Iowahawk scanned the April 3, 1959 issue of “Night Life in Chicago,” a convetioneers’ guide to burlesque joints. His page-by-page commentary is excellent.
Inside cover… wowie wow wow! The L&L Cafe on West Madison trumpets air conditioning and the “WORLD’S MOST GORGEOUS SHOWGIRLS,” including a lineup of enticing names like ‘Xonia,’ ‘Roszika,’ ‘Deidre’ and ‘Jackie Joy.’ A little Googling reveals that the L&L was originally a swank, wife/sweetheart-friendly nightclub during WWII, but it is unclear when it transformed into a girl-ogling joint. More research shows that one of the L’s in ‘L&L’ was Chicago restaurateur Danny Lardas, which might explain the need for abbreviation; I suppose “Lardas Showgirls” might have been a difficult sale. It’s also unclear whether the old L&L has any relation to the current L&L Tavern on North Clark – a purported onetime hangout of John Wayne Gacy, Jeffery Daumer, and yours truly.
