Post #4903 by thejab on Thu, Aug 1, 2002 6:25 PM

vintagegirl wrote:
"And while I love the modern burlesque of today, it is also more connected to theatre and performance art than the straightforward titillation it was meant as in the 50's. Those women usually did not have an easy life and while they may not have been silicone-injected, they were still considered "painted women" which was the same as being "plastic" today. Their dancing was definitely not considered "tasteful" by mainstream society. What makes modern burlesque so successful is that they kept the super-feminine iconography (the good) about it, but now have moved past the stigma branded on those that perform (the bad). "

While I understand your reasons for not wanting to live in the 50s, I can't agree with your comparisons of old and new burlesque. I have collected quite a few old men's magazines and burlesque programs and the way burlesque was in the 50s is this: It was very common and popular in big cities but not so common in small towns starting in the 30s under prohibition. Through the 40s and into the 50s it was very popular and many people including men and women attended these theatres (although women usually went with a man, women didn't usually go out to places like that in a group). To prove how popular it was, Lily St. Cyr made $100,000 a week at one point in her career! I have read interviews with many of these women and they don't feel like they were "painted ladies" that were being victimized at the time. They were professional artists that were, and for some (like Dixie Evans) still are, proud of their craft.

Then in the mid-50s there was a conservative uprising against "loose morals" (sound familiar?) and certain city mayors like the mayor of new york decided to crack down on burlesque houses so many closed (including the famous Minsky's).

Some theatre's (like Minsky's in New Jersey) did well in other areas but things started to change in the early 60s. I'm not sure how or why, but places started to open that had a less artistic form of burlesque: the strip clubs. Performers would dance, bump, and grind like before but costumes were less fancy and skimpier. This led to the more hardcore form of strip club like the Mitchell Brothers in San Francisco. And now these strip clubs are everywhere and do a huge business. Look how popular Larry Flynt's Hustler clubs are. To me, these are the modern versions of burlesque. They replaced what was burlesque over the last 40 years. I wouldn't go to one because they don't appeal to me: the women are phony, the costumes are ugly, the music is lousy, and the clientele is not the kind of people I would like to hang out with.

When you refer to modern burlesque I would imagine you are referring to the undergound movement that is represented by about 20-30 troups around the country, many of which performed at Teasorama last year and will again this year. I have seen a few of these groups and I the one I have really enjoyed the most was Velvet Hammer in Los Angeles, who I have seen a few times. I thought they captured what it was really like going to a Burlesque theatre in the 50s.

I have seen some of the more performance art oriented groups and I didn't really get into them. Probably because the reasons I like watching burlesque are to see beautiful women in sexy outfits dance and do their other moves, and if they tell a bit of a story or act out a situation that's often better, but it's not that important. Another reason I like the old-style burlesque is the comedy acts were sometimes very funny and usually pretty risque, with lots of sexual innuendo. I have not seen all the groups yet and I certainly would like to see more, but personally I prefer the ones that try to be more like old burlesque. This is just my opinion, and I don't doubt that some of the other groups are committed to their craft and are very talented.

The point I'm tring to make is that in the 50s burlesque was avilable in all large cities while now all there is are strip joints. The new burlesque is too undergound still and can't really be compared.

I'm sure women have different reasons for liking the new burlesque but I will readily admit that I like looking at women perform in burlesque because it's exciting to me! And I like the way women dressed (and undressed!) in the 40s and 50s. The glamour just appeals to me.