
The First Showgirls: How the Folies Bergère Became Las Vegas’ Most Enduring Hit

Va-va-voom ostrich-plumed showgirls were once synonymous with Las Vegas entertainment. While Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl explores the end of an era for the glitzy, glamorous dancers, the first showgirls were introduced to the U.S. in The Ziegfield Follies, a series of revues on Broadway from 1907 to 1927, inspired by the famed dancers at the Folies Bergère in Paris.
Initially kicking off in 1869 in a Parisian cabaret hall, the Folies Bergère launched the career of Josephine Baker, who made a splash in 1926 dancing topless with strategically placed pearls and a skirt composed of artificial bananas. Fast forward to Christmas Eve, 1959, when Lou Walters — then-entertainment director for the lavish Tropicana Las Vegas and father of broadcast journalist Barbara Walters — imported the sensational Folies Bergère act directly from Paris. Touching down in a pre-Cirque du Soleil era when French revues were all the rage, it went on to become the longest-running show in Vegas history,...
Initially kicking off in 1869 in a Parisian cabaret hall, the Folies Bergère launched the career of Josephine Baker, who made a splash in 1926 dancing topless with strategically placed pearls and a skirt composed of artificial bananas. Fast forward to Christmas Eve, 1959, when Lou Walters — then-entertainment director for the lavish Tropicana Las Vegas and father of broadcast journalist Barbara Walters — imported the sensational Folies Bergère act directly from Paris. Touching down in a pre-Cirque du Soleil era when French revues were all the rage, it went on to become the longest-running show in Vegas history,...
- 12/18/2024
- by Ingrid Schmidt
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Similar News
Inside Edition Weekend S37E34 May 4 2025 on CBS
- 5/4/2025
- by US Posts
- TV Regular
The Drew Barrymore Show: Tyra Banks, Stephen Colbert
- 5/4/2025
- by Riley Avery
- MemorableTV

CBS Mornings Monday May 5: Suzy Welch, Phil Pritchard
- 5/4/2025
- by Riley Avery
- MemorableTV

Box Office Update: Thunderbolts on track for a $75 million opening – on the low end for Marvel?
- 5/3/2025
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com

Clint Eastwood May Have Broken the Western, But Kevin Costner’s 35 Year Old Movie Did Something Better
- 5/3/2025
- by Poulami Sengupta
- FandomWire

Box Office: Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts*’ Rolls in With $31.5 Million Opening Day, ‘Sinners’ Scoring Another Superb Hold
- 5/3/2025
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV

Tom Cruise Once Bought An Actual Ultrasound Machine For Katie Holmes’ pregnancy
- 4/27/2025
- by Shreya Jha
- KoiMoi

“I miss her every day”: Nicolas Cage Regretted Divorcing Elvis Presley’s Daughter After 108 Days of Their Wedding
- 4/27/2025
- by Sonika Kamble
- FandomWire

9 ‘Saturday Night Live’ Impressions That Didn’t Have the Real Celebs Laughing
- 4/26/2025
- TV Insider

IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.