoted as saying "There wasn't a murmur or a cry. Imagine our horror when the first group succeeded in getting the door open and then bodies falling on them."[3]

When firefighters were able to enter the building, they found 140 bodies within, most too badly burned for visual identification to be possible. Six badly-injured survivors were transferred to a specialised burn treatment unit in Lyon; four would succumb to their injuries, bringing the final death toll to 146.[5] Two of the club's three managers were among the dead, as were all six members of Les Storms.

Three days after the fire, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont and the secretary-general of the Isre dpartement were removed from their duties. This rapid move provoked a degree of controversy as it was seen by some, including a number of local politicians in Isre, as premature scapegoating before the full facts had been investigated.

An official enquiry held in Grenoble found that many fire safety regulations had been breached. Planning permission had been obtained for the construction of the building, but French law also required an inspection of the finished structure by building safety and fire department officials prior to opening for business; this had not been done. There was no firefighting equipment on the premises, and unsafe materials were inappropriately used for internal furnishing and decoration. The gallery level had no emergency exit; its only means of egress was the spiral staircase and through the main club.

The inquiry heard that, as required by law, the club had two exit doors in addition to the main entrance. However, in contravention of fire regulations, neither was marked; also, both were routinely locked and barred by the club managers in order to prevent patrons inside the building opening them to let others in free of charge. Although three managers held keys, two had succumbed to the effects of the fire and the third, Bas, had left to raise the alarm. The investigation heard how a man who had earlier escaped from the building managed to break open one of the doors, through which one woman was rescued alive; many others trapped behind the doors trying to escape had already perished.

In June 1971, Bas was charged with, and found guilty of, manslaughter in relation to the deaths. He received a two-year suspended sentence. The mayor and three building contractors were found guilty of causing injury through negligence, and received short suspended sentences.[2]

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The place where the rich, the famous and the wannabe's of Saint Tropez will be hanging out during the summer months. With a casual style and everything you can possibly want in a beach club the legendary Club 55 had been open since it's creation in 1955. It's philosophy is summed up in one sentence, "Here the customer is not the king...because he's a friend."

Club 55 never claimed to be a gourmet restaurant, they serve simple food with good products for all budgets. The restaurant is definitely an outstanding venue where simplicity and authenticity are the key words.

"Club 55 is where all the good crowd goes! It's really nice to sit there and meet celebrities and nicely dressed people. The ambience is really great and the food is the best." - Trip Advisor"Club 55 is the most fabulous restaurant/ beach on Pamplona beach. It is rustic, not noisy, food is excellent and a wonderful atmosphere on the patio with all the who's who of the world!" - Trip Advisor"It is a must for St Tropez visits! The setting is simply glorious and the food is simple and perfect! We have spent many memorable days here and hope to have many more in future!" - Trip Advisor

The Five-Timers Club first appeared in the December 8, 1990 episode, the eighth episode of Season 16 that was hosted by actor Tom Hanks. After talking about having the guest hosting duties of SNL five times, Tom Hanks states that the fifth time is when the guest host gets a membership card into the Five-Timers Club. After Hanks gave his monologue, the show segued to a sketch featuring Hanks, Steve Martin, Elliott Gould, and Paul Simon in the richly appointed club. The Five-Timers Club was mentioned to have a swimming pool with perfect 80-degree waters as Elliott had just gotten out of it. The food that is served there is named after well-known SNL performers like Joe Piscopo, Chevy Chase, and Anthony Michael Hall. Conan O'Brien (who at that time was a writer on SNL and not a well-known public figure) portrayed the doorman of the "club" named Sean. Former cast member Jon Lovitz appears as a club waiter. Ralph Nader appears as a former SNL host trying to get into the Five-Timers Club only for Jon to tell him and his group to leave. The scene ended with Tom Hanks using the red phone to send word to the stage that would close out the monologue.

Another monologue that mentioned the Five-Timers Club but did not show it was when John Goodman hosted his seventh time on the March 16, 1996 episode, where upon his monologue was shown as a theme of the number seven where he was given a throne and mock crown and scepter, along with a glass of 7-Up. Goodman remarked "This reminds me of my movie King Ralph, which as I recall, seven people went to see!"

On November 11, 2006, the fifth episode of Season 32, Steve Martin invited Alec Baldwin into the even more exclusive Platinum Lounge, whose membership is reserved for twelve-time hosts such as them and John Goodman.

On March 9, 2013, the sixteenth episode of Season 38, Justin Timberlake hosted SNL for the fifth time, and he reached this spot. Paul Simon, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, and Candice Bergen were seen in this appearance. Dan Aykroyd made a cameo as a bartender which was the best that Steve could do for him having only hosted the show once and having to keep his chatting to a minimum. Steve gave Dan a $1.00 tip for the drinks. Martin Short appeared as a waiter when he showed up near Steve Martin and Chevy Chase. Mike O'Brien (who hasn't become a cast member yet) makes an appearance as the doorman who greets Justin. There are portraits of John Goodman and Drew Barrymore in the Five-Timers Club's Hall of Portraits, and the members share one bathroom as commented by Candice Bergen. The entertainment at the Five-Timers Club involves making the SNL performers fight each other to the death as seen when Bobby Moynihan was fighting his castmate Taran Killam.

The third time when the Five-Timers Club is seen on the November 3, 2018 episode, the fourth episode of Season 44, when Jonah Hill reached his fifth time hosting duty. Tina Fey, Drew Barrymore, and Candice Bergen were the ones who welcomed him as most of the male members were unavailable to appear.

The club has been spoofed by SNL itself. During her fourth appearance as host on the April 13, 2019 episode, the eighteenth episode of Season 44, Emma Stone anticipated "Four-Timers Club" honors in her monologue.[citation needed]

The club was seen again on the February 26, 2022 episode, the thirteenth episode of Season 47, when John Mulaney hosted the show for the fifth time. In the sketch, Mulaney is greeted by Steve Martin, Candice Bergen, and Tina Fey. Paul Rudd was the last person to host for the fifth time, although his show was affected due to the rise of Omicron cases, which resulted in a reduced cast and no audience. The sketch also featured an appearance by Elliott Gould, which was his first appearance in 15 years on the show, along with a surprise appearance from Conan O'Brien, who appeared in the first Five Timers club sketch as a doorman when Tom Hanks hosted for his fifth time back in season 16.

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