Legend: Ann Corio

Ann Corio: Featured Legend of Red Hots Burlesque

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ANN CORIO
d. March 1, 1999

The stunning redheaded Italian Ann Corio was a top beauty in burlesque houses on the East Coast during the 1930s. Corio started as a chorus girl, but quickly discovered there was more money in burlesque. At first her very Catholic mother was opposed to her dancing, but once she saw her perform, she gave Corio her blessings, saying, “Just so they look-a, but no touch!” In the early 40s Corio starred in a number of poorly reviewed jungle-themed B movies, all of which Corio later described as having escaped rather than being released. While the term burlesque had moved on to mean quite a different thing to the American public, something raunchier and more explicit, Ann Corio was keeping it specifically about the heyday of tease with her stage production “This Was Burlesque.” The production, full of dancing girls, and the comedy of classic burlesque comedians, maintained a popular more than 20-year run, keeping the gorgeous Ann Corio’s name a household one.