The History: Before this popular Sunset Strip comedy club appeared on the scene in 1972, the site was known as Ciro's, one of Hollywood's hippest clubs during the 1940s and 50s.
"All the greats from the era came here," said Tommy Morris, assistant director of operations and talent coordinator at the Comedy Store. "It was a big deal to perform at Ciro's."
Besides showcasing big-name talent like Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Lucille Ball, Ciro's was also a big deal for another reason - its owners had a close affiliation with the mob.
"These were really people just like mobsters in the movies," Morris said. "They loved to bring you in with a smile, feed you a nice dinner, give you some good wine and then kill you."
The building still has peek holes in the upper walls of the main room that allowed mobsters to see who was coming and going at the club, Morris said.
The Haunting: Montz and his paranormal research team conducted investigations of the Comedy Store in 1999 and found that the site was highly active.
Other psychics have also documented ghost activity at the club, Morris said.
"The Comedy Store feels like a very old place that has a lot of strange things going on that freak people out," Morris said. "Cold spots are very common in the main room. The air suddenly gets ice cold, and you can see your breath. This is known as a sign of paranormal activity."
Morris, who has been working at the club for four years, said employees frequently get calls on the intercom system from line 31, an extension that does not exist.
"It calls us, and it sounds like its outside, and all you can hear is someone breathing," he said. "I feel like it has a sense of humor, though, because it only calls when we're really busy."
Morris said two particularly angry ghosts inhabit the club.
"One of the angriest ghosts was a hit man for the mob," he said. "His name was Gus, and he ended up being tortured and killed by the people he worked for. His spirit is outraged that he was killed."
Another ghost resides downstairs in the original lounge, in which many illegal abortions were performed.
"There is a ghost of the lady who performed the abortions down there," Morris said. "She is angry because she felt like she was helping a lot of people, but she was arrested and publicly humiliated."
Montz said an ISPR team helped owner Mitzi Shore clear the Comedy Store of many of its mob-era ghosts.
"We cleared it, but we left two mafia hit men who still haunt there," he said. "They don't cause any problems, and they are really there to protect the property."
As for employees and visitors to the Comedy Store, reports keep coming of unexplained supernatural activities inside the club.
"From a completely rational, thinking mind, I think it's possible there are places where dimensions cross," Morris said. "I believe that's what happens here." - LA Haunted Hollywood
Where is Tommy Morris now that he's no longer at the Comedy Club?
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