In the early 1990s I was a feature dancer. Among other things, this meant that I was doing MUCH more elaborate acts than I am now, in sets lasting up to fifteen minutes. Another thing it means is that I went to some out-of-the-way places, including Frank's Chicken House. Men would walk in through the front room and would get a chicken leg and a can of soda, then walk into the back, where the girls would whip off their clothes and rush right up to the edge of the stage to lay down and give the customers a gynecological view. I wish I could say I thought this was terrible, but I actually thought, and still think, that it was total hoot, as did the other dancers there. When I would perform, the customers who had been there before would be mildly amused by the elaborate shows I was doing (the dancers LOVED the routines), and the ones who didn't would be incredibly annoyed that I was interrupting their gynecological inspections with my fancy costumes and themes. I would want to rush to get to the spread-eagle part of my routine so they wouldn't be disappointed for long, but I was required by the management to do my entire routines. I had a contract, and they were paying a me A LOT and had given me my own huge dressing room and this very boss hat, so I complied.
So I still wear this hat when I do a number for which a trucker hat is de rigueur. Actually, this is a replacement for my old one; a friend picked up it for me when they were last in Manville. I think Frank's is closed now, but I'll wear this hat till it falls apart. "Home of the Only Real Strippers"!
When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:
Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.
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