Monday, January 20, 2014

Burlesque Brixx #3 - Censorship struggles circa 1942



It's interesting to note that Broadway saw the big-picture issue of censorship in the arts when Mayor LaGuardia began his crackdown on burlesque - and joined in the fight!

Oakland Tribune
Oakland California
 Tuesday March 10, 1942

CURTAIN CALLS: BURLESQUE AGAIN FIGHTING FOR ITS LIFE
New York Mayor and Police Commissioner Attacked for Arbitrary Rulings
By Wood Soanes (excerpt)

"Burlesque has been banned in New York again – the last time was in 1937 and it wrote finis to the colorful career of the Minsky Brothers.
Again, as in 1937, the cause of burlesque is being taken up by its big brother, the legitimate theatre. There is less brotherly love than desire for self-preservation in the gesture.
Broadway always gets behind burlesque in its fights against censorship because it feels that if burlesque loses without a struggle, the eye of the censor, perforce, will be directed at his next victim, the legitimate stage. That isn’t pretty to contemplate.
This time Broadway’s spokesmen are Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay, co-authors of “Life With Father” and “Arsenic and Old Lace” which are currently long-run hits of the New York stage.
“We are at Munich” they cried in unison the other day. “and complacently at this point, just because it involves burlesque, does not mean peace in our time. The danger is that the Mayor and the licence commissioner can impose their taste on the entire theatre.
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Commissioner Paul Moss are using much the same ammunition they hurled four years ago.
They contend that burlesque is indecent, does not constitute entertainment and is pretty low stuff generally.
Warming to their subject as they denied operating licenses to 14 theatres, they tossed out such lurid phrases as, “cesspools of indecency” and “breeders of prostitution”. This is what they said four years ago, so the burlesque theatres called themselves “Variety” or “Girlie Shows” or “Follies” and went on with a modified strip-tease. This time they can’t even have the strip-tease.
Meantime, burlesque representatives are screaming that high-handed measures are being used.
…Meantime, a great effort is being made to stir up the public.
Petitions are being circulated and voters are being urged to sign for the reinstatement of burlesque.
…All of this seems rather silly to me. Regardless of the virtues or vices of burlesque, the point at issue seems to be whether a couple of gents, who happen to hold office, can arbitrarily decide on the entertainment of a people, and, more important, whether they can do it in a star chamber session at which the public has no voice."

After the 1937 crack-down on burlesque in New York City, Burlesque theatres were forced to change their name to things such as "Girly Show" or "Follies" to avoid the censors.


Friday, January 17, 2014

Burlesque Brixx #2 - A few words from Walter Winchell



Jan 15, 1937
Walter Winchell - On Broadway
Columnist Walter Winchell shares these tasty burlesque tidbits in his syndicated column:
"The first real “nekkidness” on Broadway was not shown in a burlesque show, but in the 1923 Artists and Models. Earl Carroll Followed it, and soon after, burlesque adopted it to the practical exclusion of everything else."

"Stripping: There are four strip classifications: Slow, fast, swing, and there are two girls doing a dramatic strip (but this is a family newspaper)..."

"Gypsy Rose Lee Department: When in burlesque the glamour girl used to arrive at the theatre with her own maid, her chauffeur and  jewelry…in her spare time she would sew costumes for next week’s show…If Gypsy liked a strip woman in the show she would make her a costume."

"Gypsy introduced pasting of bows and ribbons on the skin and started “pinning” (Costumes held together by pins which were taken out one by one and thrown to the audience)...When a rival star of equal importance joined the show to be co-featured, Gypsy went out and bought a $2,500 ermine coat to use in her strip act. The rival quit."


Gypsy in her gorgeous fur. I don't know for certain if this is the coat of record, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were!



Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Burlesque Brixx #1



Hi readers! This year I'm digging up some fun burlesque tidbits from the past to share with you all. The bricks (or brixx, haha!) of modern day burlesque. To start, here's a description of what a burlesque striptease looked like circa 1937. Also a fun remark from Ann Corio on the contentious story of the origin of the burlesque strip!
 
Laredo Times - Laredo Texas June 20, 1937
“Hollywood goes for the strip-tease, but in a perfectly nice way”
By Paul Harrison – Hollywood
[EXCERPT]
“In any case of this department’s parishioners are unfamiliar with the technique of the strip-tease in burlesque, here is an explanation: the girl enters, walking slowly if for a parade strip, fast if it is to be a fast strip. During the first minute she sings. If she can’t sing, she talks the lyrics of her tune.
Next, quite casually, she begins a tour of stage, smiling winsomely, pirouetting with a maximum of umph, and idly plucking at her hooks and eyes, her buttons and her buckles, her zippers and her bows.
A drunk in the second row applauds. Thus encouraged, and just at the end of the second chorus, she takes off her dress, after first passing her fur-piece and other accessories into the wings. More strutting and smiling, together with soft lights and soft music. Then her single remaining whatnot is discarded as, simultaneously, she departs.
The strip-tease… is the backbone, the breastbone and every other bone of modern burlesque. Several performers, contemporary and ex, claim to have originated it. But Ann Cori, who ought to know, attributes it to no individual but to a song.
Writing for Zit’s Theatrical Newspaper in 1934, she said: “This style of entertainment sprang up from a song popular in burlesque circles several years ago which announced: “If you want to see a little more of us, clap your hands like this’. The audience would applaud until the girls removed their outer clothing, then made a hasty exit clad in silk union suits that reached from head to heel.”

 
This stunning photo of Ann Corio is one of the pictures that accompanied the original article.