Hungry I

One of the men said he wanted to start a small club where actors could go after rehearsals and have coffee, pastry, a beer, et cetera, and sit around and talk—unwind from the work.

[5] The hungry i was founded in 1949 or 1950 as an 83-seat venue in the Sentinel Building's basement at the corner of Kearny and Columbus, by Eric Nord, who sold it to Banducci in 1951.

[1] After operating it as a venue for folk singers including Stan Wilson, Banducci began hiring comedians in 1953 with Mort Sahl, encouraging them to express themselves freely.

[1] Their success caused queues around the block, until Banducci moved the Hungry I to the nearby International Hotel (nicknamed "the I-Hotel") at 599 Jackson Street in 1954.

The Kingston Trio recorded two noted albums at the hungry i,[7] including the first live performance of their version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".

The event was captured for the nationally televised documentary Hungry I Reunion, produced and directed by Thomas A. Cohen and featuring reminiscences by Bill Cosby, as well as by Maya Angelou, who had performed there early in her career as a singer.

Among those reminiscing about their appearances at the club were Orson Bean, Shelley Berman, Father Malcolm Boyd, Travis Edmonson, Tom Lehrer, The Kingston Trio, Mort Sahl, Ronnie Schell, and Glenn Yarborough.

[16] In the 1950s, San Francisco radio station KGO-AM broadcast several talk shows live before an audience from the Hungry I, hosted by Les Crane.