# Jewel's Catch One

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Gay dance bar in Los Angeles

Jewel's Catch One Catch One, 2020 Jewel's Catch One Location within Los Angeles Address 4067 West Pico Boulevard Arlington Heights Los Angeles, California Owner Jewel Thais William Public transit Construction Opened 1973; 53 years ago (1973) Closed 2015; 11 years ago (2015)

**Jewel's Catch One** was a dance bar owned by [Jewel Thais-Williams](/source/Jewel_Thais-Williams). It was located at 4067 West Pico Boulevard in the [Arlington Heights](/source/Arlington_Heights%2C_Los_Angeles) neighborhood of [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles). Opened in 1973, it was the longest running black gay dance bar in Los Angeles. After nearly closing in 2015, it was purchased by Mitch Edelson and his father Steve Edelson - who reopened under new management. Briefly called **Union** after the change in management, it has since reverted to the **Catch One** moniker.

## History

Opened in 1973, Jewel's Catch One was one of the first black [discos](/source/Discoteque) in the United States and was for a long time the major black [gay bar](/source/Gay_bar) in Los Angeles.[1] The original owner of the club was Jewel Thais-Williams. She graduated from [UCLA](/source/UCLA) with a [B.A.](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) in History, and during her college years she wanted to be self-employed. Her first business was a boutique, but it went out of business, so she bought a bar. She opened the club after she experienced discrimination in different clubs around [West Hollywood](/source/West_Hollywood), because she was black and female. Women at the time were not allowed to tend bar, but Jewel saved enough money and bought the bar despite the limitations.[2] When the club opened, it became a hub for a diverse population of performers, including [Sylvester](/source/Sylvester_(singer)), [Whitney Houston](/source/Whitney_Houston), [Luther Vandross](/source/Luther_Vandross), [Janet Jackson](/source/Janet_Jackson), [Donna Summer](/source/Donna_Summer), [Whoopi Goldberg](/source/Whoopi_Goldberg), [Rick James](/source/Rick_James), and [Madonna](/source/Madonna_(entertainer)).[3] Also, it served as a space for political organizations to have their community meetings.[4]

As the years went by, the attendance of the bar went down. When Jewel was about to shut the club down, it was bought by Steve Edelson and his son Mitch Edelson in November, 2015.[5] After that, it became known as the last Black owned disco and was renamed The Union.

The club was featured as an organization in an exhibit in the City Hall in Los Angeles called "Defiant Spaces".[6]

## In the media

### *Jewel And The Catch* (1993) documentary

While patrons of Jewel's Catch One as undergraduate students at the [University of Southern California](/source/University_of_Southern_California) in the mid-1980s, filmmaker, [Cristina Kotz Cornejo](/source/Cristina_Kotz_Cornejo) and her life partner, African-American playwright and artist, Angela Counts befriended Jewel and were so taken by the club and her life story they asked permission to shoot what would be their first film about Jewel. By the early 1990s they had produced a short documentary titled, Jewel and the Catch. The film has since been selected to be part of the UCLA Film Archives' [Outfest](/source/Outfest) Legacy Project Collection. In 2013 [Raven-Symoné](/source/Raven-Symon%C3%A9) selected an excerpt from Jewel and The Catch to screen at the 2013 [Outfest](/source/Outfest) Legacy Awards.[7] In 2016, Producers of the Amazon series, [Transparent](/source/Transparent_(TV_series)) selected footage from Jewel and the Catch to appear in the opening credit sequence of season 3 of [Transparent](/source/Transparent_(TV_series)) by [Jill Soloway](/source/Jill_Soloway).

### *Jewel's Catch One* (2016) documentary

A documentary about the nightclub, *Jewel's Catch One*, directed by [C. Fitz](/source/C._Fitz), started shooting in April 2010 and was finished in June 2016.[8][9] The film premiered at [Provincetown International Film Festival](/source/Provincetown_International_Film_Festival) on June 19, 2016, followed by a Los Angeles Premiere at [Outfest](/source/Outfest) on July 10, 2016, a New York Premiere at UrbanWorld Film Festival on September 25, 2016, and a European Premiere at [BFI London Film Festival](/source/BFI_London_Film_Festival) October 9, 2016. The film celebrates the legacy of the nightclub, its community, and the life-changing impact its owner, Jewel Thais-Williams, had on her community breaking down racial and cultural barriers and building the oldest black-owned disco in America. *Jewel’s Catch One* covers four decades of Los Angeles history honoring the music, fashion, celebrities, and activism. [Variety Magazine](/source/Variety_(magazine)) called the film “an undeniably loving documentary tribute by director C. Fitz to the club and its longtime owner Jewel.”**[10]** In the film, through exclusive interviews and performances from [Thelma Houston](/source/Thelma_Houston), [Sharon Stone](/source/Sharon_Stone), [Maxine Waters](/source/Maxine_Waters), [Jenifer Lewis](/source/Jenifer_Lewis), [Bonnie Pointer](/source/Bonnie_Pointer), [Thea Austin](/source/Thea_Austin), and [Sandra Bernhard](/source/Sandra_Bernhard), plus rare archival footage of [Madonna](/source/Madonna_(entertainer)) at the club, director C. Fitz documents how the club grew to be known as the unofficial [Studio 54](/source/Studio_54) of the west coast, except everyone was allowed in without judgement. The film culminates with Jewel and her Catch community becoming a national model of how to fight discrimination and serve the less fortunate. The film follows Jewel as she buys the building next door to Jewel's Catch One and builds a non-profit health clinic. The feature documentary was named one of the best [LGBTQ](/source/LGBT) films to watch on [Netflix](/source/Netflix) of all time by [Logo TV](/source/Logo_TV)’s NEWNOWNEXT in 2018. The film covers the Catch One family battling tirelessly against racism, homophobia, and hate for over forty-two years to keep the club doors open to everyone through its closing in 2015. It screened internationally on the film festival circuit in over fifty film festivals, including [BFI](/source/BFI_London_Film_Festival), [Palm Springs Film Festival](/source/Palm_Springs_International_Film_Festival) (Best of Fest’ list January 10, 2017), UrbanWorld Film Festival, and Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.

In the spring of 2018, [Ava DuVernay](/source/Ava_DuVernay) obtained the distribution rights from C. Fitz and Dancing Pictures LLC with her distribution company, [ARRAY](/source/ARRAY).[11][12] Array released the Jewel's Catch One documentary on [Netflix](/source/Netflix).[13][14][15] It has won four awards for “Best Documentary” and a Top Jury Award. The film tells the history of one of the original safe spaces for the LGBTQ, Black, and [AIDS](/source/HIV%2FAIDS) impacted communities.[16][17][18][19]

## References

- [Los Angeles portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Los_Angeles)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Moon-Ho Jung, The Rising Tide of Color: Race, State Violence, and Radical Movements across the Pacific, University of Washington Press, Jul 1, 2014](https://books.google.com/books?id=37MyBQAAQBAJ&q=jewel's+catch+one) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231004020114/https://books.google.com/books?id=37MyBQAAQBAJ&q=jewel%27s+catch+one#v=snippet&q=jewel's%20catch%20one&f=false) October 4, 2023, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), p. 211

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_2-0)** ["Jewel Thais-Williams Celebrates Forty Years in Four-Day Extravaganza - Los Angeles Sentinel"](https://lasentinel.net/jewel-thais-williams-celebrates-forty-years-in-four-day-extravaganza.html). *Los Angeles Sentinel*. May 17, 2013. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160828144943/https://lasentinel.net/jewel-thais-williams-celebrates-forty-years-in-four-day-extravaganza.html) from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:2_3-0)** Anderson, Tre'vell (March 16, 2015). ["Jewel's Catch One disco's demise marks era's end for L.A.'s gay blacks"](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/great-reads/la-et-c1-black-gay-clubs-20150316-story.html). *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210309035430/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/great-reads/la-et-c1-black-gay-clubs-20150316-story.html) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hope, Analena (2011). ["Fast Food, Slow Death and the Propaganda of Health: Jewel Thais-Williams' Radical Battle for Black Survival"](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mc9n5vf#main). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20191006141106/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mc9n5vf#main) from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Romero, Dennis (November 18, 2015). ["Lost Globos' Mitch Edelson Buys Legendary Mid-City Club Jewel's Catch One"](http://www.laweekly.com/music/los-globos-mitch-edelson-buys-legendary-mid-city-club-jewels-catch-one-6291473). *LA Weekly*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190510122431/https://www.laweekly.com/music/los-globos-mitch-edelson-buys-legendary-mid-city-club-jewels-catch-one-6291473) from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Defiant Spaces: 60 Years of Queer Organizations in L.A. | ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries"](http://one.usc.edu/defiant-spaces-60-years-of-queer-organizations-in-la/). *one.usc.edu*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160526083116/http://one.usc.edu/defiant-spaces-60-years-of-queer-organizations-in-la/) from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Hernandez, Greg (November 23, 2013). ["Recap of the Outfest Legacy Awards honoring Lee Daniels with surprise guest Jane Fonda!"](http://greginhollywood.com/a-recap-of-the-outfest-legacy-awards-honoring-lee-daniels-with-surprise-guest-jane-fonda-92843/). *Greg In Hollywood*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230531142404/http://greginhollywood.com/a-recap-of-the-outfest-legacy-awards-honoring-lee-daniels-with-surprise-guest-jane-fonda-92843) from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Ahmed, Tufayel (October 7, 2016). ["Meet Jewel Thais-Williams, the woman behind Hollywood's first black gay club and an LGBT activist"](https://www.newsweek.com/london-film-festival-jewel-thais-williams-star-jewels-catch-one-documentary-507408). *Newsweek*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209180243/https://www.newsweek.com/london-film-festival-jewel-thais-williams-star-jewels-catch-one-documentary-507408) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Trailer Watch: "Jewel's Catch One" Offers a Look Into America's Oldest Black-Owned Disco Club"](https://womenandhollywood.com/trailer-watch-jewels-catch-one-offers-a-look-into-america-s-oldest-black-owned-disco-club-5f2d86e56bfd/). *womenandhollywood.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209131422/https://womenandhollywood.com/trailer-watch-jewels-catch-one-offers-a-look-into-america-s-oldest-black-owned-disco-club-5f2d86e56bfd/) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Barker, Andrew (July 15, 2016). ["Film Review: 'Jewel's Catch One'"](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/outfest-film-review-jewels-catch-one-club-1201814913/). *Variety*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124528/https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/outfest-film-review-jewels-catch-one-club-1201814913/) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 5, 2018). ["Array Releasing Acquires LGBTQ Disco Docu 'Jewel's Catch One'; Sets Screening Tour And Netflix Release"](https://deadline.com/2018/03/array-releasing-jewels-catch-one-c-fitz-lgbtq-documentary-1202311847/). *Deadline*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180825121320/https://deadline.com/2018/03/array-releasing-jewels-catch-one-c-fitz-lgbtq-documentary-1202311847/) from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Array Releasing Picks Up C. Fitz's Doc 'Jewel's Catch One'"](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/2018/03/array-releasing-picks-up-doc-jewels-catch-one/). *Blackfilm - Black Movies, Television, and Theatre News*. March 5, 2018. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181106061830/http://www.blackfilm.com/read/2018/03/array-releasing-picks-up-doc-jewels-catch-one/) from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Ava DuVernay's Array Releases Trailer For New "Jewel's Catch One'"](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/trailer-jewels-catch-one-ava-duvernay-array-documentary/). *Essence*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124252/https://www.essence.com/entertainment/trailer-jewels-catch-one-ava-duvernay-array-documentary/) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Brown, August (May 2, 2018). ["The story of L.A. club Jewel's Catch One and its pioneering owner finds its way to Netflix"](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-jewels-catch-one-documentary-20180502-story.html). *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124219/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-jewels-catch-one-documentary-20180502-story.html) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["5 Queer Titles to Stream in November"](https://www.out.com/popnography/2018/11/01/5-queer-titles-stream-november). *www.out.com*. November 1, 2018. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209123946/https://www.out.com/popnography/2018/11/01/5-queer-titles-stream-november) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** [""Jewel's Catch One" Jives to Legacy of Black Disco in Los Angeles | The Takeaway"](https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/jewels-catch-one-jives-legacy-black-disco-los-angeles). *WNYC Studios*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209123955/https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/jewels-catch-one-jives-legacy-black-disco-los-angeles) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Rao, Sameer (April 27, 2018). ["WATCH: 'Jewel's Catch One' Trailer Takes You Inside the Country's Oldest Black-Owned Disco Club"](https://www.colorlines.com/articles/watch-jewels-catch-one-trailer-takes-you-inside-countrys-oldest-black-owned-disco-club). *Colorlines*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124320/https://www.colorlines.com/articles/watch-jewels-catch-one-trailer-takes-you-inside-countrys-oldest-black-owned-disco-club) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["Netflix Doc "Jewel's Catch One" Introduces the World to an African American LGBTQ Crusader"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190209123912/https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/05/01/netflix-doc-jewels-catch-one-introduces-the-world-to-an-african-american-lgbtq-crusader/). *www.villagevoice.com*. May 2018. Archived from [the original](https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/05/01/netflix-doc-jewels-catch-one-introduces-the-world-to-an-african-american-lgbtq-crusader/) on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["A New Documentary Explores the Roots of Jewel's Catch One"](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-jewels-catch-one-outfest-documentary-20160606-snap-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*. June 10, 2016. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210414002152/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-jewels-catch-one-outfest-documentary-20160606-snap-story.html) from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.

## External links

- [*Jewel's Catch One*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5562172/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

- [Jewel Thais-Williams](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4127414/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

[34°02′52″N 118°19′27″W / 34.047816°N 118.324105°W / 34.047816; -118.324105](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Jewel%27s_Catch_One&params=34.047816_N_118.324105_W_type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jewel's Catch One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel's_Catch_One) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel's_Catch_One?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.