A. Giuntoli; Ran Bimbo’s 365 Club

Agostino (Bimbo) Giuntoli, the Italian immigrant who established San Francisco’s famous Bimbo’s 365 Club, has died. He was 88.

Giuntoli, whose North Beach nightclub for years featured an 8-inch nude woman swimming in a fishbowl, an illusion performed with mirrors, had presented such performers as Duke Ellington and Rita Cansino, a young Spanish dancer later known as Rita Hayworth.

Giuntoli, who died Friday night in San Francisco, was born in Chiesina Uzzaneze, a village near Florence. He left home at the age of 19 and came to San Francisco in 1927 with $2 in his pocket, according to his family.

His first jobs were as a janitor at the Palace Hotel and then as a cook in a speak-easy. In 1931, he opened Bimbo’s 365 as a speak-easy, where he sold bathtub gin in coffee cups and operated dice games in a back room.

After the repeal of Prohibition, Bimbo’s catered to a more widespread crowd, attracting the talents of such singers as Rosemary Clooney, Bette Midler, Mel Torme and Marvin Gaye. In 1970, the club closed briefly but reopened and today caters to private parties and holds occasional concerts.

Giuntoli’s wife, Emilia, died in 1989. He is survived by two daughters, Diana Cerchiai and Yvonne Sangiacomo, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.