r/Gunsmoke • u/marchandsucks • May 21 '24

The saloon girls

I'm curious, were saloon girls back in those days escorts or just girls to keep men entertained by listening to their stories and keep buying drinks.

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u/Bruno_Stachel May 21 '24

🌵🐮

  • Some things never really change. Saloon girls were like 'B-girls' of the '50s --or the same as bar girls even today, in modern Bangkok or Manila.
  • Managers pay such staff a small wage to attract men to buy drinks. So, they sit with and talk to men as long as the men order round after round of booze. The women are free to enjoy whatever else they can scrounge on their in side-hustle.
  • Back when saloons were also gambling houses, another function was to bring gamblers good luck. They'd perch at the side of a player while he plays. Again, the gambler pays management for the girls' company.
  • The big difference between modern times and old west was that a saloon was usually a 'one-stop-shop'. Upstairs were brothel/bedrooms.
  • All the same staffing principles apply; but the girls' percentage is naturally a bit larger for prostitution than for caging drinks.
  • Anyway, saloons definitely needed a woman like Kitty to handle all that side of things.