Finocchio's Club
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Finocchio's Club was a former nightclub and bar in operation from 1936 to 1999 in North Beach,
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California. The club started as a
speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. In the United State ...
called the 201 Club in 1929 located at 406 Stockton Street. 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. Finocchio's night club opened June 15, 1936 and was located in San Francisco, California, above Enrico's Cafe at 506 Broadway Street in North Beach.


Name

The term ''finocchio'' is Italian for
fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...
, but is also a negative slang term for homosexual. ''Finocchio'' are described as young male
prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
s, often underage, working at
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
s. In
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
word '' finocchio'' was common derogatory slang for
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
men, equivalent to ''
fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...
'' or ''
faggot ''Faggot'', often shortened to ''fag'', is a Pejorative, slur in the English language that was used to refer to gay men but its meaning has expanded to other members of the queer community. In American youth culture around the turn of the 21s ...
''.


History

Joseph "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 advertised as a gay club; it was advertised as a place for entertainment and fun. Both gay and straight performers worked there. The acts included varying ethnic-inspired performances such as geisha-style performances, which may have helped encourage tourists and contributed to the diverse, often racially diverse crowds, which was unusual during this time of segregation. In the days before gay liberation, female impersonator clubs provided semi-public social spaces for sexual minorities to congregate. Finocchio's often featured traditional drag, with performers in gowns singing or lip-synching to top 40 ballads. 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 between 5 pm and midnight. Finocchio's was a huge favorite with tourists from the 1930s to the early 1990s. Joe Finocchio died in January 1986. 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. Some other notable female impersonators acts and nightclubs of the era include The Beige Room in San Francisco; Club My-O-My in
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 ...
;
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 ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
; and the traveling Jewel Box Revue.


Prostitution

Finocchio's nightclub combined entertainment with
sex trade The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related se ...
and
prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
. With the criminalization of prostitution, there was a general trend away from commercial brothels and towards nightclubs. While some nightclubs had rooms rented by the hour, Finocchio's did not have these. In 1936, Finocchio's nightclub was subjected to a
police raid A police raid is an unexpected visit by police or other law enforcement officers, which aims to use the element of surprise to seize Evidence (law), evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to Tampering with evidence, hide evidence, res ...
. Five female impersonators were arrested, along with the owners of the club. The owners were arrested for employing entertainers on a percentage basis. This was reputed to lead to entertainers mingling with male customers, trading attention and sexual favors for drinks at an inflated price. Following the police raid, the owners moved Finocchio's to a different location, hired more entertainers, and stopped employing the entertainers on a percentage basis. Following the police raid on Finocchio's, the 201 Club had its dance permit revoked for employing female impersonators on a percentage basis. The entertainers were known to mingle with guests, soliciting drinks. In the 1950's, Harry Benjamin began administering
estrogen Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three ...
-based
hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. Effects of menopause can include symptoms such ...
to prospective
transsexual A transsexual person is someone who experiences a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desires to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (incl ...
s in San Francisco. He relayed information about the prostitution infrastructure for female impersonators at Finocchio's nightclub in the 1950's: Friedman writes that this method of arranging "dates" had precedent in the "messenger boy" culture of New York City and
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in the 1950's. Rates of $20–50 were at least twice as expensive as rates by
cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...
street prostitutes during that same era. In 1972, an article in Lee Brewster's ''Drag'' magazine mentions the practical aspects of prostitution found there, and $50 for sex with an attractive female impersonator:


Influence

A 14-page program, "Finocchio's: America's Most Unusual Nightclub", was published by Zevin-Present, circa 1947. The Finocchio shows published
playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...
s. After Finocchio's closed, they donated the costumes, photos and programs to the GLBT Historical Society. It is thought that Finocchio's was the catalyst for the art of drag. Celebrities who attended shows at Finocchio's throughout their many years of operation included
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
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Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...
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, Carol Channing, William Haines,
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among others. After the closure, another San Francisco establishment called Harry Denton's Starlight Room started a
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 ...
in 2006 called "Sunday's a Drag," a female impersonation show modeled after Finocchio's. These shows are hosted by Donna Sachet.


Notable acts

Artists who performed at Finocchio's included (in alphabetical order): * David de Alba, often dressed as Judy Garland or Liza Minnelli. * Angel Amor * Vaughn Auldon * Jim Bailey, performed at Finocchio's in the 1970s. * Kenny Bee (also known as Kenneth Bachelor) * Bobby Belle * Francis Blair * Ray Bourbon * Aleshia Brevard, her Marilyn Monroe impression became so well known that Marilyn Monroe came to see her perform. *
Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of come ...
, comedian * LaVern Cummings * Francis David * Val DeVere * Frank Doran * Ray Francis * Nicki Gallucci * Candi Guerrero * William Hart * Tex Hendrix * Sir Lady Java * Bobby Johnson * Pussy Katt * Brian Keith * Bambi Lake * Milton LaMaire * Lestra La Mont * Jeri-Lane * Paul La Ray * Harvey Lee (also known as Harvey Wilson Goodwin) * Del LeRoy * Li-Kar, performed a "Geisha dance" and was also a designer and artist, contributing visuals to the Finocchio's playbill. * John Lonas * Johnny Mangum * Katherine Marlowe * Niles Marsh * Jackie Maye * Kelly Michaels, as
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
in the late 1980s. * Mike Michelle * Karyl Norman, worked at Finocchino's circa the 1930s, a former well-known vaudeville performer. * Lucian Phelps ("a Sophie Tucker expert", or "Male Sophie Tucker") would wear Sophie Tucker's actual gowns and early in their career performed
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
. * Jackie Philips * Charles Pierce * Russell Reed * Freddie Renault * Libby Reynolds * Craig Russell * Lori Shannon * Nikki Starr * Francis Stillman * William Stoffler * Holotta Tymes * Carroll Wallace * Holly White


See also

* Pansy Craze, prohibition-era popularization of drag queens within the LGBTQ community *
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 ...
– New York City nightclub (1926–1973) featuring female impersonators * Club My-O-My – New Orleans nightclub (1933–1972) featuring female impersonators. * Black Cat Bar – San Francisco queer bar (open 1906–1921; re-opened 1933–1964). * The Beige Room – San Francisco gay nightclub featuring female impersonators (1949–1958)


References


External links


Video
from Finocchio's Club (November 24, 1943) featuring Michael Callahan and Forgotten Day
Video
featuring Finocchio's Club and an interview with LaVerne Cummings from the television show "On The Town" (circa 1980) with
Connie Chung Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich (née Chung; born August 20, 1946) is an American journalist who has been a news anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks American Broadcasting Company, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her m ...

Various Finocchio's publications
in the Digital Transgender Archive {{Authority control North Beach, San Francisco Nightclubs in San Francisco LGBTQ history in San Francisco Defunct LGBTQ nightclubs in California Speakeasies 1936 establishments in California 1999 disestablishments in California 1930s in LGBTQ history