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Oldest Vegas Showgirl Calls It Quits at 51

By Chuckmonster on Thursday, 9th September 2004 11:52pm
  » filed under Las Vegas  comments: 0

   

It's one hour before the curtain goes up and Linda Green is deep into her preshow warm-up, concentrating on ballet exercises as diligently as if she were a fresh-faced rookie.

But at 51, Green is the oldest continually working showgirl in Las Vegas.

She plies and pirouettes with her fellow dancers, most of whom weren't even born in 1981--the year Green launched her career at what is now Bally's Las Vegas in the glittering musical extravaganza.

On Thursday, Green--dubbed by one local columnist as the Cal Ripken Jr. of showgirls--is hanging up her outrageous headpieces, feather boas and rhinestones.

While the show "Jubilee!" is going strong, some industry observers believe that the showgirl--the Strip's most venerable image--will eventually go the way of the 99-cent buffet. Such productions are too expensive and out of step with the techno-entertainment preferred by highly coveted younger audiences, they say.

Back in the 1960s, virtually every hotel on the Strip had a lavish theatrical production, boasting jugglers, acrobats and hundreds of statuesque young ladies. Now, the Rat Pack appears at Madame Tussauds and only two such shows remain--"Jubilee!" at Bally's and "Folies Bergere" at the Tropicana.

"I have to believe that, as long as people come to Vegas, there will always be a market for grace and beauty," said Green, from her dressing room. "But it does seem like people want a different kind of entertainment today."


[ Props - Ed ]



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