A Minsky's showgirl posing on a sofa at the Playboy Hotel. The Playboy hotel was originally named The Knickerbocker, and has gone through several incarnations since it opened in 1927. Legend has it that in the 1930s the hotel housed a casino frequented by Al Capone. During World War II and the Korean War, US Armed Forces officers would fill the property's hallways and play cards in the Officer's Club. In 1952, Richard Nixon was nominated Vice President during the Republican National Convention held in the hotel. Finally, in the 1970s it became the Playboy Hotel, owned by Hugh Hefner. After completing a multi-million dollar renovation in 2008, the hotel has reinvented itself once again. However, the elegant two-storied lobby still honors the hotel's historic past, with marble ornaments and wood moldings. Site Name: Playboy Hotel (Chicago, Ill.) Street Address: 163 East Walton Place
Series II. Folies-Bergere production papers, designs, and photographs -- 17th Edition: The Best of the Folies-Bergere -- 2002 costume revisions: costume design drawings, photographs of costume pieces, correspondence, and notes -- La Vedette
Seven showgirls from the Dunes Hotel pose by the hotel's swimming pool soon after it's opening in 1955. Left to right: Penny Davidson, Billie Nelson, Sherry Klarke, Pat Gautier, Gloria Curtis, Pat O'Conner, Irene Rainwater. Site Name: Dunes (hotel and casino)
Pete Menefee design. Transcribed from original drawing index: "16 dancing nude (Chained Danites)." Costume Details: Topless showgirl wearing chains and a wig. Show Name: Jubilee! Performance Name: Samson and Delilah: Underground Site Name: MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
Costume Details: Pencil sketches of nude showgirls in oversized ruffled capes trimmed with jewels; no. 1 shows front and back; no. 5 shows topless costume with collar, headdress and skirt with oversized ruffled bottom. Show Name: Thoroughly Modern Minsky Performance Name: Opening Site Name: Thunderbird (resort)
A topless showgirl poses backstage at the Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, wearing a harem costume with a headdress and veils. Site Name: Dunes (hotel and casino)
A topless showgirl poses backstage at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, wearing a feathered headdress and tail ornament. Site Name: Dunes (hotel and casino)