Dirty Harry - Red Light District
Then … Callahan and Gonzalez are cruising along Broadway in the heart of the North Beach red light district. Here they pass the Hungry-I club, but don’t confuse it with the original and more famous hungry-i which began life in 1949 in the basement of the Sentinel Building at Kearney and Columbus before moving to the International Hotel on Jackson Street in 1954 where many well-known folk groups, comedians and other entertainers got their start. It then morphed into a rock venue in Ghirardelli Square before closing down in 1970 and selling its name to a consortium who transferred the name to this Broadway strip joint at 546 Broadway (map).
… and Now, the club is still there, but shuttered because of the pandemic.
Then … They move along the same block, passing two adjacent clubs: The Roaring 20s and Big Al’s. Another Roaring 20’s used to be a few blocks away on Montgomery Street, named Varni’s Roaring 20s (prominently featured by the way in 1962 in Experiment In Terror, described elsewhere in this blog).
Then … Again, the whole area was in lockdown when CitySleuth (masked, of course) took these photos. Big Al’s had devolved from a club to a cigar and gift store before the lockdown but retained the name and its giant blade sign.
Then … They turn the corner into Columbus Avenue, passing by the most famous, or is it infamous, of the North Beach clubs - the Condor. Featuring the attributes of Carol Doda, the Condor was the first club in America to go topless, in 1964, then bottomless, in 1969. Less is more?
… and Now, the club awaits Covid relaxations at which time no doubt the entertainment will return. The main entrance has been moved; the one seen above has since become a window, matching its neighbors. Note the metal plaque on the wall between the windows - it’s a historical marker celebrating the dates of the Topless and Bottomless debuts.
CitySleuth would be remiss not to let us sneak a peek at why Ms. Doda was smirkily dubbed “the new Twin Peaks of San Francisco”. Injections of silicone reportedly boosted her from a 34 to a 44, at the same time boosting her reputation.
From 1973 here’s a vintage photo of that busy corner as it was when the movie was filmed. Note the redacted Condor signs advertising Ms. Doda’s show - this might have been have been during the time that the City banned the use of the word ‘Topless” in signs until it was ruled an unconstitutional abridgement of free speech.
… and Now, this night shot was taken in 2020 before the lockdown. Not many changes, given the half-century separation in time.
Then … Opposite the Condor at 606 Columbus we see El Cid, the second club that had gone topless.
… and Now, The building now houses a Chinese Restaurant on the ground floor and a residential (SRO) hotel above. The mural covering the exterior of the building was painted by a local artist, Bill Weber, in 1987. Dubbed the ‘Jazz Mural”, it gives a nod to the many North Beach Jazz clubs of yore, all of which are sadly long gone. Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa are prominently on display amongst North Beach scenes: fishermen, Bocce Ball, moonrise over Coit Tower. The mural continues around the corner on Broadway with mostly Chinese images, in a nod to the adjacent Chinatown.
The full 3-story Jazz Mural is shown below after recent restoration by the artist, mostly funded by the city.
A police bulletin comes across the radio to look out for the escaped rooftop suspect who might be “carrying a tan suitcase which probably contains a thirty-aught-six rifle”. Gonzalez is about to spot him… maybe.