Introducing Charlie’s Place: Who Was Charlie Fitzgerald?

Deep Cover

Pushkin Industries

True Crime, History

4.3 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 21 July 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, we’re sharing an episode of Charlie’s Place, a new podcast that explores the unbelievable true story of Charlie Fitzgerald, a mysterious Black businessman whose nightclub became an unlikely site of integration in 1940s Myrtle Beach. Charlie broke down racial barriers through the power of music and dance, hosting some of the greatest musicians of our time. But who was Charlie? How did he rise to power? And what price did he pay for achieving the impossible—an integrated club in the Jim Crow South? This is a story of joy and passion that erupted into violence and changed a community forever.

Listen to Charlie’s Place wherever you get your podcasts. Binge the entire season early and ad-free by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Charlie's Place show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:04.3	I'm Natalie Morales of 48 hours.
0:06.8	So much of our reporting focuses on the stories of victims who didn't survive.
0:11.4	But what about those who live to tell?
0:13.7	I survived a violent home invasion.
0:15.4	There's no earthly reason why I'm alive.
0:17.6	From 48 hours, this is, It Could Have Been Me.
0:21.0	You can follow and listen to It Could Have Been Me on Tuesdays
0:24.4	in the 48 hours podcast feed on the free Odyssey app
0:28.0	or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:52.4	Pushkin. Today we're bringing you a story from Charlie's Place, a new podcast about a legendary music venue that stood up to segregation and paid the price.
0:56.0	This was more than just a nightclub. In the heart of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Charlie's place was a safe haven, where black musicians played,
1:01.5	and black and white patrons danced together. It broke the rules of the Jim Crow South, and it drew the
1:07.4	attention of the clan. One night the KKK showed up.
1:11.9	Over 400 bullets were fired.
1:14.1	They kidnapped Charlie Fitzgerald, the man behind it all, and sent a message.
1:18.8	This is what happens when you cross the line.
1:21.6	Charlie's place is about music, defiance, and the failures of the justice system.
1:26.9	It's hosted by Riem Gissay, who tracks down the people
1:30.3	who are there and tries to uncover the truth about who Charlie really was. Here's a preview.
1:37.2	If you want more, the full series is out now. Listen to wherever you get your podcasts. And if you
1:43.1	want the full story right now, you can binge Charlie's Place ad-free with a Pushkin Plus subscription.
	...

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