Although Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker tried to set up an interview with Carol Doda's son, he declined to participate.
Carol Doda was already a popular waitress-dancer at the Condor Club in 1964 North Beach when its publicist suggested she wear a "monokini," the topless women's swimsuit just launched by designer Rudi Gernreich. Doda immediately agreed. That caused an huge sensation, spurring widespread imitation, in addition to arrests and lawsuits. The same happened five years later when she pioneered a "bottomless" performance, though that time she did not ultimately triumph in court.
Carol Doda thoroughly enjoyed the fame brought on by her dancing topless and readily embraced whatever enhanced it, including silicone injections that increased her from a 34 to a 44 in cup size. Doda's very public use of silicone to enhance her breasts launched a new industry.
Carol Doda's high-profile fans included Frank Sinatra (with whom she purportedly had an affair) and even staid, fatherly Walter Cronkite.
Featuring the topless Carol Doda made the Condor nightclub into San Francisco's second-most-popular tourist attraction after the Golden Gate Bridge.