“She was so much more than a stripper, a go-go dancer…there was just something different about her.”

Story: In the early 1960s, times were a’changin’. In the Broadway area of North Beach, San Francisco, competition was fierce for patrons. So when the owners of The Condor Club decided to have their most popular dancer dance topless? Everyone took notice.

Genre I’d put it in: Groovy Documentaries
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the book “Three Nights at The Condor” by Benita Mattioli. And, of course, the life of Carol Doda.

Gotta say: Mid-20th century aesthetics seems to have gotten quite the revival. For at least a decade, folks have clamored for all sorts of stuff from the 50s through 80s, from clothes to furniture, music to strange recipes. (Li’l tip from me though; stay away from anything in a lime jello mold…) Burlesque has also gotten quite the come-up in our new century, with performers bringing back the grace and style of the art form. Y’know, back when it was about grace, talent, and fun. Instead of just a reason to enforce a two-drink minimum. Carol takes a look at what feels like the mid-century genesis of the art form, along with how her freethinking attitude echoed several other progressive changes in San Francisco and beyond.

Anyone who loves mid-century culture will enjoy the hell outta this documentary. Directors Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker – who also share screenwriting credit – dive into the zeitgeist of this era, from music to politics, race relations to women’s lib, and much more. This documentary doesn’t judge one way or the other, it simply portrays life for Carol and the folks on Broadway. It’s a historical travelogue of the 60s and 70s, showing how that area started, grew, changed, and ultimately declined.

Carol focuses on the prime years of Broadway, when go-go dancers drew people from all walks of life into well-appointed clubs filled with businessmen, movie stars, and even couples out on the town. When Carol went onstage – or rather, descended to the stage atop a grand piano – in a topless swimsuit? It was the hippy-shake that rattled the world. McKenzie and Parker have lots of archival footage of Carol and other dancers of the time, and get lots of interviews from folks who were there. (Carol herself passed away in 2015 from kidney failure, most probably caused by the silicone injections she’d gotten early in her career, before the dangers were known.)

But topless dancing didn’t exist in a vacuum. This film also delves into people who were in interracial relationships getting busted, multicultural bands that were all but unheard of in popular culture, and discusses the gains in women’s liberation at the time. Carol’s “subversive freedom” was one more thing that helped push progressive views across the board. Even when feminists picketed her club.

Interviews with many people who knew Carol makes this film feel like you’re sitting in a room with folks who are telling you all their stories. But in Carol, we not only get those stories, we get photos, news features, and more, showing us exactly what these folks are talking about. It’s a beautiful love letter to 60s San Francisco, showing us a view that many of us never knew existed. I have to admit that the only thing I knew about that era was the music, and the whole “drugs are bad, m’kay” thing. Carol – the woman and the film – opened my eyes to a whole other world of progressive rebellion. Hell yeah, Carol.

#Protip: This film’s website is an absolute blast. Tons of info, including a few dances of the time, info on the monokini, and a link to a wonderful local burlesque performers (one’s even in DC) who are living Carol’s legacy. Enjoy!