Finocchio's Club
Finocchio's was a nightclub and bar in San Francisco. The history of the club started as a speakeasy called '201 Club' in 1929 located at 406 Stockton Street.[1] In 1933, with the repeal of prohibition, the club moved upstairs and started to offer female impersonation acts; after police raids in 1936 the club relocated to the larger 506 Broadway location.[1][2] Finocchio's night club opened June 15, 1936 and is located in San Francisco, California, above Enrico's Cafe at 506 Broadway Street in North Beach. The term "Finocchio" is Italian for fennel but is often a negative term for gay.[1]
Joe Finocchio, the creator of the club had the idea of a nightclub with female impersonators in costumes when a patron jokingly went on the stage of his club and did a routine that the crowd enjoyed. The club was not a gay club, but was strictly for the entertainment and fun. Though a number of gay performers worked there, some performers were straight as well. The acts were often including a diverse & varying ethnic-inspired performances such as geisha, which may have helped encourage tourist and contributed to the diverse, often mixed-race crowds which was unusual during this time of segregation.[1][2] Many LGBTQ today don't think of professional female impersonator clubs as being particularly gay, but in the days before gay liberation they provided valuable semi-public social spaces for sexual minorities to congregate.[2]
Finocchio's was "off limits" during World War II, not due to the entertainment but rather for selling liquor to the military outside the authorized hours of sales. On December 31, 1943 the ban was lifted after Joe Finocchio and other bar owners signed an agreement to limit liquor sales to military personnel to between 5 pm and midnight.[3]
Finocchio's was a huge favorite with tourists during the 1930s through early 1990s. Joe Finocchio died in January 1986.[4] Eve Finocchio, Joe's widow, decided to close the club on November 27, 1999 because of a significant increase in the monthly rent and dwindling audience attendance.[3]
Finocchio's was often referred to in drag circles, as old-school "vanilla" drag with performers in diva gowns singing or lip-synching to Top 40 ballads.[5]
A 14-page program was published, called "Finocchio's: America's Most Unusual Nightclub" published by Zevin-Present circa 1947 is about the club and can often be found in antique shops or from used book sellers.
After the closure, another San Francisco establishment called Harry Denton's Starlight Room started a drag show in 2006 called "Sunday's a Drag" a brunch, female impersonation show modeled after Finocchio's. The "Sunday's a Drag" shows are hosted by one of San Francisco's most notable drag queens, Donna Sachet.[5]
Notable acts
Artists who performed at Finocchio's include (in alphabetical order):
- David de Alba,[6]
- Vaughn Auldon,
- Bobby Belle,
- Francis Blair,
- Ray Bourbon,[7]
- Aleshia Brevard,
- LaVerne Cummings,[6]
- Francis David,
- Val DeVere,
- Frank Doran,
- Ray Francis,
- Nicki Gallucci,
- Tex Hendrix,[8]
- Bobby Johnson,
- Pussy Katt,[1]
- Brian Keith,[9]
- Bambi Lake,
- Milton La Maire,
- Lestra La Mont,
- Jeri-Lane,
- Paul La Ray,
- Harvey Lee,
- Del LeRoy,
- John Lonas,
- Johnny Mangum,
- Katherine Marlow,
- Jackie Maye,
- Kelly Michaels as Madonna,
- Mike Michelle,
- Karyl Norman,
- Lucian Phelps,
- Jackie Philips,
- Russell Reed,
- Libby Reynolds,
- Lori Shannon,
- Francis Stillman,
- William Stoffler,
- Holotta Tymes,[10]
- Carroll Wallace,[6]
- Holly White.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "'Finocchio’s – a nightclub' on A Gender Variance Who's Who, Essays on trans, intersex, cis and other persons and topics from a trans perspective.......All human life is here, blog by Zagria". Retrieved Sep 15, 2013.
- 1 2 3 "'Finocchio's, a Short Retrospective a Historical Essay' on Digital Archives @ FoundSF by Susan Stryker". Retrieved Sep 15, 2013.
- 1 2 Hamlin, Jesse (November 4, 1999). "What a Drag: Finocchio's to Close, Cross-dressers have entertained at club for 63 years from SFGate.com". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ↑ "Joseph Finocchio Dies; S.F. Transvestite Show from LA Times". Los Angeles Times. January 16, 1986.
- 1 2 Zinko, Carolyne (June 29, 2008). "Sunday's a Drag". SFGate. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "TransVocalizers, David de Alba, Part II". Transgender Forum. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
- ↑ "Ray's Story, Nightclubs and Broadway". Don't Call Me Madam, the Life and Work of Ray Bourbon. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
- ↑ "Mr. Tex Hendrix at Finocchio's (1942)". The Virtual Museum of The City of San Francisco. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
- ↑ "David de Alba Interviews FI Brian Keith". Transgender Forum. 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
- ↑ "I AM YOUR QUEEN: Holotta Tymes". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
External links
- Video from Finocchio's Club (November 24, 1943) featuring Michael Callahan and Forgotten Day
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