As we find ourselves in the thick of Carnival season once again, Ambush is proud to remember a pioneer in the history of gay Carnival, Lou “Lucille” Bernard. Bernard passed away on January 8.
Bernard and his partner Nick Donovan were members of the groundbreaking krewe, Ganymede (1968—1974). Donovan served as Captain of the Krewe’s third ball, Creepy Crawlers (1970), at which Donovan costumed as a cobra and Bernard as a spider. Creative themes and clever costumes such as these elevated the tableau and set a new standard for gay Carnival balls. After the Krewe’s first year, Wendell Stipelcovich would break away to co-found the Krewe of Armeinius. Donovan and Bernard, along with George Wilson, also left Ganymede to form the Krewe of Olympus.
of the Louisiana State Museum)
The inaugural Olympus ball, Camelot (1971), was an instant hit and is still considered legendary. In his landmark book, Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans (2017), historian Howard P. Smith writes, “The mere mention of the word Camelot within the secretive realm of gay Carnival still evokes a sense of wonder, magic, awe, and ultimately envy. No tableau ball has excited more passion or praise.” Wayne Phillips, Carnival Curator for the Louisiana State Museum, observes, the Camelot ball was “remarkable” and is “still remembered today as one of the high points of gay Carnival.”
To help make their debut ball a memorable one, the founders of Olympus recruited Jamie Greenleaf as captain. Greenleaf had been the creative force in Petronius, but had grown tired of the incessant bickering within the Krewe and jumped at the chance to help get Olympus off the ground. Greenleaf (who studied in Paris with the legendary Erté) and his partner, Harvey Hysell, were skilled artists and designed the costumes for Rex on its 100th anniversary.
Stewart Studios, photographer. Courtesy of the Louisiana State Museum)
At the Camelot ball, a massive forest emanated from the stage and, according to Smith: “Greenleaf stood hidden within the towering set, costumed as Merlin the Magician wearing a dark blue robe lined with sequined stars and with a mechanical owl, Archimedes, perched on his shoulder … When the ball began, the bird squawked and sputtered, Merlin shot fire from his magic wand, and the forest split in half, revealing a storybook castle that stretched across the stage and into the background.” Attendees at the ball had never seen anything like it and recall the opening as gasp-inducing and breathtaking.
A few weeks after the ball, on Mardi Gras, a few Krewe members gathered at Greenleaf’s apartment in the French Quarter at the corner of Royal and St. Peter Streets to view the Comus parade (this was when there were still parades in the Quarter). As the king of Comus approached the intersection, he noticed Gene Cheatham and Nick Donovan (Queen and King I) on the balcony in their royal costumes as Guinevere and Arthur, and was so impressed that he stopped his parade and toasted them.
Street Awards. (Joe Crews, photographer. Courtesy of the Louisiana State Museum)
The Camelot ball was groundbreaking, not only for its innovative production and superb costume and set design, but also for its location. Until then, most gay Carnival balls were held in small labor union halls, but Olympus held its first ball at the cavernous St. Bernard Civic Center in Chalmette.
The Krewe’s vision for the ball and Greenleaf’s set required a larger space. Bernard recalled, “the auditorium in St. Bernard Parish was discussed since the manager was secretly gay.” This man was not opposed to the idea, but suggested the Krewe leaders meet with the Sheriff’s office and the local judge to avoid any police raids or legal trouble. Bernard and Wilson met with these officials and assured them there would be no drag queens. After showing the Sheriff and the judge Greenleaf’s costume and set designs, the officials asked for invitations to the ball.
Carnival historian Arthur Hardy has suggested another reason St. Bernard Parish—no bastion of tolerance—allowed the Krewe to use its facility: a closeted parish official had been blackmailed. In any event, other gay krewes began holding their balls in Chalmette, a tradition that survives today.
Bernard would serve as Captain of Olympus in 1974 and reign as the Krewe’s Queen in 1975. Bernard recalled, “My time as Queen Olympus V was magical. At the height of the ball, I was revealed as the reigning queen on my birthday. When my partner, Nick Donovan, came up on stage to pay homage to me as the reigning monarch, he presented me with a glorious diamond ring. What more could a queen ask for?”
In 1979, Bernard and Donovan opened a bar in the French Quarter at 626 St. Philip Street called Lucille’s & Friend. The bar was popular, especially among the French Quarter’s theater crowd. In later years, Bernard also managed the Golden Lantern.
Bernard’s tenure as a bar owner/manager alone would have made him a legend in the French Quarter’s gay demimonde. That Bernard made such a mark on the history of gay Carnival makes him all the more extraordinary. When he recently passed away, a friend ruefully commented, “They just don’t make them like that anymore.”
In the 1980s, Olympus’ membership, like that of other krewes, was decimated by the AIDS epidemic. Olympus held its last ball in New Orleans in 1991 before relocating to Houston in 1992. The krewe there recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
When asked to comment on Bernard’s passing, Phillips noted, “Over several years Lou made numerous donations of his personal memorabilia to the Louisiana State Museum, surprised but happy that anyone was interested in them. Together they form one of the deepest archives of gay carnival, containing dozens of rare photographs, ball invitations, original films and many other artifacts that will be preserved in Lou’s memory forever. I consider him to be one of the true pioneers of gay carnival and the larger New Orleans gay community, given his decades of community participation and his openness and willingness to share his memories.”
The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana is currently assisting Bernard’s estate in assessing and processing the remainder of Bernard’s collection, mostly video footage, and finding a permanent home for it.
