Carol Ann Doda (August 29, 1937November 9, 2015) was an American topless dancer based in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, who was active from the 1960s through the 1980s. She was the first public topless dancer in the United States.
In 1964, Doda made international news, first by dancing topless at the city's
Condor Club
The Condor Club nightclub is a striptease bar or topless bar in the North Beach section of San Francisco, California"Nudity, Noise Pay Off in Bay Area Night Clubs", ''Los Angeles Times'' (February 14, 1965) Page G5. The club became famous i ...
, then by enhancing her bust from size 34 to 44 through
silicone
A silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (−R2Si−O−SiR2−, where R = organic group). They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cooking ...
injections. A year later, she was arrested along with the owners of the Condor Club, but all three of them were later cleared of charges.
Her breasts became known as Doda's "twin 44s" and "the new Twin Peaks of San Francisco".
Early life
Carol Ann Doda was born August 29, 1937,
in
Vallejo, California
Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to the ...
, and grew up in San Francisco. Her mother's maiden name was Hoss.
Her parents divorced when she was three, and Doda dropped out of school and became a cocktail waitress at age 14.
Topless entertainer
![Carol Doda Condor sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Carol_Doda_Condor_sign.jpg)
Doda attended the San Francisco Art Institute and worked as a waitress and lounge entertainer
[" made topless dancing blossom", ''Chicago Daily Herald'', April 28, 1982, Page 21.] at the Condor Club, at the corner of Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
in the North Beach section of San Francisco. Doda's act began with a grand piano being lowered from the ceiling by hydraulic motors; Doda would be atop the piano dancing,[ "But this is June 1964 and The Condor is going broke." (p. #?) "And that same night Miss Carol Doda, 23 — a former prune-picker, file clerk, ballroom dance instructor and cocktail waitress whose measurements at the time are 34-25-36 — dances The Swim bare from the waist up." (p. 79) "Here are the two pioneers of Toplessness: Big Davey Rosenberg — who thought up the gimmick — watching Carol Doda, the girl who first danced that way in public." (Photo caption, p. 79)]
as it descended from a hole in the ceiling.["California Solons May Bring End To Go-Go-Girl Shows In State", '']Panama City, Florida
Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It is the more populated city of the Panama City–Lynn Ha ...
News'', September 15, 1969, Page 12A. She go-go danced
Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo located in Juan-les-Pins. The bar's name was tak ...
"The Swim" to a rock and roll combo headed by as her piano settled on the stage. (In 1983 Assistant Manager James "Jimmy the Beard" Ferrozzo was crushed to death by the hydraulic piano while lying atop his naked stripper girlfriend, Theresa Hill.) From the waist up Doda emulated aquatic movements like the front crawl
The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a f ...
. She also performed the Twist
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
, The Frug
The Frug ( or /frug/) was a dance craze from the mid-1960s, which included vigorous dance to pop music. It evolved from another dance of the era, the Chicken. The Chicken, which featured lateral body movements, was used primarily as a change of pa ...
, and the Watusi.
On June 19, 1964,[ when Doda was 26 years old, the Condor's publicist, "Big" Davy Rosenberg gave Doda a "]monokini
The monokini, designed by Rudi Gernreich in 1964, consisting of only a brief, close-fitting bottom and two thin straps, was the first women's Toplessness#Topless swimwear, topless swimsuit. His revolutionary and controversial design included ...
" topless swimsuit designed by Rudi Gernreich
Rudolf "Rudi" Gernreich (August 8, 1922 April 21, 1985) was an Austrian people, Austrian-born American fashion designer whose avant-garde clothing designs are generally regarded as the most innovative and dynamic fashion of the 1960s. He purposef ...
.[ She performed topless that night, the first noted entertainer of the era to do so. The act was an instant success.][ Two months after she started her semi-nude performances, the rest of San Francisco's Broadway was topless, followed soon after by entertainers across America.][ Doda became an American cultural icon of the 1960s. She was profiled in ]Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...
's 1969 book ''The Pump House Gang
''The Pump House Gang'' is a 1968 collection of essays and journalism by Tom Wolfe. The stories in the book explored various aspects of the counterculture of the 1960s. The most famous story in the collection, from which the book takes its nam ...
'', and appeared that same year as Sally Silicone in ''Head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
'', the 1968 film created by Jack Nicholson
John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
and Bob Rafelson
Robert Jay Rafelson (February 21, 1933 – July 23, 2022) was an American film director, writer, and producer. He is regarded as one of the key figures in the founding of the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s. Among his best-known films as a ...
, and featuring The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
. The movie was produced by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
. She also appeared in a ''Golden Boy'' parody with Annette Funicello
Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...
, Sonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( 1930 – December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson i ...
, and Davy Jones.
Encouraged by her success, Doda soon decided to enhance her breasts with silicone injections, going from size 34 to 44. Doda became renowned for her bigger bust, and was one of the first well-known performers to have her breasts artificially enhanced. She had 44 injections, a large dose of silicone, at a cost of .
For the topless and waterless Swim, Doda wore the bottom half of a black bikini and a net top which ended where a bathing suit generally began. She performed 12 shows nightly so the management could keep crowds moving in and out. A large illuminated sign in front of the club featured a cartoon of her with red flashing lights representing her nipples.
Bottomless entertainer
On September 3, 1969, Carol Doda began dancing bottomless (i.e., totally nude) at the Condor. She danced bottomless until the California Alcoholic Beverages Commission passed a rule in the autumn of 1972 prohibiting nude dancing in places that served alcohol.
In 1969, Doda performed with ''The TAC squad'', a bottomless all-girl band at ''Carol Doda's'' at 430 Broadway in San Francisco.
Court appearances
On April 22, 1965 Doda was arrested along with Pete Mattioli and Gino del Prete, owners of the Condor Club. They were cleared when two judges instructed not-guilty verdicts. Judge Friedman's memorandum to opposing attorneys reads, "Whether acts ... are lewd and dissolute depends not on any individual's interpretation or personal opinion, but on the consensus of the entire community..." Doda and del Prete were arrested during police raids to stop ''bare-bosom'' shows in North Beach.["Topless Suits in Shows OK", ''Los Angeles Times'', May 8, 1965, Page 9.] Peter Mattioli owned the Condor Club by 1967 and Doda still appeared in shows there.
In 1969, Doda was a witness during the trial of two all-nude dancers who were arrested for "indecent exposure and lewd and dissolute conduct". The defendants were dancers at the Pink Pussy Kat in Orangevale, California
Orangevale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 33,960 at the 2010 census, up from 26, ...
. Presiding Municipal Court Judge Earl Warren Jr. moved the trial, temporarily, from the courtroom to Chuck Landis Largo club. There, Doda performed to live song and dance numbers, along with a movie titled ''Guru You''. She was cross-examined by a deputy district attorney about what she hoped to convey to audiences in her act. Doda was dressed in a red miniskirt with dark blue piping
Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid.
Industrial process piping (and accompan ...
and beige boots. She responded that the movie represents "a satire of pornography... it's to show people the humorous side of sex". Several members of the 10-man, 2-woman jury kept in check their smiles as Doda explained the 17-minute movie. The deputy district attorney opposed asking her to perform, considering it irrelevant to the case. He was overruled by Warren.
Later career
From the late-1960s through the late-1970s, Doda was the spokesmodel for what is now the San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
television station KICU-TV
KICU-TV (channel 36), branded on-air as KTVU Plus, is an independent television station licensed to San Jose, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by Fox Television Stations alongside Oakland-licensed Fox ...
Channel 36, then known as KGSC-TV. Filmed from the waist up and wearing clothes which amplified her most prominent physical attributes, she became known for saying "You're watching the Perfect 36 in San Jose." She would also occasionally appear on-air to do a double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
laced editorial commentary on the issues of the day.[ "Carol Doda; the Perfect 36 (Channel 36's editorial voice and figure) has been in for dinner several times recently."]
Doda appeared as Sadie Thompson in "Rain", at the Encore Theater SF, beginning January 1968.
In 1982 Doda was again dancing at the Condor three times a night. She was 45 and performed to rock 'n' roll, blues, and ragtime. Each act was the same, with Doda appearing in a gold gown, traditional elbow-length gloves, and a diaphanous
In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through the material without appreciable scattering of light. On a macroscopic scale (one in which the dimensions ...
wraparound. Her clothing was removed until she wore only a g-string
A G-string is a type of thong, a narrow piece of fabric, leather, or satin that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a waistband around the hips. A G-string can be worn both by men and by women. It may al ...
and the diaphanous wraparound. In the final portion she was attired in only the wraparound. Her small body looked slimmer without clothes, a perception which was emphasized by the dwarfing effect of her breasts. At the time she was taking dance and voice lessons but had no definite plans for her future.[ Doda quit in December 1985.]
During the 1980s, Doda performed throughout Bay Area dance night clubs with her band The Lucky Stiffs.[
Doda retired from stripping in the 1980s and subsequently ran Carol Doda's Champagne and Lace Lingerie Boutique, a ]lingerie
Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...
shop in San Francisco.
Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, Doda performed fully clothed at several San Francisco North Beach bars and clubs, including Gino & Carlo, Amante's, and Enrico's Supper Club
A supper club is a traditional dining establishment that also functions as a social club. The term may describe different establishments depending on the region, but in general, supper clubs tend to present themselves as having a high-class image ...
.[
]
Personal life
On November 9, 2015, Doda died of kidney failure at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco after a long stay. Doda said she was never married. While very young, she gave birth to two children with whom she had little contact: daughter Donna Smith Terzian, who predeceased her, and son Tom Smith.
Recognition
In Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
, Doda Dome was named for her.
Filmography
* ''Head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
'' (1968)
* ''Machine Gun McCain
''Machine Gun McCain'' ( it, Gli intoccabili, lit, "The Untouchables") is a 1969 English-language Italian crime film directed by Giuliano Montaldo and starring John Cassavetes, Britt Ekland, Peter Falk, Gabriele Ferzetti, and Florinda Bolkan. C ...
'' (1969)
* ''Honky Tonk Nights
''Honky Tonk Nights'' is a 1978 American comedy and drama film directed by Charles Webb. The film stars Carol Doda, Jack Elliott, Georgina Spelvin, The Hotlicks and Dan Carter in the lead roles.
Cast
* Carol Doda
* Jack Elliott
* Georgina Spelvin
...
'' (1978)
References
External links
*
*
Carol Doda interviewed by Herbert Feinstein
for PFA1968-01-25
:* "Herbert Feinstein talks with Carol Doda, former topless queen of North Beach, who is starring as Miss Sadie Thompson in a play based on W. Somerset Maugham's short story "Rain." Doda discusses her past (including silicone injections) and her future plans for non-topless nightclub work."
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doda, Carol
1937 births
2015 deaths
American erotic dancers
American female erotic dancers
Deaths from kidney failure
People from San Francisco
People from Vallejo, California
21st-century American women