Corinne, “Queen of the Stage”
You know the story: a child performer exploited by her demanding and exploitative mother to perform all over the country. The grueling road life leaving little time for basic schooling and attracting the attention of child welfare agents. The drive to ever-greater heights of fame and fortune at the expense
New in Our Collection: Sheet Music for “I’m Just Wild About Harry”
Sheet music for “I’m Just Wild About Harry” from the musical Shuffle AlongLyrics by Noble Sissle, Music by Eubie Blake (M.W. & Sons, 1921) Shuffle Along was a 1921 Broadway musical comedy. It was groundbreaking in many ways, being the first all-Black written and performed Broadway production. Additionally, it is
Featured Artifact: Gypsy Rose Lee’s Pincushion
Gypsy Rose Lee was practically born into show business, touring the vaudeville circuits with her sister, Jane Havoc, from before she was old enough to go to school. Their successes were fleeting and hardships enduring, and it behooved the young vaudevillian to learn to sew. Throughout her stage career, both
Featured Artifact: Val de Val One-sheet
Val de Val (1917-2000), billed as “The Liberator” and “The H-Bomb of Burlesque”, began performing in the 1940s. She made two films, French Follies (which also featured our founder, Jennie Lee) and Burlesque in Hawaii (also released as Oriental Vanities) before retiring from performing when she got married in 1957. She went
Liz Renay Manuscript Restoration Project Finished
The Burlesque Hall of Fame offers our sincere thanks to the archive team at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, for their invaluable assistance in restoring a bundle of Liz Renay manuscripts acquired from her estate. Liz Renay published a number of books in her lifetime, including titles like My Face
Jada’s Testimony Re: Jack Ruby’s Assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald
Here’s an interesting piece from our archives, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, and the ensuing assasination of Kennedy’s killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, by Jack Ruby on November 24, 1963: a copy of burlesque dancer Jada’s testimony about her employer,
Shoes worn by Patti Starr
We recently added to our collection a selection of stage jewelry, shoes, and a dress, all from the career of Patti Starr. Now in her 90s, Patti Starr performed in the mid-20th century before marrying an oil man and retiring… for a while. She was a close friend of Jennie
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