M is for Minsky

The Minsky Brothers Abe, Billy, Herbert, and Morton are a huge part of Burlesque history in New York in the early 1900s. After their father gave them an inconveniently located theatre on the sixth floor in the National Winter Garden on Houston Street, the brothers tried several attempts at “legitimate” entertainment. They tried showing respectable films and hiring vaudeville performers, but neither effort was successful. However, the half naked women of Burlesque had more than enough appeal to keep the Brothers and their theatre full of paying customers. Contributing to their success were innovative ideas like having a runway into the audience to bring the girls closer to the clientele. Minksy’s was also well known for the overtly-scandalous performances from their dancers and were raided several times by morality squads over the years before finally being shut down in 1937. Both the words “Minsky’s” and “Burlesque” were banned in New York around this time. The scandal at Minsky’s also allowed the city to refuse permits for all other Burlesque houses in New York, effectively destroying the Burlesque scene.

I found the neato picture of the Minksky theatre here