Carol Doda Topless at the Condor

Greetings again from the darkness. Co-directors Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker have teamed up for one of the most 'revealing' documentaries you'll ever watch. OK, all I can do is try my best to minimize the use of puns and double entendre as the review progresses. But that won't be easy as the filmmakers strip away the excess and serve up a bouncy peek at one of the more influential figures driving cultural change in San Francisco during the 1960's.

Carol Doda became famous for more than two reasons. She was the first topless dancer in the Bay Area, and was so popular her name was a permanent fixture on the neon sign at the Condor Club in North Beach. Archival footage and photographs are used to take us back sixty years to 1964 when multiple battles were being fought: the Vietnam war, the Civil Rights Movement, and Feminism. The film uncovers Carol's transition from spirited cocktail waitress to featured stage go-go dancer to, ultimately, the main attraction. She would make her much-anticipated entrance as a baby grand piano descended from the ceiling, slowly revealing a topless Carol Doda dancing on the instrument. She was truly a popular tourist attracting in San Francisco, second only to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Interviews are conducted with surviving dancers, staff, and club owners. The admiration these folks have for Carol is impressive. Her mounds of courage at being the first topless dancer is obvious, and her gut-feeling for what was entertaining demands respect. We see in her interviews just how lovely, charismatic, and playful she was - always with a quip about her assets. The filmmakers also tie in Carol and others to the dance and song inspired by "The Swim", ultimately recorded by Bobby Freeman. We also get a history lesson on 'the Monokini', a topless swimsuit designed by Rudi Gernreich, as well as Carol's acceptance of silicone injections. She viewed this as a marketing necessity as these took her from a 34B to a 44DD, allowing for a competitive advantage. The 1964 Republican Convention at the Cow Palace featuring Barry Goldwater is discussed, as are Condor Club regulars such as Liberace and Walter Cronkite, and Carol's relationship with Frank Sinatra.

Historically speaking, prior to WWII, women's legs (Betty Grable, Betty Boop) were featured as the sexual attraction for men, while afterwards, attention shifted a bit higher thanks to Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and others. It was Carol Doda who capitalized on this trend with her live performances. We learn of the influence of her manager, Davey Rosenberg, and how, as they do, times shifted yet again, causing Carol to adapt to the times (bottomless), even as she aged. Very little of Carol's personal life is covered here, though most admit they found her to be a bit of a loner, focused mostly on her career. I was a bit disappointed that Carol's appearance in Bob Rafelson's movie with The Monkees, HEAD (1968) wasn't mentioned, but overall this is anything but a bust ... instead a worthy history lesson and a lovely tribute to a woman who made her own way, despite the backlash from the feminist movement - those who should have been applauding her entrepreneurial spirit.

Opening in limited theaters on March 22, 2024 and expanding to more cities on March 29.

One of the best documentaries about the 60's! It was like Berlin from the late 30's moving to San Francisco thirty years later with all the Jews... full freedom of "expression" on any level! Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker managed to catch the spirit of the time and it felt right, regardless how wrong it was.

The starting events were taking place in 1964, focusing on Carol Doda, who became the first dancer to perform without a top. Carol Doda was the first to don a "monokini," by the way; designer Rudi Gernreich had just introduced the topless women's swimwear. That created a great deal of buzz and led to several copies as well as lawsuits and arrests. Five years later, she again made history with a "bottomless" performance, however this time she was not successful in court.

Interviews are done with the club owners, employees, and surviving dancers. It's amazing how much these people admire Carol. Her intuitive instinct about what was entertaining demanded respect, and her towering boldness at being the first topless dancer is evident. Her interviews show us how beautiful, charming, and fun she was-always cracking a joke about her good looks. Carol and other characters are also included in the dance and song that Bobby Freeman eventually recorded, which was inspired by "The Swim". Along with learning about the history of Rudi Gernreich's topless swimsuit, "the Monokini," Carol also consents to silicone injections... that cost her dearly at the end...

For a hot subject i couldnt make it past ten minutes. I fast forward talk.talk.talk.we arent interested in managers. The brief clips of Carol topless and dancing are just that-brief. How can you take San Francisco Northbeach and just plod along. Cut this in half. Cut the endless reminiscing. When i turned eighteen and eighteen year olds were now considered adults my friend and i went. The young gogo girls were beautiful and smiling. They looked like they were having fun. Then Carol Doda....not so much. It was like watching my grandmother dance and i dont mean that as a compliment. That evening in late 1973 was like this documentary?....very mediocre.

As "Carol Doda Topless at the Condor" (2023 release; 101 min) opens, we are in "San Francisco, 1964", and it is clear this is a swinging town. We get to know Carol Doda, as she starts at the Condor night club as a waitress. George 'n Teddy was the musical act (we get to see a picture when George 'n Teddy meet the Beatles, yes THE Beatles). At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: I found this documentary super entertaining and enjoyable for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the film makes stopped no efforts to dig out archive footage form that era, and as a result do a great job what life was like in San Francisco in the early 60's. At one point, we are reminded that the 1964 Republican Convention (a/k/a the Barry Goldwater Convention) took place at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Can you imagine? Another interesting thing is that apparently topless went mainstream following Carol Doda's breakthrough, and you could find topless everything, even a topless band (called the Ladybirds). Absolutely crazy.

"Carol Doda Topless at the Condor" apparently was released in 2023. If it was in theaters at all, I missed it. I happened to stumble on it the other night while browsing Amazon Prime. The movie is currently rated 96% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. If you have any interest in the counter-culture of the early 60s in San Francisco, I'd readily suggest you check it out, and draw your own conclusion.

This has a slightly misleading title, because while this documentary does indeed cover the uncovered Carol dancing at this club, its not 100% focused on her.

Carol for those who didn't know was a topless and then bottomless dancer in 1960's who became semi-famous based on the fact she was interviewed a number of times by the press due to her exploits. Of course there were many other girls doing the same but she had a higher public profile.

One of the reasons she became so well known was for being one of the first American girls to have breast augmentation, a practice copied from Japanese girls to attract the attention of American soldiers. However at this time this was industrial grade silicon which was simply injected without any thought of the consequences.

She was also involved in a number of indecency court cases which centred around first topless and then bottomless dancers, who knew that in the 60's some women's bathing suits had no top?

However it really the nightclub that is the core of the documentary, partly because Carol isn't around and that some of the other club staff are. And these clubs were as sleazy as you would expect.

Its an interesting snap shot of 60's American sleaze, however it still has a contemporary edge. Because like many young women today who opt to sell their bodies for cash, she also struggled to find love, due to her profession. It seems not much has changed when it comes to "adult entertainment" and the girls who provide it.