London's Clubs And Cabarets No. 6 - The Anchor Cabaret (1926)

c 1926 A story comparing a “working-man's“ cabaret - “The Anchor“ with the more grand West End cabarets. The Anchor has a very small dance floor - this is compared to the crowded “Kit Kat“ Club. At the Anchor Club pierrots make-up backstage. Don Parker and his band play. Will Trussell is at the piano. George Young and Jack Esmonde clap hands, tap their feet and prance around in what now seems (and probably did then...) a camp manner. They skip off. Toto Maxter dances a high kick routine. Kitty Keys sings “The Dancing Lesson“ - Kitty is a man in drag and has a band around her head with a flower attached which bobs around humorously as she sings. She pulls a powder puff out of her décolletage and powders her nose. The puff is loaded with heaps of powder for comic effect. Kitty sneezes several times then carries on singing and dancing. West End acrobatic dancers are compared to the dancers at the Anchor Cabaret - rather more raunchy. They perform an Apache style dance. There is much throwing aro