On Friday and Saturday nights, the Grand Ballroom at Merv Griffin's Beverly Hilton Hotel
is transformed into the "Coconut Club," billed as the biggest and most glamorous dance/supper club in America. Accommodating up to 600 people and boasting a 900 square foot dance floor -- this elegant reminder of the halcyon days of Hollywood lives up to its billing. While novices practice outside the main floor, the decidedly more familiar patrons revel to the music of THE SWING KINGS. The nine-piece ensemble, which occasionally swells to 15, is led by singer Ron Alan, a poster boy of the 1940's Casablanca look. "Swing was popular during the Great Depression and World War II, when people needed to leave their troubles behind for a night on the dance floor," says Alan.
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