Theatre: World’s Worst

In the heart of Baltimore’s tenderloin is a flashy basement honkytonk called the Oasis. Passers-by are invited to “walk down one flight and save nothing,” enter “the worst night club in America,” witness “the lousiest shows in the world.”

The shows, which drag along “until exhausted,” feature 16 girls, some of them “too late for Social Security,” others introduced as “from the House of the Good Shepherd,” Baltimore’s home for delinquent females. For ensemble acts, the chorines, seated around the room, suddenly pull off their evening gowns and, with very little on, flounce into their routines. After each specialty act, the audience is warned that the next one will be worse. Two husky bruisers, “Machine Gun Butch” Gardina and “Little” Jack Horner, 6 ft. 6, preserve order.

Last week the Oasis celebrated its 14th birthday. Proprietor Max Cohen had done well enough with “the worst night club in America” to buy up all the real estate for a block around.