Burlesque big timers flock to glamorous YOUNGSTOWN.
Just another stop on the grind. Park Burlesk attracted ham-fisted lower-middle class peepers back when the rust bowl still had sheen. Not much, but a bit. Here, on the cusp of the end of burlesque, a motley crew of hapless strippers compete with emerging pornographic films for their attention. The clients were steel-workers who got tired of sitting home drinking. "Escorted" ladies got in free. Those turning tricks had to pay at the door just like the fellas.
One notable stripper had a trick for hecklers. She would take their glasses (or other objects) and "make them disappear" and hand them back. Yes…a magic trick which relied on the art of insertion! A poster on a Youngstown "remember when" website recalls a dancer exposing her nether region along with a bunch of bruises on her legs.
There was an MC who hawked risqué junk during intermission. The crappy band played the strippers 12-bar anthem Night Train. There was more DNA on the floor than a major crime scene. Police lurked around the corner for thrills…there was always some kind of action out back. The theater advertised "Free Parking in our Guarded lot" for those hesitant to park there. None of this was particularly notable. There was a festering pit like the Park in any town with more than a few traffic lights. Skulk in, skulk out, fasten your seat belts on the way home guys.
While most of the patrons were too drunk or horny to notice, the stage featured some of the best fake names in the business. "Toni Dawn from Orlando" played on the sappy trio Tony Orlando and Dawn. "Foxy Red" too her name from Redd Fox. All the performers were "DIRECT" from somewhere, as if they flew in just for the special gig.
Collection of original Park Burlesk newspaper clippings. True Burlesque the Blog is on Facebook Too!