Vivian Van Damm
Encyclopedia
Vivian van Damm was a prominent London theatre impresario
from 1932 until 1960, managing the Windmill Theatre
in London's Great Windmill Street, which was a British institution, famed for its pioneering tableaux vivants of motionless female nudity and for the myth of having 'never closed' during the Blitz.
Van Damm, known as 'VD', came from a middle-class London family of Dutch Jewish origin. He left school at 14 to work in a garage, and later abandoned the motor trade to manage West End cinemas and eventually he became an impresario.
In 1931, Laura Henderson
had opened the tiny, one-tier Windmill Theatre as a playhouse, but it was not profitable and soon resorted to showing films. She then hired 'VD' and they produced Revudeville, a programme of continuous variety with 18 entertainment acts, but this was also a commercial failure, so they added the dimension of nudity to emulate the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge
. The key element was Van Damm's exploitation of a legal loophole (or zone of tolerance) that nude statues could not be banned on moral grounds, and this led to the legendary "Windmill Girls". The girls had to remain motionless, the Lord Chamberlain
's ruling being , 'If you move, it's rude.' To ward off criticism he used his own beautiful daughter, under the stage name of Betti Talbot, as one of the nudes. The Hollywood film Tonight and Every Night
, starring Rita Hayworth
, told some of the story of the Windmill, though it contained no nudity.
A 1949 film called Murder at the Windmill (Mystery at the Burlesque in the U.S.A.) featured Diana Decker, Jon Pertwee, and Jimmy Edwards and was directed by Val Guest.
Van Damm's flair for public relations had created the legend of the theatre "that never closed". Newspapers carried pictures of plucky Windmill girls in tin hats on fire-watching duty and stories of showgirls giving V-signs to German bombers.
Laura Henderson bequeathed the Windmill Theatre to Vivian van Damm in 1944, and he ran it until his death in December 1960. He left it to his daughter Sheila van Damm
, a leading international rally driver. The Windmill Theatre officially closed on 31 October 1964.
Vivian van Damm was the Vice- President of the London based Magicians' Club which held charity shows at the Windmill Theatre.
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
from 1932 until 1960, managing the Windmill Theatre
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
in London's Great Windmill Street, which was a British institution, famed for its pioneering tableaux vivants of motionless female nudity and for the myth of having 'never closed' during the Blitz.
Van Damm, known as 'VD', came from a middle-class London family of Dutch Jewish origin. He left school at 14 to work in a garage, and later abandoned the motor trade to manage West End cinemas and eventually he became an impresario.
In 1931, Laura Henderson
Laura Henderson
Laura Henderson rose to prominence in the 1930s when, as a wealthy and eccentric widow, she founded the Windmill Theatre in London's Great Windmill Street in partnership with Vivian van Damm; they went on to turn it into a British institution, famed for its pioneering tableaux vivants of...
had opened the tiny, one-tier Windmill Theatre as a playhouse, but it was not profitable and soon resorted to showing films. She then hired 'VD' and they produced Revudeville, a programme of continuous variety with 18 entertainment acts, but this was also a commercial failure, so they added the dimension of nudity to emulate the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
. The key element was Van Damm's exploitation of a legal loophole (or zone of tolerance) that nude statues could not be banned on moral grounds, and this led to the legendary "Windmill Girls". The girls had to remain motionless, the Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
's ruling being , 'If you move, it's rude.' To ward off criticism he used his own beautiful daughter, under the stage name of Betti Talbot, as one of the nudes. The Hollywood film Tonight and Every Night
Tonight and Every Night
Tonight and Every Night is a 1945 musical film starring Rita Hayworth and Lee Bowman, about wartime romance and tragedy in a London music hall that was determined not to miss a single performance during the Blitz...
, starring Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
, told some of the story of the Windmill, though it contained no nudity.
A 1949 film called Murder at the Windmill (Mystery at the Burlesque in the U.S.A.) featured Diana Decker, Jon Pertwee, and Jimmy Edwards and was directed by Val Guest.
Van Damm's flair for public relations had created the legend of the theatre "that never closed". Newspapers carried pictures of plucky Windmill girls in tin hats on fire-watching duty and stories of showgirls giving V-signs to German bombers.
Laura Henderson bequeathed the Windmill Theatre to Vivian van Damm in 1944, and he ran it until his death in December 1960. He left it to his daughter Sheila van Damm
Sheila van Damm
Sheila van Damm was a leading British woman competitor in motor rallying in the 1950s, and also the former owner of the Windmill Theatre in London....
, a leading international rally driver. The Windmill Theatre officially closed on 31 October 1964.
Vivian van Damm was the Vice- President of the London based Magicians' Club which held charity shows at the Windmill Theatre.
- Van Damm was portrayed by Bob HoskinsBob HoskinsRobert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
in the film Mrs. Henderson Presents