Though he famously declines interviews, industry legend Harry Mohney, founder of the Déjà Vu® club chain, spoke exclusively with ED Publications on his nearly five-decade career in adult entertainment. Here, Mohney lists his favorite memories, and considers the accomplishments that will define a lasting legacy.
In the Black Hills National Forest in the southwestern corner of South Dakota, there is a monument etched in the side of a mountain. From 1927 to 1941, sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln carved the likeness of four US Presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln — into the granite face of Mount Rushmore, as each, respectively, represented the birth, growth, development, and preservation of the US.
If there were a Mount Rushmore of gentlemen’s club industry icons, Harry Mohney’s likeness would surely be included. He and the club chain he founded, Déjà Vu®, represent two of the most prominent names this industry has ever seen. Well before many of those who call this business home were even born, Harry Mohney was opening and buying strip clubs. That first club, “The Green Top,” opened in Marshall, Michigan, in 1971, followed soon after by “The Voom Voom” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today, there are over 75 clubs in the US that are part of the Déjà Vu group of clubs.
But to truly understand Harry Mohney’s impact in the world of adult entertainment, one must look beyond the strip club chain he founded. For example, he’s been credited with opening the first-ever drive-in theaters for adult films back in the 1960s. Dubbed the “Big Daddy of drive-in porn theaters” by The Daily Beast, Harry opened the Screen Drive-In in 1966 in Durand, Michigan, which gave way to the term “Durand Dirties” as locals described the movies shown at the Screen-In. Mohney’s decision to show skin flicks at his drive-in started a national trend, as porn movies began showing up on the screens of drive-ins from upstate New York to Texas, a trend that survived well into the 1980s.
Not surprisingly, “adult” drive-ins led to adult theaters and stores, which would eventually play a key role in the growth of Mohney’s burgeoning lineup of adult businesses. And over the course of the next five decades, Mohney played a vital role in the expansion of the Déjà Vu brand, as well as the industry at large. He fought one court battle after another as religious zealots and politicians aimed to shut gentlemen’s clubs and adult stores down. It’s no exaggeration to call Harry Mohney a First Amendment crusader, a title he proudly wears to this day.
Though he never gives interviews, Harry agreed to answer our questions about the growth of the Déjà Vu and Hustler Club brands, his recollections on the growth of the industry at large, and what accomplishments he’s most proud of as the EXOTIC DANCER Hall-of-Famer reflects on nearly five decades as the largest club chain operator.
ED: From where does the name “Déjà Vu” originate?
MOHNEY: “Déjà Vu” was actually the name of a club I acquired in Lake City, Washington in 1986.
ED: Was it your goal to create the largest “chain” of strip clubs in the world? What drove you to open club after club after club, when many open just one or two?
MOHNEY: Becoming “the largest chain” was part of an evolution caused by the onset of the (adult) videotape business. From the mid ‘60s to mid ‘80s, we operated 160 adult theaters and around 300 adult stores and arcades across the country. With the advent of the take-home videotape business the adult theaters became obsolete. With so many theaters coast to coast under lease or owned, there was a need to find something to use the properties for. The luck of the draw came when some associates and I bought that club in Lake City, Washington, a failing non-alcohol strip club. When this club turned into a financial success we found the solution to what to do with all the properties. Growth came from necessity, not desire.
Harry Mohney, when asked what he believes his “industry legacy” will be: “This is the toughest question of all. Of course, all of us want to be remembered as crusaders and protectors of the First Amendment. I hope the integrity and innovation I brought to the industry will be thought of kindly. I hope my staff will remember the honesty and loyalty I always tried to show them. Freedom is not free, and I have always tried to be a part of protecting freedom for all of my fellow business friends and associates.
ED: What were the legal obstacles like at the time when you first began opening clubs? How did those obstacles change over time?
MOHNEY: Dancing was not considered protected speech yet, so it was a police state as to what was considered obscene dancing. Clubs were held to be public places, and thus public nudity was an easy charge. Basically, any right-wing police officer could haul your entertainer off to jail.
ED: When did you first meet Larry Flynt? When did you decide to work with him on the Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club? This has obviously been a successful branding effort for Déjà Vu, as the Larry Flynt Hustler Clubs are among some of the most popular clubs in the country.
MOHNEY: Larry and I were friends back in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1971-72. I had adult book stores in town and Larry had a bikini bar called Hustler. I dated his bar manager at the time and Larry, Jimmy (Flynt) and I became friends. Larry published a news rag for his club and declared he was going to publish a national magazine called, of course, Hustler. Larry’s magazine became a success when he acquired some nude picture that he published of Jackie Kennedy. Larry created an international brand that I thought would make an easy marketing idea for strip clubs. So I approached him with the idea and later we came to terms.
ED: What will it take for the strip club industry at large to “defeat” its enemies, or is this industry too controversial to not be harassed by religious zealots and public officials?
MOHNEY: As long as our business is perceived to be sexual the religious nuts and politicians we will always see our industry as an easy target to get headlines. The good news is that this scrutiny keeps a lot of business people out of the adult business. The bad news is that we spend a lot of our energy and money defending the industry.
ED: What are your favorite memories over the past four decades? What’s been the most enjoyable aspect of being the largest club owner/operator in our industry?
MOHNEY: Being the largest club owner was never a goal of mine. The evolution of the adult industry caused most of it. But after building over 300 stores and theaters I never lost the love to build new businesses and make them a success. I once had a girlfriend that was a socialist and she would try and convince me that people that build a big business were capitalist pigs, but I would tell her that it is not about money but the love of operating businesses. I equated business people to a star athlete who’s given a $100 million contract. Why do they keep playing the game? Because they, like business people, love the game. About 10 years after we quit dating and she had graduated college, I got a letter from her. She said she now understood the many things I tried to teach her about being in business. The fondest memory is all the friendship and associates I have been lucky enough to enjoy in the 54 years in the adult industry, many of whom are still partners and associates.
ED: Over the course of your Hall-of-Fame career in this industry, what are the accomplishments you’re most proud of? What do you think your lasting legacy in this industry will be?
MOHNEY: This is the toughest question of all. Of course, all of us want to be remembered as crusaders and protectors of the First Amendment. I hope the integrity and innovation I brought to the industry will be thought of kindly. Most of all, I hope my family will think kindly of my effort to leave them an empire. I hope my staff will remember the honesty and loyalty I always tried to show them. Freedom is not free, and I have always tried to be a part of protecting freedom for all of my fellow business friends and associates.
For more information on the Deja Vu club chain, please visit DejaVu.com.
