Broadway. Once the epicenter of adult entertainment in San Francisco (well, at least in the early 60’s through the 1980’s) where today you’ll find most of the nightclubs, bars and restaurants boarded up, closed, or just a weak memory to that lively, loud, neon-lit heyday.

At the bustling corner of Columbus and Broadway still stands the “World Famous” Condor Club. Or should I say “infamous”. According to the brass plaque affixed to the brick facade, The Condor was “Where it all began” as the birthplace of topless (and bottomless) entertainment.

On June 19, 1964, soon-to-be legend Carol Doda would make history by donning a topless monokini, descending from the ceiling on top of a white baby grand piano, and shook her then un-ample breasts to a groovy rock tune for an appreciative horny audience. Instant big hit, to be copied by clubs up and down Broadway, and around the country.

Carol underwent silicone breast enlargements (one of the first to do so- from a 34B to 44DD!), insured them for 1.5 million with Lloyd’s of London, suffered multiple indecency arrests by SFPD’s Vice Squad (and was cleared of all charges), gained lots of press for herself and the club nationally and internationally.

But who remembers maybe the most bizarre episode ever to hit Broadway? The time in 1983 that James Ferrozzo, known around North Beach as Jimmy the Beard, bruising Condor assistant manager, was found dead, stuck between the ceiling and the white baby grand piano that lowered and rose from the ceiling. The very same one that Carol debuted her topless routine 20 years earlier.

And pinned underneath The Beard, alive, fully naked, and truly freaked out, was 23 year old Mitchell Brothers Theater performer Theresa Hill.

According to the Examiner, the marquee promises of “Live Sex Acts” on stage were apparently in full effect after-hours as Jimmy and his girlfriend Theresa reclined on top of the piano. It’s possible that Jimmy accidentally kicked the switch that operated the piano lift (which crawler very slowly upward) and, distracted as the couple might have been, it was too late by the time Jimmy’s 240 pounds, and Theresa’s 110, got sandwiched between the baby grand and the ceiling.

They were discovered around 7am when a janitor had to bust a door down, saw Jimmy’s big leg stocking out from the ceiling. Theresa was, to put it mildly, somewhat distraught. (She was panicked!) They didn’t free her for another 3 full hours!

The coroner said the big man died of asphyxiation. The SFPD Homicide Inspectors said “it looks accidental…” but declared that the club was a mess, looking like a brawl had taken place earlier in the evening. No one ever found out if foul play was involved. But…it was Broadway in the 80’s. Who knows how hard they tried to investigate. Jimmy was beloved by many, “a good guy”, “real cool”, “the girls liked him”. But it was said that Theresa was escaping some violent past, some legal issues. And Jimmy was considered a brawler. So your guess is as good as mine.

But this one has to go down as one of the strangest deaths in The City, a place with a history of a lot of odd deaths.

Anyone interested in a stroll around Broadway with a former saloon keeper (Dick Boyd, owner of Pierre’s), check out the videos https://aahour.net/2021/06/05/broadway-north-beach-san-francisco-pt1/ and https://aahour.net/2021/06/07/broadway-north-beach-pt-2/ where we discuss The Condor, Finnochio’s, Enrico’s and a lot of the long gone clubs from the heyday.