March 30-April 5, 2017

Gay life in Chicago this week, back in...

1977

Popular bartender Frank M. Rodde III is found murdered by multiple stab wounds in the bathtub of his apartment at 3710 N. Pine Grove.

+++

IMAGE: Touche – Gay Chicago May 21, 1987

From Gay Life:

Top Soul: 1) "I've Got Love on My Mind" – Natalie Cole; 2) "At Midnight" – Rufus, featuring Chaka Kahn; 3) "Trying to Love Two" – William Bell; 4) "Sometimes" – Facts of Life; 5) "Gloria" – Enchantment. Top Disco: 1) "Do What You Wanna Do" – T. Connection; 2) "Uptown Festival" – Shalimar; 3) "Love in C Minor/Midnight Lady" – Cerrone; 4) "New York, You Got Me Dancing" – Andrea True Connection; 5) "Disco Inferno/Starvin'/Body Contact Contract" – Trammps.

+++

Tom Peters writes in Gay Life:

"The White House hosted gay rights leaders for the second time this year last Saturday, March 26, between 1 and 3:30 p.m. Present at 'that historic first' expanded session was William B. Kelley, long active in Chicago's gay community. He has written for the (former) Gay Crusader and has been one of the few people to appear on television in this city to speak for gays and lesbians' civil rights.

"Seated calmly, despite a schedule that would best be described as orderly chaos, he fairly bubbled over with enthusiasm as a result of the White House experience. And he tried in less than an hour to describe a 2 ½ hour dialog in the Roosevelt Room, 'with pictures of Franklin and Theodore all over the place;' a planning session the night before in Calif. Senator Cranston's office; and three weeks of hard work to bring to Washington, D.C. a statement concerning the lack of tax-exempt grants to gay and lesbian organizations, except in limiting, and therefore strictured, terms."

+++

IMAGE: Carol in Exile – Gay Chicago News December 17, 1976

Serial killer John Wayne Gacy was arrested December 21, 1978. However, the year before on April 1, 1977, one of his victims was listed as missing in Gay Life:

"Missing person sought."

Jon Prestidge

Age–20

Height–6'2"

Weight–170lbs

Hair–Blond (short)

Eyes–Blue

Home–Kalamazoo MI

"Readers of Gay Life are asked to join the search for a young man who has been missing since March 15. His name is John Prestidge ...He is from Kalamazoo but came to Chicago on March 10 after previously spending a vacation at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. He was last seen in the area of the 900 block of North Clark Street around 10:30 p.m. on the 15t. At the time he disappeared, he was staying with a friend and left all his clothing and personal effects behind, except the clothes he was wearing. He had on dark blue jeans, a sleeveless undershirt, a grey hooded sweatshirt with zipper front, a tan hip length coat, and hiking boots when last seen ..."

1990

Restaurants advertising in Gay Chicago: Cornelia's, 750 W. Cornelia; Costa D'oro, 5025 N. Clark St.; Mike's Broadway Café, 3805 N. Broadway; Crooners on Clark, 5101 N. Broadway; Helen's Harborview Café, 3200 N. Lake Shore Drive.

+++

IMAGE: Gold Coast – Gay Life January 17, 1985

Music Playlist courtesy of Mark Hultmark, Christopher Street: 1) "Touch Me" – 49'ers; 2) "Room at the Top" – Adam Ant; 3) "Don't Want to Fall in Love" – Jane Child; 4) "Sweet and Low" – Debbie Harry; 5) "Alright" _ Janet Jackson; 6) "Supernature/Blue Savannah" – Erasure; 7) "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Jimmy Sommerville; 8) "Enjoy the Silence" – Depeche Mode; 9) "Love Pains" – Liza Minnelli; 10) "Let There Be House" – Deskee.

+++

Author Mark Zubro, author of "A Simple Suburban Murder" reads from and signs copies of his new mystery novel, "Why Isn't Becky Twitchell Dead?" at People Like Us Bookstore, 3321 N. Clark St.

2005

In the bars and clubs, every Wednesday it's a Hy-Drag Revue at Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted, with 1/2 price Martinis and DJ Chris Eterno; at Crew Bar & Grill, 4814 N. Broadway, every 4th Friday of the month is the Hot Jock Contest; there's an amateur strip contest at the Nutbush in Forest Park; it's Bear Night with the Great Lakes Bears at Touche, 6412 N. Clark Street; the AIDS Foundation of Chicago hold its 2005 Illinois HIV/AIDS Advocacy and Lobby Days kick-off party at Sidetrack; Miss Continental Plus & Elite Prelims at Park West, 322 W. Armitage; Roscoe's, 3356 N. Halsted, celebrates 18 years with a balloon drop at midnight with $1,000 in cash prizes; Cher's Stud Search takes place at Lucky Horseshoe Lounge, 3169 N. Halsted.

+++

IMAGE: Rocky Horror – Gay Life December 12, 1980

Organizational events from Gay Chicago:

"BEHIV: Substance abuse support group at 6924 Glenwood; Center on Halsted Just4Adults (45+) social; Horizons young women's program at 961 W. Montana; Chicago Gay Youth meets at 1218 W. Addison; Cocaine Anonymous meets at 909 W. Belmont; the Euchre Club of Chicago plays at Big Chicks, 5024 N. Sheridan; and the Lakeside Pride Freedom Band SHOUT! Jazz ensemble is at Preston Bradley Center 941 W. Lawrence;

Homework

Who remembers the Nutbush?

Who remembers Helen's Harborview Café?

Did any readers know Frank Rodde?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Frank Failing at Male Image took these photos at Sidetrack for Gay Chicago June 1, 2006

Back Door Productions and Jack Sitar took these at Carol's Speakeasy and Berlin for Gay Chicago March 19, 1987

Spike King covers the bars in Gay Chicago October 11, 1990

Members of the Chicago Gay/Lesbian Community Band photographed by Stephen Kulieke for Gay Life December 12, 1980

Thanks go to publishers Michael Bergeron for Chicago Gay Crusader, Ralph and Craig Gernhardt for Gay Chicago, Grant Ford and Chuck Renslow for Gay Life, Malone Sizelove for Babble/Gab, David Costanza and others for Chicago Free Press, Jeff McCourt for Windy City Times, Stacy Bridges and Mark Nagel for GRAB, and Tracy Baim for all the publications at the Windy City Media Group, which aided the above research. St. Sukie de la Croix is an internationally published reporter, playwright, photographer and historian. He is also the author of Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall published by the University of Wisconsin Press.