Minsky's Burlesque
Minsky's Burlesque refers to the brand of American burlesque presented by four sons of Louis and Ethel Minsky: Abraham 'Abe' Bennett Minsky (1880–1949), Michael William 'Billy' Minsky (1887–1932), Herbert Kay Minsky (1891–1959), and Morton Minsky (1902–1987).[1][2] They started in 1912 and ended in 1937 in New York City. Although the shows were declared obscene and outlawed, they were rather tame by modern standards.
History
The eldest brother, Abe, launched the business in 1908 with a
Then they considered
But Minsky's clientele needed a compelling reason to trek up to a sixth-floor theater. Billy realized that success in burlesque depended on how the women were featured. Abe, who had been to Paris and the Folies Bergère and Moulin Rouge, suggested importing one of their trademarks: a runway to bring the women out into the audience. The theater was reconfigured and the Minskys were the first to feature a runway in the United States. Billy had the sign out front changed to "Burlesque As You Like It – Not a Family Show," and the Minskys were on their way.
The Minskys were raided for the first time in 1917 when Mae Dix absentmindedly began removing her costume before she reached the wings. When the crowd cheered, Dix returned to the stage to continue removing her clothing to wild applause. Billy ordered the "accident" repeated every night. This began an endless cycle: to keep their license, the Minskys had to keep their shows clean, but to keep drawing customers they had to be risqué. Whenever they went too far, they were raided.
Morton joined the company in 1924 after graduating from New York University, and worked at the Little Apollo Theater on 125th Street. There was a raid during the very first show. For the next four years, the theater showed a weekly profit of $20,000 after payola.[3]
Billy's attempt, however, to present classy burlesque at the Park Theater on Columbus Circle failed miserably.
Another famous raid occurred in April 1925, and inspired the book and film
Business boomed for the Minskys during
Billy realized that while burlesque could not be classy it could be presented in classy surroundings. In 1931, many legitimate theaters in New York closed. Billy saw an opportunity to bring the Minsky brand to Broadway, amid the respectable shows, and leased the Republic Theater on 42nd Street and staged their first show on February 12. The Republic became Minsky's flagship theater and the capital of burlesque in the United States. (The theater is now called the New Victory and specializes in children's entertainment.) Other burlesque shows were inspired to open on 42nd Street at the nearby Eltinge and Apollo Theaters.
Minsky's featured comics
With burlesque thriving in New York (there were now 14 burlesque theaters, including Minsky's rivals), competition was fierce. Each year, various license commissioners issued restrictions to keep burlesque from pushing the limits. But convictions were rare, so theater managers saw no need to tone down their shows.The Minskys emphasized that a good strip-tease dance must know exactly the right psychological moment to remove each garment. 'It is not just a matter of going on the stage and taking off clothes - it needs finesse.'[6]
In 1935, irate citizens' groups began calling for action against burlesque.
After several appeals, the Minskys and their rivals were allowed to reopen only if they adhered to new rules that forbade strippers. The owners went along, hoping to stay in business until the November election when reformist mayor Fiorello La Guardia might be voted out. But business under the new code was so bad that many New York burlesque theaters closed their doors for good. By the time La Guardia was re-elected, the word "burlesque" had been banned and, soon after, the Minsky name itself, since the two were synonymous. With that final blow, burlesque and the Minskys were finished in New York.
Harold Minsky
Of all the Minskys, only Harold, Abe's adopted[7] son, remained active in burlesque. At the height of the Great Depression, Harold began learning all facets of the business operating the Gaiety Theater in Times Square. "At nineteen, Harold took over the business from his father. Every summer, his parents went to Europe for vacation and the theatres would close due to the heat in New York City. Theatres weren’t air-conditioned. The performers begged Harold to keep his doors open; the girls were broke, and they desperately needed the money from the performances. So Harold stayed open and, though a ticket cost a dime, 'He made over a million dollars,' claimed his wife Dardy Minsky.” [8]
Harold discovered and groomed dozens of famous names throughout the 1930s into the '50s.[6] He claimed to have discovered future headliner fourteen-year-old Sherry Britton from an audition.[6] Harold also employed and nurtured first-rate comic talents such as Phil Silvers.[9]
In 1956, Harold brought the Minsky name to
Harold resided in Las Vegas until his death in 1977.[7]
References
Notes
- New York Times. March 24, 1987. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
Morton Minsky, the last of four brothers who made burlesque a New York institution, died yesterday of cancer at his home in Manhattan. He was 85 years old.
- Time magazine. May 2, 1932. Archived from the originalon September 12, 2012. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
With Lawyer Max D. Steuer he put up the Winter Garden Building. It housed two theatres, one on the sixth floor, one on the first. Brother Billy, 45, started showing films in the upper auditorium in 1912. Brother Abe, 54, had been running a nickelodeon theatre of his own and drifted in to help. When Brother Herbert, 40, acquired his law degree from Columbia and Brother Morton, 30, was graduated from New York University, they helped out, too.
- New York Times.
Morton - the youngest of the four Minsky brothers - joined the family firm in 1924, fresh out of New York University, and became the resident Minsky at their newly acquired Little Apollo Theater on 125th Street. For the next four years, the theater showed a weekly profit of $20,000 after payola.
- ^ He was "House Comic" from 1931 to 1939
- ^ a b Minsky, Morton and Milt Lachman. "Minsky's Burlesque."
- ^ ISBN 978-1-62087-691-6
- ^ a b c Goodwin, Joanne. "Minsky's Burlesque," Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Accessed Aug. 18, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-62087-691-6.
- ISBN 978-1-62087-691-6.