Where are Marion and Irma? Vernacular Photographs

Marion and Irma are playing games at the Sally Rand Nude Revue show at the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939 San Francisco.  Pair of original snapshot photographs 
Collection Jim Linderman

Home Visit from a Burlesque Queen c. 1950 Original Photographs

Home Visit from a Burlesque Queen and her trunk of changes.  Group of original photographs, circa 1950.  Collection Jim Linderman

Walter Hale and the Beatniks

A bizarre beatnik booklet from Beelzebub Books!  1959. Height of the non-existent beatnik revolution.  An unexpurgated expose of the beat generation! (Which was largely a big-media invention in the 1950s...there were only about five real, actual, living beatniks.) Life Magazine had nothing on this shocking expose! It just one of the moronic magazines produced by one man. 

The book is "edited" with a pastiche of purloined press from "editor" Heater Wall.  Heater Wall cribbed clippings and such from prominent "beatnik" writers and paired them with risque photos.  

"Heater Wall" was really Walter Hale.  A carnival barker of a publisher.  A legendary huckster and promoter.  Hale produced a string of vintage vehicles which ran on dames, most of them burlesque dancers. He distributed his magazines in an unusual manner…by giving them away at carnivals and strip shows he promoted.  In fact, the fine folks at Something Weird Video have even located..and generously provided, free of charge only to you, our special clients, step right up here today, an actual film of Hale pitching his porn!  Hale Published Tom Cat, Girls, Scandoll, Hollywood Confidential and Play Girl (for which he was sued by no less than Hugh Hefner)  Enjoy the clip at the end of this article.

The best part of Walter Hale product (other than the publicity photos of strippers from the golden age of stripping) is his alliteration.  Never has a publisher run together so many words which start with the same letter. That is Hale taking his "step right up" slogans to the smut market.  

Shown here is but a few of the other magazines in the Walter Hale catalog.  Collect them all!

 
Books by the author are available HERE as instant  Ebooks and paperback or hardcovers at Blurb.  
   

Bloom Photography Chicago Nude Letter Opener Burlesque Sales Incentive

Bloom Photography studio was active in Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s.  They took photographs of celebrities and burlesque performers.  This letter opener was likely given to customers to stimulate business.  
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No date Collection Jim Linderman

Dapple Painted Honky Tonk Piano and a few Burleskers photograph collection Jim Linderman

No date, but a nice photograph of the "glory" days of burlesque.  Note folk art dapple-painted piano at left and performer slugging hooch.

Original photograph no date Collection Jim Linderman

Risque Hurly Burly Hootchie Cootchie Dancers of Professor G. W. Van Sideshow Burlesque

CLICK TO ENLARGE COLLECTION JIM LINDERMAN

CLICK TO ENLARGE  COLLECTION JIM LINDERMAN

 

COLLECTION JIM LINDERMAN

COLLECTION JIM LINDERMAN

Professor G. W. Van presents his talent in this, frankly, remarkable group of photographs I was able to purchase recently.  They are unusual not only for the content, which shows a pleasant afternoon full of hurly-burly, hootchie-cootchie and risqué behavior for the time, but also splendid examples of period dress, gentlemen when hats were virtually required (even for dusty fairgrounds) and a wonderful group of original painted sideshow banners.

The same banners are shown elsewhere in a photograph dated 1915.

Prof. G.W.Van was from Lockhaven, PA according to one of my heroes A. Stencell, who promised me an interview once but I am too intimidated.  His book Seeing is Believing is essential for anyone interested in sideshow history (or simply a good book)

I don't watermark items from my collection posted, but credit appropriately if you repost. 

The New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown owns a photo of the same touring troupe HERE


Group of Original Photographs Anonymous circa 1915 G.W. Van sideshow 
Collection Jim Linderman

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Burlesque Queen Private Photographs of Lynne O'Neill The New Book

PRIVATE PHOTOGRAPHS OF A BURLESQUE QUEEN : LYNNE O'NEILL the ORIGINAL GARTER GIRL  by Jim Linderman.

NOW AVAILABLE!  Ebook $5.99  Paperback and Hardcover as listed. 

ORDER AND PREVIEW BOOK HERE    ORDER EBOOK HERE

The Eldoras Delicate Act of Balance A Different Novelty colllection Jim Linderman

It is a delicate "balance" of art, skill and athleticism as one of the Eldoras avoids looking up the skirt of the other Eldora.

The Eldora's (sic) A Different Novelty Real Photo Post Card Undated (circa 1940?) Collection Jim Linderman

Ebooks ($5.99 Each) available HERE from Blurb.com

Baldy Wetzel and the World's Longest Honky Tonk collection Jim Linderman

Baldy Wetzel, or Charles "Baldy" Wetzel played in speakeasies, tent shows, and for phony doctors selling snake oil. What he also did is shown here...setting the record for the longest continuous piano performance. 48 and 1/2 hours. That is one considerable piece of honky-tonk, but Baldy played for well over 50 years, so what's a few days?

As you can see, Baldy was hurting when the photo was taken. Not only do his friends place a wet compress against his neck, one helper massages his foot sore from damping the foot peddle.

Baldy started out in Pennsylvania and was playing 42nd street in the 1930s. Soon he added musical director for Ziefield Follies and George White's Scandals. Baldy was Paul Shaffer before there was a Paul Shaffer. He was proud to claim to have led the first dance band to feature a vocalist. He passed away in Toledo at the age of 79 in 1970.

Original Photograph circa 1930 (Inscribed to Fritz Savers from "Baldy" Wetzel) collection Jim Linderman
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Primrose Semon and Burlesque Dust Phantom Performers of the Past and what they Leave Behind A Cyclonic Sensation Lost

Primrose Semon, Cyclonic Sensation and Burlesque Dust This is by far the most detailed entry on one Primrose Semon you will find on the web. Primrose Semon was apparently a fast woman, excuse me, a fast soubrette, who performed as both a man and a woman. She had flaming red hair, and may have been "one of the seven wonders of the world" then, but she's dust now. A shame...she must have been something.

As late as 1950, Primrose was still hoofing it enough to get a mention in Billboard Magazine, performing as a comedienne for a two week engagement in Toronto. Quite a feat, 50 years earlier she was performing as Edna in Uncle Tom's Cabin. One site claims she sounded like Martha Raye but I won't hold that against her.

On January 4, 1943 Primrose escaped injury when the auto she was using to get from one gig to another crashed into the side of a bridge. No injuries. Songs she performed (and for which sheet music exists...most of them piled up in the corners of antique shops) include "Everybody's Doin' It Now" "Forgive Me" "I've Got the Finest Man" (which begins "Happy, happy, happy little bird I am")

That's all I've found and she is gone...but henceforth, when one searches her name, this will pop up, and maybe one day a curious relative will happen upon it and say hello. It has happened many times before. I have heard from a dozen relatives and such since I started digging up forgotten folks like Primrose. I have heard from the offspring of singers, artists, cartoonists, strippers and more. The relatives of criminals don't write in for some reason. On occasion, some will ask me not to print their name, others encourage it. Some have offered to share more pictures and such...others are just glad to see someone took the time to appreciate their great-grandfather or long lost Aunt. Since there is no money in blogging, it is these little personal contacts I enjoy most.

If you know anything about Primrose Semon, say hello! I'll print your note.

The Burlesque Wonder Show Flyer (featuring Primrose Semon) 1918 Collection Jim Linderman

DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOKS CATALOG

Sally Rand the Ostrich Dance and the Amateur Photographer

A snapshot dated 1938 on the reverse, Sally Rand doing her famous ostrich feather fan dance in Dunham, North Carolina. Sally was born Helen Beck, but Cecil B. DeMille gave her the name she made famous. She worked in silent films, but when sound came in she went out. Maybe she sounded like an ostrich too. This photo was taken five years after her famous appearance at the Chicago World's Fair in which she was arrested 4 times in a single day for indecent exposure (even though, like here, she was wearing a body stocking...maybe) Amazingly, the Chicago performance is now available on youtube! It is remarkable to think some North Carolinian actually snuck a camera inside the show to take this picture, but I am glad he did, and I'm glad I found it tucked among a thousand other photographs. My favorite Sally Rand fact is that among her four husbands was one named Thurkel. This picture is pretty good and the photographer certainly waited until exactly the proper best moment. Maybe Thurkel went out front to take it.


Anonymous Snapshot 1938 Collection Jim Linderman