Paradise Defeated: Pre-revolution Cuba's Exotica Girls

After reading T.J. English's gripping "Havana Nocturne", it occurs to me that pre-revolution Cuba perhaps came as close to fulfilling the promise of the exotica girl, or Mystery Girl, as any locale since (or perhaps including) Gauguin's Tahiti. This thread is a meager attempt at fusing the focus of two other excellent TC threads, bigbrotiki's Exotica Girls...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=32511&forum=1&265

...and his feature on Pete Moruzzi's "Havana Before Castro"...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29208&forum=12&start=0&hilite=havana%20before%20castro

(text quotes below are from "Havana Nocturne")

"The era of the Havana Mob brought about a stratification of sex that was a culmination of everything that had come before. At the top of the pyramid were the showgirls from the most prestigious clubs, such as the Sans Souci or Tropicana."

"Photos of pollos electrizantes (electrifying chicks) posing in bikinis, shorts, and garter belts were accompanied by titillating captions: 'Monica Castell' with that anatomy one can never lose a battle.'"

Marilyn at The Mocambo Club.

"One afternoon [Bubbles Darlene] decided to stroll along the tree-lined Prado wearing nothing but black panties and a transparent raincoat, carrying a parasol. Cars screeched to a halt and heads turned."

"With such a thriving prostitution trade in Cuba, it is sometimes assumed that the Havana Mob must have presided over the business. There is no evidence to support this claim."

"In a large suite at the [Tropicana] hotel, a group of women danced and performed lesbian acts with one another, then offered to have sex with men in the audience."

"To a hot mambo rhythm, Alfred Romero and Conchita Lopez negotiated an 'apache dance', with Alfred stripping off pieces of Conchita's clothing as they went. Eventually the female would be dancing completely naked. Later came the main act, which usually involved some form of live sex."

"Sun Sun Babae was a kitschy, tropical burlesque...The woman moved suggestively to the sound of the drums; the faces of the men gleamed with perspiration...As a spotlight followed, [the men] descended from the stage and approached a table, where a blond female patron sat nursing a cocktail. The blonde was engrossed by the half-naked men who surrounded her but was also seemingly frightened. The men practically lifted her out of her seat and carried her to the stage...the woman became intoxicated by the drums and rhythmic chanting, which grew louder and more intense. The audience was both mesmerized and confused, not sure whether this was for real or part of the show."

A small glimpse of this type of sex club was portrayed in the film "The Godfather II".

Tiki Misanthropologist

[ Edited by: White Devil 2013-10-22 14:37 ]

Wow, looks like they knew how to have a great time. Great photos and captions - really made me imagine what those clubs must have been like.

I can't recommend the two books referenced above too highly. Together they paint a picture of what it truly meant to be a 1950's-era jet-setter.

all those years, Celia Cruz was an exotica gal and I didnt even know it...

heh, just saw on google that today woulda been her 88th birthday...