Hungry i

The Hungry i was a legendary San Francisco nightclub operated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Enrico Banducci at 599 Jackson Street in the North Beach district. The Hungry i (the lower-case "i" was meant to represent "intellectual"), was instrumental in launching the careers of singer Barbra Streisand and the comedians Lenny Bruce, Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, The Smothers Brothers, and Woody Allen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hungry i and Banducci were also instrumental in the careers of acerbic political comic Mort Sahl, comic Bill Cosby, actor/comic Ronnie Schell, minister Malcolm Boyd, and comedian Jonathan Winters. Musicially, the Kingston Trio recorded two famous albums at the Hungry i http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/K/kingston_trio_hungry.html, including the first live performance of their version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Tom Lehrer's final satirical album, That Was The Year That Was (1965), was also recorded there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Vince Guaraldi of Peanuts TV show fame, folksinger Glenn Yarbrough, the Gateway Singers, and comedian Godfrey Cambridge were also given career boosts from their appearances at the Hungry i.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Legend has it that Streisand begged Banducci for a single night at his nightclub. Banducci went with this totally unknown singer, and the result was so good that she was held over for two months of shows, attracting nationwide acclaim.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When the comedy and folk music scene wilted in the mid-1960s with the rise of hard rock and Vietnam war protests, Banducci closed the club and sold its name to a topless club at another location on nearby Broadway.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hungry i was launched by Eric "Big Daddy" Nord, who sold it to Banducci in 1950.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Enrico Banducci: Enrico Banducci - born Harry Banducci - (February 17, 1922 – October 9, 2007) was an American impresario. Banducci operated the hungry i nightclub in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, where he launched the careers of Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Bill Cosby, Jonathan Winters, and Barbra S...

North Beach: North Beach is a San Francisco, California neighborhood bounded by the former Barbary Coast, now Jackson Square, and the Financial District south of Broadway (except North Beach institutions extend down Columbus to Washington and Montgomery where the Black Cat originally was), Chinatown to the south...

Barbra Streisand: Barbra Streisand (born April 24, 1942) is an iconic Jewish American singer and film actress, producer, and director....

Hungry i related Images and Photos (experimental)

Hungry Hungry Hippos Travel Game	Hungry Hungry Hippos Fun On The Run Travel Game	Are You Hungry, Dear?: Life, Laughs, and Lasagna (Paperback)	Travel Hungry Hungry Hippos Fun On The Run Game
Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry (Remastered) CD	Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry (Remastered) CD	The Hungry Scientist Handbook	Elefun and Friends Hungry Hungry Hippos Game
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Card Game	"The Simpsons - Homer ""Me Hungry"" Apron"	Remember the Hungry! Poster 1921	The Simpsons Hungry Are The Damned Giclee Print