This hour long documentary – with an additional 30 minutes of bonus material – outlines the fantastic story of Americas’ first all-Chinese nightclub – the Forbidden City, in San Francisco’s Sutter Street, and it’s heyday in the 1930’s and 40’s. Right on the cusp of San Franciscos Chinatown, the Forbidden City employed a crack jazz band, right on the money with the standards of the day – and Chinese singers and dancers to follow through with all the routines.

Opening in 1938, and just in time for the war time GIs to party at either en route to or returning from Asia, the nightclub wowed when it introduced the first Chinese ‘bubble girl’ – naked except for fans she would cavort across the stage. Not surprisingly, queues formed all the way down Sutter to get in and before long The Forbidden City was the place to go and be seen. Singers such as Larry Ching “The Chinese Frank Sinatra” and Frances Chun “The Chinese Sophie Tucker” and many others as passable Chinese Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaires and Bing Crosbys, kicked up a storm – and the dancing girls kicked up their heels in a party that went on for nearly 20 years.

The trick was that the show was all actually staffed by Chinese Americans – second or third generation immigrants who were actually as American as corn on the cob. Nonetheless, the Chinese community was scandalized by their antics. Arthur Dong’s loving documentary on the club won first prize as “Documentary of the Decade” at the Hawaii International Film Festival as well as plaudits from the New York Times “It Swings !” – and is highly recommended as a taste of the era and of the Chinese capacity to embrace American society and integrate - as well as to party – as those of us who hang out today at China’s Latin dance clubs well know.

CE