Classic Funhouse...

Not exactly the cancan, but counted amongst our all-time favorites nonetheless. Once again, we've used deep AI to give these exceptional pieces a new lease of life:

 

If memory serves correct, the last image was actually christened "off-duty cancan" and featured a dancer from the Windmill Theatre.

The Quaids: revealing their best side...

Hard to believe it's not really a photograph, isn't it?

The Quaids: Three Don'ts and a Do

 Can you spot the "odd one out?"

A Bit of Sauce

A few more saucy postcards from the vault. Sorry, had to truncate this first one due to the left side of the image being a little "scrambled" during the scanning process; hoping to find a more complete version in the near future:

Next, a sentiment I suspect we can all agree with (guess it must run in the family):

Not sure if this one technically qualifies as the cancan, but the girls' suspenders hearts all seem to be in the right places:

Click images to enlarge.

Scala Revue

Haven't seen this since my college years, but recognized it immediately as one of the more iconic vintage ads for the cancan. Liberally translated, the caption reads something like: "the dance of the legs in the air" (The Dance of The Flying Legs, perhaps?).

Ready for a night out on the town...

 

...but is the town ready for them?

Complete and Unabridged

 "A rich and realistic French novel, complete and unabridged!"

While it's never a good idea to judge a book by its cover, I'd lay odds that the cancan has nothing whatsoever to do with the story, which apparently deals with the grueling chaos of war-torn France. Needless to say, any work of fiction set in Paris requires a reference to either the Moulin Rouge or le chahut, and this was probably the most eye-catching image the publishers could think of get away with at the time.

English Pulps?

Screenies Magazine, April 1937 (reconstructed cover) artist: Jacques Real. Probably an American pulp resold in the UK before wartime restrictions came into effect (the cover displays prices in both US and English currency). The style and format is reminiscent of Film Fun and similar "girly" titles, though Screenies seems to have been comparatively short lived by comparison.

Well Placed Lines

It's truly amazing what an experienced artist can express with just a few well placed lines:

Even with the color removed, this simple pen-and-ink sketch tells us everything we need to know about both the dancer and the review she's performing in.

 

 

More examples may be found on BB's tumblr blog.

Loads o' Laffs!

Not one of Enoch's best-known works, but a sterling example of the windy-skirt/funhouse genre...

An Acquired Taste...

Adapted from a French postcard in BB's Tumblr collection. Literal translation: "There is no longer anyone here who tastes real bourgeois cuisine."

Frontline Follies

Question: if shows like this had still been around when you were a kid, would you have gone to see them?

"Cleaned up" version:

More British "Strips"

British comics at their finest - John M. Burns' Eartha (News of the World, 1982). A recognized veteran whose credits ranged from Modesty Blaise to Judge Dredd, Burns was a master of the female form, never hesitating to kit out his frequently reluctant heroines in stockings and garters whenever the opportunity arose.

See also Jane Revisited (1980s).

Hands, knees and ...

A slightly 'risque' look at the lighter side of ice skating by commercial artist J. Fredrick Smith; not explicitly cancan on ice, but about as close as we're likely to get in a 50s family journal. Saw this many years ago in an Advertising textbook, recall being vaguely surprised by both the pose and the flashed panties...

Then again, ice skating has always been the perfect excuse to reveal knickers and thighs, even in venues where they might least be expected...

 

Postcard courtesy of BB's Cancan Tumblr.

Un velo di seduzione

Italian hosiery ad inspired by the cancan (and yes, the slogan means exactly what you think it does). Typographic elements removed via photoshop. Brand: Calze Fer;  seems to date from the mid-fifties.

Best Swishes Revisited

A recreation of Film Fun (February, 1936) featuring Enoch Bolles' famous cancan girl:

 

First, the original (with minor photoshop adjustments)...

...followed by the same image with the hemline headline raised...

 ...finally, all the "rough edges" smoothed out in AI (lost some of the detail, unfortunately).

And just as an added bonus: I found this version during my wanderings around the web; apparently part of a "valentine's day collection" by an artist named Blue Mourning. The bright red forms a sharp contrast with the original's cool-toned palate.

Hey, Look!!

Look Magazine, 22 November, 1938: with Germany re-arming and war looming on the horizon, Claudette Colbert still managed to steal the cover spot :) The image seemed to be based on a publicity still from Zaza (odd, considering the film wasn't released until 1939; no doubt Paramount was eager to cash in on the spectacle of the talented Ms Colbert revealing her frilly underthings).

It's interesting to compare this cover shot with stills and posters from the same movie (both B&W and color). Unfortunately, the Hays Code didn't allow for garters and stocking tops back in the day...

Classical Cheesecake

Classical cheesecake by the great Ted Withers (second image "smoothed out" via AI). Withers seemed to start out as one of George Petty's many imitators, but later developed a more "painterly" approach to his pin-up work:

AI Enhanced

Not sure of the artist, but the signature seems to read "Pete." Upscaled the original via Zygo, lending it a somewhat polished appearance (at least IMHO):

Jane's Journal

Yes, Norman Pett's Jane returns in this stock edition published by Rylee just two years after the war. The 41-page pamphlet includes photos, articles, sketches and a hand-colored strip rarely seen outside the UK. Oh, and page sixteen features this unexpected little gem:

The rest of the book may be viewed (and downloaded) at Internet Archive (nsfw):

https://archive.org/details/Janes_Journal_by_Pett_Rylee/

Magazines, covers & postcards

Tried to "clean up" some of the images I came across on BB's tumblr site; once again, I'll leave you to judge the results:

 

Marujita Díaz

A leggy shot of Marujita Díaz from La Casta Susana (1963)...

 

 along with a more "wide-screen" version:

 

 

 

Tried to enlarge the images via AI;  will leave the final judgments up to the viewers:

 

The Quaids: Three Do's and a Don't

Yes, the Quaids are back from their latest shopping expedition, and couldn't wait to show you their latest acquisitions:

AI generated image, modified in photoshop. Original by TheRRRealist.