Joy Theatre

219 W. Reno Avenue,
Oklahoma City, OK 73102

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The Joy Theatre as to opened in 1933. It closed around 1940 and has since been demolished. Maybe some of the Oklahoma City members can fill in the blanks for the Joy Theatre.

Contributed by Chuck

Recent comments (view all 10 comments)

Okie
Okie on March 26, 2006 at 7:37 am

Joy Burlesque Theater opened in the early 1940s and was located on bawdy Reno Street where it competed with the Reno Burlesque and (immensely popular) Gaiety Burlesque, the Joy lasted only a few years until the WWII war time cash boom fizzled, then operated as a shady nightclub until razed in 1971. No newspaper ads have been located to indicate that the Joy ever showed motion pictures.
Five small theaters were located within a three block area on Reno Street- Gaiety, Isis, Joy, Pix, and Reno.
Click here to see noted Photographer Dorothea Lange’s 1937 print of the Pix, a Paramount theatre;
View link

Okie
Okie on March 26, 2006 at 7:40 am

Sorry! Try this address instead-
View link

xxx
xxx on May 7, 2006 at 9:51 am

Research has revealed that the Joy Burlesque Theatre usually presented “stag” films between their four-a-day strip shows.

Also see these burlesque web pages 7 links-
http://www.burlesquehistory.com/index.html

raubre
raubre on May 7, 2006 at 10:12 am

I don’t think the link Okie provided is working.

xxx
xxx on May 7, 2006 at 12:54 pm

Rick:
Use this web address to see a 1930’s photo of the PIX-
View link

seymourcox
seymourcox on February 18, 2007 at 6:18 am

OKC’s Joy Burlesque Theatre strip queens were usually accompanied by only a three piece band consisting of drums, piano, and sax. On special occasions when a big name burlesque star was featured the Joy would enlarge its pit orchestra.
Hear samples of classic bump-n-grind burlesque tunes on below link;
View link

Rodney
Rodney on October 30, 2007 at 6:40 pm

Hear an actual Gypsy Rose Lee burlesque routine -
View link
as presented on this site -
http://www.unicornmeat.com/

seymourcox
seymourcox on November 10, 2007 at 10:12 am

This snazzy album plays peppy burlesque tunes …
View link

missmelbatoast
missmelbatoast on October 24, 2009 at 9:24 am

Besides stage films, the Joy also screened burlesque clips between live strip shows. Example;
View link

missmelbatoast
missmelbatoast on July 22, 2010 at 6:48 pm

This montage of bouncy burlesque queens illustrates the type of struo routine performed live upon the Joy runway-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdt0aLl3Bg

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