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FREE screening of the documentary about LA's famous gay Black disco and it's owner, Jewel. |
Plainfield's Pride Month celebration continues tonight (June 21) with a FREE screening of the documentary "Jewel's Catch One" about the historic Black-owned club in Los Angeles. (View the trailer here.)
Jewel Thais-Williams opened "Catch One" as one of the first Black discos in the United States in 1973 in Los Angeles.
After graduating from UCLA, Jewel opened a boutique. When that failed, she decided to open a bar. She got an $18,000 loan based on $1,000 up front money and was able to buy the bar.
Despite initially losing all her white customers and having employees quit (because they didn't want to work for a Black woman), she pushed forward, making the bar not only a disco but a hub of community activity.
Her former bartender asked for his job back (and got it) and she got a mentor in a "redneck named Tex". Slowly, some white customers came back.
During the days, "Catch One" was a white, blue-collar bar and at night it was a mostly-Black disco.
Over the years, performers at "Catch One" included Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Donna Summer, Whoopi Goldberg, Rick James, and Madonna.
Finished in 2016, the documentary by C. Fitz premiered at the Provincetown International Film Festival and has received wide acclaim at festivals worldwide.
The documentary celebrates Jewel's 40-plus year career and her life-changing impact on the community.
The FREE screening is at 7:00 PM at the new Plainfield Cultural Center (formerly FUSP), 724 Park Avenue.
Parking is available on the street and in the nearby public parking lot.
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