Missy here. Some of the mistresses profiled here at Mistress Manifesto started out in chorus lines or on stage in some way, such as Marion Davies and Gypsy Rose Lee. Men, called Stage Door Johnnies or Back Stage Johnnies, were like groupies in a way that they attempted to get into the personal life of a star. To get noticed they aimed to please and they used their money to do that. In the heterosexual world, they were men who waited to see a dancer come to the club, who wanted to adore them and gift them. Some of them were special fans or became fixated on a certain dancer and wished to make her life easier, Keep her, while others wanted to take her out of the life she was in and have her in theirs. Some of the dancers also also attracted a lesbian following although many of the clubs would not allow women in as audience.
In Leslie Zemeckis book we learn that burlesque dancers were pragmatic. They wanted and liked their independence and were generally careful to prioritize their careers. On the other hand, making good money for yourself did not mean you had to reject help, favors, or gifts.
Excerpt pages 207-208 :
I found among Sherry Britton's papers the following, which she might have written, "Did you know that the girls had them in categories? There were the Drugstore Johnnies, those who could be counted on to buy a girl the cosmetics she needed. There were Dinner Johnnies, Nightclub Johnnies, and even, honestly, G-String Johnnies. You see, G-Strings were all handmade, elaborately beaded, and cost a small fortune. Of course, for many girls, it was a game of "How much can I get from him before he gets too much from me?
Sherry had her share of gifts, including the use of a Cadillac from an admirer that she drove around New York at 4 in the morning looking for - and finding - men.
The women had wonderful adventures outside of work. "It was a great life." And there was no shame in having the men court the girls, Alexandra the Great maintains. "I thought I was very professional. I conducted myself that way. I was treated that way. I think a lot of people have the wrong idea of what it was like.
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