Carol Doda
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Carol Doda was a stripper in San Francisco, California in the 1960s.
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[edit] Topless entertainer
Carol Doda worked as a topless waitress[1] at the Condor Night Club in the North Beach section of San Francisco.[2] The club is at the corner of Broadway and Columbus.[1] The large lit sign in front of the club featured a picture of her. Her premiere topless dance came on the night of June 19, 1964.[3] Doda's act began with a grand piano lowered from the ceiling by hydraulic motors; Doda would be atop the piano dancing. She descended from a hole in the ceiling.[3] She go-go danced the Swim to a rock and roll combo headed by Bobby Freeman as her piano settled on the stage. From the waist up Doda emulated aquatic movements like the Australian crawl. She also did the Twist, the Frug, and the Watusi.[4] For the topless and waterless Swim Doda wore the bottom half of a black bikini and a net top which ended where a bathing suit generally began.[2] Doda performed 12 shows nightly so that management could keep crowds moving in and out. She was 19 or 20 when she first danced at the Condor. Two months after she started the rest of San Francisco's Broadway was topless, followed soon after by the rest of America.[1]
Doda was renowned for her big bust, one of the first well known to be surgically enhanced. Her bust was a size 34B before silicone injections increased her to 44D. She had 44 injections, a large dose of silicone.[1]
Doda became a cultural icon of the 1960s in the USA. She was profiled in Tom Wolfe's 1968 book The Pump House Gang and appeared that same year as Sally Silicone in Head, the 1968 film created by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, and featuring The Monkees. The movie was produced by Columbia Pictures.[5] She appeared in a Golden Boy parody with Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston, and Davy Jones (actor).[6]
[edit] Court appearances
On April 22, 1965 Doda was arrested with Gino del Prete, owner of the Condor Club. They were cleared when two judges instructed innocent verdicts. Judge Friedman's memorandum to opposing attorneys read Whether acts...are lewd and dissolute depends not on any individual's interpretation or personal opinion, but on the concensus (sic) of the entire community... del Prete and Doda were arrested during police raids to stop bare-bosom shows in North Beach.[7] Peter Mattioli owned the Condor Club by 1967 and Doda still appeared in shows there.[8]
Doda was a witness during the trial of two all-nude dancers who were arrested for indecent exposure and lewd and dissolute conduct, in 1969. The defendants were dancers at the Pink Pussy Kat in Orangevale, California. Presiding Municipal Court Judge Earl Warren, Jr. moved the trial, temporarily, from the courtroom to Chuck Landis Largo club. There Doda performed to live song and dance numbers, along with a movie entitled Guru You. She was cross-examined by a deputy district attorney about what she hoped to convey to audiences in her act. Doda was dressed in a red miniskirt which had dark blue piping (sewing) and beige boots. She responded that the movie emulates a satire of pornography...it's to show people the humorous side of sex. Several members of the 10-man, 2-woman jury kept in check their smiles as Doda explained the 17-minute movie. The deputy district attorney opposed asking her to perform, considering it irrelevant to the case. He was overruled by Warren.[9]
[edit] Later career
From the late-1960s through the late-1970s, Doda was the spokesmodel for San Jose, California television station KICU-TV Channel 36, then known as KGSC-TV. Filmed from the waist up and wearing clothes which amplified her most prominent physical attributes, she would coo "You're watching the Perfect 36 in San Jose." She would also occasionally appear on-air to do editorial commentary on the issues of the day.
In 1982 Doda was again dancing at the Condor three times a night. She was 36 or 37 and performed to rock 'n' roll, blues, and ragtime. Each act was the same, with Doda appearing in a gold gown, traditional elbow-length gloves, and a diaphonous-wraparound. Her clothing was removed until she wore only a g-string and the diaphanous wraparound. In the final portion she was attired in only the wraparound. Her small body looked slimmer without clothes, a perception which was emphasized by the dwarfing effect of her breasts. At the time she was taking dance and voice lessons but had no definite plans for her future.[1]
Doda retired from stripping in the 1980s and now runs "Carol Doda’s Champagne and Lace Lingerie Boutique", a lingerie shop specializing in plus sizes, in San Francisco.[10]
For several years and, as of 2007, Doda has been singing in several North Beach (San Francisco) clubs, including Amante's and Enrico's Supper Club.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Silicon made topless dancing blossom, Chicago Daily Herald, April 28, 1982, Page 21.
- ^ a b Nudity, Noise Pay Off in Bay Area Night Clubs, Los Angeles Times, February 14, 1965, Page G5.
- ^ a b California Solons May Bring End To Go-Go-Girl Shows In State, Panama City, Florida News, September 15, 1969, Page 12A.
- ^ Topless Craze in S.F.--It's a Jungle of Sweaty Gyrations, Los Angeles Times, September 8, 1965, Page C11.
- ^ Movie Call Sheet, Los Angeles Times, March 11, 1968, Page C32.
- ^ Monkees Cavort In 'Head' at the Vogue, Los Angeles Times, November 20, 1968, Page G18.
- ^ Topless Suits in Shows OK, Los Angeles Times, May 8, 1965, Page 9.
- ^ S.F. Pair Plan Topless Club, Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1967, Page D15.
- ^ Judge Takes Another Look At 'Dodo's Indecent Dance', Long Beach Press-Telegram, September 23, 1969, Page 32.
- ^ "Valentine's Day shopping guide", by Cara Cutter, San Francisco Bay Guardian, February 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
[edit] External links
- Carol Doda at the Internet Movie Database
- NNDB listing: Carol Doda
- Hamlin, Jesse. "WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Doda's Body of Work Only Got Bigger: Now she sings in a rock band, runs a lingerie shop and keeps stripping", San Francisco Chronicle, August 1, 1999. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. (English)
- Hyena, Hank. "Voluminous Femininity: Bra shopping at Carol Doda's boutique", San Francisco Chronicle, September 7, 1999. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. (English)
