Burlesque: Exotic Dancers of the 50s & 60s

by Judson Rosebush

Presented here are 125 burlesque queens and belly dancing stars from the 1950s and 1960s portrayed in 8" x 10" glossy "booking photos." These attention-grabbing and sometimes startling photos are the publicity shots that dancers handed out to booking agents, managers, theaters, press, and fans. The stars include Crystal Blue, Toni Rose "The Glow Girl," Bella Dona, Marlo Brando, Sunny Day "The Butterfly Goddess," Dixie Evans "The Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque," Lala Jazir, and Dusty Summers "Las Vegas' Only Nude Magician." Learn a brief history of Burlesque and its performers in the transition from 1950s burlesque with live band, comic, and stripper scene to the 1960s go-go night clubs with scantily dressed dancers on pedestals and in cages.

Genres: Art and Photography

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2010

Reviews

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a man who's main forte is publishing books on computer coding Rosebush shows a surprising amount of love, appreciation and tenderness to his subject. A truly wonderful collection of burlesque photos during the final, long and painfully slow years of it's decline this book is a true marvel and no burly-q collection should be complete without it. Featuring a breath taking collection of all kinds of photos (including Ms Lili St Cyr herself!) part of what made this book so worth having to me is that is focuses on several areas of bq that seemed to be glossed over by enthusiasts.

1) BQ revival is very much rooted in a strong feminist mind set with the emphasis being on "any woman can be a burlesque star", however this book goes so far as to remind us by SHOWING us that this is not something new. The women in this book literally DO come in all shapes and sizes and ages. From the old with sagging bosom, the the young and painfully thin to the ridiculously disproportionate (a size P cup is featured in some of the photos. I'll just leave your imagination alone with that for a moment) everyone is up and shaking it in their g-strings and pasties.

2) I'm hard pressed to name another collection of photos that has such a wide array of different RACES in their photos. Black, Asian, Latina and Indian bq stars are all given an equal page time in here along with their usual blond haired, blue eyed sisters. What a treat!

[Blog on Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Burlesque: Exotic Dancers of the 50’s & 60’s” (Schiffer) harkens back to our recent, historical past, with its series of black and white publicity images from the girls who closed out the mid-century movement. Author Judson Rosebush begins by covering the colorful history of the field from names like Mae Dix, Sally Rand, Ann Corio and Gypsy Rose Lee to emporiums such as Minsky’s, the Zeigfield Follies and the clubs of Vegas, San Francisco and L.A. Eventually, the field gave way to the raunchier topless clubs and the go-go dancers of the 60’s, but for capturing a moment in time, Rosebush’s book aptly captures the history and look of a long gone era.

[Freya West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful photographic collection of mid-century legends.