Burlesque thrived in New York from the 1860s onward. By the 1920s and 1930s, it attracted the upper crust as well as the working class. On December 26, 1936, the couple above attended the opening of Minsky's Burlesque Theater.
But Mayor LaGuardia cracked down on it and forbade the use of the word "burlesque." The bigger shows found audiences elsewhere—Minsky moved to Las Vegas. Others found ways around the bans and continued to operate on a much reduced scale.
By the 1950s, the glamor had gone from burlesque. In the picture below, patrons loiter around the Columbia Theater before its December 26, 1956 opening.
By the 1960s, society and media were becoming much more open to displays of sex, and burlesque lost its allure.
Top photo: Tom Watson for the NY Daily News via Getty Images Bottom photo: John Peodincuk for the NY Daily News via Getty Images
