BEANY POWER TO THE PEOPLE @ OAK STREET BEACH (c) J.Pritikin

Chicago: I have been wearing my Interstellar Propeller Beany Caps since 1981 when I first met Stacy Samules. Stacy created them during the late 1960s and since then has sold over a million of them. In '81, I was hired to do special promotions and publicity for the stage play "BLEACHER BUMS"in San Francisco. It was a 9 inning comedy about the Chicago Cubs instead of a 3-act play. Ever since I was a kid, the winds of Chicago always added to the adventure of a Cubs baseball game, depending if they were blowing in or out. I was hired by Director Lee Sankowich to do special promotions and publicity for the play. I discovered Stacy's product in the Yellow Pages of a telephone book. I thought a beany cap would capture the "Winds of Wrigley" for the actor playing the important part as the CHEERLEADER in the cheap seats of the Friendly Confines. Little did I know then that I would seldom leave home without mine. People will cross the street just to tell me "I LIKE YOUR HAT!" I kid you not, I hear that over 25 times a day, and even more when I walk along the beach or take in an art fair. There is an old expression that art imitates life. For me it has been just the opposite! The play was suppose to be a 6 week run that ran for over a year. I earned the moniker as the Bay Area Resident Cubs fan. That's when I started to wear my "beany". When the run of the play ended, I continued doing Chicago Tie-in promotions whenever the Cubs or Bears were in San Francisco. I evolved into a special-one-of-kind-fan that became a legendary figure at Wrigley Field. Beginning in 1984 I have been known as the "Bleacher Preacher". Like the Johnny Appleseed of Beany Caps, I've been helping Stacy spread the "Beany Revelution" here,there and everywhere. Lately it's been on the beaches of Chicago or the Summer Season's Art Fairs.

The other day, I was able to get the 3 young guys in the attached photos to join the BEANY REVOLUTION at Oak Street Beach. Their life will change, and they will bring smiles wherever they go... and they will constantly be hearing I LIKE YOUR HAT! And that's a never ending source of smiles for anyone wearing an Interstellar Propellar Beany Cap.

Orange Tuesday June 7,1977 and PRIDE MONTH 2012 (c) J. Pritikin

I recommended, and Randy Shilts named a Chapter in his book "ORANGE TUESDAY"
Jerry Pritikin With Harvey Milk 3/9/78 The day Harvey was the Acting-Mayor of S.F.
Winds on Castro Street December 1978 a sign posted of the B0A on Market & Castro St.

(c) Jerry Pritikin

CHICAGO: June 7,2012

Keep in mind, that in the 1970s, there were no digital cameras, and the WWW was not even a pipe dream. The only way for a story to reach national news was via the wire services. Back then, they seldom reported on gay news or events. Yet, in a span of 3 weeks in 1977, I managed to place 3 gay theme-stories nationally.Happy Pride Month! I was recently inducted into Chicago's Senior Citizen Senior Hall of Fame. I'm a 75 year old walking museum of gay history. During that 3 week period in 1977, I became a footnote in gay history. It started with a friend who challenged me to create something to fight back against Anita Bryant. So I went home, smoked a joint, and came up with a t-shirt idea.It was: Anita Bryant's Husband is a Homo Sapien! I had 72 made, wound up selling 30 of them, and gave away most of the others. I wore one to the United Press International's San Francisco bureau and they ran a photo story about the T-shirt. While waiting for a bus to go there, a little old lady read my chest. Puzzled, she asked, "If that is true, why did she mary him?" The next day Paul Harvey used the UPI story to end his ABC Radio News and Commentary show. A few weeks later, I was able to get Jane Fonda to wear the shirt at a gay fund raiser at a S.F. Disco. That event made the Associated Press wires.

Then on June 7,1977 I was on hand for an impromptu S.F. march in response to the Anita Bryant-led victory to rescind a gay rights ordinance in Dade County, Florida. Shortly after 5P.M. San Francisco time, the news from Dade County Florida indicated that the gays were going to lose that election. I grabbed my camera and walked down to the Castro. Within a short while there were about 200 people milling around and as more time past it became a much larger crowd. By 10:30, KTVU was the only local media to be seen. They were getting ready to do a live feed back to the Oakland based station. I spotted newscaster Tom Clancy, at the corner of Castro and Market(Now known as Harvey Milk Plaza) and asked him if he had a lead-in for his "spot" and he nodded "No". I recommended it be called "Orange Tuesday". He liked it,and used it to open his segment. Harvey Milk arrived holding a bullhorn. We all walked a block away on Eureka in front of a Catholic Church. The march started going up 18th St. and we turned on Castro St. past the Castro Theater,and went down Market Street to Polk Street, passed City Hall,and downtown in Union Square. Over 5,000 people joined in listening to Harvey Milk chanting "OUT OF THE BARS AND INTO THE STREETS! Because it was an impromptu event, there were no microphones set up. There were just a few speakers, however Harvey used his Bullhorn to warn the crowd, "If it could happen in Dade county, it could happen anywhere and even in San Francisco!" While Harvey was speaking, I took 2 frames with my Canon AE1. I did not know if the those images came OUT. After the impromptu event ended I walked over to the Associated Press office in Fox Plaza to see if they might be interested in seeing if I had anything that could be put on their wires. At first they refused but I insisted the photos were national news worthy since 5,000 people had taken part in a march responding to an election several thousand miles away. So they developed my roll of film and ran with an image that is now part of our gay history. Ironically, in the recreation for the MILK movie, Harvey was shown with his bullhorn talking to a crowd in front of the Castro Theater. There were lots of signs were in the crowd. This was not the real story as the march had been impromptu and only a few signs were on hand. As well Harvey was shown talking at the end of the march in front of City Hall which had not happened. There were a few other mistakes in the movie, but the important fact is it introduced Harvey Milk to millions and millions of people, young and old, gay and straight, here in America and around the world.

So 35 years ago on this date my photo of Harvey Milk and Orange Tuesday became a major footnote in gay history. As radio commentator Paul harvey used to say... AND NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY!

PLEASE TAKE PART IN YOUR OWN TOWN'S PRIDE MONTH

Chicago 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith with HoF Inductee Jerry Pritikin


Jerry Pritikin with Brother Allen




CHICAGO: June 2nd,2012



About a month ago, I received a call from Chicago's 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith's Office. It was from her administrated assistant, Emma Rosenberg asking me if I would mind if Alderman Smith nominated me for this year's Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. I hesitated for a brief moment, and replied I would be honored. There has been some friction between myself and Alderman Smith since finding out that my precinct will be relocated into the 27th Ward, due to the Chicago's new Ward boundaries.

Yesterday, the Award ceremony took place at the Sheraton Chicago's Grand Ballroom. To get ready, I had a haircut, and was donning a suit for the first time in the 21st Century. I even left my trade mark "Rainbow" colored Interstellar Propeller Beany at home. There were over 1,000 people invited for the luncheon. Awards were given several categories, beside those given representing 26 of the 50 City Wards. Before the program started, Alderman Smith came to shake hands and we established a truce. We posed for a few photos. The affair lasted for several hours and I enjoyed meeting some of the other nominees, and a few other Chicago Aldermen and politicians. My brother Allen,and his girl friend Joanne, and a couple of my friends from the Maple Point Senior Apartments enjoyed the event. I was honored, especially being the only nominee listed as an activist from Chicago's LGTB Community. (June is also Gay Pride Month)

Harvey Milk and the Castro (c) Jerry Pritikin

First castro Street fair (that's me in the striped shirt) (c) J. Pritikin
Castro Street Fair-1978 From 18th St Looking towards Market st. (c) J.Pritikin

First castro St. fair (c) J Pritikin
Changing Neighborhood 18th near castro-1974 (c) J. Pritikin

Everyday is an Anniversary. That is how it feels as you get as old as I am. For me the month of May has always been marked with birthdays for My Sister Toby, her husband Marvin and my mother's on the 20th. Plus Mother's day. Recently added, it's been Harvey Milk Day. I happen to believe it's missing the addition of the name of Mayor George Moscone to make it complete. I was fortunate to have known them both as friends. I remember what it was like to be gay in San Francisco before George Moscone was elected in 1975. When I first arrived in the 1960s, there were many landlords that would not rent an apartment to two guys,period! There was a popular Hamburger place on Van Ness Called Hypo's that had a sign over their bar IF YOUR QUEER-STAY OUT OF HERE. There were gay bars spread all over town... but they were in seedy areas, or after 5 P.M. in the financial district. There were laws on the city's law books that if you dressed in drag, you had to wear a lapel-like tag I AM A BOY, or you could be arrested, even on Halloween!

In the early 70's, the Castro was awakening to a new beat. It was a gay invasion into a sleepy working-class neighborhood in the Eureka Valley. Rents were reasonable, as was property. Gay real estate companies made their entry into the CASTRO equation. Store fronts were cheap, and anchored in family owned restaurants, pharmacies and taverns. Most people used MUNI, and it was a hub of transfer points for streetcars and buses. I asked the owner of the Georgianna bakery shop if I could display my photos in her store front display windows. It was located at 420(before 420 was known as 420) Castro Street just steps away from today's Harvey Milk Plaza. People looked in, laughed and enjoyed them. I recall on a Saturday morning, I received a call from someone at the other end asking me "to shoot her kids! " Her name was Juana, and had her own local -TV show on Channel 44. It turned out to be It was a very memorable shoot.

A couple of years ago I received an email from her. She was doing a search for Harvey Milk name, and noticed my name. It was gratifying to hear that her girls recalled that day over 30 years later, as one of their best childhood memories. She was getting ready to re-released her 1978 interview with Harvey Milk ( Link www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVlxq7wqgeU ) a few years ago.

Tomorrow will mark another Harvey Milk Day. It reminds me of the best of times. CHECK OUT MY ARCHIVES,there are a few stories about how I first met Harvey Milk and his lover,Scott Smith. In those days.... Harvey's camera shop was gay center earth at 575 Castro Street. The atmosphere was similar to that portrayed hundreds of times in Hollywood movies as the general store in a small town, with neighbors talking politics in front to the potbelly stove, and that was the only thing missing at Harvey's camera shop. Harvey was 7 years older then me... and I often think what if? What if Harvey and George had lived, like I think the same of JFK,RFK, and MLK. However, it was their leadership that opened a lot of doors,and possibilities for openly-gay citizens... first in San Francisco, then here in Chicago and Now, throughOUT the world.

Note in the bakery shop window the young girl in the window with a doll, she's one of Jauan's children( and me in the reflection).