With the success of his first nightclub, the Trocadero (1934), W.R. Wilkerson eventually opened two more clubs on the Sunset Strip, Ciro's in 1940 and LaRue in 1943. Of the two, Ciro's enjoyed the greatest fame as a celebrity hot spot.

While Ciro's exterior was simple and modern, the club's interior was done up in a lavish Baroque motif of a grandeur matched only by the acts appearing on Ciro's stage. Over the years these included Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Xavier Cugat, Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Gypsy Rose Lee, Peggy Lee, Joe E. Lewis, Martin and Lewis, Rose Marie, Tony Martin and Cyd Charisse, Lili St. Cyr (supposedly arrested for lewdness during a 1951 performance at Ciro's), and Mae West. When Ciro's morphed itself into a rock and roll club during the 1960s, acts included Dick Dale and The Byrds.

The list of celebrities found in the audiences at Ciro's is even more impressive than the acts Wilkerson booked. Rather than trying to name them all, we'll just say the list included everybody who was anybody in Hollywood during the '40s and '50s!

Unlike it's sister club, the Trocadero, Ciro's survived until 1972 when comedians Sammy Shore and Rudy DeLuca bought the place and reopened it as the Comedy Store. The Comedy Store is still located in Ciro's old building at 8433 Sunset Boulevard.