I originally posted the published version of this Audrey Crane shot here in 2014. The original retouched version appeared in Kamera No.37 P23 (1961), but I now have the original negative of the shot, so thought I’d post a much clearer and uncensored version. As you can see the clarity is much better and even shows that Audrey had a fine covering of hair down below that the retouchers attempted to remove and not very well I may add!
I do like finding the originals of shots published in Kamera such as this 🙂
In the link to the history of the Casino de Paris brought back a few memories. I can confirm that I have been in the audience at that venue on more than one occasion, and may well have seen Ms Crane in “action”.
I was actually a guest each time. As a spectacle it was very glitzy, if you like oceans of shiny drapery, it was in my opinion over-done, in common with the nearby Raymond’s Revuebar (also visited a couple of times), which put on a similar show. But strip-tease, well hardly, more topless dance routines.
For strip, I’d would rather find something seedier very close nearby, plentiful at that time in SoHo’s history, but was to put it bluntly hardly artistic whatever the “artists” said to the contrary, but much more enjoyable even comic at times. The girls (if you could give some of the almost pensioners that title) could and would give as good as they got from a “discerning” ribald audience. Some of the acts were very close to on-stage full sex.
In the end, I found the up-market clubs routines which were on quite a small stage could be rather tedious, even boring. No doubt there was more content and pretty well rehearsed, but I personally found it not a “tease” or particularly sexy. You can see not dissimilar prancing around behind today’s pop-stars.
Thanks Driver and a different perspective on the Casino de Paris and it’s attempt at strip-tease. I know what you mean though about it not giving you what you want and in the end quite boring, when there were other more appealing acts around the corner 🙂