A tribute
to the Hungry i nightclub and Enrico Banducci the founder, was an
idea whose time had come!
Enrico was a man with a vision, an easy going attitude and an eye
and ear for talent. His style was ahead
of its time. We are proud to honor and celebrate the life and legacy
of Enrico Banducci and his Hungry i.
The
San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, with curator for
the event Brad Rosenstein, did a
fabulous job putting together an exhibit that includes much memorabilia
and history from the old Hungry i,
and memorabilia
from the many talented performers who made their start there. We highly
recommend it.
Opening
night was Tuesday, March 27th at 6:00 p.m. We arrived early, so we
had a few days to enjoy the
city before the event. What better way to start than a lunch at the Trident?
It's called Horizons nowadays...
The
Trident restaurant in Sausalito was owned by The Kingston Trio and
was THE place to be in the 60s.
It featured fantastic design that included a
psychedelic ceiling and menu, beautiful wood and a fireplace
made of stone imported from Arizona. No expense was spared
in creating this magnificent space. Known
for excellent food and loose fun, there
was even an espresso bar. And as Horizons, it's still very excellent!
Horizons
Restaurant nee´ The Trident Has Magnificent Views
Bob
Shane Signs A Menu For The Manager, And Poses With Mark Lomas With
At Large
The Beautiful Stone Fireplace Is One Of A Kind
Horizons
Has A Kingston Trio Margarita |
Mark
Lomas And Bob Shane |
(Mark
Lomas started tridentrestaurant.com a
fun website about the Trident)
There
was still
time, so Bob drove around a bit, looking at the houses he lived
in and visiting Rosotti's.
Bob's Pink House - The First
House Ever Built in Sausalito. 1840
Tiburon
House
The Alpine
Inn, Formerly Rosotti's
Bob Shane says Rosotti's is where the Trio really started.
He,
Dave, and Nick played here for fun and beers starting in 1954.
It
was finally time for
the big event. This was why we all came to San Francisco. What
a great evening and
honor for all of us. First up was an hour enjoying the exhibition.
We saw our old and dear friends, enjoyed
the
memorabilia, noshed on supurb hors d'oevres and enjoyed wine and
champagne. SFPALM really put
on a classy event. There
were lots of photo ops throughout the festivities. Everyone enjoyed
every minute.
The
Hungry i Albums |
Those
Striped Shirts! |
Enjoying
The Exhibit |
Brad
Rosenstein, Curator |
Phyllis
Diller Memorabilia |
More
Cool Memorabilia |
Travis
Edmonson & Enrico Banducci |
Where's
The Food? |
The
KT In Front Of The Famous Brick Wall |
More
Kingston Trio Memorabilia |
After enjoying
the exhibit, we all went down two floors for the presentation. Eveyone
there owed a debt to
Enrico Banducci, and got up to pay him tribute. Ronnie Schell, Mort
Sahl, Orson Bean & Shelly Berman
had us in stitches, and many others not even known for comedy kept
us laughing. Even the original house
band graced us with a couple of tunes. Bob & John said the Hungry
i was the finest place they ever played.
Bob
& John Pay Tribute ;
Glen Yarbrough Too
The Trio's
Bass Player Dean Reilly Was Part Of The House Band; Bob & John Loved It
Mort Sahl
Looks Serious, But Was Really Funny; Shelly Berman Tickled Us No
End
Tom
Lehrer: "It Means the Hungry intellectual" |
Orson
Bean Made A Tree For Enrico |
Ernie
Sheldon Was A Gateway Singer |
Bob
Chats With Stan Wilson's Daughter Fauna |
Ronnie Schell:
"I Like The Way They Sing, They Like The Way I Do Their Shirts"
Travis
Payed Tribute, Then Played Harmonica |
Is
It Time For Dinner, Now? |
The presentation
part of SFPALM's event lasted over two hours. We felt we could
have stayed there the
rest of the night. But, it was time for
dinner. This was held next door in the Opera House. So off we went.
Dinner was incredible, of course. Everyone had a great time telling
stories and noshing on salmon or
portobello mushroom towers. Some folks paid $250.00 a plate to
be part of this event, and they all felt it
was worth every penny. If you are in the area, you should
check out the exhibition. It goes thru August.
Our heartfelt
congratulations to Brad Rosenstein and the SFPALM for putting on this
event. Well done!
And now, unfortunately,
the road beckons. Leaving beautiful San Francisco too soon, but we'll be back.
|
