Legendary S.F. stripper Carol Doda dies at 78 (SFGate)

[petronius]

Carol Doda, who helped take stripping out of the shadowy margins of American society and gained worldwide fame as a topless dancer in the 1960s and ’70s, died Monday of complications related to kidney failure. She was 78.

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Ms. Doda was not the first stripper in San Francisco but she was probably the classiest, and she made her art form more acceptable to a mainstream audience. The city has always embraced the entertainer in any form, and Ms. Doda, with her combination of looks, personality and humor, was eagerly promoted as the city’s peep-show ambassador.

“Carol Doda was a part of that early scene that transformed North Beach into what one would expect to see in New Orleans or in some of the areas in Paris,” said former Mayor Willie Brown. “She was bright, able, beautiful, creative and outrageous.” So outrageous that columnist Herb Caen “made her one of his weekly figures, and that was an honor,” said Brown.

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In her Condor act, there would be a fanfare to build anticipation, then the spotlight would hit a white baby grand piano slowly descending from the ceiling. Atop that piano was the statuesque Ms. Doda, in her mono-kini, proudly displaying her 44-inch bust. She would dance and swivel her way through a few numbers before the piano ascended back to the ceiling, with Ms. Doda never leaving her perch.

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http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Legendary-S-F-stripper-Carol-Doda-dies-at-78-6625160.php#photo-5324700


Jeannette Etheredge, owner of Tosca, poses for a photo with Carol Doda, center, and Dick Winn, at the bar in San Francisco bar on Sunday.

[Brother Buzz]

1. Carol Doda's piano deserves a footnote in history - It killed James "Jimmy the Beard" Ferrozzo

Okay, so I'm sure a lot of people left us on November 23rd, 1983. But this man deserves to be commemorated. Not for how he lived, but how he died.

James "Jimmy the Beard" Ferrozzo was 40 years old, but had a tough reputation from working in the strip clubs of San Francisco's North Beach area. At the time of his death he was the assistant manager of The Condor Club, which remains in operation today.

The Condor was America's first topless club, and was made famous by Carol Doda. She was among the first topless dancers (and definitely the first bottomless) in the area, and unquestionably one of the most famous strippers ever. She built the reputation of the club (which hosted several visiting dignitaries during the 1964 Republican convention), and for many years The Condor's sign featured a full length picture of her with flashing red lights on her silicone-enhanced size 44 chest.

Her act began in dramatic fashion. She'd enter the theater from above, lying on a white, velvet-covered baby grand piano. It slowly descended from the ceiling and moved to the stage, where she took it off- all off.

Back to my story:

We don't know exactly what happened on that fateful night 29 years ago, between The Condor Club's closing time and when a janitor came to clean up in the morning.

James Ferrozzo was dating a 23 year old stripper named Teresa Hill. Sometime after the club closed the 2 of them climbed on top of the piano, I assume to make sure it was tuned. They apparently hadn't started, as his body was fully clothed when found (she wasn't wearing quite as much).

Somehow, likely due to their legs hitting the switch, the piano turned on, and began rising toward the ceiling. Distracted with other activities, neither Mr. Ferrozzo nor Miss Hill noticed the slow change in altitude.

When the janitor arrived at 7:00 that morning, he heard Mrs. Hill screaming and called the San Francisco police and fire department.

James Ferrozzo was dead, crushed against the ceiling, and was still on top of Miss Hill, who was lying on the piano.

Miss Hill was alive, but trapped. Attempts to lower the piano were unsuccessful, as its motor had burned out during the night. The fire department had to destroy it in order to free the young lady. She was taken to a local hospital, and treated for bruises.

Due to intoxication, Miss Hill had no recollection of the evening's events, or even of getting on the piano at all. She remembered having been in the club that night, and then waking up pinned between the late Mr. Ferrozzo and the piano.

Mr. Ferrozzo was determined to have died of asphyxiation from being crushed between the club's ceiling, a nude dancer, and a moving velvet-covered piano. His large frame (6'2", 220 lbs.) is likely what saved Miss Hill's life, as it provided several inches of cushioning between her and the roof.

http://drgrumpyinthehouse.blogspot.com/2012/11/november-23-1983.html

[monmouth4]

2. Sure do wish I could rec your post a thousand times. Thanks...n/t

[murielm99]

3. Oh, my, my.

What a way to go.