Margaret Hart Ferraro (September 28, 1913 – January 30, 2000), better known as Margie Hart, was a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

stripteaser A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. ...

, in American burlesque theatre.

Biography

Hart was born Margaret Bridget Bryan on September 28, 1913, in Edgerton, Missouri, one of eight children. She left home aged 16, then studied "exotic dancing" once she was of age in St. Louis. She married

John Ferraro John Ferraro (May 14, 1924 – April 17, 2001) was an American politician and businessman who was a Democratic member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1966 until his death in 2001, the longest tenure of any member in the city's history. Befo ...

, the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...

president, in 1982. Hart suffered an aneurysm and a stroke not long after their marriage. In the 1990s her health declined quickly until she later died at 86 years old in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

on January 30, 2000.

Trial for indecency

Hart was one of three burlesque dancers who performed at

Minsky's Burlesque Minsky's Burlesque refers to the brand of American burlesque presented by four sons of Louis and Ethel Minsky: Abraham 'Abe' Bennett Minsky (1880–1949), Michael William 'Billy' Minsky (1887–1932), Herbert Kay Minsky (1891–1959), and Morton ...

in April 1935, who were arrested for giving an indecent performance. Hart, 21, who resided at the Hotel Forrest in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, was taken into custody along with Toots Brawner, 22, of the Dixie Hotel, and Gladys McCormick, 24, of 229 West 49th Street. The three pleaded not guilty and were each held in $500 bail. Jack Keller, 22, of Thayer Street, and Edward Goodman, 27, of 209 West

42nd Street (Manhattan) 42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, spanning the entire breadth of Midtown Manhattan, from Turtle Bay at the East River, to Hell's Kitchen at the Hudson River on the West Side. The stree ...

were arrested along with the dancers. Keller, a stage manager, was charged with permitting an indecent performance. Goodman was assistant manager of the Republic Theatre. The men were held in $500 bail pending a hearing on April 16, 1935. Hart, Brawner, McCormick, and three other chorus girls were

arraigned Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant, to inform them of the charges against them. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. Acceptable pleas vary among jurisdi ...

in West Side Court but were freed by Magistrate Guy Van Amringe, who presided in Commercial Frauds Court, on May 7, 1935. Keller was detained in bail fixed at $500, as was Goodman, pending a trial date. Along with them, Van Amringe ordered detained Edward Rowland, assistant manager of the

Gaiety Theatre, New York The Gaiety Theatre was a Broadway theatre at 1547 Broadway in Times Square, Manhattan, New York City from 1909 until 1982, when it was torn down. The office building that housed the theatre, the Gaiety Building, has been called the Black Tin P ...

, 1539

Broadway (Manhattan) Broadway () is a road in the U.S. state of New York. Broadway runs from State Street at Bowling Green for through the borough of Manhattan and through the Bronx, exiting north from New York City to run an additional through the Westcheste ...

.''Burlesque Girls Freed'', New York Times, May 8, 1935, pg. 22.

Burlesque banished

Hart's arrest coincided with a 1935 citizen's groups campaign in New York City, calling for action against burlesque.

Paul Moss Paul Raymond Moss is the general manager of Media Prima network's media portal and a judge in 8TV's '' One in a Million'' singing contest. Moss was the AS A&R director of record company Positive Tone from its inception in 1994 until last year. ...

, license commissioner, hoped to revoke Minsky's license. He was unsuccessful when the

New York State Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by ...

ruled he needed a conviction to revoke the club's license. Finally, in April 1937, one of Minsky's dancers was observed performing without a

G-string A G-string is a type of thong, a narrow piece of fabric, leather, or satin that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a waistband around the hips. A G-string can be worn both by men and by women. It may ...

. Moss then acted to shut down Minsky's and its rivals. Following several appeals the Minskys and their burlesque competitors were allowed to reopen, but only if they did not allow strippers to perform. The businesses went along with this, hoping that burlesque might return following the November 1937 election. However, reformist mayor

Fiorello LaGuardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from ...

, was returned to office, and the Minskys and their rivals were closed again. In 1942 Isidore Herk and the

Shubert brothers The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...

co-produced a Broadway show called ''Wine, Women and Song'', starring

Jimmy Savo Jimmy Savo (1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American Vaudeville, Broadway, nightclub, film and television performer, comedian, juggler, and mime artist. Life Born in New York City as James Vincent Savo on July 31, 1895, Savo began his ca ...

and Margie Hart. The show was advertised as a combination of vaudeville, burlesque and Broadway revue, and ran for seven weeks. The revue included striptease, which shocked some of the audiences. ''Wine, Women and Song'' was closed by court order in December 1942.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferraro, Margaret Hart 1913 births 2000 deaths Hart, Margie Hart, Margie Hart, Margie Hart, Margie 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American women