HistoryTrivia

Topless Shows Started Way Back In…

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Topless shows are not hard to find in Las Vegas although they are not as prevalent as they were in earlier times. Las Vegas is Sin City. It markets itself as such.  So, almost anything goes.

Part of Vegas’ sin moniker arises from the adult entertainment industry that takes various forms. There is the prostitution, porn and sex shops, the Erotic Heritage Museum, and topless shows to name a few things. These all add to the seedy side of Las Vegas.

Those that indulge in such things may not know that the topless shows are not a recent thing. In fact, the first topless show appeared during America’s puritanical 1950s. It was much more of an offensive show to the general culture then than a topless show is today in America’s current free sex era.

The very first bare chested show opened in 1957 at the Dunes Hotel & Casino that sat where the Bellagio sits now. The show was called Minsky’s Follies. It wasn’t long before other hotels opened their topless review. It was a time when each show tried to out do the others.  Show producers pushed the cultural envelope to the extreme at a time when such things were generally unaccepted and condemned.

The Las Vegas Review Journal reported on Minsky’s show:

With its exorbitant entertainment budget, the Sands ruled the showgirl roost. So promoter Harold Minsky hatched an idea that not only cost no extra money, it might have even saved some (in wardrobe). Minsky blew the top off the struggling Dunes by taking the tops off the showgirls. “Minsky’s Follies” — which drew a record 16,000 people in its first week — opened in the Arabian Room and featured comedian Lou Costello (thankfully, with top). Read more here.

As time goes on we are sure that Las Vegas will continue to earn its Sin City moniker.

 

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