Palms Bar Documentary in Production

Weho residents have begun a documentary on The Palms Bar, which is scheduled to close June 9. The Dead History Project seeks patrons and employees for interviews this weekend.

Since opening in 1965 the bar has been a popular attraction for the Los Angeles lesbian community, serving until only recently as one of the few places lesbians could call their own.

"It may be small, it may be a 'dive,' but the history, the people, the neon, make it so much more," said Kate Eggert of the Dead History Project (DHP). "And when I stepped into the bar, I could feel all that."

Eggert and DHP partner Krisy Gosney started researching The Palms Bar two years ago, intending to produce a Web series showcasing the pub's social and historic importance. They decided to pursue a feature-length project after learning of the bar's imminent closure.

"We had talked about doing a documentary feature film that would include the building's history, The Palms Bar history and the stories of past and current patrons and employees, including what it was like to be a lesbian in Los Angeles in past decades," Eggert said. "When we learned the bar was closing we immediately recognized that we were in a unique position to record these stories for prosperity and future historians. All of the stories we record will also be donated to the June Mazer Lesbian Archives at UCLA."

The building that houses The Palms Bar is set to be demolished to make way for mixed-use development along Santa Monica Boulevard.

Eggert and Gosney will film 20-minute interviews May 10-12, 1-5 p.m. with past and present patrons and employees. Anonymity can be provided upon request, Eggert said.

DHP will continue filming interviews on a drop-in basis during the bar's closing
party on June 2 and throughout LA Pride week June 3-9.

For more information or to schedule an interivew contact Eggert at kateeggertpalmsdoc@gmail.com.