Burlesque, Strip Clubs, and History

<p> The recent resurgence of the Burlesque art form figures prominently in the lives of those of us who rely on strip clubs for one reason or another. It&#39;s important to address how burlesque figures into history and the history of strip clubs.<br /> <br /> One hundred years ago, there wasn&#39;t strip clubs, but there was Burlesque Halls. Like strip clubs, burlesque halls faced a good chance of being raided because of the blatant display of sexuality. Burlesque halls didn&#39;t have full nudity, but what was key to the women performing was revealing costumes, a flirtatious dance, and the occasional boob or pubic peek. The hall always had a live orchestra (it&#39;s hard to call a string section, brass, and percussion a band), and there were comedians who performed between dancers. Dancers didn&#39;t just dance, they also sang and worked comedy into their acts.<br /> <br /> Arguably, the most famous burlesque performer was Gypsy Rose Lee. Gypsy wasn&#39;t just attractive, she was also talented, articulate, and smart. The following is a clip from the movie Stage Door Canteen (1942). Gypsy performs a G rated striptease, but to give context to the scene, the movie was a true portrayal of actors and actresses that spent their off time entertaining military personnel who were about to be shipped overseas to an uncertain future.<br /> <br /> Gypsy Rose Lee in Stage Door Canteen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m9kd_nD1mA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m9kd_nD1mA</a><br /> <br /> Gypsy also wrote a murder mystery titled Lady of Burlesque. The book was made into a movie starring the very beautiful Barbara Stanwyck. The story was about a serial killer that hides among the cast of a burlesque theater. Here is babs performing in the movie.<br /> <br /> Barbara Stanwyck in Lady of Burlesque <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OISuPV3y2eg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OISuPV3y2eg</a><br /> <br /> Three years before Gypsy&#39;s movie, and twelve years before Ricky was saying &quot;Lucy, you got some splaining to do&quot;, Lucille Ball performed a burlesque number in a movie. For those who have only seen Lucy do comedy, this is a chance to see her dance, sing, and work in classic elements of burlesque-using comedy to help her striptease.<br /> <br /> Lucille Ball in Dance Baby Dance <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BeXBZUl9I0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BeXBZUl9I0</a><br /> <br /> Back to Gypsy Rose Lee. In 1962, Hollywood tried to tell her story. Natalie Wood played Gypsy. This is Natalie performing a burlesque number as Gypsy.<br /> <br /> Natalie Wood playing Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rNiHirVoQw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rNiHirVoQw</a><br /> <br /> In the early 1970&#39;s, burlesque gave way to strippers. Gone was the joke telling, the humor related striptease, with the emphasis on tease. To my knowledge, the only place that held onto burlesque was Les Girls in San Diego. If you read the reviews on that place, customers are often confused, as Les Girls tries to mix elements of burlesque, and still give the strip club experience.<br /> <br /> Burlesque came roaring back in 1995 with the founding of The Pussycat Dolls. The Dolls quickly were signed to a recording contract. Although the Dolls were an entertaining act, they really weren&#39;t a burlesque act, however, they created a national interest in resurrecting burlesque as it really was.<br /> <br /> Las Vegas, which had choreographers that either had seen or done burlesque created &quot;Peepshow&quot;, a burlesque show. Vegas&#39; money could afford A list actresses and talent put together a show now copied by women nationwide. If you see a burlesque show, keep in mind that it isn&#39;t about nudity or lap dances. Just sit back and enjoy an old art form.</p>