The Ice House reopens in Pasadena with laughs, lofty goals and Lakers magic

Table Of Content

• Old Pasadena
• Special Events & Celebrations
• The Conga Room welcomed Latin luminaries for 25 years. Why club founders say it’s time to let it rest
• Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish expected to leave the company
• Your Child’s Best Future Starts Here this Summer
• After a $4 million renovation, the legendary comedy venue has a new owner and a schedule packed with big-name talent.
• Cocaine, heroin, mushrooms, 4 guns, $30K found at Pasadena home

As fans of comedy, Johnny and Jerry had seriously discussed opening a comedy club together in the past. So after purchasing The Ice House in 2019 — and giving it a $4 million facelift during a three-year closure, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Buss finally has the club he and his father had always dreamed about. The club, which has been around for over 60 years, has undergone a transformation under the new ownership of Johnny Buss, son of the late Lakers owner, Jerry Buss.

Old Pasadena

Finally, burnt out on sports and other ventures before the pandemic, Buss decided to revive the comedy club dream, buying the Ice House in 2019 from longtime owner Bob Fisher, who was retiring. The club sat in limbo until recently — during which time Buss' mother, JoAnn Mueller, also passed away, before the club reopened. But over the last several months, the club has finally finished its long-awaited reshaping and is ready to turn the lights back on. Sparks in 2006 — a team he'd helped build into a winning franchise in the WNBA — Jerry's health had already started declining. After his father’s death, Buss said he didn’t want to think about opening a club anymore. He shifted away from sports, bought race cars and trucks and started getting into the business of off-road racing.

Special Events & Celebrations

The walls of The Ice House are adorned with photos of comedians who have graced its stage, and the venue boasts a new menu and updated bar offerings. With its rich history and commitment to nurturing new talent, The Ice House is officially open with a full schedule of shows. The upgrades include new glass doors and relocating the club’s main entrance from the alley to the front of the building. It also features what’s sure to be a popular photo opportunity for fans as a huge polar bear statue is situated just inside the club. After looking into several spaces, Buss decided to purchase the 63-year-old Pasadena venue, which is dubbed as the oldest comedy club in the country, from longtime owner Bob Fisher.

The Conga Room welcomed Latin luminaries for 25 years. Why club founders say it’s time to let it rest

When the lights hit the stage and he was finally able to open the doors to the legendary Ice House comedy club in Pasadena on Feb. 16, new owner Johnny Buss admitted that while the audience was laughing, he was getting a little emotional. To mark the special occasion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony organized by the Pasadena Chamber will take place followed by a weekend of sold-out shows featuring headliner Gabriel Iglesias. The festivities will also include tours of the entire venue, food samplings from The Ice House menu, and a bartender demo showcasing some of the club’s signature cocktails.

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“We might actually start doing some afternoon things there,” Buss said. The bar has the same design but it was extended to serve more people. “I truly remodeled this one to have the young comics in there where they can really hone their craft,” said Johnny.

The Ice House Comedy Club reopens in Pasadena

Other improvements include the addition of more seats in both comedy rooms, upgrades and an expansion of the restrooms, as well as a new VIP area designed to attract big names to the club. The new VIP room is located where the old dining room used to be and it now has a glass enclosure, so people can sit within that space and watch the show through glass and still talk and not disturb the comics, he said. Johnny Buss, the son of the iconic Angeleno Dr. Jerry Buss and also the co-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers (left) has breathed new life into Pasadena’s storied Ice House comedy club. Fully renovated, the re-energized spot opens Feb, 16 with comedy legend Margaret Cho (right). Aside from the club’s new look and the new food items on the menu, the management is also planning to do open mics to showcase the talents of new and aspiring comics once the club reopens.

Sitting in his designated booth at the back of the Legendary Room, Buss says he can’t wait to enjoy a show with the spirit of his favorite comedy fan right beside him. His father’s notoriously outside-the-box methods of running a team made him a genius and impossible to predict. Mentor Ave., hasn’t changed, but walking through its new glass doors is like entering a place that’s transformed from a dusty piece of coal into a frosty diamond. “You know, my father and I used to talk about (opening up a comedy club) all the time.

After a $4 million renovation, the legendary comedy venue has a new owner and a schedule packed with big-name talent.

“When you’re almost the pinnacle of sports ownership, what do you do? And my dad and I used to sit around and say, what we need to do is buy a variety club and have comics and magicians and maybe a singer, come out and just really have a really great evening. And we used to talk about that literally for the last 40 years,” he recounted. As an original draft pick for the Sparks when the team started in 1997, Toler was the first player to score a basket in WNBA history.

From 1960 to 1978, The Ice House, originally managed by Keith Pearce, aka, O'Brien, was a folk music club with acts coming from around the country to perform. In 1978, the original owners were bought out by a trio of investors led by Bob Fisher who changed the format of the club to stand-up comedy. The Comedy Store was founded by comedians back in the 1970s and has been giving people giggles ever since.

Buss has plans to host live music and other events in addition to comedy shows. Following in the historic footsteps of past Ice House comedy stars including George Carlin, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and Ellen DeGeneres, the club will relaunch with a bang. IN addition to Cho’s one-night-only performances at 8 and 10 pm, the opening weekend will also headline HBO sitcom star Pete Holmes (“Crashiing”) in the club’s secondary stage the California Room. The ownership changed hands three years ago, when longtime owner Bob Fisher opted to finally retire and came to terms with Johnny Buss, the son of the iconic Angeleno Dr. Jerry Buss and also the co-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. A huge comedy fan who was a longtime attendee of the club, Buss had long wanted to enter the world of owning a top nightlife destination.

Although his dad didn’t get see their comedy dreams come to fruition, Buss still plans on turning The Ice House into a family business. Pasadena Now strives to publish a full spectrum of news and information articles in service to the entire community. The publication will remain free to readers and will not erect paywalls.

His father's notoriously outside-the-box methods of running a team made him a genius and impossible to predict. A regular at the Comedy Store, the Improv and the Laugh Factory, Johnny said he and his dad always talked about opening their own club together before Jerry’s death in 2013 at 80. Mentor Ave., hasn't changed, but walking through its new glass doors is like entering a place that’s transformed from a dusty piece of coal into a frosty diamond. Also greeting guests is a neon sign of the smiling bear spotting a red hat and holding a mic.