Grand Island’s burlesque history doesn’t begin in the ‘usual’ opera houses of the late 19th century, but at a street fair at the turn of the 20th Century.
Grand Island Street Fair | 1910
The Grand Island Street Fair was held in August 1910 and opened with a selection of concessionaires one would expect of a ‘World’s Fair’-style fair. During the planning of the Fair & its entertainment, the Mayor of Grand Island proclaimed there would be no “lewd exhibitions” (such as muscle or oriental dancers). The hoochie-coochie shows could not be kept from popping up as they were extremely popular attractions. People grew irritable and apparently 100 citizens took to the Midway with bayonets drawn, driving out “the open hoochie-coochie shows.” The local Judge Mullin urged that lawful steps should be taken to drive out the lewd dancing and wrote a warrant to that effect.
West Lawn Chicken Inn | 2210 West 13th St.
The West Lawn Chicken Inn was managed by Ray Hutchinson in Grand Island. In September 1935, they hosted a floor show featuring Valerie King, a dancer from Omaha.
Sally Rand in Grand Island | 1937
The famous fan dancer performed at The Pier on September 23, 1937. She presented her fan dance with two large ostrich feather fans and a bubble dance, with a large latex balloon. She was accompanied by Don Peebles and his orchestra. Sally Rand gained notoriety for performing her fan dance nude at the Chicago’s Century of Progress exposition.
A small audience gathered at the Pier to watch her dance, but one newspaper commented, “Her presentations were artistically presented with unusual employment of lighting effects.” (The Grand Island Independent. “City in Brief.” Page 5. September 24, 1937)
Sally was also invited to model new fashions at Wolbach’s ready-to-wear salon on the Thursday before her performance. She modeled women’s clothing to local shoppers.
The Capitol Theatre | 1937
In the 1930s, burlesque found its way into movie theaters, blending live performances with cinematic entertainment. As the popularity of vaudeville declined, many theaters transitioned to showcasing burlesque acts, which often included comedic sketches, musical numbers, and striptease performances. These shows catered to predominantly male audiences and were known for their risqué humor and suggestive content. Movie theaters that featured burlesque became hubs for this evolving art form, offering a mix of live entertainment and film screenings, reflecting the changing landscape of American popular culture during the Great Depression.
The stage show “Parisian Folies Revue” performed in Grand Island at the Capitol Theatre in March 1939. The show featured 35 stars, stripteasers, comedians, and exotic dancers–fan dancers included! Mademoiselle Yvette performed her “sensational Bat Dance from Cafe Noire.”
Central States Carnival Tent Show | 1954
The Central States Carnival stopped in Grand Island in June 1954. They had a tent show outdoors at Grand Island’s Municipal Ball Park. The show was entitled “Delores” and included a striptease act that quickly got the attention of the local authorities. According to police, 6 people (4 of them dressed as oriental dancers) pleaded guilty to charges of indecent exposure and were sentenced to 15 days in county jail. A 7th person, Larry Cassles, was fined $100 plus ‘costs’ on the charge of indecent exposure of persons. He was the troupe manager. Four women were identified in the papers: Jane Bouse, Virginia White, and Candy Montello were from Kansas City, while Dorothy Nordyke was from St. Louis. All women were in their early 20s.
The police raid was planned after police received several complaints from locals about the carnival and its entertainment. Minors were reportedly being admitted and that several teenagers were found in the audience at the time of the raid. The County Attorney, Donald Weaver, lamented, “Persons attending the show at the time of the raid described the acts as disgustingly raw.”
VFW Club | 1969
The VFW Club of Grand Island hosted a floor show and dance on Friday August 22, 1969. The show featured The Jestors, a live band, free lunch, and an exotic dancer by the name of Leilani Barber, “Exotic Hawaiian Dancer.”
Erin’s Pub | West 2nd St.
In the 1960s and 70s, go-go dancing became a cultural phenomenon, with clubs and lounges featuring dancers in revealing outfits or performing nude and semi-nude routines. These performances, often set to the backdrop of energetic music and psychedelic lighting, pushed the boundaries of entertainment and reflected the era’s shifting attitudes toward sexuality and self-expression. Go-go dancers became icons of the counterculture movement, blending provocative artistry with the vibrant nightlife of the time.
Erin’s Pub opened in 1970 in Grand Island. Erin’s Pub was owned by Erin Rancho Motels Inc. of Fremont, NE. The lounge was located on the second floor while the first floor included a swimming pool and sauna.
It’s unknown when nude go-go dancing began at the Pub but by 1979 the manager was under fire for nude dances. Duane Katt claimed his performers’ nude dances were forms of art. In November 1979, City Attorney Jim Truell held a public hearing on Erin Pub’s liquor and live entertainment license. Katt responded to council members of the dances ‘obscene’ nature in the Lincoln Journal Star. He defends his dancers saying, ‘It shows a lot of disrespect for what I think is a tremendous performance. Yes, she takes some of her clothes off, but she performs a dance. Nothing is immoral about her act.’
Katt was following the blue laws at the time–he could not have a topless or bottomless dancer. Dancers performed in pasties and g-strings. Katt stated, ‘I invited anyone from the Police Department to come up and view the show, but no one has told me to show the show.”
In 1979, a court trial ensued between Erin’s Pub and the City of Grand Island after Katt filed a petition against an ordinance banning nude dancing. In December, a U.S. District Judge ruled against the City, stating its city ordinance prohibiting nude dancing was unconstitutional because it failed to “provide for a judicial hearing to determine whether such activities violated 1st Amendment guarantees.” This ruling was based on an earlier case involving the city of Fremont, which had a similar ordinance to Grand Island.
This left the City with three options:
- Proceed with court actions against the Pub and take it to a higher court. Researching case law could prompt the Council to continue its legal fight.
- Amend its nudity ordinance to allow for a judicial review of the alleged violations. This would comply with the U.S. District Judge memorandum, meaning a local jury would decide what degree of nudity, if any, is protected by the 1st Amendment.
- Allow nude dancing to continue at Erin’s Pub and do nothing else regarding it.
Arson Attempts at Erin’s Pub
Erin’s Pub experience two arson attempts by January 7, 1980. Both fire attempts occurred in the middle of the day, on a Saturday, just three hours apart on the entrance stairway. The damaged was estimated to be about $2,000. Katt felt the attempts may have been connected to the publicity the Pub was getting due to the court case.Two incendiary devices were thrown into the second floor landing from the staircase.
City Council Moves Forward with Nude Dance Ban
The Grand Island City Council voted unanimously to pursue more court actions to ban exotic dancing at Erin’s Pub. Previous Nebraska court cases provided precedent for the City’s position–not that the dancing was obscene but that its trying to enforce the liquor ordinance. In February 1981, a U.S. District Judge overturned the first decision and Erin’s Pub tried to appeal it but eventually dropped it after the U.S. Supreme Court made a similar decision on an anti-nudity ordinance in another town.
By 1982 Erin’s Pub was bought by A.W. “Larry” Murphy of Fremont, NE. He started renovating the Pub (it was partially destroyed due to the arson attempts) but said there would be no exotic dancing if and when the lounge reopened.
Sources
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. Ad for the Capitol Theatre. March 1, 1939
- The Grand Island Independent. “Raid Yields Bare Facts; Strip Teasers Arrested.” Page 1. June 24, 1954
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. Photo of Erin’s Pub. January 17, 1970
- Lincoln Journal Star. “G.I. Lounge owner says nude dance is ‘art form’.” November 1, 1979
- Lincoln Journal Star. “Judge rules against G.I. in case involving partially nude dancing.” United Press International. December 19, 1979
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Council to decide dancing issue.” Harold Reutter. November 24, 1979
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Pub’s legal battle may soon revive.” December 23, 1979
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Erin Pub challenges nudity law.” Harold Reutter. December 11, 1979
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Bar sheds exotic dancing for time being.” Harold Reutter. November 14, 1979
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Pub hit twice by arson tries.” January 7, 1980
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Exotic dancing again issue.” January 6, 1980
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Council to pursue nudity ban.” January 9, 1980
- The Kearney Daily Hub. “Council Wants Dancing Ban.” Grand Island. January 9, 1980
- The Lincoln Star. “G.I. taking nude dance law back to court.” Page 5. January 9, 1980
- The Lincoln Star. “Gun-totin’ Erin Pub manager ready for Third City shoot-out.” Dave Sittler. Outstate Nebraska Bureau. January 12, 1980
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Pub owner plans to reopen lounge.” Harold Reutter. April 4, 1982
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “From the Days of Long Ago.” August 30, 1910
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. “Ramblings by Ruth.” Sally Rand in Grand Island. Page 5. September 21, 1937
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. Ads for Sally Rand at Wolbach’s Store. Page 12. September 21, 1937
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. Ad for Exotic Dancer Leilani Barber at VFW Club. August 20, 1969
- The Grand Island Daily Independent. Ad for floor show at West Lawn Chicken Inn. September 20, 1935
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