Review: My Face for the World to See

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s been quite a while since I had a burlesque book to review. I was quite excited to see this first edition for sale at The Expo.

My Face for the World to See by Liz Renay (1971).

The first and only time I saw Liz Renay was at the Miss Exotic World weekend in 2006 in Las Vegas. She was carried onto stage on a palanquin born by scantily clad men, in a spectacle worthy of Cleopatra (orchestrated by Grant Philipo, I later learned). In her sultry voice, she said “I’m Liz Renay, rhymes with play”. She made a bit of an impression, let us say.
Opening Night : Liz Renay(Photo by Chris Blakeley)

In this memoir Liz writes of her origins as an artistic child in a fundamentalist family in rural Arizona. She longed for more and attempted to escape with teenaged marriages and motherhood. With her third marriage she moved to New York and became a high-fashion model. When that marriage ended disastrously, she needed a job that would let her take care of her kids during the day. She chose to become an exotic dancer. It was then that she met a number of upstanding Italian-American gentlemen and the seed of trouble was planted.

After winning a Marilyn Monroe look-alike contest, Liz decided to become a movie star and moved to Hollywood. Her New York “friend”, Cappy, made sure she connected with his buddy, mobster Mickey Cohen. Everything was going splendidly at first. Liz had many movie and tv offers and her art was selling well in New York.

Then the federal government swept in and forced her to testify about her relationship with Mickey Cohen. The scandal ruined her Hollywood career and made it impossible for her to work in any industry. She was repeatedly harassed by the authorities and her morals came under question. Eventually she found herself in prison.

According to Liz, she was gorgeous, smart, tough, desirable, and talented. If anything was her fault, it was that she was too trusting and kind-hearted. Everyone was out to get her for her friendship with and loyalty to Cohen. But, you know what? Her story is such an easy and entertaining read, that you’ll forgive more than a little self-aggrandizement.

As to actual burlesque content, it’s a bit thin. The first chapter describes a night in the 52nd St. clip-joint where she became a mob darling. Later she writes of her beginnings in burlesque, including the costume she cobbled together from lingerie & ribbons and the sheet music she gave the band without ever having heard the song. Despite that, what a surprise, she was a hit. The book doesn’t mention her later career, post-prison, or performing with her daughter, Brenda in a mother/daughter strip act.

To close the story, here’s a photo of Jo Weldon at this year’s Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend, wearing a cape from Liz Renay’s estate. (photo by Derek Jackson)

M2

Published in: on 12 June 2013 at 1:12 pm  Leave a Comment  
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More Cooking

Dear Constant Reader,

Please vote for The Boston Babydolls as “Best Theatre Group” on The Boston A-List. We’re currently in 5th place!

When I was young, I was subjected to tapioca pudding and hated it. But now one of my favorite summertime desserts is technically tapioca pudding: Strawberry Tapioca Flamingo. It’s from the late 40’s/early 50’s and so good. Although strawberries were the original and a favorite (especially since we have friends nearby with a strawberry field in their front yard who always need help disposing of their abundant crop), it’s good with other soft summer fruit.

Fruit Flamingo, a la Stately Babydoll Manor

1 pound fruit (berries or stone fruit), hulled, stoned, &c.
1/2 cup sugar*
about 2 cups pineapple juice**
1/3 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon salt***
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cut fruit into bite-sized chunks. Add sugar and let sit for at least half an hour.

Drain juice from fruit and add enough pineapple juice to make 3 cups.

Combine juices, tapioca, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. It’s going to be thin, but don’t worry. It’ll thicken as it cools.

Fold in fruit. Let cool, stirring occasionally.

When it’s cool, distribute half the mixture amongst 4 attractive dishes or cocktail glasses. Chill all.

Before serving, whip cream and fold into remaining mixture. Top off the dishes.

Serves 4.

strawberry flamingo

Strawberry Flamingo garnished with fraises du bois from the Manor Gardens.

M2

*The original called for a full cup, but I find that’s too cloying.
**Water works just fine. I’m not sure I’ve ever had pineapple juice on hand.
***Kosher salt works best.

Published in: on 11 June 2013 at 10:37 am  Leave a Comment  
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In the Kitchen with Mina

Dear Constant Reader,

I had some fun cooking while Scratch was off having fun at the Burlesque Hall of Fame. Mid-century cuisine, of course, and from one of my favorite cookbook authors.

orange hawiian recipeI chose Wolf in Chef’s Clothing: The Picture Cook and Drink Book for Men by Robert H. Loeb Jr. (1950).

The recipes, for the man who knows nothing about cooking but wants to impress the ladies, have step-by-step illustrations, as seen. The whole thing is whimsical, charming, and gently condescending.

I decided to make “Orange Hawaiian”, which he recommends as either a breakfast dish or an appetizer. I was only making it for one, so I halved the recipe. And ended up having it as sort of a mid-morning snack.

I gathered my ingredients:
orange hawaiian ingredientsan orange, a can of crushed pineapple, sugar*, lemon juice**, sherry, and pistachios.

I cut the orange in half and cut out the fruit and supremed it (that’s a fancy way of saying I got rid of the membrane between pieces). I wished I had one of those funny grapefruit knives, because I needed to be careful not to cut through the peel. The fruit & juice went into a saucepan with the can of crushed pineapple, a little sugar and lemon juice.

You’re supposed to cook until it “looks like thin marmalade”. Whatever that means. I just cooked it low until it simmered a little. Once it’s off the heat, I added a little sherry. Less than called for because the only sherry we had was Harvey’s Bristol Cream*** and I don’t like it much.

Then I scooped the mix into the orange rinds. Not surprisingly, there was more than necessary to fill them, so I dumped the rest in a ramekin. Then I sprinkled them with salted pistachios and baked everything at 350 for 20 minutes. Then I let them cool a bit before eating.

It was good enough, but I’d probably serve it as a dessert rather than breakfast or as an appetizer. I didn’t drain the pineapple and probably should have. To make it really “Hawaiian”, I’d use macadamia nuts; I have no idea how available they were in 1950. I don’t think the sherry added anything, but I used so little that it didn’t detract either. I’m surprised it wasn’t topped with a maraschino cherry.

M2

*Isn’t my sugar bowl lovely? It’s just there for symbolic purposes, as it holds lump sugar. I keep granulated sugar in a utilitarian canister that is unphotogenic.

**Yes, I used the stuff in the bottle. Sue me.

***Don’t judge. It was a gift.

Published in: on 10 June 2013 at 10:32 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

Please vote for The Boston Babydolls as “Best Theatre Group” on The Boston A-List. We’re currently in 5th place!

On to the tip!

For a shapely bum, do squats.

There are other great butt toners, like bridges and lunges, but today I’m recommending Babydoll favorite: squats.

Proper squat form, as preached by Evie Sphinx of the magnificent ass, involves sitting back as though you were going to sit on a chair, but there’s no chair there. Inhale to go down, exhale to stand. Squeeze your cheeks when you come up and tuck your pelvis just a little. Weight should be more in your heels. Chest is lifted, back straight. Abs in tight. Your ideal position is 90-90: with your knees and hips both bent at 90 degree angles.

Your knees should *never* come out further than your toes. If you only remember one thing, this is the one.

We like to raise our arms straight out in front when we go down and bring them down to our sides when we stand. You can also add weights.

M2

Published in: on 7 June 2013 at 9:34 am  Leave a Comment  
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A Good End to the Day

Dear Constant Reader,

Please vote for The Boston Babydolls as “Best Theatre Group” on The Boston A-List. We’re currently in 5th place!

I have a confession to make. I am not a night owl. Late nights are part and parcel of being a showgirl. Second confession: this contradiction sometimes makes me cranky. I was cranky last night.

Rehearsal had run long, then we need to pack and load out all the costumes and props for the DrinkOne benefit tonight. I also had to make a couple of trips up the stairs with big heavy bottles of water for the studio — it’s getting hot and the last thing I want is dehydrated B.A.B.E. students.

It was already well past my bedtime when we arrived back at Stately Babydoll Manor, but I still had to pack all my personal gear for the show, fix a plume on my fan, and perform my usual bedtime and night-before-show rituals. And tomorrow was going to be a long day which will include teaching chair dance and then rushing to the show.

Scratch called me to come to his office and look at something. I fear I was less than charitable in my response. I finished packing and went to see what was so important.

This.

And my cranky mood completely evaporated.

M2

Published in: on 6 June 2013 at 1:54 pm  Leave a Comment  

More Sewing

Dear Constant Reader,

Please vote for The Boston Babydolls as “Best Theatre Group” on The Boston A-List. We’re currently in 5th place!

More stitching yesterday. I sewed the other 3 darts and then seamed the front bodice together. What do you think?
Bodice
That white line has nothing to do with it, by the way. That’s just some chalk left over from when I was figuring out placement.

Next step was putting in the pockets. Pockets! Oh joy! That wasn’t me being sarcastic. I love pockets. And they’re easy when they’re on a seam. Once that was done, I had the whole front of the skirt sewn together. Then I sewed the skirt front to the bodice front.

This should give you a rough idea of what the finished product will look like.
front
I also sewed the skirt back pieces together. I would have done more, but at this point it was time to pick up Scratch and Betty from the airport. Next up, the back skirt panels need to be pressed and then sewn to the two pieces of the back bodice. The rest of my week is pretty busy what with rehearsal tonight, chair dance class and the DrinkOne benefit tomorrow, and weddings over the weekend. I’m not sure when I’ll pick this up again.
M2

Published in: on 5 June 2013 at 11:09 am  Leave a Comment  
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First Steps

Dear Constant Reader,

Please vote for The Boston Babydolls as “Best Theatre Group” on The Boston A-List. You only have to vote once!

I have begun the Fit & Flair dress with my least favorite part: cutting. It wasn’t too terrible. The cotton fabric is quite crisp, even after washing, so it stayed put. Fabric that slithers makes me crazy.

I had to be a little clever in my lay-out. The material is supposed to be folded across the width, as opposed to the usual way along the length, because the majority of the pieces are too wide for a half width. However, the floral pattern is directional, so I couldn’t just fold the fabric. If I did, half the skirt would have upside down flowers. This also meant I couldn’t place the pieces as shown on the pattern layout or I would also have upside down flowers.

So, I marked all the pieces that were getting cut this way (all the skirt panels except the front, the pockets, and facings) and then cut that swath of fabric off. Then I laid it on top of the remaining fabric. Then I started to cut and began to curse. I had made a total rookie mistake. Both pieces of fabric were right side up. That meant instead of mirror images, I was going to have 2 left sides. Fortunately, I caught it very early. And I had bought a little extra fabric. Of course the bit I cut was a curve, so I lost quite a bit of fabric.

Having flipped the fabric, so both sections were wrong side in, I finished cutting that part and was starting to worry about those slashes interfering. I cut the center skirt panel (on the fold) and just had the bodice pieces to worry about.

The bodice and dolman sleeves are cut in one, which means there has to be a center front seam. I find them very distracting, especially when they break a pattern, so I was resolved to match the pattern. This was an exacting process but kind of fun. It’s the kind of problem solving I enjoy. With all luck, the center front seam will hardly be noticeable. *fingers crossed*. The back was no big deal to cut and I’m left with a goodly amount of fabric (if I work around two slashes). Maybe it will become a charming purse.

And this was the result!
pieces
So exciting, I know. I keep the fabric pieces paired with the pattern pieces until I start to sew on them. It lessens confusion.

The next step is to get sewing! And we started with possibly my second least favorite things — darts. Both the front and the back of the bodice are darted for a good fit. I don’t mind sewing darts; it’s marking them that gives me grief.

Eventually I prevailed and did this:
dart
Then my bobbin ran out of thread and I took that as a sign that I should hang it up for the night.

M2

Published in: on 4 June 2013 at 3:14 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Updates

Dear Constant Reader,

A few items of note today.

First, welcome back to reality for everyone who attended the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend. Congratulations to all the winners! And also to Scratch for coming in in the money in the Texas Tease’em Poker Tournament. Someday he’ll wear the winner’s garter again! In fact, Scratch and Betty had such a good time, the airline decided they should stay for another day.

The Boston Babydolls have been nominated as “Best Theatre Group” on The Boston A-List. This is a huge honor. Please vote for us!

We’re one week from The Teaseday Club. Support your favorite performer by buying a ticket in his or her name. Currently newcomer Cheeky Devine is in the lead with reigning sale queen Brigitte Bisoux right behind. Tickets are only $10 until Monday at midnight. Last month almost sold out, so don’t wait to get your tickets.

On Thursday The Boston Babydolls and our friend Vikki Likkerish are appearing at LUPEC‘s DrinkOne Wrap Party at The Sinclair. It’s for a good cause, so come on out, have a drink, and see a little burlesque!

Speaking of Thursday, I’ll be holding the first session of Chair Dance at B.A.B.E. If you’ve taken Introduction to Burlesque, this class will expand your skills.

I think that’s quite enough for now! Soon I’ll let you see my progress on the Fit & Flair dress.

M2

Published in: on 4 June 2013 at 10:08 am  Leave a Comment  

Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

Just breathe

M2

Published in: on 31 May 2013 at 10:26 am  Leave a Comment  
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My Sewing Machine

Dear Constant Reader,

Yesterday you saw my sewing room and there in my sewing machine. My friend Lucianus got very excited about my vintage machine, having one much like it, so I thought I’d share a little more about it.

It’s a late ’50’s Singer Slant-O-Matic 403 and I adore it. Some parts have worn out and been replaced over the years, like the belt, light, spool holders, but for the most part it’s all original. When my mother had it, it was mounted in a table. I was still in college when she gave it to me, so she had it converted to a “portable” (it’s quite heavy). Now, of course, that I’m settled at Stately Babydoll Manor I wish the table still existed…

I’ve still got the original instruction manual (©1958)
Sewing Machine Manual
and the box of attachments
Sewing Machine Box
This little delight contains all sorts of goodies, like the feet: general purpose foot, straight stitch foot, seam guide, zipper foot, hemming foot, button sewing foot, multi-slotted binder, and ruffler.

It also contains the “fashion disks“. These are cams you drop in the top of the machine to make fancy stitches. Without any, you can only straight stitch. I always have #0 in place, for basic zigzag. I’ll be honest –I’ve never used any other the others. It was only last night that I realized that I had all the original disks, less #9. One wayward part after 55 years — not too bad.

As I mentioned, the one thing I don’t love about this machine is making buttonholes. It’s a complicated process involving repeatedly changing the needle position and the stitch length. I’ve never been able to successfully make nice buttonholes. It’s easier to make them by hand.

Lucianus opened my eyes to the fact that there a buttonholer for my machine! And someone was selling a complete set on eBay. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity. I’ll let you know how it works out.

M2

Published in: on 30 May 2013 at 11:28 am  Leave a Comment  
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