I was watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom last night. I love the opening scene in the night club with the big production number: orchestra, costumes, big chorus line…
So it lead to some questions:[ol]
[li]How prevalent were such shows in the 30’s up to today?[/li][li]Was this possible because there was more money, or because the talent didn’t get paid much?[/li][li]Was this strictly a big-city thing?[/li][/ol]
I ask because the only thing I’ve seen close to this has been some burlesque reviews with prerecorded music, and I think the performers were doing it for fun more than anything else. Of course, this was not in a big fancy New York nightclub, so maybe that’s my problem.
For another POV watch Guys and Dolls or On the Town. The nightclub shows in those two are done on tiny little stages, with a handful (maybe six) performers and a small combo instead of a big band.
Of course there were big, big shows – that’s where the big bands played. But (at least in St. Louis) they were big events that played big, big rooms. I’ve been in a couple of the ballrooms that were popular in the 30’s and 40’s and they could easily hold 1,000 people for dinner and dancing. It was a special event, not a typical night at the club.