Folies Bergère 1941 - Empress of the Night

Four studio photos of an unidentified dancer (the Empress of the Night) and her partner at the Folies Bergère circa 1941 taken by Harcourt Paris.  These are from EBay auctions on the French EBay site:

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Studio-Harcourt-Folies-Bergere-1941-vintage-silver-print-provenance-les-archi-/350656593611?pt=FR_SK_dvd_Photo&hash=item51a4c2fecb

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Studio-Harcourt-Folies-Bergere-1941-vintage-silver-print-provenance-les-archi-/370701372198?pt=FR_SK_dvd_Photo&hash=item564f860b26

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Studio-Harcourt-Folies-Bergere-1941-vintage-silver-print-provenance-les-archi-/370701372201?pt=FR_SK_dvd_Photo&hash=item564f860b29

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Studio-Harcourt-Folies-Bergere-1941-vintage-silver-print-provenance-les-archi-/350656592980?pt=FR_SK_dvd_Photo&hash=item51a4c2fc54

The description at the auctions reads in part:

"provenance les archives des Folies Bergère; from the collection of Hélène Martini. Surnommée "L’Impératrice de la nuit"

The Seller is photovintagefrance whose EBay store features many period photographs, primarily from France:

http://stores.ebay.fr/photovintagefrance

Moulin Rouge - Late 1960s?

This rare film is in faded color, but the time period makes it appropriate for this blog.  It has the Moulin Rouge dancers of the period performing a very nice cancan in semi-classic costumes (sorry -the dancers are in tights instead of stockings):

This is available as a 16mm film at the French EBay site at this auction:

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/16mm-FILM-SCOPITONE-N-CA138-FRENCH-CANCAN-LES-BALLETS-DU-MOULIN-ROUGE-/200949494083?pt=FR_JG_Photo_Camescopes_Cameras&hash=item2ec985f143

Chita Rivera in Can-Can 1988

 

 

Chita Rivera mugs for the camera in this teasing photo from the 1988 touring production of "Can-Can" also featuring the Rockettes.

 

Original at this EBay auction by Argenta Images:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chita-Rivera-Singer-Tony-Award-Winner-French-Can-Can-Press-Photo-/111095711839?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item19ddd2085f

 

You can obtain many other period photos at Argenta:

https://www.argentaimages.com/pages/home

 

Chita Rivera in "Can-Can" 1988

Chita Rivera argues her case in this photo from the 1988 touring production of "Can-Can" also featuring the Rockettes.

Original at this EBay auction by Argenta Images:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1988-Chita-Rivera-Singer-Ron-Holgate-Cole-Potters-Can-Can-Press-Photo-/360675581316

You can obtain many other period photos at Argenta:

https://www.argentaimages.com/pages/home

Lady Greys in Black and White

A modern black and white photo of the Lady Greys Productions dancers in performance.

This is from their Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lady-Greys-Productions/122588351176096

Cancan photos at:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.374737739294488.1073741849.122588351176096&type=3

Videos of cancan performances:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfeh3XhOxNU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gFl6lcOWpc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajWqtFuwAIA

"Experts in entertainment, Lady Greys Productions delight in bringing high-quality dance and theatrical events to London and internationally."

The dancers perform in a wide variety of styles - See the Albums page under Photos.

The main website:

http://ladygreys.com/

Fernand Leger and the Cancan?

Fernand Leger and the Cancan - two things that are not normally associated with each other, but it was done by the Fernand Leger museum of Biot, France for an exhibition where this photo of a 1930's Bal Tabarin dancer and other period photos were juxtaposed with Leger's works:

http://www.evamagazine.fr/product/Metropolisbr-Fernand-Leger-et-la-ville-Volet-2-bra-Biot

Photo credit:  Kollar François, Danseuses de French Cancan au Tabarin, 1934-35, Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine 71L01925, Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine/ diffusion RMN

From an article in enviedailleursmagazine.fr

Can-Can 1953

A stellar photo of an unidentified dancer from the 1953 broadway production of "Can-Can" is available at this EBay auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-1960s-CAN-CAN-BROADWAY-PHOTO-STILL-FEMALE-CAST-MEMBER-DANCING-COLE-PORTER-/171096506408?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item27d6258028

The auction describes this as being from the 1960s but the markings on the back associate it with the Feuer & Martin production, which was the original 1953-55 run.

The cast list, including the  dancers, is shown on this site, and she is probably one of  them:

http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=2234

The photo credit goes to Friedman and Abeles.

Can-Can Cuties

Can-Can Cuties is the name of this act at a roller skating show in 1959 Tacoma.  And they are indeed cute.  See the original at the Tacoma Public Library's Richards Studio Collection at:

 

http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=2&pg=1&krequest=subjects+contains+Roller+skating&stemming=&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=

 

You can find a number of other cancan photos by searching there.  Images searches are best accomplished by clicking "New Search" at the above site.

 

The main page of the Tacoma Public Library site is:

 

 http://www.tacomapubliclibrary.org/Default.aspx

 

 

A Ruffled Classic

This young lady appears to think posing is a lark.  I'm sorry I cannot identify the dancer in this photo or the photographer.  This apparently is from an older auction on EBay by Clancy's Classics for which the auction information is no longer available. 

Clancy's Classics maintains an EBay store where you can find many other vintage images:

http://stores.ebay.com/CLANCYS-CLASSICS

Zizi Jeanmaire

A photo of Zizi Jeanmaire in the role of La Mome Pistache in the 1981 production of "Can-Can".

From an EBay auction by SFX Archive:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-1981-Ron-Husmann-Zizi-Jeanmaire-CAN-CAN-Broadway-Photo-by-Martha-Swope-4-/390627817431?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5af33b77d7

The New York Times had this to say about her performance:

'Playing the lead role of Pistache, the proprietor of an ''immoral'' dance hall, she gives ''Can-Can'' its one authentic link to the world it wishes to celebrate. This pixieish performer, with her lacquered hair, gravelly voice and flat-out music-hall delivery, need but appear to transport us to the Folies Bergere. She also has the only French accent in the show -an asset she holds, most hilariously, like a sledgehammer over the rest of the cast. Leaping into the midst of a bevy of Middle Western-sounding boulevardiers for her first entrance, she booms out, ''Whaz iz all ziz? Iz zere a fire?' I think it's her way of saying 'Yankees, go home!' "

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/01/theater/stage-zizi-jeanmaire-returns-in-a-new-can-can.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FT%2FTheater.

More information about the 1981 production:

http://www.historyforsale.com/html/prodetails.asp?documentid=295917&start=33&page=58

http://www.sondheimguide.com/porter/cancan81.html

A prior post about Ms. Jeanmaire:

http://classiccancan.blogspot.com/2013/06/zizi-jeanmaire.html

Prior posts about the 1981 production;

http://classiccancan.blogspot.com/2013/08/pamela-sousa-in-can-can-1981.html

http://classiccancan.blogspot.com/2013/07/can-can-1981.html

sfxarchive has a wide range of photos available at their store:

http://stores.ebay.com/sfxarchive

From sfxarchive's site:

"SFX Archive has acquired the Theatre World/Screen World Archive, a large privately held, important archive of twentieth century American theatre and film production still photographs and other related theatre and film memorabilia. For 67 years, Theatre World & Screen World annual publications have been pictorial and statistical hardcover records of the American theatre and both foreign and domestic film seasons.

"Now, for the first time, upon the death of longtime editor John Willis (editor of Theatre World and Screen World from 1964 until the early 2000s), photographs and autographed memorabilia from the Archive are being offered for sale."

Steve's Gay Nineties

A fixture of Tacoma, Steve's Gay Nineties restaurant featured cancan dancers as entertainment.  These dancers from 1955 are Beverlee Crombie, Callie Mernaugh and Connie Mernaugh.  See the original photo at the Tacoma Public Library site, where you can find more information about the dancers and Steve's:

http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=117&pg=6&krequest=dancers&stemming=On&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=5000

Some searches (cancan, Steve's) will bring you to many more photos of interest.

Photo credit to Richards Studio, Tacoma

Disinterested Observers

For some reason these two "swells" don't seem to giving the spectacle unfolding behind them the proper attention.

This was found at the Chorus Girl Dance and Theatre Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ChorusGirl

This photo and other nostalgic chorus girl photos are at:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.194930677227503.63079.152568034797101&type=3#!/media/set/?set=a.194930677227503.63079.152568034797101&type=3

Pamela Sousa in "Can-Can" 1981

From an EBay auction by SFX Archive:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-1981-Pamela-Sousa-CAN-CAN-Broadway-Theatre-Photo-by-Martha-Swope-3-/161068087341?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258067f82d

The 1981 production of "Can-Can" had a very short run (probably not helped by the following review in the New York Times):

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/01/theater/stage-zizi-jeanmaire-returns-in-a-new-can-can.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FT%2FTheater. 

More information about the 1981 production:

http://www.historyforsale.com/html/prodetails.asp?documentid=295917&start=33&page=58

http://www.sondheimguide.com/porter/cancan81.html

Ms. Sousa (Claudine in the photo above) had a long Broadway career from the mid-70s through the mid-90s:

http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/4930/Pamela-Sousa

sfxarchive has a wide range of photos available at their store:

http://stores.ebay.com/sfxarchive

From sfxarchive's site:

"SFX Archive has acquired the Theatre World/Screen World Archive, a large privately held, important archive of twentieth century American theatre and film production still photographs and other related theatre and film memorabilia. For 67 years, Theatre World & Screen World annual publications have been pictorial and statistical hardcover records of the American theatre and both foreign and domestic film seasons.

"Now, for the first time, upon the death of longtime editor John Willis (editor of Theatre World and Screen World from 1964 until the early 2000s), photographs and autographed memorabilia from the Archive are being offered for sale."

Holly Jolly Follies

A modern black and white photo of the cancan dancers at a Holly Jolly Follies show.

See other black and white and color photos of them at:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.491356890882521.85502807.165125330172347&type=3

More about the Holly Jolly Follies:

http://www.hollyjollyfollies.us/

Folk Dance

Bavarian (top) and Hungarian (bottom) dancers show off some frills in these somewhat cancanesque  photos that are available from Historic Images.

The EBay auctions are at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1953-Press-Photo-Bavaria-Girls-Folk-dance-in-skirts-/280890179199?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item41665bfe7f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-Press-Photo-Village-Girls-Dancing-After-Harvest-Hungary-/350782947163?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item51ac4aff5b

Historic Images' store, at which you can find a huge number of period photos of all types, is at:

http://stores.ebay.com/historicimagesstore