The Silver Slipper and the Infamous Evelyn West and Blaze Starr

by: Femme Vivre LaRouge

The only icon that says Las Vegas more than a slot machine is a showgirl.  From can-can to canned music, Vegas seems to have always welcomed scantily clad women on its stages.  Some of the biggest busts in burlesque were popular touring sensations at the Silver Slipper in the mid-century.  One of the largest casinos on the Strip in its heyday, some favorites at this saloon were Tempest Storm, Evelyn West, and Blaze Starr.

Although there was little protest to the stripteasers’ Vegas presentations, both Blaze Starr and Evelyn West found themselves under the scrutiny of the law when performing elsewhere.  In Philadelphia Blaze Starr’s performance was brought up on an obscenity charge for her aggressively sexual panther crawl and Evelyn West was reportedly hauled to the big house at least a half dozen times in St. Louis.

Billed as “The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque,” Blaze Starr was born in 1932, hit the road at the age of 15, leaving her Virginia home behind, and was performing burlesque in Baltimore by 16.  With her phenomenal figure and flaming red hair, Blaze quickly made a name for herself.  This hot-blooded mama can aptly be described as fierce, her acts known for their energy and daring.  Her most famous stage prop was the burning couch, a device that was both hot and humorous.  As Blaze graced the divan with her derriere and began to disrobe, the couch would start to smoke and seemingly set itself on fire!  The only person this act didn’t make her popular with was probably the fire marshall.  What really got her into trouble, though, was another little stunt involving a live panther.  The panther joined her onstage and helped her out of her clothes while searching for hidden snacks.  But problems didn’t arise from a protest by PETA or an act of animal violence.  No, the trouble all started when the panther passed away…and Blaze decicded to keep the routine, imitating the panther herself.  Although audiences were ready for her raw re-enaction of the panther’s prowl, police were not.  Perhaps they feared that Blaze would incite a sexual riot, so they arrested her for obscenity.  Just as a later accusation in New Orleans would be, the charges were thrown out.

Miss Starr is perhaps best known these days for her love affair with “the ungovernable governor,” Earl K. Long of Louisiana and the movie, Blaze, based off of her autobiography.  Previously pictured as the lead in 1962’s Blaze Starr Goes Nudist, Blaze may not have been an actual nudist, but Miss Evelyn West spent some time as a part of The American Sunbathing Assocation.  She advocated the health and happiness that nudism could bring to a person and was even a bridesmaid in a nude wedding once.

Known as “The Hubba-Hubba Girl,” Evelyn West was born in 1921 and has been credited with making burlesque ‘bust-conscious.’  She was so proud of her own pair that she had them insured for 50 big ones through the prestigious Lloyd’s of London.  She even attempted to legally change her name to Evelyn “$50,000 Treasure Chest” West.

Beginning in sideshow, Evelyn’s career really took off after World War II when she began performing a striptease at San Francisco’s President’s Club.  She appeared in the film A Night at the Follies in 1947, where she quipped, “I know you’re looking at my shoes,” and was an extra in a couple of earlier films, but burlesque was where she really made it big.  Despite her many run-ins with the St. Louis police department, Deputy Police Chief James Hacket gave her the compliment of calling her “the Babe Ruth of burlesque.”  Her most notorious prop, a dummy called Esky, modeled after Esquire magazine’s mascot, caused some to take offense.  They claimed that her act “excited men to lewd and vicious thoughts,” but as per usual, the judge in this case was hesitant to navigate the grey area between art and misconduct, and the charges were dropped.  Although she was taken in for indecent exposure several times, her bondsman, Bob Block, has stated that she was never held over night.

Miss West had no problem stirring up a little trouble, and publicity, wherever she went.  Evelyn was known to make disparaging comments about rival celebrities, even throwing a tomato at one, and threatening to sue others.  According to one source, her pin-up photos were banned by the US postal service for lewdness and a pricing scale that correlated directly to Miss West’s state of undress.

From starring at the Stardust and Silver Slipper to authoring articles such as “How I Feel about Sex” and “Are Strippers Immoral,” the buxom beauty definitely made her mark on burlesque.  Evelyn eventually retired to anonymity, though, and passed on in 2004.  Blaze Starr, however, continues to create art, selling her jewelry online at www.blazestarrsgems.com.  She also still enjoys playing the Cajun fiddle and the slot machines!

Well tie me up, it’s Clara Bow
by: Hella Goode

This week it’s Anne Hathaway, the next week Natalie Portman and after that maybe Mila Kunis. Who is the new “it girl” in Hollywood? Reaching “it girl” status is great while it lasts, but there was only one original “it girl” and her name was Clara Bow. Women adored her for her spunkiness and free spirit. Yet she was gifted in attracting men as well. She had that unattainable and enviable spark that got her cast time and time again.

Bow began her career in silent film and was one of the few actors of the time that managed to successfully transition to “talkies.” Her voice was not the silky smooth one sought after by many actors of the time, but still a unique one that drew the ears of those who heard it. Yet what she was most known for was for being the first to hint at the existence of sex in film. Granted for today’s
standards it was still tame, but for the time, Clara’s flirtation was hot as a skillet.

Just as her star shot to the sky, she began to burn. Paramount began typecasting her as mostly a flapper, or a party girl. She displayed her acting abilities including her emotional range through other roles although not as plentiful sometimes as a jailbird and other times as a tomboy.

Strangely, for a person so desired as an adult, Clara was born unwanted. She was born in 1905 in Brooklyn to a mother who was mentally ill and her father had no interest in her. Her dreams were her escape.

That was until she won the 1921 Fame and Fortune contest looking for the next big thing by Motion Picture, Motion Picture Classic, and Shadowland Magazines. They reported that she had “a genuine spark of the divine fire.” She was cast in a small part in Beyond the Rainbow in 1922, but was disappointed to find that her scene was cut before release. However things changed when B.P.Schulberg got hold of Clara. Soon she had more work than had thought possible.

She was more versatile than given credit for by many film historians. Despite giving such brilliant dramatic performances, it was Clara’s flapper roles that increasingly drew the attentions of millions of American film-goers.

Riding on the successes of The Plastic Age, Dancing Mothers, and especially
Mantrap, Clara was fast becoming a major star. Men started to desire her voluptuous body and became completely mesmerized by her effervescent charm and breath-taking beauty. Clara even set fashion trends among women.

Yet a dispute with assistant Daisy DeVoe which lead to a court case took Clara into a downward spiral that she found nearly impossible to escape. Ms. DeVoe had difficulty getting along with Bow’s then husband, Rex Bell, who may have gotten the allegations going. In the trial, DeVoe alleged that Bow had a libido that wouldn’t stop. She claimed the actress had her way with countless men and even dipped a toe into bestiality. Clara found it hard to repolish her reputation and began having breakdowns. She became known as “Crisis-a-day Clara.” Studios and industry people distanced themselves from her.

She later moved to Nevada on hiatus from films, became the mother of two sons and began to recuperate mentally from all she had endured, not only in Hollywood, but from her life from day one.

Eventually she came back to movies in Call Her Savage (1932) and Hoopla (1933). However her party girl reputation was stuck like the gum to the back of her ear. In 1988 David Stenn wrote a biography about Clara called Runnin’ Wild in which his pen burned in his mission to clarify and rectify the wild rumors about her.

One might ask what good such an effort would do, over twenty years after herdeath, on September 26, 1965. As long as there are those who enjoyed Clara’s life and work, then setting the record straight would be worth it.

Who was Clara Bow, the “it girl”? It can be summed up in one of her personal
quotes. “All the time the flapper is laughin’ and dancin’, there’s a feelin’ of
tragedy underneath…”

Herstory of Jayne Mansfield

by: Hella Goode

http://www.jaynemansfield.com/about/quotes.html

“When I’m 100 I’ll still be doing pin-ups,” said a young, beautiful Jayne Mansfield. Too bad that was not meant to come true. At the still maturing age of 34, Jayne, a passenger in the front of a car with her children riding in back, was killed when the vehicle collided with a large truck on her way back from Mississippi.

Jayne was born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19, 1933 to Herbert and Vera Palmer. She was a kind and generous child, who always had hope in her heart and stars in her eyes. Yet, those stars dimmed when her father died and Jayne was only three years old.

It was no crime. There was no need for Jayne’s real-life daughter, Mariska Hartigay, who plays Officer Olivia Bennett on Law & Order’s SVU series to investigate. Vera wouldn’t be kept down about it and neither would young Jayne. Jayne married Paul Mansfield in a hurry and gave birth to Jayne Marie Mansfield. She kept the name even after she didn’t keep him. It just sounded right.

Jayne began to work in Hollywood as a model but found that the 1950’s world was a little taken aback by her large chest. But her potential shone through. She liked to say, “A forty-one inch bust and a lot of perseverance will get you more than a cup of coffee-a lot more. But most girls don’t know what to do with what they’ve got.”

Jayne was working her way up and starting to outshine the crowd when she became distracted by Mickey Hartigay, 1956’s  Mr. Universe. Soon there were three more twinkles in Jayne’s eyes: Micklos, Zoltan, and Mariska. The pair were very dedicated parents who did not let their work take from their children, nor did they let their children take work from them.

Soon Jayne starred in “The Girl Can’t Help It,” and “The Wayward Bus,” as well as “Rock Hunter” and “Kiss Them For Me.” She began to perform at the Tropicana in Las Vegas and was thrilled to be able to have more personal live contact with her fans. She did cameos on television and was up for almost anything the fast lane of the world of entertainment could throw at her. Apparently she did not have room for Mickey anymore, and they divorced.

Jayne had once said, “I will never be satisfied. Life is one constant search for betterment for me.” Unfortunately neither she nor the world can be satisfied by a glowingly beautiful life cut so short. But se la vie, thus is the life of the 1950’s superstar.  Only the good die young, right?

Herstory of Bettie Page-What Would Bettie Do?

By Hella Goode

What would you do if a random woman walked up to you and asked you if you had found God? You’d probably brush her off. Bettie Page walked the Jesus walk for many of her latter years, unrecognized and hardly recognizable, even participating in the Billy Graham Crusade.  She felt she had quite a bit to reconcile, but nude modeling wasn’t really what she wanted to wash clean.

In fact, Bettie was known to say that nude modeling came naturally to her and that it was only once Adam and Eve sinned that they needed to wear clothes. Bettie did not regret most of her modeling, however, the government probing into Irving Klaw’s photography; accused of being pornographic and derogatory could have made Bettie begin to feel a bit dirty about her work. The photos taken of Bettie in various dominatrix outfits and gear were not blatantly sexual and did not involve nudity, yet filth is in the eye of the beholder. Just as a mother nursing her child in public can be seen as beautiful and natural by some, yet overexposed and even a turn-on by others, the images of Bettie became seen as something to be ashamed of.

Bettie modeled for fun, for the money (which paid better than her prior secretarial work), and for attention. She had never had a stable home life, unconditional acceptance, or stability, and strangely, her modeling-risque at the time, gave her all she sought after.

Bettie Page, born Betty Page on April 22, 1923 to Walter Roy Page and Edna Marie Pirthe in Tennessee, had no idea that her childhood longing for attention and acceptance would help bring about a cultural revolution.

She was the second of six children, and as any innocent child does, she needed attention. She wasn’t getting much of it. Her father wasn’t around much and wasn’t pleasant when he was. He was abusive and in and out of jail. Her mother became so desolate that she sent Bettie and a sister to live in an orphanage until she could afford to have them back. Yet, Bettie kept smiling and enjoying the simple joys of life. She and her brothers and sisters competed at keeping a chicken feather in the air using their breath, and she dabbled in art with the oil from her fingers. Bettie would always find a way.

Then,  in 1950, while strolling along Coney Island, a random photographer snapped her photo. His name was Jerry Tibbs, and he had just discovered black gold. Although yet to have her signature bangin’ bangs that would be emulated for generations to come, she was still pretty and charismatic. The bangs came later as a suggestion to keep her face from appearing too long.

Bettie was a hit! She appeared in numerous magazines including Playboy, a move which would prove unexpectedly helpful later in life. Her career shot as high up as the Rocketeer, whose girlfriend in the movie was inspired by Bettie’s look. This is the part of Bettie’s life, from 1950 to the beginning of the 60’s, that we know the most about.

Then, just as Jesus disappeared for a few years, so did Bettie Page. Until recently, little was known about what she did for so many years. She was often assumed dead. Then she popped up as a Golden Girl of the faith. Turns out that between her three failed marriages she had become part of the Christian faith and devoted herself to God. Also a motivator in her newfound Christianity, her trouble with her temper.  Bettie had been arrested for the attempted murder of her landlady after a fiery dispute. She was deemed mentally instable and diagnosed with schizophrenia. She served out many months in an institution, trying to heal herself.

During these turbulent years she had no way of supporting herself, not realizing that others were rolling in green by selling her images. Yes, the sexual revolution of the sixties and seventies, had Bettie blowing up years and years later. Playboy’s Hugh Hefner extended his hand to Bettie, helping her bring in some profits from her images, most of which she did not own the rights to. After the government’s investigation of Irving Klaw, she was surprised any of the images still existed.

Bettie had no desire to create new images though. She wanted to be remembered even in life for her heyday moments, those glorious images of Jungle Bettie, fetish Bettie and the gorgeous Playboy shot of her, naked hanging the ornament on a Christmas tree. She couldn’t understand why anyone would want to see her growing old. Meanwhile, Bettie was more popular than ever, with countless websites, books (including the great The Real Bettie Page: the truth about the queen of pin-ups by Richard Foster), and movies about her, including 2005’s The Notorious Bettie Page, starring Gretchen Mol.

That’s how Bettie chose to live her last quiet years, with psalms on her lips, her signature bangs (peppery gray) on her face, and memories in her head.  A rarity amongst the legends of her day, Bettie did live a long life. At the age of 85, on December 11, 2008, Bettie Page passed away as a result of pneumonia and a heart attack in Los Angeles.  Impossible to forget, rest in peace, Bettie Page.

So, next time someone approaches you thinking you look like you need a bit of faith in your life, look closely, you never know who you might find.

Editor’s note: Our very own Hella Goode has her very first book out (under her legal name, of course)! We couldn’t be more proud of her! You’ll check it out, won’t you? 101 Mexico City Travel Tips

Legends: Josephine Baker
Story: Hella Goode

When Frida Kahlo painted her double self-portrait, the Two Fridas, she couldn’t possibly have been imagining that she would meet another Frida one day that would enchant her so.

The other ‘Frida’ in the rumored love affair, was actually born Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3, 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri to Carrie McDonald and drummer Eddie Carson, who hesitated very little in abandoning the new mother and child. She would later choose to go by her middle name, Josephine. After a series of family changes and a few short-lived marriages, she would become the legend known today as Josephine Baker, sometimes called ‘Black Venus,’ ‘Black Pearl,’ or ‘Creole Goddess.’ Josephine was renown worldwide for many of her passions, dancing, singing, mothering a menagerie of unusual pets, rallying for Civil Rights and setting the example for such adoption-happy celebs as Mia Farrow and Angelina Jolie, with her dozen adopted multicultural children which she lovingly referred to as the “Rainbow Tribe.”

One might ask, how did a black woman shoot to such fame and success at a time when racial restraints would not let her so much as sit in the front of the bus in the United States? Josephine mentions, “One day I realized I was living in a country where I was afraid to be black. It was only a country for white people. Not black. So I left. I had been suffocating in the United States…A lot of us left, not because we wanted to leave, but because we couldn’t stand it anymore…I felt liberated in Paris.”

Before departing for Paris, she had performed in the first all-black Broadway musical, Shuffle Along in 1922 at the age of 16 in New York. In 1925, she joined La Revue Nègre in Paris. Her performance with her partner, Joe Alex in the Danse Sauvage made her a star. She then took on La Folie du Jour at the Follies-Bergère Theater. Meanwhile in 1926 she recorded music for the first time ever. She briefly returned to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall, where she never before would have been accepted, but after her success in Europe and social growth in the Civil Rights movement, she was given a standing ovation.

In France, she starred in movies and on stage. Off stage she lead her life the way she saw fit. She became iconic, known for her exotic beauty, although she mocked it, saying her good feature was her legs, and the rest of her body was simply ‘amusing.’ She had presence that few other stars had.

Her films included:
La Sirène des Tropiques (1927)
Josephine plays a tropical beauty who aspires to dance in Paris. She was used to overacting for the live stage and thus gave an exaggerated performance which later haunted her.

Zouzou (1934)
Josephine portrays Zouzou, a circus performer in love with the man who plays her twin brother, but leaves her for another woman.

Princess Tam Tam (1935)
Josephine takes on the role of a primitive woman again, introduced to the French culture by a man.

The French Way (1945)
Josephine plays a cabaret performer named Zazu.

One can speculate as to why, despite being such a proponent of equal rights, she would accept roles as a ’savage,’ however, she made sure that she was not pigeonholed as such. She was civilized in all other aspects of her life, after, her favorite food was spaghetti.

Josephine never left the United States behind completely. She kept vigilant watch over the events going on in the Civil Rights movement while enjoying her success in France. By the time she had amped her popularity in film and on stage in Europe, becoming one of the best if not, the highest paid performer of her time and ranking amongst the most photographed women in the world, she knew she had a new mission, to aid in the fight for Civil Rights in the United States. She was invited to speak at the 1963 march on Washington DC, where Martin Luther King Jr.’s infamous speech still runs shivers down the spines of those who hear it. “Until the March on Washington,” Josephine stated, “I always had this little feeling in my stomach. I was always afraid. I couldn’t meet white American people. I didn’t want to be around them. But now that little gnawing feeling is gone. For the first time in my life I feel free. I know that everything is right now.” Josephine continued to help the cause by refusing to perform or appear in places that did not allow blacks to enter or refused them seating. She was very public about her stance on equality, even when it meant open and public media battles.

How ironic for the spirit of political activism to come from the woman most known for the image of the costume she wore for the Danse Banane. It was nothing more than about a dozen bananas strewn together to make a less than skimpy skirt. Josephine gave new meaning to many things, but she topped the sweet cake by showing us what Chiquita Bananas really meant with this one. She wasn’t recognized for being very modest in her costumes, but often wore revealing and sensual digs, performing and posing topless as well, which was not nearly as scandalous in France in the 1920’s and 1930’s as it was in the United States. It took until the 1950’s in Las Vegas for American girls and venues to accept the daring challenge of having topless showgirls. She lit up the venue no matter what she did, taken over by the thrill of the stage. … “I improvised, crazed by the music… Even my teeth and eyes burned with fever. Each time I leaped I seemed to touch the sky and when I regained earth it seemed to be mine alone,” she said.

She died at the age of 69 on April 12, 1975 in Paris, France of cerebral hemorrhage, a recognized contributor to the victory of World War II on the French side, earning her a 21-gun salute, an American Civil Rights activist, the cause of the contagious jazz bug in Europe, amongst other achievements including giving hope to those who had none. She was honored with the presence of over 20,000 people in her funeral procession and status as a stage legend, inspiring women of her time and future generations to not let beautiful and bold be determined by the opinion of the masses, but to simply bleed it from the inside out.

For more: http://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/

In the last few years, the US, particularly Texas and California, have taken notice of the Mexican celebration known as Dia de los Muerto, or the Day of the Dead. Cavaleras (or skulls) that are brightly decorated, or skeletons wearing clothing and engaging in activities- playing music, getting married, etc., have become popular imagery for clothing and accessories. Sure, you recognize the fashion trend, but do you understand the origins? Our resident tri-lingual librarian, Hella Goode, enlightens us.

The origins of this awe-inspiring holiday can be traced back a few thousand years or more to the heyday of the Aztec Empire in Central and Southern Mexico. The Aztec religion and gods viewed death as part of the circle of life, and were positive that it was just a step from rebirth. Death was nothing to fear, but to celebrate as a rite of passage. They worshiped the Lady of Death, a goddess called Mictecacihuatl throughout their month-long celebration. They gathered marigolds, as the sweet smell they believed would guide the dead back home, making marigolds the official flower of the celebration.

Of course, when the Spanish arrived, just as they were with most of the indigenous activities, they refused to value this celebration. They were horrified to see death glorified instead of mourned and dedicated themselves to spreading Catholicism throughout the land. The Day of the Dead traditions were so deeply rooted in the Aztec culture, however, that the Spanish found it impossible to get rid of altogether. Instead, they blended their Christian beliefs with the Aztec beliefs. The month-long event became the new three-day celebration that still exists in Mexico and Latin America.

Around this time of year, markets are flooded with Day of the Dead supplies, including popular artist renderings of the Day of the Dead, paper mache or wooden carved figurines of skeletons or “calacas” doing everything from getting married to playing guitar to eating dinner. They are not sad or scary but happy, celebrating their rebirth. They make people laugh. One of the most popular images from this celebration is that of the “Catrina” or the sophisticated lady calaca. She usually wears the fanciest of dresses, a hat, and is often depicted smoking. She was first made by an artist by the name of Jose Guadalupe Posada, born in 1852 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He was originally an illustrator, but enjoyed crafting as well. His image of the sophisticated lady, Catrina, is the first that inspired many today.

Day of the Dead begins on October 31st, what we recognize as Halloween. This is the day that preparations are made for family altars for the dead which are kept in the home. They usually feature a photo of the deceased, marigolds, the deceased’s favorite foods, and typical Day of the Dead adornments such as candy skulls, tamales, or a piece of “pan de los muertos” or “bread of the dead.” Sometimes families also use “papel picado” or tissue paper cut into intricate designs and burn incense.

November first is called “All Saints Day” in honor of children who have passed away. It is said that on this day the spirits of the children, “angelitos” or little angels, return to their families. Then, on November second, the official Day of the Dead is celebrated. It is also known as “All Souls Day.” On this day, families will visit the cemetery of their family members who have passed, and picnic at their grave which has been decorated with candles, marigolds, a photo, and favorite toys or foods. They sing and carry on, feeling the soul of their loved one beside them. They celebrate way into the night and sometimes until the next morning.

Meanwhile, here in the US, kids are still recovering from their sugar hangovers, and haven’t really reflected on anything more deep than the extent their finger will go into a marshmallow or why Ms. King wasn’t afraid of their Friday the 13th mask. Others will appreciate it artistically, using its colorful displays in their own arts and crafts, and begin to reflect on their own life and rebirth. Like it says in the Lion King, “we are all part of the circle of life.”

Resources

Cano, Theresa. Day of the Dead art. http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-history3.html

Heinrichs, Ann. Day of the Dead. The Child’s World, 2006.

 by Hella Goode

“You Can’t Have Everything.” Maybe Gypsy Rose Lee heard this a few times in her life. After all, this Aquarius, born Rose Louise Hovick on Thursday, February 9, 1911 in Seattle, (although later she would claim to have been born three years after in 1914). Circumstances and opportunities for women at the time were scarce. It seemed the stage, however, was the exception. Rose’s mother, also named Rose, got her daughters involved in vaudeville at an early age. For Gypsy Rose Lee, her vaudeville experience got her experienced in other ways as she later gave birth to a daughter, fathered by a vaudeville boy. Many years later she also had a son with director, Otto Preminger.

Her lifetime was spotted with brief marriages such as to Robert Mizzy, Alexander Kirkland, and Julio De Diego. Gypsy Rose Lee was much more successful in entertainment than in love. Like the name of her comedy film debut in 1937, “You Can’t Have Everything,” she learned that there were ways to get close enough to it. She was a wildly famous burlesque dancer at Minsky’s a few years and then went on to pursue writing and acting, appearing in such films as “My Lucky Star and “Ali Baba Goes to Town,” among others. Her novel “The G-string Murders” became an Academy Award nominated movie called “Lady of Burlesque.” She also penned “Mother Finds a Body” and the play, “Doll Face,” and starred in musicals.

She took in her last breath in the entertainment capital, LA, on April 26, 1970, succumbing to cancer, but her work showed women that there is always a way to find what you need and to do it with style.