Legends of Burlesque

These Legends of New Orleans Burlesque will be on hand before and after the shows at Harrah’s to sell and sign autographed photos!

BAMBI JONES was so impressed by the movie stars of the 1940s, she left Holyoke, Massachusetts, for the bright lights of showbiz. With the help of an ex-Rockette dancer, the 17 yr. old became a professional entertainer and went on to appear on burlesque stages throughout Canada, Mexico, South America, and the United States from 1949 through the 1970s. In New Orleans she performed as Bambi Brooks, on the same bill as Lilly Christine the Cat Girl at the famous 500 Club on Bourbon Street. Bambi eventually married and had a daughter who briefly followed in her footsteps. She has made television appearances on Sally Jesse Raphael, Jenny Jones, and The Montel Williams show. In February, she was featured in Garage Magazine. Bambi currently makes appearances at senior centers, nursing homes, and colleges, giving presentations on burlesque.
RITA ALEXANDER the Champagne Girl began stripping at the Sho-Bar on Bourbon Street as a teenager in the mid-Sixties. She was trained by Tee Tee Red. After getting breast implants, Rita developed an act in which she balanced small champagne glasses on her breasts and drank from the glass without using her hands. She soon became a headliner, with her image on everything from the window displays to table tents and cocktail napkins. She had the starring role in the low-budget film Hot Thrills Warm Chills, which was shot on location in New Orleans. In the early 1970s, Rita left for Las Vegas where she became a star in the Follies Bergere. She pursued acting in Hollywood and received roles in TV and film. Rita played a Vegas showgirl who gets killed in Charlie’s Angels, and a fembot in The Bionic Woman. She currently works as a psychic reader.
WILD CHERRY was raised in a circus family, and began dancing in the girlie shows in the carnival circuit. In the late 1950s, Cherry worked as an exotic dancer in the nightclubs on Bourbon Street.  Wild Cherry received her stage name from a club owner, who gave her the moniker due to her hot temper. She specialized in “oriental” and Afro-Cuban dancing during her striptease performances. Wild Cherry danced until her mid-forties. She currently can be seen performing her comedic routine and greeting fans at the Bustout Burlesque show.
KITTY WEST (Evangeline the Oyster Girl) headlined Bourbon Street clubs in the late 1940s and ’50s. Born into a poor Mississippi family, she was one of six children. Her father was a minister, and her mother was a cousin of Elvis Presley’s father, Vernon. In 1947, at the age of sixteen, she left home and moved to New Orleans where she got work as a stripper. She headlined the Casino Royale as the Oyster Girl, an act in which she rose out of a giant oyster shell and danced with an oversized pearl. In 1949, she made the pages of LIFE Magazine for an impromptu catfight with Divena, the Aqua Tease. Kitty was promptly arrested. Taking her act one step further, she dyed her hair green to represent seaweed.

TIFFANY CARTER was born in Oregon and raised in California. She showed a keen interest in dance from the time she was little. Inspired by dancers like Juliet Prowse and Cyd Charisse, she studied tap, ballet, and acrobatics at Jerry Singer’s studios. Later, she also took up modern jazz. In the late 1960s, Tiffany was the lead dancer at the Pussycat Theater in Hollywood, and she continued to appear in a show inspired by the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris. In early 1970s, Tiffany brought her many original numbers with her on tour throughout the United States and Canada. From 1974 to 1977, Tiffany was regularly the guest star in Boston clubs like the Teddy Bear and the Two O’clock Lounge. It was also in Boston that she was given her surname: while she was performing under the name Tiffany, a Boston nightclub manager decided she had an Irish look and promoted her using the nickname Tiffany Carter. In 1975, Tiffany went to Toronto to compete in the Miss Nude Universe contest. Crowned the winner, she went back on tour until 1977. She lives in Portland, Oregon, and has two children and six grandchildren.