It’s not hard to infer that burlesque in the mid-century was considered seedy and was not highly regarded, at least publicly. Cyr by groups like the Catholic Legion of Decency often made the news. Saying the word “pregnant” on television was not allowed by most network censors. Eisenhower-era prudishness included married couple Lucy and Ricky Ricardo sleeping in separate beds on TV’s I Love Lucy. The social climate of the mid-20th century had many similarities to the Victorian era that spawned American burlesque, particularly when it came to sex and nudity. The performances of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, - what’s remembered fondly as the heyday of American burlesque - were actually the nadir of the original art. Vaudeville-style comedians, preceding and introducing each performer, were the only elements left from the original form.
Striptease was now the main attraction at burlesque shows. One hundred years later, all pretenses to high-brow art had been gradually abandoned. When it was exported from Victorian England to the United States in the 1840s, American elements were added: minstrel show performances, stage magic, contemporary athletics, and, most importantly, exotic dancing. In the modern sense of the word, burlesque was a popular form of theatrical variety show featuring risqué comedy, parody, and pastiche.
If there’s one word associated with these famous women, it’s “burlesque.”
