Folies Bergère. Paul Derval Présente: C’est de la folie! Revue en 2 Actes et 30 Tableaux de Michel Gyarmathy

Paris: Bergal, 1950. Wraps -- card stock. Stapled. Near Fine. A souvenir program of the legendary Parisian revue and extravaganza which we think captures the spectacle and panache that the show must have been in the early post-war (World War Two) era. Circa 1950. 4to, 31 by 23.5 cm. Unpaginated, 32 pages. Profusely illustrated with mostly photographs. 17 of these pages feature full color, of which 9 of the pages with color are ads, 8, depicting the revue, with the two page centerpiece at the center not a photo but rather a drawn illustration of one of the production numbers, albeit the drawing looks as if it is based on and only modestly modified from a photo. The Folies Bergere is unquestionably most famous for its beautiful showgirls who would parade both in these outlandish costumes and also minimally clad, but it was far more than that, with no holds barred dancing, singing, comedy, over-the-top production numbers, and real talent. The big star at the time, and the only one shown in a full page color photo, was Nita Raya, who had been married to Maurice Chevalier. The advertisements are among the appeal of the program, as they are themselves quite beautiful, as befitting the luxury goods they are promoting. One advertisement, this for bathing suits, features a cheesecake drawing of Vargas, who would later become the purveyor of such artwork for Playboy. Minor soiling on the textured cover. The center folded sheet -- the center four pages -- is loose. We think it best to leave it as it is. Still a beautiful copy.