Luring Gay Bachelors Into the Seas of Matrimony

“Oh, Man!” by Clare Briggs.

Feb. 17, 1920: Here we have another story about the Bachelors Ball. The Times’ account gives the entire guest list and describes many of the elaborate costumes. One of the highlights of the ball, which was held at the Alexandria Hotel, was a musical number called “The Bachelor’s Sidestep.” It’s interesting that the orchestra played behind a screen of palms, which reminds me of blindfolding the musicians in “Sunset Boulevard.”  I’m not sure which intrigues me more, a group for wealthy young men dedicated to being single, or the reporter’s attitude that marriage was a trap to be avoided. And yes, the word “gay” had not taken on its current connotation.