That kind of entertainment might not seem particularly shocking today, but it was scandalous in the early 1950s. Visitors to the club were even given souvenir photographs of themselves inside. In spite of its somewhat shocking performances, the majority of Club 82's patrons were actually heterosexuals, many who came to the Village in search of an exotic good time.

Most of the performers in the floor show were men dressed as women and the wait staff consisted of women dressed as dapper young men in tuxes. Once patrons of Club 82 descended a series of stairs to the club's entrance, they were greeted with an elegantly appointed venue that nonetheless promised risque entertainment. There were others, but they were often dingy, questionable establishments. Opened in 1938, Club 82 was one of a few gay-friendly clubs in the city at the time. Behind a gated, nondescript entrance on 4th Street was once of the most legendary clubs in the city.