Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

This is one of those books I was sure I reviewed ages ago, but didn’t…

Banned in Boston: The Watch and Ward Society’s Crusade against Books, Burlesque, and the Societal Evil by Neil Miller, 2010.

“Banned in Boston”. Anyone who is a fan of classic burlesque knows that phrase. But who did the banning? Professor Miller presents the history of the New England Watch and Ward Society, founded in 1878 as the New England Society for the Suppression of Vice, the first branch of Anthony Comstock’s New York organization. The Society was a volunteer organization dedicated to keeping Boston, the Athens of America, as well as the rest of New England, clean and moral. Essentially vigilantes, the Society used quasi-legal methods to expose and punish immoral crimes, such as gambling, drug use, and prostitution. Sometimes they worked with local police and sometimes they set up their own raids and stings. But ultimately the Society was about censorship.

Any book, play, or motion picture that did not meet with the Watch and Ward’s approval could be banned. At the height of the Society’s power, there was a gentleman’s agreement between them and the booksellers. Banned books would quietly be taken off the shelves and the bookstore owners would then not be prosecuted for selling obscene material. Eventually the “Banned in Boston” label was used as a selling point in the rest of the country.

There’s one chapter in the book on burlesque and the Watch and Ward. The Society objected to profanity and suggestive language, costumes that showed off the female figure, and risqué dance movements. By the 1930s, they were keeping tabs on burlesque shows in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Providence. In 1932 one investigator complained that Bubbles Keller had “pliable hips, oscillating buttocks, and breasts that seemed forever quivering.” Doth he protest too much?

According to Ann Corio, the box office at the Old Howard would warn the performers that a Watch and Ward member was in the house by hitting a button that would turn on a red light in the footlights. The performers would then go ahead with the “Boston version”, a cleaned up act. It’s unclear if this really happened, since the Old Howard was shut down a few times for violations before being closed for good in 1953 when Irma the Body was secretly filmed by vice cops.

It’s worth reading to understand the atmosphere in Boston during the Golden Age of burlesque, but despite the prominent photo of Sally Keith on the book cover, the burlesque specific chapter is relatively short. Much of the book is concerned with censorship of books and legitimate theatre. I found it interesting that when Eugene O’Neill’s play Strange Interlude was banned in Boston (to great outcry), it was produced with great success in liberal Quincy*.

Despite the book being published almost 15 years ago, it’s still a timely cautionary tale of what can happen when private citizens decide what is “decent” and “moral” for others and take enforcement into their own hands.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

*For those unfamiliar with Boston politics, Quincy is pretty conservative these days and some years ago, blocked a certain burlesque troupe from opening a studio there.

Dear Constant Reader,

This book has been hanging about on my “to be reviewed shelf” for a while.

Burlesque Dancer 101: A Professional Burlesque Dancer’s Quick Guide on How to Learn, Grow, Perform, and Succeed at the Art of Burlesque Dancing From A to Z by HowExpert with Emilie Declaron, n.d. 

Well, that seems like a lot to promise in one slim paperback (about 100 pages). From looking at other HowExpert offerings the titles are similar, offering guides on how to “Learn, Grow, and Succeed” at something “From A to Z”, so I won’t blame the author for that. 

In the introduction it states that the book will give you “all the tools necessary to launch and develop your burlesque career” whether you’ve just started out in the art or even never been to a burlesque show. That’s a tall order.

The book’s six chapters contain an introduction to the world of burlesque (a little history, some notable performers, some burlesque styles, a few “traditional” routines, &c.), routine creation, costuming, hair and makeup, performing, and developing your career. 

Not surprisingly, the book is very superficial. The information and advice isn’t bad per se*, but trying to cover every topic one would need to become a professional burlesque performer means this book is just skimming the surface. It’s more bullet points than in-depth tutorials. That’s not awful if you want to use this as a jumping-off point, but it shouldn’t be the only source.

There are no illustrations in the book, which it really could have used. Trying to figure out poses or make pasties or style victory rolls without drawings or photographs, especially for completely novices, is very difficult, if not impossible. I understand that image rights are a whole issue and increase the cost of a book, but line drawings would have made some sections a lot clearer.

The author is from the UK, so some of the vocabulary and spelling isn’t US standard. I’m fine with that, but I’m not okay with errors. Gypsy Rose Lee’s name is spelled correctly in place and spelled “Gipsy” (the UK spelling) in others. Now that might just be an autocorrect error, but there are also typos, misplaced words, and punctuation issues that indicate a lack of editing. That’s probably not the author’s fault so much as that of the publisher (which also claims authorship).

The part that really aggravated me was in last section on next steps after you’ve become a performer, which suggests producing shows, selling burlesque costumes, running “hen dos” (girls’ nights out), doing corporate gigs, and “start teaching other future burlesque dancers and create your own school”. While these are aspirations, they’re not things I would recommend to brand-new performers with only a little experience. Personally, I get very frustrated with the suggestion that anyone who performs burlesque is qualified to teach. But that is a rant for another time.

Although the table of contents lists recommended resources, it’s just a list of other HowExpert books. There’s a small section of burlesque related websites at the end, mostly for places to buy costumes. The industrious reader could pick out names of performers mentioned throughout the book and look them up, since there are many mentions of performers for examples of acts or personal style.

It’s not a terrible guide, but by trying to be too much, it becomes very little.  The Burlesque Handbook is still my recommendation.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

*But recommending hot glue for Swarovski crystals is terrible advice. Don’t do it.