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Va-va-voom ostrich-plumed showgirls were once synonymous with Las Vegas entertainment. While Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl explores the end of an era for the glitzy, glamorous dancers, the first showgirls were introduced to the U.S. in The Ziegfield Follies, a series of revues on Broadway from 1907 to 1927, inspired by the famed dancers at the Folies Bergère in Paris.

Initially kicking off in 1869 in a Parisian cabaret hall, the Folies Bergère launched the career of Josephine Baker, who made a splash in 1926 dancing topless with strategically placed pearls and a skirt composed of artificial bananas. Fast forward to Christmas Eve, 1959, when Lou Walters — then-entertainment director for the lavish Tropicana Las Vegas and father of broadcast journalist Barbara Walters — imported the sensational Folies Bergère act directly from Paris. Touching down in a pre-Cirque du Soleil era when French revues were all the rage, it went on to become the longest-running show in Vegas history,...

It’s hard to imagine Barbara Walters as anything other than a marquee-name, intrepid and pioneering journalist. But she didn’t get there overnight. A look back at the early career of the broadcast journalist, who died Dec. 30 at age 93, as documented in the pages of Variety shows the clear trajectory of a well-connected, industrious young woman who was destined to reach the summit of New York media and literati circles.

Variety’s coverage of Walters’ climb starting in the early 1950s also neatly tracks the rise of network TV news as a cultural force, and the subsequent evolution of TV news personalities into celebrities.

Walters’ status as the daughter of Broadway producer, booking agent and nightclub owner Lou Walters surely afforded her an early entrée into attention from Variety. Her first few references always included a reference to her father’s showbiz pedigree. But it wasn’t long before...

The Vegas showgirl, with her headress held high and sparkly getup, is a symbol of Las Vegas, and one of the city of Sin's original tourist attractions. And even though showgirls might be a thing of the past when it comes to Vegas' other headlining attractions and entertainment, the shows still would attract a great amount of people.

One of the original showgirl revues to perform in Vegas straight from Paris will sadly end its nearly half-century run in just two months. Tropicana casino executives announced its closing yesterday, January 15.

Les Folies Bergere opened in Vegas at the Tropicana on December 24, 1959. The show opened under the Tropicana's entertainment director Lou Walters, the father of famed newswoman Barbara Walters.

Les Folies Bergere's closing leaves Bally's Jubiliee! as the last authentic showgirl revue in Las Vegas. Tropicana president Ron Thacker didn't release or explain the exact reasons behind the decision to stop the show's run.