Wonder Bar
Address125 Decatur Street
New Orleans, Louisiana
Coordinates29°57′09″N 90°04′00″W / 29.9526°N 90.0668°W / 29.9526; -90.0668
OwnerEmile Morlet
TypeNightclub
Genre(s)Female impersonation
Opened1933
Closed1936
Club My-O-My
Former namesWonder Club
Address1744 Lake Avenue
Metairie, Louisiana
Coordinates30°01′10″N 90°07′24″W / 30.0195°N 90.1233°W / 30.0195; -90.1233
OwnerPat Waters
TypeNightclub
Genre(s)Female impersonation
Construction
Opened1936
ClosedJanuary 17, 1972
Rebuilt1948

Club My-O-My was a former nightclub in the New Orleans area that employed female impersonators as entertainers. Its predecessors were the Wonder Bar, and the Wonder Club.

History

Wonder Bar

In 1933, a predecessor to Club My-O-My, the Wonder Bar, opened up with underground drag shows.[1] The Wonder Bar was located in the French Quarter at 125 Decatur Street.[1]

In 1936, the Wonder Bar was raided by police. Owner Emile Morlet requested an injunction in court, but was denied on grounds that the club was a menace to morality.[2]

Wonder Club

In 1936, after the police raid of the Wonder Bar, it was moved to Jefferson Parish, outside police jurisdiction, and reopened as the Wonder Club.[1]

Club My-O-My

In the late 1940's, the Wonder Club was renamed to Club My-O-My.[1] The name Club My-O-My was in use as early as October 1947, when it appeared in Billboard magazine.[3]

On May 4, 1948, Club My-O-My was badly damaged by a fire, but was rebuilt shortly thereafter.[4][5]

Club My-O-My had a sheriff assigned to keep watch at the front door for any issues. If there were issues, entertainers would deny any accusations.[6]

On January 17, 1972, Club My-O-My was destroyed by a second fire.[4][5]

Demographics

One source says that Club My-O-My catered to a white audience, both heterosexuals and homosexuals, and was popular with tourists.[1]

Another source characterizes club-goers as mainly middle-class white heterosexuals and tourists.[7]

Culture

Kate Marlowe (born Kenneth Marlowe) worked as a female impersonator at Club My-O-My in the 1960's, and describes the close bond of the entertainers there:[6]

All the cast was really a club. We got thicker than thieves. We had potlucks together. We had orgies together. We went to the beach together. All of us were always together. I found that when you worked at the My-O-My you were part of the clique.

Sex work

Marlowe describes Club My-O-My's culture of entertainers mixing with guests and hustling tables:[6]

We hustled drinks again here. I wasn't new at this game. I thought I wrote most of the rules, but here it was a bit different. For one thing we worked together, sometimes in larger groups, but most of the time in pairs. If you were at a table you called to another "entertainer" to join the "party".

Customers purchased overpriced drinks, photos of female impersonators in drag, or other small items.[6] In some cases they paid to see or touch entertainers.[6] If customers paid enough, they could arrange for a "date" with an entertainer. These "dates" occurred primarily in the apartments of the female impersonators, who lived near one another in the French Quarter.[8] Away from work, entertainers from Club My-O-My also cruised the French Quarter for tourists, to turn tricks.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Club My-O-My Pamphlet: 2015.0049". The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly. Vol. XXXIII, no. 2. New Orleans, LA: The Historic New Orleans Collection. Spring 2016. pp. 23–24.
  2. ↑ Springate, Megan E.; Crawford-Lackey, Katherine, eds. (2020). Identities and place : changing labels and intersectional communities of LGBTQ and two-spirit people in the United States. New York: Berghahn Books. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-78920-480-3. OCLC 1128887550.
  3. ↑ "Ringling-Barnum". The Billboard: The World's Foremost Amusement Weekly. Vol. 59, no. 42. Brighton, OH: Bill and Roger Littleford. October 25, 1947. p. 53.
  4. 1 2 Springate, Megan E.; Crawford-Lackey, Katherine, eds. (2020). Identities and place : changing labels and intersectional communities of LGBTQ and two-spirit people in the United States. New York: Berghahn Books. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-78920-480-3. OCLC 1128887550.
  5. 1 2 Takach, Michail; Daniels, B. J. (2022). A History of Milwaukee Drag: Seven Generations of Glamor. History Press. p. 66. ISBN 9781467149174.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Marlowe, Kenneth (1964). Mr. Madam: Confessions of a Male Madam. Los Angeles, CA: Sherbourne Press. pp. 98–99. ISBN 9781127031740.
  7. ↑ Delery, Clayton (2017). Out for Queer Blood: The Murder of Fernando Rios and the Failure of New Orleans Justice. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 49–51. ISBN 9781476668840.
  8. 1 2 Friedman, Mack (2003). Strapped for Cash: A History of American Hustler Culture. Los Angeles, CA: Alyson Books. p. 127. ISBN 9781555837310.
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