In the smoky glow of downtown Omaha’s nightlife, burlesque found a home in the clubs that lined Howard Street and beyond during the 1950s and 60s. These venues—often tucked behind unassuming façades—offered more than risqué entertainment; they were vibrant crossroads of glamour, grit, and rebellion.
At a time when the city was straddling postwar conservatism and the stirrings of social change, burlesque performers brought boldness and artistry to the stage, captivating audiences with their wit, sensuality, and showmanship. The clubs pulsed with live music, laughter, and the shimmer of sequins, creating a world where boundaries blurred and performers carved out space for expression on their own terms.
Angelo’s Cocktail Lounge
Angelo’s Cocktail Lounge opened in 1947 at 1017 S. 10th Street. This was a nightclub with no cover charge and four floor shows nightly.
Ella Fitzgerald performed at Angelo’s for one week in December 1952. (Omaha Morning World Herald. December 7, 1952)
In August of 1953, a patron fell at the Angelo’s and sued the lounge for a broken leg. (Omaha Morning World Herald. August 27, 1953)
In June 1954, the Lounge advertised a burlesque show called ‘Serena and her Underwater Fantasy.’
The Carnation Ballroom
The Carnation Ballroom was an entertainment venue opened by Mildred Brown, a Black woman, and the publisher of the Omaha Star newspaper, in 1948. The Carnation Ballroom was located at North 24th and Miami Streets. The building originally had two addresses, 2701 and 2711 North 24th Street. Both buildings were originally built in 1923 for $12,000. From 1925 to 1944, 2701 was an auto repair shop, and 2711 was the Adler and Forbes Bakery. The building first entered the social scene when it was rented by the Railroad Men’s Benevolent and Social Club in 1941. It was renovated to become one address into the Coconut Grove and then taken over by the AmVets Club in 1946 (which closed a year later). It originally opened as the “Carnation Lounge” in 1948 by Mildred Brown. By the 1950s, the Carnation Ballroom became one of three Black-owned entertainment venues that regularly featured burlesque dancers—billed as “exotics” or “shake dancers.” It was also a hub for local and national Black performers and musicians.
Burlesque at the Off Beat | 2410 Lake St. North Omaha
Gerald Morris opened a new nightclub, The Off Beat Club, in 1953 at 2410 Lake Street. The first floor was called “The Onyx Room” and the second floor became the “Skyroom Lounge” or “Skyroom Supper Club.” The Omaha Star stated, “This club brings to Omaha, the latest floor shows and bands. Such well known artists as Mable Scott, Savannah Churchill, Maxine Sullivan and Little Miss Sharecropper have appeared in the Skyroom Lounge.” The Off Beat boasted a professional kitchen and delicious food in addition to top-notch floor shows and entertainers.
The 20’s Nightclub | 7301 Farnam St.
Images from when the building was auctioned off in the 2010s.
Peppermint Cave in the Hill Hotel | 16th & Howard St.
Advertisements for the Peppermint Cave.
Cirino’s Lounge | 1224 Farnam St.
Cirino’s Lounge featured topless go-go dancers and in 1966 came under fire for exotics. Maree Lynn Custard, who boasted she was the ONLY topless a-go-go girl in Omaha, was convicted of indecent exposure in April 1933.
Guys & Dolls Club | 1519 Farnam St.
The Guys and Dolls Lounge featured burlesque dancers who performed topless and fully nude, and drag queens (called “female impersonators” back then). In
Mickey’s No. 1 | 324 S 15th St.
Sally Rand Performs at Mickey’s | 1965
Mickey’s No. 2 | 44th & Dodge St
Nasr’s Harem Lounge | 6553 Ames St
Pee Dee’s Supper Club | 72nd & Pacific St
Plain’s Bar | 4921 S 26th St
The Colony Club | 1960 | 1914 Farnam St
Roam Inn | 5010 Center St | 1966
The Silver Taproom | 14th & Harney Sts | 1965-1970
Trentino’s Pompeii Cocktail Lounge | 10th & Pacific | 1964
Yano’s New York Show Palace | 2553 Farnam St | 1964-65
Read more about the performer Vampira and her performances at Yano’s New Yorker.
Omaha’s Variety Club at the Highland Country Club | 1955
Irish McCalla was a burlesque performer and actress from Pawnee City, Nebraska. She was hired to perform at the Highland Country Club for Omaha’s Variety Club in August 1955.
Though many of Omaha’s burlesque clubs have faded into memory or been paved over for parking lots, their legacy lingers in the city’s cultural DNA. These stages nurtured a form of performance that was both subversive and celebratory, offering a glimpse into the desires, tensions, and transformations of mid-century America. Today, as burlesque experiences a revival rooted in empowerment and historical homage, the echoes of those mid-century nights remind us that even in the heartland, the art of the tease was never just about spectacle—it was about claiming space, telling stories, and dancing defiantly in the spotlight.
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