Carrie Finnell: The Bad Girl Of Burlesque

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Carrie Finnell was the Bad Girl of Burlesque. Source: (redhotsburlesque.com)

From the 1870s through the 1940s, Burlesque shows were a popular form of entertainment. Staged in nightclubs, theatres, and cabarets across the country, these variety shows featured salacious comedy, lewd musical acts, and female striptease dancers. By today’s standards, the performances of the female dancers were tamed – nothing more than suggestive teasing – but it was enough to entice male audience members to return again and again to see the shows. One of the first of these dancers – and the one credited with developing the striptease format – was Carrie Finnell, the Bad Girl of Burlesque.