~
photographer unknown
Today is the birthday of one of the greatest legends of San Francisco, Carol Doda who made international news, in 1964, first by dancing topless at the Condor Club, then by enhancing her bust from size 34 to 44 through silicone injections. Her breasts became known as Doda's "twin 44s" and "the new Twin Peaks of San Francisco". According to the NY Times, her bust was said to have been insured for $1.5 million.
Capitalizing on her silicone injected breasts, she appeared in the 1968 film, Head, a satirical musical adventure film written and produced by Jack Nicholson (the actor) and Bob Rafelson, starring the television rock group the Monkees (Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith). She appeared as Sally Silicone. How appropriates is that?
Early in my motorcycle days I danced with Pillow at the hungry i on Broadway in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco for two years and they were the most intense and gratifying years of my life in so many ways.
One of them was we (Pillow & I) were friends with Carol Doda who was a terrific person, kind
and generous to everyone but ready to set anyone right if they crossed
her and a great sense of humor. I remember between our sets (we
performed 7 sets each night) walking up the block from the "i" to the
Condor to watch her in her performance and a couple of times having
enough time between sets, hers and ours, to visit; boy did SHE have
stories to tell.
In
addition to her sizable bust line, she was famous for her various
trials and a death involving of one of the girls at the Condor Club (link below).
On April 22, 1965 Doda was arrested along with Pete Mattioli and Gino
del Prete, owners of the Condor Club. They were cleared when two judges
instructed not-guilty verdicts. Judge Friedman's memorandum to opposing
attorneys reads, "Whether acts ... are lewd and dissolute depends not on
any individual's interpretation or personal opinion, but on the
consensus of the entire community ...".
Carol Doda - 1965
photographer unknown
photographer unknown
Both Doda and del Prete were arrested several times
during police raids of the Condor to stop "bare-bosom" shows in North Beach.
In 1969, over the objection of the deputy district attorney, Carol Doda danced naked during a Sacramento indecency trial over “bottomless” dancing at the Pink Pussy Kat in Orangevale, California.
The judge moved the venue from the courtroom to the Chuck Landis Largo
club; there Doda performed to live song and dance numbers, along with a
movie titled Guru You. The trial at the Northern
California beer bar exploded into national headlines after Judge Earl
Warren Jr. decided that the jury needed to see the dancer "Do the
Dance."
A
feature-length documentary film, "Do the Dance" explores the wild and
impactful 1969 indecency trial to tell a broader story about
the limits of sexual expression 50 years later. The film is slated for a
2019 release.
Chris Macias, art critic:
"During the freewheeling Summer of Love, one bottomless dancer [Doda] went to the top of the witness stand in a trial that tested the limits of free expression. 50 years later, in the midst of celebrity nude selfies and a burlesque revival, this unforgettable court case continues to shape our culture of sexual expression."
A song written by Growwler in tribute to San Francisco dancer Carol Doda was recorded at the Great American Music Hall with the Red Beans & Rice horns on March 12, 2015 (link below); they've done better.
There is a 14 minute video of an interview of Doda and the Topless Band on YouTube (link bleow); there is no audio at the first minute and a half, so, be patient.
Doda was a San Francisco native, born in Solano County on August 29, 1937. According to performer Joe Wawrzyniak, at the age of 14, Doda dropped out of school and began working as a cocktail waitress. While she was attending school at the San Francisco Art Institute she began working as a waitress and entertainer at the Condor Club in North Beach to pay her bills.
In
the summer of 1964, Doda began her performance career with her first
topless show, and remained an “American cultural sex icon of the 1960s,”
according to Wawrzyniak. At the peak of her career, Doda was performing
12 shows each night at the Condor Club, and began performing nude until
the early 1970s when the city passed a law prohibiting nude
performances in venues that served alcohol.
On November 9, 2015, Doda died from lung and kidney failure complications at St. Luke's Hospital (now the California Pacific Medical Center) in San Francisco, California. Doda said she was never married.
Viewfinder links:
Carol Doda (interview)
The Monkees ~ Head & Davy Jones
Net links:
Joe Content ~ Carol Doda: North Beach’s Most Famous Daughter
NY Times ~ Carol Doda, Pioneer of Topless, Dies at 78
SFiST ~ Do the Dance
SF News ~ Legendary Stripper Carol Doda Dies At 78 YouTube links:
Carol Doda ~
"The only way I'll stop performing
is when I can't walk anymore, honey."
~ Carol Doda
Styrous® ~ Sunday, August 29, 2021
