Club My-O-My was a former

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

in the

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

area that employed female impersonators as entertainers. Its predecessors were the Wonder Bar, and the Wonder Club.

History

Wonder Bar

In 1933, a predecessor to Club My-O-My, the Wonder Bar, opened up with underground

drag show A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag (entertainment), drag artists impersonating men or women, typically in a bar or nightclub as a burlesque-style, adult-themed nightclub event. The modern drag show originated in the speake ...

s. The Wonder Bar was located in the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...

at 125 Decatur Street. In 1936, the Wonder Bar was raided by police. Owner Emile Morlet requested an injunction in court, but was denied on grounds that the club was a menace to morality.

Wonder Club

In 1936, after the police raid of the Wonder Bar, it was moved to Jefferson Parish, outside police jurisdiction, and reopened as the Wonder Club.

Club My-O-My

In the late 1940's, the Wonder Club was renamed to Club My-O-My. The name ''Club My-O-My'' was in use as early as October 1947, when it appeared in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine. On May 4, 1948, Club My-O-My was badly damaged by a fire, but was rebuilt shortly thereafter. Club My-O-My had a

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

assigned to keep watch at the front door for any issues. If there were issues, entertainers would deny any accusations. On January 17, 1972, Club My-O-My was destroyed by a second fire.

Demographics

In 1972, Esther Newton listed Club My-O-My as being in the top four largest tourist clubs for female impersonation. The list included

Club 82 Club 82, also known as the 82 Club, was a nightclub in Manhattan, New York City that employed Drag queen, female impersonators as entertainers. The nightclub had a second life as a music venue, but was eventually closed. History Predecessors ...

, Club My-O-My,

Finocchio's Club Finocchio's Club was a former nightclub and bar in operation from 1936 to 1999 in North Beach, San Francisco, California. The club started as a speakeasy called the 201 Club in 1929 located at 406 Stockton Street. In 1933, with the repeal of proh ...

, and the

Jewel Box Lounge The Jewel Box Lounge, also known as the Jewel Box, was a nightclub & lounge opened by John Tuccillo in 1948. Located on the historic Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri it was one of the earliest establishments in the area to feature drag q ...

. She described a tourist club as one specializing exclusively in female impersonation performances, rather than acting primarily as a

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

with only occasional performances. One source says that Club My-O-My catered to a white audience, both heterosexuals and homosexuals, and was popular with tourists. Another source characterizes club-goers as mainly

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

white heterosexuals and tourists.

Culture

Kate Marlowe (born Kenneth Marlowe) worked as a female impersonator at Club My-O-My in the 1960's, and describes the close bond of the entertainers there:

Sex work

Marlowe describes Club My-O-My's culture of entertainers mixing with guests and hustling tables: Customers purchased overpriced drinks, photos of female impersonators in drag, or other small items. In some cases they paid to see or touch entertainers. If customers paid enough, they could arrange for sex with an entertainer. Sex between customers and female impersonators occurred primarily in the apartments of the female impersonators, who lived near one another in the French Quarter. Away from work, entertainers from Club My-O-My also cruised the French Quarter for tourists, to turn tricks.

References

External links

New Orleans Historical: Club My-O-My: New Orleans Vintage Drag

{{Authority control Culture of New Orleans Defunct nightclubs History of New Orleans