Meet the Real-Life Gidget

Today the name “Gidget” brings to mind a series of films and a TV show about a plucky teenage surfer girl. But did you know that Gidget was, in fact, a real person? Her name was Kathy Kohner, who as a teenager was given her now-famous nickname by the surfer boys at the beach in Malibu. She was only transformed into a fictional character after Kohner’s father, an author, decided to write a book inspired by his daughter’s adventures.

In Oct.1957, when the character was first surfacing on the pop culture radar, LIFE shared her origin story in a piece titled “Gidget Makes the Grade“:

When 15-year-old Kathy Kohner tried to join the exclusively male band of surfboarding fanatics at Malibu Beach, she got a distinctly chilly reception. She was a girl, and what’s more, a small one—barely five feet tall and only 95 pounds soaking wet. But Kathy was persistent and she finally won her way to the surfer’s circle, winning also the nickname of “Gidget”—a combination of “girl” and “midget.”

Kathy’s father, Frederick Kohner, then wrote the novel Gidget: The Little Girl With Big Ideas, which came out in 1957. The pictures that ran with the LIFE story, taken by staff photographer Allan Grant, not only show Kathy surfing the waves but also at home with her dad. In one photo she talks on the phone while he eavesdrops and takes notes on the latest surf lingo.

The novel was a massive success. In the decades since its publication it has sold more than 30 million copies, and upon its release it quickly drew the attention of Holllywood. The first Gidget movie, starring Sandra Dee in the title role, came out in 1959 and sparked a craze for beach-party movies. In 1965 a Gidget television series premiered, and while it lasted only one season, it helped launch the decades-long career of its star, future Oscar winner Sally Field.

In 2021 Vanity Fair caught up with the real-life Gidget on the occasion of her turning 80 years old. At that point she had been going by her married name, Kathy Zuckerman, for more than half a century. The original LIFE story about her actually played a role in the courtship with her husband Marvin. Kathy was a student at Oregon State and mostly kept quiet about her claim to fame. Marvin only learned about her secret identity when, as he told it, “One night in her living room, Kathy pulled out a LIFE magazine with her story in it and said, ‘I’m Gidget.’” 

After graduation she worked as a substitute teacher and became a mother of two. In more recent years she also served as the “Ambassador of Aloha” a couple days a week at a popular Malibu restaurant called Duke’s, greeting people at Sunday brunch and at Taco Tuesdays. While not playing up her past, she has accepted occasional recognition of her influence. In 2008 she was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2011 she was honored with a spot on the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame. Her tribute text on Surfing Walk of Fame website says, “No one could have guessed that a small-framed Malibu girl could transform an entire culture.”

But her father, at least, recognized what was special in a surfer girl who wasn’t afraid to paddle out among the boys.

Teenager Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for Gidget, at the beach in Malibu, California, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for Gidget, at the beach in Malibu, California, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Teenager Kathy Kohner’s real-life adventures in Malibu earned her the nickname “Gidget” from her fellow surfers and inspired her father to write a 1957 book which was then adapted into films and a television show.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for Gidget, surfed the waves in Malibu, California, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for Gidget, surfed the waves in Malibu, California, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Teenager Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for the Gidget character, at the beach in Malibu, California, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for Gidget, at the beach in Malibu, California, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for the Gidget character, at the beach in Malibu, California, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner at home in California, with clippings related to the Gidget character she inspired her writer father to create, 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner, the real life inspiration for Gidget, spoke on the phone while her father Frederick, who was an author and wrote the Gidget book, eavesdropped and took notes on her surfer’s lingo.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Kathy Kohner with her dad Frederick, an author who was inspired by his teenage daughter’s surfing adventures to write the book Gidget, which served as the basis for several films and a television show.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Every Loving Detail: Inside a Lavish Kansas City Wedding, 1947

In 1947 America was in the midst of an ongoing wedding boom, owing to soldiers returning from World War II. LIFE decided to pay tribute to “this burgeoning romanticism” by dispatching staff photographer NIna Leen to document a particularly lavish wedding, with a focus on all the preparations leading up to it, for a nine-page story headlined “June Wedding: Kansas City Girl Marries With All the Fixings.”

The bride was Barbara Winn, the 23-year-old daughter of a “well-to-do contractor,” as LIFE put it. The groom was Thomas Ferrell Bailey, 23, a former Air Force cadet and student at the University of Kansas. The couple met at a New Year’s Eve party back in 1945 and started on the road to their wedding to remember. The total number of guests at their wedding: 750.

Why so many people?

When Barbara and Tom announced their engagement, they decided they wanted a big wedding to entertain all their friends. Barbara’s mother particularly liked the idea because she had eloped herself and missed the excitement of a big church ceremony. And since Barbara was his only daughter, her father was anxious to make the wedding a resounding success.

LIFE described the planning of the wedding as “a full-time job,” and Leen documented all that went into it. That included the dress shopping, the cake selection, the addressing of the invitations, and more. Leen was there when the groom bought white gloves for his ushers, and she was there when the bride went for her Wasserman test, which checked for venereal diseases and was a prerequisite to obtaining a marriage license in Missouri and many other states back in the day.

Leen also documented the pre-wedding parties—of which there were many. “In the last three weeks before the wedding Barbara was entertained at two showers and nine luncheons given by her bridesmaids and mother’s friends. In addition she and Tom where honored at three dinner parties,” LIFE reported.

When the big day arrived, Leen made sure to capture every element of the bride’s outfit that corresponded to the classic wedding rhyme: something old (for Winn, a lacy doily on the sleeve), something new (the dress itself), something borrowed (a petticoat), something blue (a garter) and a sixpence in her shoe (yes, the bride had an actual coin in there).

The ceremony and reception were marathon affairs. “The newlyweds stood in a receiving line for two and a half hours, while guests consumed 30 cases of Cooks Imperial dry champagne and were finally reduced to drinking Rhine wine,” LIFE wrote.

The couple had planned a two-week honeymoon in Colorado Springs, after which they would move to Oklahoma City, where Tom was going to work for an oil company. Leen’s photos included one of the garbage that had been created from all the discarded wrapping for the many wedding gifts, with a caption that noted, “Special trucks were obtained to haul it all away.”

Tom Ferrell Bailey and Barbara Winn consulted with their church minister before formally announcing their engagement three months before the wedding, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Winn family addressed 525 envelopes for the wedding; all guests were invited to both the ceremony and the reception, 1947.

Bride Barbara Alvin writing wedding invitations to her wedding.

Women wrote invitation cards to the wedding of Barbara Winn and Tom Ferrell Bailey in Kansas City, Missouri, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Tom Ferrell Bailey purchased white gloves ($6 a pair) for the eight ushers at his wedding, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Bride Barbara Winn and her mother shopped for a wedding cake; she eventually went with a five-layered cake from a specialty caterer which cost $100, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Barbara Winn and her mother made selections for their $1,500 florist order for Barbara’s wedding, Kansas City, 1947.

Barbara Alvin and her mother buying the flowers for her June wedding.

Bride Barbara Winn tried on her bridal petticoat that was to be worn under her ivory slipper-satin wedding dress. For the dress, the bride and her mother selected a sample at Herzfeld department store and had the dress made for about $200, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Before her wedding Barbara Alvin took the Wasserman test, which was at the time a requirement in the state of Missouri and ensured she did not have any venereal disease, 1947.

Barbara Winn and Ferrell Bailey swore that they were telling the truth as they went for their marriage license, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

At the “kitchen shower” the friends of Barbara Winn gave her unglamorous but necessary gifts such as mouse traps and a mop, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A family friend with a home on Lake Lotawana outside Kansas City hosted a pre-wedding party for Barbara Winn and Tom Ferrell Bailey, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Barbara Alvin and Tom Ferrell Bailey enjoyed a barbecue supper given by Barbara’s bridesmaids in the leadup to their wedding, Kansas City, 1947.

At the bridal dinner of Barbara Winn and Tom Ferrell Bailey, held at the Kansas City Club, the main course was pheasant “a la Barbara,” 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Barbara Winn used a lace doily as the “something old” in her wedding outfit, Kansas City, 1947.

Bride Barbara Winn in her new wedding dress, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The “borrowed” element of Barbara Winn’s wedding dress was this petticoat, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Barbara Winn wore a blue garter as the “something blue” in her wedding outfit, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Bride Barbara Winn placed a lucky sixpence in her shoe before her wedding, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Barbara Winn’s wedding veil was adjusted by one of her bridesmaids before the wedding ceremony, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The bridesmaids for the wedding of Barbara Winn and Tom Ferrell Bailey in Kansas City, October 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The wedding of Barbara Winn and Tom Ferrell Bailey, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The wedding of Barbara Winn and Tom Ferrell Bailey, Kansas City, 1947.

The wedding of Barbara Winn and Thomas Ferrell Bailey, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Tom Ferrell Bailey kissed bride Barbara Winn at their wedding, Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

After their wedding friends and family gave a send-off to newlyweds Tom Ferrell Bailey and Barbara Winn, Kansas City, 1947.

Wedding presents sat on display in the bride’s bedroom two days before her wedding, with more gifts expected to come.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Garbage that consisted mostly of wrapping from wedding gifts was piled high. “Special trucks were obtained to haul it all away,” LIFE wrote. Kansas City, 1947.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Pope Leo XIV: Celebrating The First American Pope

The following is from LIFE’s new special issue on Pope Leo XIV, available at newsstands and online:

JESUS AND the early Christian evangelists did not necessarily have something called a papacy in mind 2,000 years ago, but they did imagine a church that would persevere through time. So, yes, when Christ handed the keys of leadership to Peter, he likely hoped that Peter would find a successor, and that many more good leaders would follow. But it would have been difficult to have imagined that the papal legacy would one day extend to 267 individuals, and that the Church would remain so potent in the 21st century, and that there is no end in sight. That is the power of Jesus’s attraction and God’s promise.

The excitement that has greeted the coronation of Pope Leo XIV, the former Robert Francis Prevost, 69, the first American pope, has been wondrous to behold, but it has tended to obscure some of the Church’s long history. Much of the news has implied that the main challenges Pope Leo will face are confined to Catholicism itself: sliding church attendance, Vatican finances, divisions between liberals and traditionalists, doctrinal debates over ordaining women as clergy, and LGBTQ Catholic inclusion. Such a narrow focus ignores the long, dramatic role the Church has played on the global stage from Peter’s day to our own. In an era where traditional diplomacy has struggled to resolve complex issues, the Holy See has retained the moral authority to transcend the political fray, as illustrated by the recent meeting inside St. Peter’s Basilica between presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. The pope’s voice carries weight in a world wracked by numerous conflicts, from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan. Indeed, in his first Sunday address, Leo called for an end to war everywhere. 

From 756 to 1870, popes ruled a large part of central Italy—the so-called Papal States—and their politics and alliances shaped the world order for centuries. But even after the Papal territories were annexed by Italy and popes lost their secular powers, they continued to play an outsize role on the global stage. In 1962, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Pope John XXIII sent messages to both Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and President John F. Kennedy, urging the leaders to resolve the standoff peacefully. In 1979, when Poland was still under Russian influence, Pope John Paul II made a nine-day visit to his home country, helping to spark the Solidarity union movement and the end of communist rule in Poland. Pope Francis continued this tradition, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, working for the support for the rights of migrants, and, with his encyclical Laudato Si’, framing environmental stewardship as a moral imperative.

As the 267th pontiff, Leo will not only lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, but he will have the opportunity to tap his long experience as a missionary and help steer history. Because of the Church’s power, he will be able to reach across borders, cultures, and faiths to redefine contemporary issues such as artificial intelligence, nuclear disarmament, and mass migration. His influence will be unique, and his first words to the faithful when he spoke from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, were reassuring: “May peace be with you.” The world is watching to see where Leo takes the See of Rome and the millions who look to it for guidance and, ultimately, salvation. ●

Here are a selection of photos from LIFE’s new special issue to Pope Leo XIV.

Cover image: Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF/SIPA/Sipa USA

Pope Leo XIV on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, May 11, 2025.

Getty Images

Iin Dolton, Illinois stands the childhood home of Robert Francis Prevost, who would become the first American pope.

AFP via Getty Images

Pope Leo XIV went as a young man on a mission to Peru and spent 20 total years in the Andean country, rising to the position of Bishop of Chiclayo. Here he rode on horseback to visit an area devastated by floods.

Chiclayo Diosece/AFP via Getty Images

The future Pope Leo XIV was close with Pope Francis, meeting with him in 2023.

Vatican Media/ Getty Images

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the future Pope Leo XIV, swung a censer in front of an icon of the Virgnin Mary of Guadalupe during a mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St Peter’s basilica on December 12, 2023 in The Vatican.

AFP via Getty Images

One hundred thirty-three cardinals participated in the 2025 conclave that resulted in the selection of Pope Leo XIV.

AFP via Getty Images

People gathered in St. Peter’s Square to cheer on Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, on May 11, 2025.

AFP via Getty Images

Pope Leo XIV told the crowd in St. Peters Square on May 8, 2025, the day he was named pope, “United and hand-in-hand with God, let us advance together”

ANDREA SOLERO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

LIFE’s Vintage Lacrosse Images

In the 21st century no sport has grown faster than lacrosse. While the game began in this country—it was invented by Native Americans long before the arrival of Europeans—for much of the 20th century lacrosse remained regional and niche, with little participation outside traditional hotbeds in the Northeastern United States.

During LIFE’s original run from 1936 to 1972, the sport was rarely covered in the magazine. But in its April 18, 1969 issue LIFE ran a multi-page story about lacrosse headlined “The Little Brother of War,” a phrase drawn from a Cherokee description of the game. The story discussed both lacrosse’s Native American roots and also ihow it was becoming the hot sport in American schools. “At some prep and high schools lacrosse has become so popular that athletic directors refuse to grant it varsity status out of fear that their top baseball, track and tennis will defect to it,” LIFE wrote.

The rich color photos for the story were shot by Arthur Rickerby, who frequently took on sports assignments for LIFE—check out, for instance, his remarkable images of Willie Mays’ return to the Polo Grounds. For this story Rickerby showcased lacrosse in both high school and college. In some games players battled the elements—be it the snow in Vermont or the mud in Maryland.

As evidence of the sport’s popularity, LIFE’s story noted that 112 colleges were fielding lacrosse teams, which in 1969 represented a doubling of the total from ten years prior. Of course since that LIFE story ran, the ranks have multiplied nearly fourfold. Today 431 U.S. colleges field lacrosse teams, and those programs are spread across the country. When Denver won the men’s NCAA title in 2015, it was a milestone moment in the sport’s geographic expansion, as the Pioneers were the first lacrosse champion from outside the Eastern time zone.

In addition to Rickerby’s photos from 1969, this gallery also features images from the rare occasions when LIFE sent photographers to lacrosse games in the early years of the magazine. Those older photos feature teams from such institutions as Johns Hopkins, Army and Navy, which are some of the country’s foundational lacrosse programs.

Army and Navy teams met on the lacrosse field, West Point, New York, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Army and Navy teams clashed during a lacrosse game at West Point, New York, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Army and Mavy teams met in lacrosse at West Point in New York, United States, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Top female lacrosse players gathered for an exhibition game in Hempstead, New York, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Top female lacrosse players gathered for an exhibition game in Hempstead, New York, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Lacrosse players got muddy during a practice at the McDonogh School in Baltimore, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Snow fell as lacrosse players practiced in Craftsbury, Vermont, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Snowfall didn’t stop lacrosse practice at Sterling College, Craftsbury, Vermont, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Lacrosse players practiced in the elements in Vermont, 1969.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Johns Hopkins took on Virginia in lacrosse, 1952.

Mark Kauffman/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Johns Hopkins took on Virginia in lacrosse, 1952.

Mark Kauffman/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Johns Hopkins lacrosse team members celebrated after a game-tying score against Virginia in final quarter, 1952.

Mark Kauffman/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The 7th Regiment Armory in New York hosted an indoor lacrosse game, 1949.

Gjon Mili/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The 7th Regiment Armory in New York hosted an indoor lacrosse game, 1949.

Gjon Mili?Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Army and Navy teams clashed in a lacrosse game at Annapolis, Maryland, 1945.

George Skadding/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Navy hosted Army in a lacrosse game in Annapolis, Maryland, 1945.

George Skadding/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Navy hosted Army in a lacrosse game in Annapolis, Maryland, 1945.

George Skadding/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Navy hosted Army in a lacrosse game in Annapolis, Maryland, 1945.

George Skadding/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Navy hosted Army in a lacrosse game in Annapolis, Maryland, 1945.

Army and Navy met in a lacrosse game in Annapolis, Maryland, 1945.

George Skadding/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Eisenstaedt’s Ode to America, “The Only Fabulous Country.”

As Independence Day approached in 1952, LIFE magazine commemorated America’s birthday with a story that celebrated the country in images and words—and not just any words. Actor Charles Laughton selected literary passages that related to the American landscape. Then LIFE staff photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt shot images to pair with those passages.

LIFE turned to Laughton because the actor was known for entertaining audiences by reading aloud to them from classic literature. That kind of show would have a tough time finding an audience today, but back then it was a popular genre: here Laughton is reading from the Bible on The Ed Sullivan Show for about eight minutes uninterrupted.

In its story LIFE encouraged its subscribers to read aloud the passages that Laughton chose. Three of those passages were by Thomas Wolfe — two from Of Time and the River and one from You Can’t Go Home Again. “I make no apologies for this,” Laughton told LIFE. “For me Wolfe is the great writer, the man who greatly described America as `the only fabulous country.'”

Laughton also chose passages from the works of Washington Irving (Rip Van Winkle), Mark Twain (Life on the Mississippi), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (The Song of Hiawatha) and Stephen Vincent Benet (John Brown’s Body).

To illustrate those passages Eisenstaedt took photos in a variety of settings, capturing the bustle of New York City, the somber history of Gettysburg National Military Park, the majesty of a riverboat cruising the Mississippi, and the pastoral beauty of Minnehaha Park in Minnesota. The photos obviously do not capture all of America—to do so would be a lifetime project—but they bring enough variety and history to hint at a country that, to borrow a phrase from another writer, Walt Whitman, “contains multitudes.”

If you had to pick a few places to capture the spirit of “the only fabulous country,” which ones would you choose? Just thinking about the possibilities is a reminder of the awesome variety of the American landscape.

Actor Charles Laughton, who would read aloud from books to paying audiences, offered literary selections to LIFE for a 1952 story celebrating America in words and images.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Hudson River as it flowed through the landscape written about by Washington Irving, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Pedestrians walked along 42nd Street in Times Square in New York City, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

People shopped in the market on the corner of 9th Avenue and 40th Street in New York City, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

People riding a train, United States, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A monument at the Gettysburg National Military Park commemorated the Civil War battle that took place in 1863.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A monument at the Gettysburg National Military Park commemorated the Civil War battle that took place in 1863.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Monuments at the Gettysburg National Military Park commemorated the Civil War battle that took place in 1863.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A cemetery in the yard of a country church, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

An auto junk yard, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A freight train, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A riverboat on the Mississippi, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A barge sailed the Mississippi River, circa 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Two men piloted from the bridge of a riverboat on the Mississippi River, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Minnehaha Park in Minnesota, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Minnehaha Park in Minnesota, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Minnehaha Park in Minnesota, 1952.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

What Fun Looked Like in Brussels, 1945.

The magic of photography is that it takes people to places they could never go on their own—whether it’s the front lines of battle or the home of Marilyn Monroe. The power of the photograph to transport its viewers is what made LIFE magazine so popular in its early heyday, when photography was the principal means for gaining a window to the world.

Sometimes LIFE’s photographers took its readers to a places they would never have thought to go—for example, a nightclub in Brussels during the waning days of World War II, and months after German occupation of Belgium had ended. Here’s how the magazine set the scene in a story that ran in its issue of March 26, 1945:

By New York and Paris standards, most nightclubs in Brussels are drab and dingy. There is little glamor and no fancy decor. After 10 o’clock the only light is from oil lamps, and by midnight, when civilians must be home, the nightspots are empty. Still, they do a good business because liberated Belgians are in a mood to celebrate and so are the weary soldiers—British, Canadians and Poles—who go there on leave. There are champagne, friendly girls and musicians trying to earnestly play American swing.

The description of the club makes it sound like it could be the setting for a seedy film noir, or possibly even a romantic comedy. And on the particular night that LIFE photographer George Silk visited a cellar bistro called La Parisiana, which was said to have the best floor show in Brussels, the entertainment included snakes. A pair of “old-time circus performers” named Hamid and Aicha danced for customers with pythons draped around them.

During World War II Belgium was occupied by Germany from May 1940 until late 1944 and early 1945, when the Allied Forces liberated Belgium in stage. At the time of this snake show, the country had just been through years of hell. In short, the clientele of La Parisiana was truly in need of some entertainment.

A dancer named Aicha, with two pythons wrapped around her, entertained patrons at the La Parisiana nightclub in Brussels, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Former circus performers Hamid and Aicha, pythons draped around them, entertained patrons at the La Parisiana nightclub in Brussels, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A dancer named Aicha, with two pythons wrapped around her, entertained patrons at the La Parisianna nightclub in Brussels, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The floor show at the La Parisiana nightclub in Brussels, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The floor show at the La Parisiana nightclub in Brussels, 1945, months after Belgium had been liberated from German occupation.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Patrons at the La Parisiana nightclub in Brussels, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

An American flier enjoyed a night at the Brussels nightclub La Parisiana, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Hamid held a python aloft while Aicha, in the background, sat before crosses as part of the floor show at the Brussels nightclub La Parisiana, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A dancer named Aicha, with two pythons wrapped around her, entertained patrons at the La Parisianna, Brussels, 1945.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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