Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of Jose Sarria
Exploring his struggles amid post-WWII San Francisco through interviews, never-before- seen footage, the film will harness Jose Sarria's bold spirit to expose his tragic, valiant and inspiring story.…
Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of Jose Sarria
Exploring his struggles amid post-WWII San Francisco through interviews, never-before- seen footage, the film will harness Jose Sarria's bold spirit to expose his tragic, valiant and inspiring story. At the unexpected intersection between politics and high camp, Nelly Queen will reveal an intimate portrait of the Latino civil rights pioneer whose heroic drag has long been overlooked as a cornerstone of the gay rights movement. Nelly Queen opens up with Jose's lavish, gothic San Francisco funeral attended by 1,000 people including hundreds of gender nonconformists. We hear testimonies about Jose's impact on the LGBT movement from politicians San Francisco County Supervisor David Campos and California State Senator Mark Leno, historians Dr. Jonathan D. Katz, and young gender nonconformists like Gene Franco of San Francisco. The film shows the many character incarnations of Jose: World War II soldier, cabaret performer, and the Widow Norton and operas are highlighted with vintage photos and live audio recordings from 1963. The film's divided into titled chapters taken from Jose's own slogans, beginning with "You know who you are when you look in the mirror"; which is a phrase Jose hangs his philosophical mantra on and it personally resonates with Joe Castel, the narrator, and man behind the camera. In the "You're in the Army Now" segment, Jose uses humorous antidotes to expound on the lengths he went to in order to survive the severity of war. Castel's commentary contextualizes how Jose's wartime experiences prepare him for the impending homophobic war back home. He pursues a teaching degree at San Jose State, joins a fraternity, and even becomes engaged to a woman, but his act starts to fall apart when he falls for waiter Jimmy Moore from the Black Cat Cafe. Jose delves into his childhood and how well-adjusted he was, despite his mother Dolores Maldonado having to give him up when his father abandons them. She's the one who put him in girl's clothing as a toddler and allowed him to attend dances dressed as a female adolescent. In the chapter, "Gay is Good, the Crime is Getting Caught", Jose describes how one night he is arrested in the St. Frances restroom on trumped-up charges of lewd and lascivious behavior. Unable to teach with a police record, Jose regretfully drops out of college. At the Black Cat, Jose goes from waiting tables to cabaret performer and activist. Jose boasts that every Sunday he packs the Cat with 200 patrons to see his operas, and during his shows, Jose exposes undercover police officers by forcing them to identify themselves in accordance with the laws of the time. In the segment, "God, Save Us Nelly Queens" Jose does a reenactment of his days at the Black Cat during a 1992 performance at a bar in Hayward, CA. At 70, we see him serve brunch to customers like he used to dress all in black and wearing pearls, leading the patrons into a round of "God, Save Us, Nelly Queens," a takeoff on Great Britain's national anthem. In "United We Stand, Divided They'll Catch Us one by One," Jose recalls how he and the Cat's proprietor Sol Stouman, took the A.B.C. to court over ordinances that discriminated against their gay patrons. In 1951, Sol took the State's liquor license agency to the State's Supreme Court, winning a landmark decision that allowed gays to congregate in public. Jose tells us that as his notoriety ascended, his relationship with Jimmy began to suffer. In "Equality for All Under the Law," Jose recounts the difficulty he had in running, but also how he unified the community. Although he loses, he wins 5,600 votes, proving that there is a gay voting block. Jose's political career comes to an abrupt halt when he is rearrested during one of his shows, for not reregistering as a "sexual deviant." "I'm A Boy," highlights the closing of the Cat in1963, when ABC announces that the The café will be shut down at midnight on Halloween. To avoid anyone being arrested, Jose circumvents the law by having everyone in drag wear a tag that reads: "I'm A Boy." Jose shows his patrons that they can stand up for their rights if they believe in themselves. After the Cat closes, Jose tries to reunite with Jimmy, and though he initially agrees to get back together, Jimmy realizes he will only hold Jose back, and commits suicide. In 1964, Jose reinvents himself as the "Empress I, Jose, The Widow Norton", launching the Imperial Court System. Every year, after San Francisco's Imperial Court Coronation, the Widow Norton, leads his subjects through the cemetery to pay their respects to his fictitious spouse, Emperor Joshua Norton (a real San Francisco character from the late 1800s). Castel surmises that Jose created this alter ego as a way of mourning the death of Jimmy. The irony is that Jose never visited Jimmy's military grave until Castel takes him there in 2010. Castel also tapes Jose shortly before his passing and describes how Jose dies with a photo of Jimmy in his hands. Jose was able to circumvent the law for equality, but he couldn't circumvent the laws of love. We close the film with a taping of Castel's screenplay reading of Jose's life, "The Black Cat" at the Pasadena Playhouse, with a montage of Jose's accomplishments accompanied with a recording of "God, Save Us Nelly Queens".
Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of Jose Sarria
Documentary
Film Details
Exploring his struggles amid post-WWII San Francisco through interviews, never-before- seen footage, the film will harness Jose Sarria's bold spirit to expose his tragic, valiant and inspiring story. At the unexpected intersection between politics and high camp, Nelly Queen will reveal an intimate portrait of the Latino civil rights pioneer whose heroic drag has long been overlooked as a cornerstone of the gay rights movement. Nelly Queen opens up with Jose's lavish, gothic San Francisco funeral attended by 1,000 people including hundreds of gender nonconformists.
We hear testimonies about Jose's impact on the LGBT movement from politicians San Francisco County Supervisor David Campos and California State Senator Mark Leno, historians Dr. Jonathan D. Katz, and young gender nonconformists like Gene Franco of San Francisco.
The film shows the many character incarnations of Jose: World War II soldier, cabaret performer, and the Widow Norton and operas are highlighted with vintage photos and live audio recordings from 1963. The film's divided into titled chapters taken from Jose's own slogans, beginning with "You know who you are when you look in the mirror"; which is a phrase Jose hangs his philosophical mantra on and it personally resonates with Joe Castel, the narrator, and man behind the camera. In the "You're in the Army Now" segment, Jose uses humorous antidotes to expound on the lengths he went to in order to survive the severity of war.
Castel's commentary contextualizes how Jose's wartime experiences prepare him for the impending homophobic war back home. He pursues a teaching degree at San Jose State, joins a fraternity, and even becomes engaged to a woman, but his act starts to fall apart when he falls for waiter Jimmy Moore from the Black Cat Cafe. Jose delves into his childhood and how well-adjusted he was, despite his mother Dolores Maldonado having to give him up when his father abandons them.
She's the one who put him in girl's clothing as a toddler and allowed him to attend dances dressed as a female adolescent. In the chapter, "Gay is Good, the Crime is Getting Caught", Jose describes how one night he is arrested in the St. Frances restroom on trumped-up charges of lewd and lascivious behavior.
Unable to teach with a police record, Jose regretfully drops out of college. At the Black Cat, Jose goes from waiting tables to cabaret performer and activist. Jose boasts that every Sunday he packs the Cat with 200 patrons to see his operas, and during his shows, Jose exposes undercover police officers by forcing them to identify themselves in accordance with the laws of the time.
In the segment, "God, Save Us Nelly Queens" Jose does a reenactment of his days at the Black Cat during a 1992 performance at a bar in Hayward, CA. At 70, we see him serve brunch to customers like he used to dress all in black and wearing pearls, leading the patrons into a round of "God, Save Us, Nelly Queens," a takeoff on Great Britain's national anthem. In "United We Stand, Divided They'll Catch Us one by One," Jose recalls how he and the Cat's proprietor Sol Stouman, took the A.B.C.
to court over ordinances that discriminated against their gay patrons. In 1951, Sol took the State's liquor license agency to the State's Supreme Court, winning a landmark decision that allowed gays to congregate in public. Jose tells us that as his notoriety ascended, his relationship with Jimmy began to suffer.
In "Equality for All Under the Law," Jose recounts the difficulty he had in running, but also how he unified the community. Although he loses, he wins 5,600 votes, proving that there is a gay voting block. Jose's political career comes to an abrupt halt when he is rearrested during one of his shows, for not reregistering as a "sexual deviant." "I'm A Boy," highlights the closing of the Cat in1963, when ABC announces that the The café will be shut down at midnight on Halloween.
To avoid anyone being arrested, Jose circumvents the law by having everyone in drag wear a tag that reads: "I'm A Boy." Jose shows his patrons that they can stand up for their rights if they believe in themselves. After the Cat closes, Jose tries to reunite with Jimmy, and though he initially agrees to get back together, Jimmy realizes he will only hold Jose back, and commits suicide. In 1964, Jose reinvents himself as the "Empress I, Jose, The Widow Norton", launching the Imperial Court System.
Every year, after San Francisco's Imperial Court Coronation, the Widow Norton, leads his subjects through the cemetery to pay their respects to his fictitious spouse, Emperor Joshua Norton (a real San Francisco character from the late 1800s). Castel surmises that Jose created this alter ego as a way of mourning the death of Jimmy. The irony is that Jose never visited Jimmy's military grave until Castel takes him there in 2010.
Castel also tapes Jose shortly before his passing and describes how Jose dies with a photo of Jimmy in his hands. Jose was able to circumvent the law for equality, but he couldn't circumvent the laws of love. We close the film with a taping of Castel's screenplay reading of Jose's life, "The Black Cat" at the Pasadena Playhouse, with a montage of Jose's accomplishments accompanied with a recording of "God, Save Us Nelly Queens"..