Oh, The Glamourous Life!

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.
(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)

Dear Constant Reader,

I recently received an advance reviewer’s copy of a new book, available in June. Since it’s about the circus, which is one of those topics sort of related to burlesque, I thought I would tell you a little about it.

Queen of the Air: A True Story of Love and Tragedy at the Circus by Dean Jensen (2013).

Born in 1891, Leopoldina Alitza Pelikan was destined to be a circus performer. Her grandparents and father ran small traveling circuses in Eastern Europe and her mother was a star trapeze artist. She began performing on the trapeze as a child and soon rose to stardom, as “Leitzel, Queen of the Air”, performing throughout Europe and for the Ringling Brothers’ Barnum & Bailey circus in America.

She performed on the trapeze, but her claim to fame was the Roman rings. Her specialty was one-armed planges: using a single ring for support, she would rock her body back and forth until she could fling her legs over her head, making a complete revolution around her right arm. Despite dislocating her shoulder with every flip she would execute a hundred or more at every show.

Alfredo Codona was also born into a circus family, in Mexico. He was also a trapeze artist, but as a flyer. When his sister, Victoria, a tight- and slackrope walker, was noticed and hired by The Ringling Brothers in 1909, Alfredo came along as a bonus. At 16 Alfredo was stunningly handsome, but he only had eyes for the diminutive Leitzel. She only let him court her clandestinely for the season and they went their separate ways.

Possibly to win over Leitzel, Alfredo became obsessed with perfecting The Triple, 3 somersaults in a row. This move, known as the Salto Mortale, had killed many trapeze flyers, but he refused to give up. It took him ten years to finally conquer it and it brought him stardom.

In 1928 the two great aerialists married. As the book promises, theirs was a turbulent story of love and tragedy, which I will not spoil.

The book alternates between the lives of the two performers, as they were only together late in their careers, which creates a bit of a disjointed narrative. Although the author based the book on interviews with people who knew the two personally, many details are so vivid that I suspect a fair amount of fictionalization. I found the book as a whole to be a little weak. However, I’m still interested in reading the author’s previous work, The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins.

There are only four photographs in the ARC, although, according to the publishing information, there will be 27 black & white photos in the final book. I can’t complain too much about the lack of illustration as the book cost me nothing and I got to read it months before the masses.

So, where’s the burlesque? Allow me to tell you.

It involves Leitzel’s mother, who has a pretty tragic story of her own. Nellie Pelikan was an equestrienne and acrobat in her family’s circus from the time she was five years old. Her family fell on hard times and she was “apprenticed” (really, sold) to Willie Dosta, a Scottish strongman with a single-wagon circus. He employed the twelve-year-old Nellie for one season before returning her to her family heavily pregnant.

Just weeks after she gave birth to Leitzel, Dosta came back to take Nellie for another tour and he trained her to be a trapeze artist. As La Belle Nellie, the aerialist, she was a hit, bringing fame and fortune to the tiny circus. After her third tour, playing ever bigger and better venues, Dosta returned her to her family to deliver a son. Shortly thereafter, she was freed from this abuse, but I’ll let you read about that yourself.

After years of stardom under the big top, La Belle Nellie reinvented herself as “Zoe, the Aerial Venus”. She entered with a lace parasol which was then suspended from the ceiling. Hanging from the handle by her teeth, she disrobed completely (or maybe to fleshings). With this act, she played all the best circus theatres in Europe and even had an extended engagement at Coney Island. I’m hoping her picture might be among the ones missing from my copy.

I’m recommending this for aerialists and circus buffs who really should know the story of these two great aerial performers. If you’re just in this for the burlesque, don’t sweat it.

Dear Constant Reader,

Literary Rogues: A Scandalous History of Wayward Authors by Andrew Shaffer (2013).

I was introduced to the works of Andrew Shaffer when Naked Girls Reading did a nationwide event tied to the launch of his book Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love. The Boston chapter was fortunate enough to have an appearance by the author himself. We were surprised and delighted to learn of a thank you in the acknowledgements of his new book and decided it was only right to include a selection in our next salon (little did we know at the time that it would be the last).

Literary Rogues follows a similar format to Great Philosophers: short, entertaining profiles of bad boys (and girls) of literature, focusing on said bad behavior. The book proceeds chronologically from the Marquis de Sade through The Romantics, The Decadents, The Lost Generation, The Beat Generation, and on to Gen X. There’s lots of drugs, drinking, sexual shenanigans, mental illness, and general misbehaving from some of the greatest writers in western literature. Many of the stories end in suicide — intentional or gradual.

The book is well researched, with a section of endnotes to prove it, and a selected bibliography for further reading. Lest the dread word “research” frighten you off, the writing is light and conversational and the stories both funny and horrifying. Shaffer makes no excuses for his subjects’ behavior, but nor does he moralize. His commentary is frequently irreverent, but he never belittles the talents of the writer in question.

I think of this as a good nightstand book, a chapter or two a night is a nice treat before bed. And you’ll probably want to look up the works of some of these talented, troubled writers.

Dear Constant Reader,

Here’s your daily reminder to nominate The Boston Babydolls for Best Burlesque. You can vote once per day per email/IP address. Thank you!

striptease by Libby Jones (1967).

This slim volume is a gem. Subtitled “The one ‘How To’ book no woman should be without”, it covers all the basics a budding stripper could want in a mere 80 pages and boasts of “step-by-step, fully illustrated instructions by one of the most famous practitioners of the art, Libby Jones”. Published in 1967, it has the aesthetic of the era. There’s just something about the typeface of the headers that says “groovy” to me.

Ms. Jones starts off with, as promised, step-by-step instructions for stripping out of specific garments (gloves, dress, chemise, stockings, garter belt, bra, and panties). Each garment section is accompanied by line drawings showing how to remove it. Best of all is that each one is a convenient 2-page spread, for easy reference. Remember what I mentioned about the aesthetic? The illustration for “the dress” shows a maxi-dress with an empire waist with a floral slip (“the chemise”) worn underneath.

After you’ve learned to take it off, come “The Actions”: tassel twirling (the instant gratification method), breast bounce (a way of faking pectoral control a la Carrie Finnel or Donna Denise), shimmy (quivering the bum), bump (which “isn’t really one of life’s classiest gestures”), grind, floorwork, lunge, walks, and props (a pillow and earrings). All are again illustrated and each one is only on one or two pages. There are a couple of different floorwork poses and three walks, from coy to aggressive. I was quite thrilled to see some underutilized props. Now I’m inspired to try an earring remove — it could be quite seductive.

There’s even a section for making your own g-string and pasties. Remember, in 1967 there was no Etsy. ; ) The techniques are remarkably similar to the ones many people use today — if it ain’t broke…

The remaining 20-odd pages are on “beauty”. There are toning exercises for all parts of the body, like “firming and developing the bust”, “slimming the hips and buttocks”, and “reducing thick ankles”. Lastly, there are make up tips, such as conturing the face, making up eyes and lips, and “beauty hints”. Much of this section makes me think of the Virginia Slim’s motto, because we have come a long way.

I like it, part because it is a good how-to (the stripping part), and part because it is a window into its time period.

That’s the last burlesque book on my shelf! Do you have any suggestions for what I should review next?

Dear Constant Reader,

Book Review Wednesday returns!

Ambition by Immodesty Blaize (2010).

Previously I reviewed Tease, the first novel from burlesque superstar Immodesty Blaize.

Immodesty’s second book focuses on Sienna Starr, striving for fame and fortune in Las Vegas on her own merits, rather than riding the coattails of her famous name. When the book begins, she has it all — a role as a showgirl in the fabulous revue “Venus in Furs”, Tiger’s luxurious mansion to nest in, a billionaire boyfriend, and loyal friends.

It’s not as good as the first one. Although I want to give it one bit of praise right off: April March, The First Lady of Burlesque is name-dropped alongside Lili St. Cyr and Tiger Starr.

I think my biggest gripe it that here is no mystery surrounding Sienna, unless you count the mystery of when she will open her eyes and see that she’s surrounded by liars and backstabbers. The lavish descriptions of costumes and acts that filled the the previous book are lacking. Some of the characters border on ridiculous (near-identical brother-sister twins?) and the Americans hilariously talk like Brits (bedsit, holdalls, trash skip, &c.). Everything is tidily wrapped up in the last couple of chapters with the virtuous rewarded and the wicked getting what they deserve.

As my friend Red would say, I read this so you don’t have to. I do wonder what happened between books; the first one was fun, but the second is lackluster.

Dear Constant Reader,

Tease by Immodesty Blaize (2010).

Immodesty Blaize is a stunning burlesque performer. Her shows are amazing — gorgeous costumes, over-the-top props, sultry striptease. It’s no wonder Betty Blaize was so smitten that she chose her surname in tribute to her idol. Besides being the UK’s most dazzling burlesque showgirl, Immodesty is also an author. She’s written two novels and today I’ll review the first one.

Tease is the story of Tiger Starr, the UK’s most dazzling burlesque showgirl. She has elaborate stage shows, a platoon of leggy chorus girls, costumes worth the GNP of a small country, armies of admirers, a fabulous house. And a secret.

She’s poised on the brink of international superstardom with her own Las Vegas show when the anonymous letters begin to arrive, threatening to reveal her secret. Tiger’s career and very sanity begin to crumble.

Who is out to destroy her? A besotted fan? A bitter burlesque never-was? Her scheming dance captain? A jilted critic? Her overbearing manager? Her jealous younger sister? We’re pretty sure it could never be her flaming costume designer /confidant.

It’s a lushly-written romance in the style of Jackie Collins. The lavish descriptions of Tiger’s performances, costumes, and house are practically erotic. And speaking of things in that vein, there is sex. A fair amount of it. And throughout the story is the mystery: who is threatening Tiger? what is her secret?

Fun. A perfect vacation read.

Dear Constant Reader,

Looking for Little Egypt by Donna Carlton (1994).

In almost every book on the history of burlesque, there a mention of Little Egypt and how she saved the Chicago World’s Fair with her scandalous hoochy coochy dance on the “Streets of Cairo” exhibit. Her legend is huge — she used the newly invented zipper to shed her costume, her performance gave Mark Twain a heart attack, she was filmed by Thomas Edison. But who was she? Did she even exist?

Donna Carlton takes us back to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and explores the eastern entertainment on the Midway Plaisance that might have spawned Little Egypt. There were 3 places fairgoers could see authentic dance — the Algerian and Tunisian Village, the Turkish Village, and A Street in Cairo. There was also pseudo-oriental dancing at the Persian Palace. There’s no doubt the dancing was popular with attendees and horrified the more proper members of society. Oriental and orientalized dance spread across America.

So what does this have to do with burlesque? After the Chicago Exposition, most burlesque, vaudeville, and carnival shows featured a middle eastern-style dancer, often called a hoochy coochy (a corruption of the French hochequeue meaning “tail shaker”) or cooch dancer, and often billed as “Little Egypt”. These were usually western women in a fantasy version of eastern dance costume presenting an “exotic” dance. One can see the influence of the cooch dancer on stripper’s costumes and dance moves, or maybe it was the other way around.

So, was there an actual Little Egypt? Who was she? Ms. Carlton separates myth from history and makes a well-researched case for the identity of the original Little Egypt, but I will not reveal the results.