Shirley Jean Rickert (of Hal Roach’s Our Gang) as burlesque dancer Gilda and Her Crowning Glory - c. 1940s
Famous gorilla impersonator Emil Van Horn with B movie actress Eleanor Wood at the New York World’s Fair - 1939
Gypsy Rose Lee carrying dog at train station, circa 1937
Gypsy Rose Lee (January 9, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.
On October 6, 1889, a Frenchman named Joseph Oller made history by opening the world’s most famous burlesque club in Paris’ 18th arrondissement: the Moulin Rouge. Named for the red windmill on top of the building, it is the cornerstone of burlesque culture and very possibly the birthplace of the striptease.
Shirley Jean Rickert (of Hal Roach’s Our Gang) as burlesque dancer “Gilda and Her Crowning Glory” - c. 1940s
Rose la Rose
First burlesque performer to earn $2,000 per week.
Her mother, Jennie, traveled the burlesque circuit with her for 18 years, affectionately called by other performers as “Mother DePella”.
Owned the Town Hall and the Esquire Theaters in Toledo, Ohio.
