When Prohibition ended in 1933, the idea of the nightclub exploded in urban areas. This revival of legitimate nightlife was met with much enthusiasm -Pleasure-seeking consumers were tired of hiding in cramped "underground" speakeasies. While some speakeasies made the transition into bona fide nightclubs, many new institutions (many of them backed by mafia money) such as The Copacabana and The Latin Quarter opened just off Broadway, to keen crowds.
While "class" (read: opulent and expensive) clubs such as Harlem's Cotton Club, The Copa and The Quarter (as they were known to New Yorkers in this era) focused their entertainment mostly on live music and dance numbers, a lower breed of clubs brought in the crowds the old-fashioned way: women in various states of undress. Burlesque had maintained a presence on Broadway since the turn of the century, when formerly famous vaudeville acts were left searching for income. By the 1930s, striptease shows were more common along Broadway than any form of "legitimate" theatre. To fill the space between the class clubs and the déclassé burlesque houses, a middle-breed of club developed. These nightclubs could be called "clean" burlesques: they would feature a bar, music, and women performing flamboyant numbers in minimal costumes - but without any real nudity. Guys and Dolls' fictitious "Hot Box" could be firmly placed in this category, along with real club National Winter Garden. |
The latin quarter, 1943Minksy's burlesque, 1938A bevy of zeigfeld follies girls, 1928 |
Information drawn from:
Bianco, Anthony. Ghosts of 42nd Street: A History of America's Most Infamous Block. New York: William Morrow, 2004. Print.
Goldstein, Richard. Helluva Town: The Story of New York City during World War II. New York: Free Press, 2010. 190-97. Print.
Peretti, Burton W. Nightclub City: Politics and Amusement in Manhattan. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, 2007. 99-220. Print.
Goldstein, Richard. Helluva Town: The Story of New York City during World War II. New York: Free Press, 2010. 190-97. Print.
Peretti, Burton W. Nightclub City: Politics and Amusement in Manhattan. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, 2007. 99-220. Print.