The burlesque queens from the Famous Hudson Theater will be back by popular demand. Joan Torino, Hope Diamond and Ellie Farrelly, who delighted audiences with their stage presence in the 1940s and ’50s, will get a curtain call today (Sunday, Oct. 22) as the Famous Hudson Theater burlesque queens reunite for Union City’s 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Parade.
The parade celebrates the city’s rich cultural and ethnic heritage and features the reigning Miss USA, bands, floats, vintage vehicles, dancers, local celebrities and much more. It steps off at 1 p.m. on Bergenline Avenue and 48th Street, then heads to 15th Street and proceeds west to Summit Avenue. Then, it veers south to Paterson Plank Road and into Washington Park.
Perhaps no group exemplifies Union City’s past reputation as an entertainment mecca than Torino, Diamond and Farrelly of the Famous Hudson Theater. Burlesque thrived in Union City in the early- to mid-1900s, with the venue bringing together a full orchestra, a chorus line, show girls, singers and comics.
“It was really family entertainment and there was something for everyone,” says Torino, who starred at the theater until it closed in 1957. “Union City was a hotbed of activity and the Famous Hudson Theater was the place to be.”
Torino, who is now “happily retired,” will return to the spotlight with Hope Diamond and Ellie Farrelly aboard a featured parade float. Male members of Hudson County modeling clubs in top hats and tails will join them.
Leading the parade will be the Union Hill and Hoboken High School bands, who will escort Lynnette Cole, Miss USA 2000, who represented the United States in the Miss Universe Pageant. The Trust Company Bank sponsored her appearance.
The Union Hill and Hoboken bands symbolize the formation of Union City, which was created through the merger of the communities of West Hoboken and Union Hill.
The Emerson High School Band and the official Union City float to mark the Diamond Jubilee Parade’s commencement will follow them. The event will also feature floats, marching bands, public safety/military and vintage vehicles, as well as dancers, local beauty queens and representatives of various community groups.
The parade will conclude in Washington Park at approximately 3 p.m. with the introduction of dignitaries and special guests. Rep. Robert Menendez will read and present a congressional proclamation saluting the city on its anniversary.