Jewel's Catch One facts for kids

Jewel's Catch One was a famous dance club in Los Angeles. It was owned by Jewel Thais-Williams. The club was open for 40 years, making it the longest-running Black gay dance club in Los Angeles. In 2015, it was bought by Mitch Edelson. He reopened it under new management. For a short time, it was called Union, but it later went back to being called Catch One.

Jewel's Catch One building

History of the Catch One Club

Opened in 1973, Jewel's Catch One was one of the first Black discos in the United States. For many years, it was the main Black gay bar in Los Angeles. The club's first owner was Jewel Thais-Williams. She studied history at UCLA. Jewel wanted to own her own business.

She first tried opening a clothing store, but it didn't work out. So, she decided to buy a bar. Jewel opened the club after she faced unfair treatment in other clubs. This happened because she was Black and a woman. At that time, women were often not allowed to work as bartenders. But Jewel saved enough money and bought the bar anyway.

When the club opened, it became a popular spot for many famous performers. These included Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Madonna, and Sylvester.

Over time, fewer people visited the bar. Jewel was planning to close the club. But in November 2015, Steve Edelson and his son Mitch Edelson bought it. After this, it was known as the last Black-owned disco. It was renamed The Union for a while.

The club was also featured in an art show. This show was called "Defiant Spaces" at City Hall in Los Angeles.

Documentary Film About Catch One

A film about the nightclub, called Jewel's Catch One, was made. It was directed by C. Fitz. Filming started in April 2010 and finished in June 2016. The movie was first shown at the Provincetown International Film Festival on June 19, 2016. It later premiered in Los Angeles at Outfest on July 10, 2016.

The film celebrates the club's history and its community. It also shows how Jewel Thais-Williams changed lives. She helped break down barriers between different races and cultures. She built the oldest Black-owned disco in America.

Jewel’s Catch One covers 40 years of Los Angeles history. It highlights the music, fashion, famous people, and important social movements. Variety Magazine called the film a "loving documentary tribute."

The film includes interviews and performances from stars like Thelma Houston and Sharon Stone. It also has old videos of Madonna at the club. Director C. Fitz shows how the club became known as the unofficial Studio 54 of the West Coast. But at Catch One, everyone was welcome without judgment.

The movie shows how Jewel and her club community became a national example. They fought against unfair treatment. They also helped people who were less fortunate. The film follows Jewel as she buys the building next door. She then builds a non-profit health clinic there.

In 2018, Ava DuVernay's company, ARRAY, released the documentary on Netflix. The film has won four "Best Documentary" awards. It tells the story of a safe place for the LGBTQ, Black, and AIDS-impacted communities. The film shows how the Catch One family fought against racism and hate for over 42 years. They kept the club open to everyone until it closed in 2015.

About Jewel Thais-Williams

Jewel Thais-Williams was born in Gary, Indiana. Her family moved there from Arkansas to find jobs and better schools. She was the fifth of eight children. During World War II, some of her relatives were in the navy. They were stationed in San Diego. They told her family about San Diego's great weather. Her family wanted to leave the cold weather of Gary. So, they moved to San Diego. They lived with relatives for a short time. Then, their large family moved into a small one-bedroom home.

Soon after high school, Thais-Williams moved to Los Angeles. She realized she was attracted to women in her mid-twenties. Her first date with a woman was with a coworker from a Safeway supermarket.

Jewel grew up Black and in poverty. She felt she needed to start her own business to become successful. She bought a club called the Diana Club. She paid $1,000 down and agreed to pay $18,000 more later. Her brother-in-law, who was a banker, helped her get the rest of the money.

After she bought the club, white customers stopped coming. Employees also quit because they didn't want to work for a Black woman. But Jewel was able to succeed despite these problems. A man named "Tex" helped her learn how to run the business. Her bartender asked for his job back, and Jewel agreed. Some white customers also returned and became good friends with her.

Her club mainly attracted African American customers. These customers were not well-served by other nightclubs at the time. White blue-collar customers would visit the club during the day. Black customers were her main visitors at night.

While still owning the club, Jewel went back to school. She earned a Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine in 1998. She saw many preventable diseases, like diabetes and obesity, in minority communities. So, Jewel opened a non-profit group called the Village Health Foundation. Its goal was to teach lower-income communities about healthy eating and living.

The club also served as a place for political groups to hold their meetings.

In the mid-1980s, filmmaker Cristina Kotz Cornejo and Angela Counts visited Jewel's Catch One. They were students at the University of Southern California. They became friends with Jewel. They were so impressed by the club and Jewel's story. They asked to make a film about her. By the early 1990s, they made a short film called Jewel and the Catch. This film is now part of the UCLA Film Archives' Outfest Legacy Project Collection. In 2013, Raven-Symoné chose a part of Jewel and The Catch to show at the 2013 Outfest Legacy Awards. In 2016, the TV show Transparent used footage from Jewel and the Catch in its opening credits for season 3.

Legacy and Impact

To honor her work for the LGBT community, Jewel Thais-Williams was named the Grand Marshall of the 2016 Los Angeles Pride Festival.

Famous Performers at Catch One