Hungry I

Nightclub in San Francisco, US, famous for stand up comedy 1950s & 1960s

The Hungry I (stylized as hungry i) was a nightclub in San Francisco, California, originally located in the North Beach neighborhood. It played a major role in the history of stand up comedy in the United States. The name of the nightclub was reused later as a strip club in San Francisco, from the late 1960s until 2019.

In the late 1960s, clubs along the Broadway strip began to transform into fully nude strip clubs run by a consortium of club owners. As the Hungry I was shutting down in its final location at Ghirardelli Square, Banducci sold the rights to its name and logo to this consortium. One of the clubs, Pierre's at 546 Broadway, was promptly renamed "Hungry I Club" and continued to operate as a strip club under various owners, until 2019.

An exhibition on the history of the Hungry I opened March 28, 2007 at the San Francisco Performing Arts Library, now the Museum of Performance & Design, and was on view through August 25, 2007. Alumni who performed at the Hungry I during its heyday—as well as club owner Enrico Banducci and his daughter—gathered for an opening celebration March 27. 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.

The San Francisco radio station KGO broadcast several talk shows live before an audience from the Hungry I in the 1950s and 60s, notably hosted by Les Crane and Ira Blue. Mort Sahl was KGO's overnight announcer in the 1950s.