May 19, 2025 • 46 mins
What better way to honor The Burlesque Hall of Fame then to tell the stories of Jennie Lee, Activist, Historian and Founder of Exotic World and Dixie Evans, Jennie's friend and predecessor who took on Jennie's vision for BHoF
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(00:11):
Welcome, darlings and deviants, to Let's Burlesque, where we
bring you the art, the heart, and the unapologetic sparkle of
the stage. I may December your guide
through the glitz. And I'm Creme de Violence, here
to peel back the layers of burlesque, the history, the
hustle, and the secret sauce that makes it sizzle.
Whether you're a seasoned performer or a curious kitten,
(00:34):
there's always room in our bouture.
So grab a drink, settle in, and let's talk sequins, sass, and
the stories behind the feathers.Are you ready to bear it all,
Creme? Oh, always.
Me, let's start the show and. Let's burlesque.
(01:03):
Hi, everybody. This is May, December.
And I own a fortune. We are having redo most fun
today. I don't know this is my program
is being a Dick. And my Wi-Fi is being terrible,
(01:24):
so it's yeah, all around. Internet, I mean, what are we
going to do? So we're going to make the best
of it. This recording is going to go
fine. Fingers crossed everything's
fine, the world's on fire, but it's OK we got.
We got this, yes. Not, not.
(01:47):
We're not very far from legislate this and we get to
hang out in person. We do.
I'm excited to meet you in person.
I know I'm so excited. We're gonna have so much fun and
we're gonna do a lot of stupid shit I'm sure just for Patreon
(02:09):
or TikTok and or I don't know, Ihave to see both.
I am planning, I know I am planning on posting our show for
our Patreon. So now is the perfect time to
join our Patreon, support our podcast, this little bitty
(02:33):
podcast that we're trying to do.I mean, we're just history
lovers and burlesque lovers meshing the two.
We're just, we are just, yeah, burlesque historians and really
people who are just fascinated and passionate about this, that
(02:54):
it just keeps coming up in my, at least for me, in my head, I
can't get away from from the burlesque so.
Oh, I can't either. It's so intriguing.
Yeah, I just want to talk about it all the time, and I feel like
the more I learn about the legends and the history, the
more I want to learn. Yeah, the more you want to dig
deeper into it. That's how I feel.
(03:16):
There's so much to learn. That's why I feel like I've,
I've had to kind of narrow down like my articles on my website
for just myself. So putting it into like just
Nebraska, Iowa territory at times really helps me like
figure out what I'm trying to write about.
Because at times it's just, there's so much to say and my
(03:38):
little ADHD brain can't handle that.
It has to be has to be specific for me.
Yeah, yeah, I'm totally the sameway.
But it's, it's funny how like when I find somebody to talk
about, it always comes back to where I'm from or where I am.
And that's kind of cool too, finding history where you're at.
(04:00):
Yeah. Yeah, what else Legislate this
gonna be a bad ass Legislate this tickets are flying so.
Yes. Well, I'm excited to be a
performer. I finished one of my costumes
last night because of course thezipper broke on it the last time
I performed in it, and I had to have the kitten fish me out of
(04:24):
it afterwards. So it's been replaced the zipper
and yeah, I feel pretty good about.
That's always fun. I I talked one day because we
did a call out asking people to give us their stories of costume
malfunctions and we only got oneperson.
(04:47):
So if you're listening and you had everybody's had a costume
malfunction. Yes.
If anything I feel like we couldcategorize them.
It could be the corset busk, youknow, doesn't 1 little notch
doesn't come off and all the tension is on that one little 1
(05:08):
and it won't give. And then you end up bending it
or something. And then you have to get your
pliers when you get home and rebend it back because you like,
had to, you know, get the jaws of life to exit the course of
the. Gosh, that's the worst.
Yeah. I had a fun one.
I had a fun one. I did.
I had an armband on like a gold armband and it was really cool
(05:32):
looking. And of course when I took my top
off it got snagged and so then I'm trying to like very sexily
RIP this arm band arm. That was a good time.
That's funny. I threw it away.
(05:55):
I. Yeah, I think you always, as a
burlesque dancer have this notion like, maybe your your
take is different, but like someof the costumes, you know, you
love them, but you are willing to break them and tear them to
get out of the costume. I don't think other people would
necessarily think that in burlesque that we do that.
(06:15):
I mean, I do it all the time. I feel like, 'cause I just am
clumsy and get on stage and thenI'm like, oh, wow, this is not
going how I planned it. I have to RIP this now.
All right. Well, it was nice knowing YA
costume piece. It's usually like my pantyhose
get stuck on a piece of jewelry and then I have to tear it or
(06:37):
something. Or I tear by accident with my
arms moving and then there's just a hole.
I'm like, great. Yeah, that's always fun.
I finally gave in and got some Capezio fishnets I've held off.
Yeah. I get like the cheap shit off of
Sheen and I was like, you know what?
(06:58):
Mama deserves a good pair of fishnets.
Mm hmm. Definitely.
We'll see how those care, but I'm mostly done with the
costuming. Danny is doing some work on it
tonight. It's my daughter's graduation
(07:19):
weekend, so we're gonna be hellabusy this weekend with other
things. So I'm like, OK.
Oh hi, cat Butt. My cat is trying to sorry she
won't leave me alone she's behind my computer so if if you
see my computer shake or like myscreen starts shaking it's
(07:39):
because she's rubbing her head against it and she wants love
but she can't have it it's. Fine at the Patreon people don't
care. They're all cat people.
That's good. This.
Yeah, let me. Oh.
Oh, this is what you wanted. This is this is Amanita.
(08:01):
Oh, yeah. She doesn't want to be held.
So she's like put. Me down.
She's so pretty. She's a tiny little sit Sprite.
Yeah, she's just a little black Kitty, my little witchy Kitty.
Kitties, I just have this littleasshole that's laying next to
me. The little.
Puppy. My little Coco Chanel little.
Coco Chanel, of course. Yes, she's a sweet baby when she
(08:25):
wants to be, so she thinks she'sway bigger than she is though,
but OK. So last week we mentioned the
closing of the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame.
Very sad. Yes, their physical location
(08:48):
closing. Not the whole organization
though, just the physical location.
Right, but it's still sad. It is so another call out.
Please support the Burlesque Hall of Fame memberships are not
that expensive and then you get this cute little card in the
mail with your name on it. I do wish that they did not put
(09:09):
my muggle name on it. That is my only complaint and
it's not that important of a complaint.
So ignore it and be a member. Join them you'll get you'll get
to help a really great organization and we're going to
tell you the history of the great organization known as
Behaf. If y'all are ready for it, Do
(09:31):
you think they're ready for it? OK, I think so.
I think so. So there are two characters
here, which is perfect because there's two of us to talk about
them. So I am going to share about the
founder who started the whole ball rolling on everything, the
one and only Jenny Lee. And then, Iona, you're gonna
(09:55):
tell us about her predecessor, the wonderful and enchanting and
beautiful Dixie Evans. Yes, Dixie.
Did I build it enough? I think he did.
I think he did, yeah. Cool people didn't know.
I'm not sure if people knew about the founders as much.
(10:19):
I mean, you know, I, we all haveto learn this stuff somehow,
right? I, I agree.
Like not everybody knows who started it or where it started
or any of that history. And that's an important history
for us as burlesquers. Burlesquers.
Is that a word? I think it is, yeah.
(10:43):
It's maybe a more old timey, butit's a.
It's a word. I mean, she was really, Jenny
Lee was really like the first maybe burlesque historian.
I would call her a burlesque historian, but she was, she was
the self-proclaimed Bazoom girl.So that was her.
(11:06):
I love that. Little tagline, the Bazoom girl.
She was an amazing figure, no pun intended, And burlesque
preservation. She went from stage siren to the
founder of the Burlesque Hall ofFame.
So we're going to rewind it backand here's my connection.
(11:28):
Like I said earlier, I love finding connections.
Guess where Jenny Lee was born? You have any idea?
Texas. No, she was born in Kansas City,
MO. Oh, nice.
OK, sorry. I was thinking of of your
hometown, which I said was in Texas, but.
(11:50):
I would die, but yeah, yeah, I mean Kansas.
City, Missouri, though. That's pretty pretty.
That's awesome, I didn't know that.
She was born Virginia Lee Hicks and her birthday she is a
Halloween baby. October 23rd of 1928 is when she
was born. So Jenny Lee was raised in a
(12:11):
time when femininity and performance were being redefined
in post war America. She had a voluptuous figure and
I do have her measurements here.She was 42 D 2637.
She was. 42 D. 42-D with a 26 inch waist.
(12:36):
Wow, Yeah, that's a. Tiny waste for that big of a of
a bust. I know.
So she quickly became known as. Yeah, she quickly became known
as the Bazoom Girl. She was also called the
burlesque virgin. Oh, not virgin, the burlesque
version of Jane Mansfield. Eventually, she was called Miss
(13:00):
44 and plenty more. Which is cute.
I love that. I like that she was drawn to the
stage early on. She began dancing professionally
in the late 40s, and she quicklybecame known for her vivacious
energy, her dynamic routines, not just her voluptuous figure.
(13:20):
But she was more than just another showgirl.
She became a symbol of unapologetic sexuality.
Her trademark act involved tassel twirling, but not just in
the conventional way, because she would stunt audiences by
twirling each tassel in the opposite direction.
Try that one. I have.
I'm not. I can't.
(13:42):
That's I. Mean, I'm sure I could, I'm sure
I could. It's just rolling those
shoulders but. It's a lot of practice, I'm
sure. A lot of practice, yeah,
absolutely. And I don't, I don't have the
time to sit there all day and try and do that.
I don't know, Maybe I'll try it.Who knows?
But that was her signature act. That was that was what she did
(14:03):
during her signature act was troll twirl, each tassel in
opposite directions. It was a very cheeky move, but
it became her signature and it helps solidify her brand.
So her act centered on how fast she could get her pasty
propellers to spin and how dizzyshe could make the audience.
(14:23):
So by the $50, yeah, her little propellers.
By the early 1950s, she had broken into acting.
So she landed some minor roles. She had a movie called Boo in
1953. She was in Abandoned in 1958.
She was in Cold Wind in August in 1961 and Three Nuts in Search
(14:46):
of a Bolt in 64. That one she starred with Mamie
Van Doren. Despite her I know, despite her
ambitions for mainstream stardom, I'm sure because of her
voluptuous body she got typecastand so she never fully took off
because of that, which sucks. By the mid 1950s, Jenny Lee had
(15:09):
grown tired of the way dancers were being treated in the
entertainment industry. She was fed up with poor working
conditions and consistent pay and lack of professional respect
for dancers. So she Co founded the Exotic
Dancers League or the EDL of North America in 1955.
S power to her as its first place.
(15:33):
I know I love this about her andthis is something I didn't know
before, so I'm really glad that I got to research this.
But so she was the 1st presidentof the EDL and she advocated
tirelessly for better labor protections for dancers.
The EDL operated like a union. It offered resources, legal
(15:53):
support and a sense of solidarity in a profession
that's often marginalized and exploited.
Dancers wages in Los Angeles at the time were abysmally low, and
Jenny herself was living in a rundown studio apartment, trying
to survive while maintaining herglamorous persona.
We've all been there. She later admitted in a 1980s
(16:16):
interview that she hid her living conditions from her
friends, saying they would. They would have thought I was a
hooker for sure. Her advocacy work with the EDL
wasn't just professional, it wasdeeply personal.
So side note, sex work is real work.
I wouldn't care if you thought Iwas a hooker, but I understand
(16:39):
that in the 60s there was a lot of, I mean there still is a lot
of people that look down upon hookers.
So that was that was a direct quote guys.
I did not say that. But so Jenny also appeared on
(17:01):
the covers of several men's magazines during her career,
including Stare in 1954, Risk in57 and Frolic in 58.
So in addition to her work as a stripper, she was also a popular
pinup model and she wrote a selfprofile article for Modern Man
magazine in 1955. So for years she pinned a
(17:25):
monthly column covering the burlesque scene, further
cementing her role as a voice and an advocate within the
industry. I would love to find some of
these magazines that her articles came in.
So on the lookout for Modern Man.
She had a real love for the legacy.
After she retired from active performing, she didn't walk
(17:47):
away, she just shifted her focustowards preserving its history.
Over the years, she had amassed an impressive collection of
burlesque memorabilia. She had costumes, she had props,
posters, photographs, all kinds of personal artifacts from
dancers spanning across the decades.
So rather than letting these treasures fade away, Jenny
(18:09):
dreamed of a space where burlesque could be remembered
and celebrated. So together with her husband,
she established Exotic World Burlesque Museum in Helen Dale,
California. So it's a wonderfully eccentric
little museum that she created in a house that was a goat farm
at one time in the middle of theMojave Desert.
(18:31):
I just love that. I love the isolatedness.
Like how? Grand of a thought to have right
now or you know, just at that time even just to like I'm going
to go buy this goat farm previous goat farm.
And I know. Put my entire collection in it.
I was thinking like when they were talking about closing the
(18:52):
location because Las Vegas is stupid expensive.
I was thinking of my time in Nevada.
So I was outside of Reno at the brothels.
It's a little South of Reno. And I was thinking like, man,
they should find a place there. And the little cul-de-sac where
(19:15):
Sagebrushes has like there's 4 brothels there, but they only
have I think 2. When I was there, there was only
one open, but they were about toopen Love Ranch again.
I don't, I haven't kept up with it much so I don't know if it's
still open, but there's some down there in the cul-de-sac.
(19:36):
And I was like, why don't they just try and rent one of these
brothel buildings and open that as the museum?
I don't know if that would be kind of cool, I think, but.
I know it would be cool I just Ifeel like they're moving away
from the physical space all together just because of the
cost so I'm hoping anywhere in the something but.
(20:02):
Yeah, anywhere around there I'm sure would be really expensive.
But I thought about doing, like,a brothel history thing because
I'm really into that, too. But cool, you know?
She opened the old goat farm in the middle of the desert, which
what could have been a kitschy roadside oddity instead became a
(20:25):
pilgrimage site for burlesque fans and performers.
So they're amid the dry desert heat.
Jenny curated an extraordinary living archive of Burlesque's
golden age. The museum was more than a
collection, it was a sanctuary. Jenny hosted reunions for
retired dancers and invited newcomers to experience the rich
(20:47):
history of striptease and performance art.
There came a space where older performers could tell their
stories to younger ones, and theyounger ones would listen and
learn from the legends. Her efforts transform Burlesque
from a fading novel to a respected cultural legacy.
After she passed away in 1990, her close friend and fellow
(21:09):
burlesque legend Dixie Evans took on the museum and under
Dixie stewardship, Exotic World evolved into what we now know as
the Burlesque Hall of Fame, which of course was relocated.
So today that Hall of Fame really stands as a testament to
Jenny Lee's vision, ensuring that artistry, politics and
(21:31):
personalities of burlesque will never be forgotten.
Now a little bit more about her personal life.
It's kind of out of order the way I I wrote this stuff.
But she was married. She was married to her long time
partner and fellow performer RonRossi.
She had met him during her performing years and together
(21:53):
they were not only partners in life.
So in their shared mission to preserve burlesque history,
their home in Hallandale, California, again a goat farm,
was so unconventional and colorful, just like Jenny was.
The property was filled with allthe memorabilia, costumes, and
mementos from her years on stageand from all of her peers.
(22:19):
Despite her showgirl persona, Jenny was known among her
friends for her humility, humor,and tireless work ethic.
She had a deep love for animals,especially the goats that roamed
her desert property. She was also known to be
fiercely loyal and protective ofher fellow dancers, often going
out of her way to support their aging or struggling.
(22:41):
Even in her later years, as her own health declined, Jenny
remained committed to the museumand to hosting reunions for
former dancers. Her life on off stage mirrored
her on stage philosophy. Be bold, be unfiltered, and be
dedicated to honoring the community that had shaped her.
(23:01):
Jenny Lee was not just a performer, she was a caretaker
of the legacy, and her personal life was a reflection of that
unwavering commitment she had. So I mean, it's really amazing
to me that she was a trailblazeron the stage.
Then she became a labor organizer and also a historian.
(23:22):
I mean, it was, that's so amazing.
She was definitely a vital part of the American cultural
history. But she's preserved a lot for
us. Yeah, she really changed the
viewpoint that the world had on strippers because she saw that
(23:44):
there was a purpose with them and there was a history that was
worth recording, and I love that.
So she definitely ensured that. Generations of burlesque
performers and their fans could continue to celebrate and study
the art form. So without Jenny Lee, we
wouldn't be here right now talking about this so forever in
(24:05):
debt. But her life really reminds us
that the stage is not just a place for entertainment, it's a
platform for empowerment. And she used every inch of her
platform to fight for dignity, artistry, and legacy.
So next time you slip on your gloves or strike a pose or hit
that spotlight, remember Jenny Lee.
(24:26):
Because of her, we have a place to call our own in the history
of American performance art. So I know it's kind of short,
but I got. Myself.
That's good. I got my sources.
There's a blog post about her, of course on the Burlesque Hall
of Fame website. There was a cool story on
(24:46):
roadsideamerica.com, and of course her Wikipedia page.
So those will be on the WordPress.
Perfect. Yeah.
And so, yeah, I kind of mentioned in there the
connection with Dixie Evans. They were good friends.
So tell me all about her. Yes.
(25:10):
So Dixie Evans is really a name synonymous with, you know,
glamour and really resilience. And I'd like to think
preservation, too, even though alot of people probably don't
think that when they think of her name, but I do.
She was a model, a showgirl, A historian, you know, pretty much
(25:31):
a guiding force at times, not only for her career, but for
some of her friends as well. You may know her as the Marilyn
Monroe of burlesque, but her story is far deeper than just a
mere comparison to a Hollywood starlet.
She was really an artist in her own right and one that has
(25:53):
impacted far beyond her own era.So she, Dixie Evans, was born in
1926 during the Great Depression.
She dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and really had
like an undeniable presence on stage, like right away.
So she started taking dance lessons right after quitting
(26:17):
high school. She really wanted to become like
a Hollywood actor and like actress starlet.
She started taking modeling gigsand eventually got a gig in a
circus. And then that circus gig soon
got her booked at the Follies Theatre in Los Angeles, which is
where she kind of started her burlesque career.
(26:38):
So imagine the scene of the 1950s, you know, the golden era
of showgirls. There is a theatrical kind of
extravagance that fills the air.You know, very velvet curtains,
feather fans, you know, lots of speakers.
You know, This was the world that she was entering, Dixie
Evans was entering into. She stated a quote.
(27:01):
When I started getting into burlesque, theaters were past
their heyday. So I started working in more
clubs. For a majority of Dixie's
career, she travelled around thecountry working in burlesque
nightclubs, including, you know,the place Pigale Pigale PIGALLE
in Miami Beach. I'm sure there's a way to say
(27:24):
that Pigale, Pigale, no Pigale. But she she headlined off and on
in Miami Beach for about a decade and she really saw
burlesque like as this transformative art, like an art
of evolution. And she really liked to embody
that spirit completely. She was very witty and sensual.
(27:48):
But above all, you know how we love it.
A storyteller on stage. When Marilyn Monroe became a
cultural phenomenon and this basically a sex symbol as well.
Dixie cleverly capitalized on this based off of their
resemblance. They are an uncanny resemblance.
Marilyn Monroe and her Dixie Evans when she would dress as
(28:11):
her and to her make up as her aswell.
And Dixie was very clever at what how she portrayed Marilyn
like. She had a satirical flair, but
it was never rude. It was never like to bash
Marilyn. A lot of her Monroe inspired
routines were a blend of burlesque, comedy and a lot of
(28:35):
like intelligence. She liked to poke fun at
Hollywood's obsession with like beauty and kind of transform it
into something new. One of her most famous routines
was called the Hollywood CastingCouch, where she played on the
idea of an aspiring actresses navigating the film industry.
So there's a mix of like humor and sensuality where she would
(28:58):
strip kind of being making you the voyeur of this casting call
is very interesting. She closely, you know, followed
Marilyn Monroe's career and often adapted her own routines
to fit Marilyn's latest films and like her latest public, like
appearances and stuff. Like she was very in the know
(29:20):
for whatever, you know, new movie Marilyn was going to
release. Evans would watch it.
She would study it. She'd craft an act on it based
on its themes, and this dedication really made her
performances like timely, culturally relevant.
And that's really what's stood out, I think, in the burlesque
world at that time, where a lot of people were doing
(29:40):
stripteases. But to also do a full
impersonation of someone was really, I think, exciting for
the audience, so. That's that's back in the day
when like you couldn't travel, like people didn't travel.
Like we travel today, people couldn't like get on the
Internet and have an instant connection to their favorite
(30:02):
stars. So I think the idea.
We consume a lot of media. We do a lot more, and I think
it's sometimes hard for us to really wrap our brain around a
time when we didn't have just instant connection to our
favorite celebrities. So I think the idea of her very
(30:23):
respectfully kind of impersonating Marilyn was a
really smart idea. That's cool.
Yeah, I think it was definitely like time and place, but there
was similar things going on, like with Elvis and with Etta
James. Like people didn't like couldn't
tell who it was necessary. Not that she was trying to like
(30:44):
say, oh, I'm Marilyn Monroe and like, you know, get money that
way. She was definitely
impersonating. But the the popularity, I think
is something that is hard for usto think about because I can
just like whip out my little computer phone and look up
Ariana Grande and say, that's not Ariana Grande.
Or, you know, but like the comparison when I can visualize
(31:05):
in my head the actual one where people would just see pictures
of Marilyn before. And now this is Marilyn doing a
striptease. I mean, wow.
It's it's kind of funny that yousaid Ariana Grande because I was
literally just thinking about, Idon't know that chick's name,
but that chick that has the onlyfans and she's had all of the
(31:25):
surgery to try and look like Ariana.
Oh yeah. She tried to get.
Her name, though? She tried to get in the Met
Gala. That's scary, that's bad.
That's. But I was like, that's not like
the the form of of like celebrity impersonation.
(31:45):
That's cool because she's. Yeah, that's goes into like
stalker form because it's one thing to like alter your body to
look like someone else that's, you know, do what you want, but
then like you are going to go and impersonate them.
I mean, that's illegal. I don't think you can just go in
and say like here I am or I don't know, I'm not a lawyer.
Yeah. Well, but she also gives porn,
(32:10):
so there's a, there's a little, I won't say a little Gray area
that's kind of fucked up. Like, I don't know, whatever.
I'll let Ariana deal with her friend.
Yeah, she's got the money to deal with her, I'm sure.
Yeah, I don't. I don't OK.
(32:30):
We don't, we don't have any money.
It's OK. So Minsky's though, I, I love
that name for some reason. Minsky's.
You know we have one of Minsky'spizza.
Oh really? I'll have to eat there.
I don't. I don't think that it's related
to him at all. But yeah, it's good pizza.
(32:51):
It's good pizza. We'll go eat there.
OK cool. So she performed in Minsky's
Burlesque. Dixie Evans also was in a show
with Princess Lahoma. If you remember Princess Lahoma
from a few episodes ago, they were in the Show Anatomy Award
Review. Oh.
(33:12):
Which I like. Creative, so yes.
Creative so by the 1980s burlesque had shifted as we know
theaters had faded, clubs had faded strip clubs were coming in
go go dancers things like that Dixie really refused to let go
(33:33):
of you know burlesque golden days and allow it to just like
disappear into the shadows of history.
She did decide to take over Exotic World, a museum that had
housed, you know, burlesque artifacts, from feathers to
costumes to scrapbooks, all remnants of the art form.
She didn't just, like, curate it, but she also protected it.
(33:56):
So under her leadership, Exotic World then kind of evolved into
the Burlesque Hall of Fame, which then ensured that, you
know, the legends that we know, Gypsy Rose Lee, Lily St.
Cyr, Tempest Storm would not be forgotten.
So even though like so the obviously the realization of
(34:16):
Exotic world came from Jenny Lee.
And then the museum moved to a permanent display, as you said,
yes. So to display all the ephemera
that she and Dixie had collectedover the years.
So you can actually go onto the Burlesque Hall of Fame website.
You can actually look at the Dixie Evans costume collection
(34:37):
that they've uploaded virtually.So you can go on and see like
all of these costumes that she owned, some of them are hers,
some of them are from other performers.
But I just like pointing that out because it was very
exciting. We'll have a link to it on our
our WordPress. So after Jenny's death in 1990,
Dixie continued to build the museum with help of Charles
(35:01):
Arroyo, Jenny's widower, and a team of volunteers and workers.
So and then in 1991, she foundedthe Miss Exotic World Pageant
contest, pageant slash contest, basically to attract visitors
and attention to the new museum.And so for 25 years, Dixie Evans
(35:24):
was the curator of the Exotic World Museum.
And then she built it up, maintained, you know, day-to-day
operations and it also LED tours, which I just love.
I would would have loved to get a tour from her.
So, So she mentored a lot of dancers.
She shared lots and of differentstories.
And with the Miss Exotic World pageant, I feel like that did
(35:49):
bring a pretty big revival in burlesque, just as like a
living, breathing art form in terms of even though it's a
contest, it does provide money. Like, you know, it's a donation
to the to the museum essentiallywhen people pay to like go to
the weekend or, and things like that.
So I think that is just a very smart way to keep the
(36:11):
preservation efforts alive. So thanks, Dixie, you're, you
were so smart. She passed away in 2013.
But obviously burlesque has not faded into history.
We've seen a really big revival that is still continuing.
And she wasn't just, you know, the Marilyn Monroe of burlesque.
(36:34):
She used Dixie Evans in her own right.
And yeah, to quote her, this is history and it deserves to be
told. That's perfect, Dixie.
She's. So sweet.
I just, yeah, gosh, yeah, I, I really enjoyed going to the
museum when I was able to to seeit and I wish, I think they
(36:57):
people have till July 20th to gosee the, the physical location
and the the current exhibition by Leslie Cunningham and the
team there so. Yes.
Visit. Definitely.
Please go visit IT, support them, go to the website, get a
membership if you don't have onealready.
If you can make it to the Weekender, make it to the
(37:19):
Weekender for me. Yeah, I.
Want to go next year so bad? They are going to continue.
I can't make it this year. Yeah, yeah, they're continuing
that in their school and their classes and their shows.
It's just the physical location and pay your I'm sure paying for
a rent and then the people to work there like that's it's all
an upkeep the insurance, right, insurance.
(37:42):
We should we should try and get the podcast there and we could
do like a live show at Bee Hof Weekender.
That would be, that would be so cool.
So that would be amazing. I know, but.
Yeah, hit us up. If you want to be our sugar
daddy, we will let you. Yeah, we'll allow.
(38:07):
Our dreams. Come to Patreon and yes, fund
us. Oh, that's what we should call
our the level on Patreon. I only have we only have one
level on Patreon. We don't have multiple, but we
should call it the sugar daddy level.
Oh yeah, I'm sure that will gather the attention we we want
(38:31):
for this. Yeah.
History for five. Right, for 5 bucks a month you
could be our sugar daddy. We'll get T-shirts made that say
I'm a $5 sugar daddy for Let's Burlesque podcast and.
We'll ship it to you. Yeah, and we'll ship it.
(38:52):
I love that. That would be fun, but Speaking
of shirts and stuff, I mean Behalf has some pretty bad ass
T-shirts and all kinds of souvenirs and stuff that you can
buy and you can buy those on their website.
I have AT shirt from Wined and Iget comments on it all the time
because it has like their first names.
(39:15):
It has a bunch of dancers first names listed.
And so I'll have people be like,who's all that?
So I'll tell him, you know, thisis Jenny Lee and this is Dixie
Evans and this is Lily Sincere and you know, and this is Kobe
Lee and they have no idea what I'm talking about.
And so then I tell them, hey, they're historical figures that
(39:36):
are worth knowing. Feminist icons.
Exactly. So.
I don't know if I should mentionthis to the full podcast, but on
Patreon I'm hoping to do a little show and tell of my
photographs that I purchased recently of Rosita Voice.
(39:58):
These are photographs I've neverseen before and so I I purchased
them online and they've come so.That video will be on Patreon of
me unveiling those. Yes, I'm excited to see all of
that. And if you want to see some of
this history that she's got in her hands, you'll have to join
(40:19):
our Patreon and support our podcast.
That's it. You're just going to have to do
it. That's it.
You just. You just have to sorry, sorry.
About it. Goodbye.
But yeah, so I mean, I mean, there we've got some exciting
stuff coming up for our our patrons over there on Patreon.
So they're going to get some behind the scenes at Legislate
(40:42):
this and get to watch our acts on like legislate this.
I have two brand new acts that I'm working on.
Cannot wait. The one and only Crim to
violence is going to be RMC thatnight.
And we are popping her MC Cherryand I am so excited to have her
doing that. It's for a good cause.
(41:04):
It's for Planned Parenthood, yes.
We've sold quite a few tickets and we still have a lot more
tickets to go, so. Oh, and I think one of my
friends who makes all my cool stickers and those stickers up
there for our merch table so that we can sell them, They're
little stickers, so they won't be very expensive, but they're
(41:26):
all very political and very feminist and kick lots of ass.
So. And those proceeds will go
towards our collection for Planned Parenthood.
Yeah. So I'm really, really, really
excited for this show and I can't wait to see you there,
Iona and. I'm so excited.
(41:50):
Yeah. I'm excited we're going to have
and perform. Yes, I should eat pizza after.
Absolutely. Well, I mean, we usually do.
We usually go to pizza shuttle because that's kind of a thing.
I don't know if Minsky's is openthat late, but maybe it's just a
weekend of pizza. We're just gonna pizza ourselves
(42:13):
to death. I don't know.
Except Creme. Creme hates pizza.
We learned that. So sorry Creme.
I'm, I'm learning so much about Creme.
I don't know. I don't know about that.
Just like pizza. No, it's it's, it's Mr. Creme.
Mr. Creme has pizzed her out. It's his favorite food.
(42:36):
So I don't know, man. Out.
OK, Got it, Got it. Yeah.
But I don't know. Well, we'll talk her into
something. They've got other stuff.
I'm sure that's fine. But yeah, so we will have
pictures and behind the scenes and stuff for only our patrons
on Patreon. So join us over there.
(42:58):
It's not that expensive, just a little bit helps us out a bunch.
So we will continue the conversation of burlesque
history and historical items over there.
Sound good? Yes.
OK. Well, that is all for us today.
So we will be back next week with another story and we will
(43:20):
see you there. Bye.
Bye. All right, love lies.
That's a wrap for today's show, but don't just take our word for
it. Our sources are listed in the
episode notes at letsburlesquepodcast.wordpress.com,
so dig a little deeper and checkthem out for yourselves.
(43:44):
There's so much more to discoverabout this beautiful body world
of burlesque. And while you're at it, don't
forget to follow the Let's Burles podcast on your preferred
podcast app, plus Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Blue Spy, and
you can e-mail us at letsburlespodcast@gmail.com.
(44:04):
But if you want to have access to all of the glitter, glam, and
backstage moments that you trulycrave, you can support us on
Patreon. It's been a pleasure, as always.
Diving into the. Sparkle with you.
Until next time, Papa. Pasting.
(44:39):
Music. None.
(46:02):
None.
Welcome, darlings and deviants, to Let's Burlesque, where we
bring you the art, the heart, and the unapologetic sparkle of
the stage. I may December your guide
through the glitz. And I'm Creme de Violence, here
to peel back the layers of burlesque, the history, the
hustle, and the secret sauce that makes it sizzle.
Whether you're a seasoned performer or a curious kitten,
(00:34):
there's always room in our bouture.
So grab a drink, settle in, and let's talk sequins, sass, and
the stories behind the feathers.Are you ready to bear it all,
Creme? Oh, always.
Me, let's start the show and. Let's burlesque.
(01:03):
Hi, everybody. This is May, December.
And I own a fortune. We are having redo most fun
today. I don't know this is my program
is being a Dick. And my Wi-Fi is being terrible,
(01:24):
so it's yeah, all around. Internet, I mean, what are we
going to do? So we're going to make the best
of it. This recording is going to go
fine. Fingers crossed everything's
fine, the world's on fire, but it's OK we got.
We got this, yes. Not, not.
(01:47):
We're not very far from legislate this and we get to
hang out in person. We do.
I'm excited to meet you in person.
I know I'm so excited. We're gonna have so much fun and
we're gonna do a lot of stupid shit I'm sure just for Patreon
(02:09):
or TikTok and or I don't know, Ihave to see both.
I am planning, I know I am planning on posting our show for
our Patreon. So now is the perfect time to
join our Patreon, support our podcast, this little bitty
(02:33):
podcast that we're trying to do.I mean, we're just history
lovers and burlesque lovers meshing the two.
We're just, we are just, yeah, burlesque historians and really
people who are just fascinated and passionate about this, that
(02:54):
it just keeps coming up in my, at least for me, in my head, I
can't get away from from the burlesque so.
Oh, I can't either. It's so intriguing.
Yeah, I just want to talk about it all the time, and I feel like
the more I learn about the legends and the history, the
more I want to learn. Yeah, the more you want to dig
deeper into it. That's how I feel.
(03:16):
There's so much to learn. That's why I feel like I've,
I've had to kind of narrow down like my articles on my website
for just myself. So putting it into like just
Nebraska, Iowa territory at times really helps me like
figure out what I'm trying to write about.
Because at times it's just, there's so much to say and my
(03:38):
little ADHD brain can't handle that.
It has to be has to be specific for me.
Yeah, yeah, I'm totally the sameway.
But it's, it's funny how like when I find somebody to talk
about, it always comes back to where I'm from or where I am.
And that's kind of cool too, finding history where you're at.
(04:00):
Yeah. Yeah, what else Legislate this
gonna be a bad ass Legislate this tickets are flying so.
Yes. Well, I'm excited to be a
performer. I finished one of my costumes
last night because of course thezipper broke on it the last time
I performed in it, and I had to have the kitten fish me out of
(04:24):
it afterwards. So it's been replaced the zipper
and yeah, I feel pretty good about.
That's always fun. I I talked one day because we
did a call out asking people to give us their stories of costume
malfunctions and we only got oneperson.
(04:47):
So if you're listening and you had everybody's had a costume
malfunction. Yes.
If anything I feel like we couldcategorize them.
It could be the corset busk, youknow, doesn't 1 little notch
doesn't come off and all the tension is on that one little 1
(05:08):
and it won't give. And then you end up bending it
or something. And then you have to get your
pliers when you get home and rebend it back because you like,
had to, you know, get the jaws of life to exit the course of
the. Gosh, that's the worst.
Yeah. I had a fun one.
I had a fun one. I did.
I had an armband on like a gold armband and it was really cool
(05:32):
looking. And of course when I took my top
off it got snagged and so then I'm trying to like very sexily
RIP this arm band arm. That was a good time.
That's funny. I threw it away.
(05:55):
I. Yeah, I think you always, as a
burlesque dancer have this notion like, maybe your your
take is different, but like someof the costumes, you know, you
love them, but you are willing to break them and tear them to
get out of the costume. I don't think other people would
necessarily think that in burlesque that we do that.
(06:15):
I mean, I do it all the time. I feel like, 'cause I just am
clumsy and get on stage and thenI'm like, oh, wow, this is not
going how I planned it. I have to RIP this now.
All right. Well, it was nice knowing YA
costume piece. It's usually like my pantyhose
get stuck on a piece of jewelry and then I have to tear it or
(06:37):
something. Or I tear by accident with my
arms moving and then there's just a hole.
I'm like, great. Yeah, that's always fun.
I finally gave in and got some Capezio fishnets I've held off.
Yeah. I get like the cheap shit off of
Sheen and I was like, you know what?
(06:58):
Mama deserves a good pair of fishnets.
Mm hmm. Definitely.
We'll see how those care, but I'm mostly done with the
costuming. Danny is doing some work on it
tonight. It's my daughter's graduation
(07:19):
weekend, so we're gonna be hellabusy this weekend with other
things. So I'm like, OK.
Oh hi, cat Butt. My cat is trying to sorry she
won't leave me alone she's behind my computer so if if you
see my computer shake or like myscreen starts shaking it's
(07:39):
because she's rubbing her head against it and she wants love
but she can't have it it's. Fine at the Patreon people don't
care. They're all cat people.
That's good. This.
Yeah, let me. Oh.
Oh, this is what you wanted. This is this is Amanita.
(08:01):
Oh, yeah. She doesn't want to be held.
So she's like put. Me down.
She's so pretty. She's a tiny little sit Sprite.
Yeah, she's just a little black Kitty, my little witchy Kitty.
Kitties, I just have this littleasshole that's laying next to
me. The little.
Puppy. My little Coco Chanel little.
Coco Chanel, of course. Yes, she's a sweet baby when she
(08:25):
wants to be, so she thinks she'sway bigger than she is though,
but OK. So last week we mentioned the
closing of the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame.
Very sad. Yes, their physical location
(08:48):
closing. Not the whole organization
though, just the physical location.
Right, but it's still sad. It is so another call out.
Please support the Burlesque Hall of Fame memberships are not
that expensive and then you get this cute little card in the
mail with your name on it. I do wish that they did not put
(09:09):
my muggle name on it. That is my only complaint and
it's not that important of a complaint.
So ignore it and be a member. Join them you'll get you'll get
to help a really great organization and we're going to
tell you the history of the great organization known as
Behaf. If y'all are ready for it, Do
(09:31):
you think they're ready for it? OK, I think so.
I think so. So there are two characters
here, which is perfect because there's two of us to talk about
them. So I am going to share about the
founder who started the whole ball rolling on everything, the
one and only Jenny Lee. And then, Iona, you're gonna
(09:55):
tell us about her predecessor, the wonderful and enchanting and
beautiful Dixie Evans. Yes, Dixie.
Did I build it enough? I think he did.
I think he did, yeah. Cool people didn't know.
I'm not sure if people knew about the founders as much.
(10:19):
I mean, you know, I, we all haveto learn this stuff somehow,
right? I, I agree.
Like not everybody knows who started it or where it started
or any of that history. And that's an important history
for us as burlesquers. Burlesquers.
Is that a word? I think it is, yeah.
(10:43):
It's maybe a more old timey, butit's a.
It's a word. I mean, she was really, Jenny
Lee was really like the first maybe burlesque historian.
I would call her a burlesque historian, but she was, she was
the self-proclaimed Bazoom girl.So that was her.
(11:06):
I love that. Little tagline, the Bazoom girl.
She was an amazing figure, no pun intended, And burlesque
preservation. She went from stage siren to the
founder of the Burlesque Hall ofFame.
So we're going to rewind it backand here's my connection.
(11:28):
Like I said earlier, I love finding connections.
Guess where Jenny Lee was born? You have any idea?
Texas. No, she was born in Kansas City,
MO. Oh, nice.
OK, sorry. I was thinking of of your
hometown, which I said was in Texas, but.
(11:50):
I would die, but yeah, yeah, I mean Kansas.
City, Missouri, though. That's pretty pretty.
That's awesome, I didn't know that.
She was born Virginia Lee Hicks and her birthday she is a
Halloween baby. October 23rd of 1928 is when she
was born. So Jenny Lee was raised in a
(12:11):
time when femininity and performance were being redefined
in post war America. She had a voluptuous figure and
I do have her measurements here.She was 42 D 2637.
She was. 42 D. 42-D with a 26 inch waist.
(12:36):
Wow, Yeah, that's a. Tiny waste for that big of a of
a bust. I know.
So she quickly became known as. Yeah, she quickly became known
as the Bazoom Girl. She was also called the
burlesque virgin. Oh, not virgin, the burlesque
version of Jane Mansfield. Eventually, she was called Miss
(13:00):
44 and plenty more. Which is cute.
I love that. I like that she was drawn to the
stage early on. She began dancing professionally
in the late 40s, and she quicklybecame known for her vivacious
energy, her dynamic routines, not just her voluptuous figure.
(13:20):
But she was more than just another showgirl.
She became a symbol of unapologetic sexuality.
Her trademark act involved tassel twirling, but not just in
the conventional way, because she would stunt audiences by
twirling each tassel in the opposite direction.
Try that one. I have.
I'm not. I can't.
(13:42):
That's I. Mean, I'm sure I could, I'm sure
I could. It's just rolling those
shoulders but. It's a lot of practice, I'm
sure. A lot of practice, yeah,
absolutely. And I don't, I don't have the
time to sit there all day and try and do that.
I don't know, Maybe I'll try it.Who knows?
But that was her signature act. That was that was what she did
(14:03):
during her signature act was troll twirl, each tassel in
opposite directions. It was a very cheeky move, but
it became her signature and it helps solidify her brand.
So her act centered on how fast she could get her pasty
propellers to spin and how dizzyshe could make the audience.
(14:23):
So by the $50, yeah, her little propellers.
By the early 1950s, she had broken into acting.
So she landed some minor roles. She had a movie called Boo in
1953. She was in Abandoned in 1958.
She was in Cold Wind in August in 1961 and Three Nuts in Search
(14:46):
of a Bolt in 64. That one she starred with Mamie
Van Doren. Despite her I know, despite her
ambitions for mainstream stardom, I'm sure because of her
voluptuous body she got typecastand so she never fully took off
because of that, which sucks. By the mid 1950s, Jenny Lee had
(15:09):
grown tired of the way dancers were being treated in the
entertainment industry. She was fed up with poor working
conditions and consistent pay and lack of professional respect
for dancers. So she Co founded the Exotic
Dancers League or the EDL of North America in 1955.
S power to her as its first place.
(15:33):
I know I love this about her andthis is something I didn't know
before, so I'm really glad that I got to research this.
But so she was the 1st presidentof the EDL and she advocated
tirelessly for better labor protections for dancers.
The EDL operated like a union. It offered resources, legal
(15:53):
support and a sense of solidarity in a profession
that's often marginalized and exploited.
Dancers wages in Los Angeles at the time were abysmally low, and
Jenny herself was living in a rundown studio apartment, trying
to survive while maintaining herglamorous persona.
We've all been there. She later admitted in a 1980s
(16:16):
interview that she hid her living conditions from her
friends, saying they would. They would have thought I was a
hooker for sure. Her advocacy work with the EDL
wasn't just professional, it wasdeeply personal.
So side note, sex work is real work.
I wouldn't care if you thought Iwas a hooker, but I understand
(16:39):
that in the 60s there was a lot of, I mean there still is a lot
of people that look down upon hookers.
So that was that was a direct quote guys.
I did not say that. But so Jenny also appeared on
(17:01):
the covers of several men's magazines during her career,
including Stare in 1954, Risk in57 and Frolic in 58.
So in addition to her work as a stripper, she was also a popular
pinup model and she wrote a selfprofile article for Modern Man
magazine in 1955. So for years she pinned a
(17:25):
monthly column covering the burlesque scene, further
cementing her role as a voice and an advocate within the
industry. I would love to find some of
these magazines that her articles came in.
So on the lookout for Modern Man.
She had a real love for the legacy.
After she retired from active performing, she didn't walk
(17:47):
away, she just shifted her focustowards preserving its history.
Over the years, she had amassed an impressive collection of
burlesque memorabilia. She had costumes, she had props,
posters, photographs, all kinds of personal artifacts from
dancers spanning across the decades.
So rather than letting these treasures fade away, Jenny
(18:09):
dreamed of a space where burlesque could be remembered
and celebrated. So together with her husband,
she established Exotic World Burlesque Museum in Helen Dale,
California. So it's a wonderfully eccentric
little museum that she created in a house that was a goat farm
at one time in the middle of theMojave Desert.
(18:31):
I just love that. I love the isolatedness.
Like how? Grand of a thought to have right
now or you know, just at that time even just to like I'm going
to go buy this goat farm previous goat farm.
And I know. Put my entire collection in it.
I was thinking like when they were talking about closing the
(18:52):
location because Las Vegas is stupid expensive.
I was thinking of my time in Nevada.
So I was outside of Reno at the brothels.
It's a little South of Reno. And I was thinking like, man,
they should find a place there. And the little cul-de-sac where
(19:15):
Sagebrushes has like there's 4 brothels there, but they only
have I think 2. When I was there, there was only
one open, but they were about toopen Love Ranch again.
I don't, I haven't kept up with it much so I don't know if it's
still open, but there's some down there in the cul-de-sac.
(19:36):
And I was like, why don't they just try and rent one of these
brothel buildings and open that as the museum?
I don't know if that would be kind of cool, I think, but.
I know it would be cool I just Ifeel like they're moving away
from the physical space all together just because of the
cost so I'm hoping anywhere in the something but.
(20:02):
Yeah, anywhere around there I'm sure would be really expensive.
But I thought about doing, like,a brothel history thing because
I'm really into that, too. But cool, you know?
She opened the old goat farm in the middle of the desert, which
what could have been a kitschy roadside oddity instead became a
(20:25):
pilgrimage site for burlesque fans and performers.
So they're amid the dry desert heat.
Jenny curated an extraordinary living archive of Burlesque's
golden age. The museum was more than a
collection, it was a sanctuary. Jenny hosted reunions for
retired dancers and invited newcomers to experience the rich
(20:47):
history of striptease and performance art.
There came a space where older performers could tell their
stories to younger ones, and theyounger ones would listen and
learn from the legends. Her efforts transform Burlesque
from a fading novel to a respected cultural legacy.
After she passed away in 1990, her close friend and fellow
(21:09):
burlesque legend Dixie Evans took on the museum and under
Dixie stewardship, Exotic World evolved into what we now know as
the Burlesque Hall of Fame, which of course was relocated.
So today that Hall of Fame really stands as a testament to
Jenny Lee's vision, ensuring that artistry, politics and
(21:31):
personalities of burlesque will never be forgotten.
Now a little bit more about her personal life.
It's kind of out of order the way I I wrote this stuff.
But she was married. She was married to her long time
partner and fellow performer RonRossi.
She had met him during her performing years and together
(21:53):
they were not only partners in life.
So in their shared mission to preserve burlesque history,
their home in Hallandale, California, again a goat farm,
was so unconventional and colorful, just like Jenny was.
The property was filled with allthe memorabilia, costumes, and
mementos from her years on stageand from all of her peers.
(22:19):
Despite her showgirl persona, Jenny was known among her
friends for her humility, humor,and tireless work ethic.
She had a deep love for animals,especially the goats that roamed
her desert property. She was also known to be
fiercely loyal and protective ofher fellow dancers, often going
out of her way to support their aging or struggling.
(22:41):
Even in her later years, as her own health declined, Jenny
remained committed to the museumand to hosting reunions for
former dancers. Her life on off stage mirrored
her on stage philosophy. Be bold, be unfiltered, and be
dedicated to honoring the community that had shaped her.
(23:01):
Jenny Lee was not just a performer, she was a caretaker
of the legacy, and her personal life was a reflection of that
unwavering commitment she had. So I mean, it's really amazing
to me that she was a trailblazeron the stage.
Then she became a labor organizer and also a historian.
(23:22):
I mean, it was, that's so amazing.
She was definitely a vital part of the American cultural
history. But she's preserved a lot for
us. Yeah, she really changed the
viewpoint that the world had on strippers because she saw that
(23:44):
there was a purpose with them and there was a history that was
worth recording, and I love that.
So she definitely ensured that. Generations of burlesque
performers and their fans could continue to celebrate and study
the art form. So without Jenny Lee, we
wouldn't be here right now talking about this so forever in
(24:05):
debt. But her life really reminds us
that the stage is not just a place for entertainment, it's a
platform for empowerment. And she used every inch of her
platform to fight for dignity, artistry, and legacy.
So next time you slip on your gloves or strike a pose or hit
that spotlight, remember Jenny Lee.
(24:26):
Because of her, we have a place to call our own in the history
of American performance art. So I know it's kind of short,
but I got. Myself.
That's good. I got my sources.
There's a blog post about her, of course on the Burlesque Hall
of Fame website. There was a cool story on
(24:46):
roadsideamerica.com, and of course her Wikipedia page.
So those will be on the WordPress.
Perfect. Yeah.
And so, yeah, I kind of mentioned in there the
connection with Dixie Evans. They were good friends.
So tell me all about her. Yes.
(25:10):
So Dixie Evans is really a name synonymous with, you know,
glamour and really resilience. And I'd like to think
preservation, too, even though alot of people probably don't
think that when they think of her name, but I do.
She was a model, a showgirl, A historian, you know, pretty much
(25:31):
a guiding force at times, not only for her career, but for
some of her friends as well. You may know her as the Marilyn
Monroe of burlesque, but her story is far deeper than just a
mere comparison to a Hollywood starlet.
She was really an artist in her own right and one that has
(25:53):
impacted far beyond her own era.So she, Dixie Evans, was born in
1926 during the Great Depression.
She dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and really had
like an undeniable presence on stage, like right away.
So she started taking dance lessons right after quitting
(26:17):
high school. She really wanted to become like
a Hollywood actor and like actress starlet.
She started taking modeling gigsand eventually got a gig in a
circus. And then that circus gig soon
got her booked at the Follies Theatre in Los Angeles, which is
where she kind of started her burlesque career.
(26:38):
So imagine the scene of the 1950s, you know, the golden era
of showgirls. There is a theatrical kind of
extravagance that fills the air.You know, very velvet curtains,
feather fans, you know, lots of speakers.
You know, This was the world that she was entering, Dixie
Evans was entering into. She stated a quote.
(27:01):
When I started getting into burlesque, theaters were past
their heyday. So I started working in more
clubs. For a majority of Dixie's
career, she travelled around thecountry working in burlesque
nightclubs, including, you know,the place Pigale Pigale PIGALLE
in Miami Beach. I'm sure there's a way to say
(27:24):
that Pigale, Pigale, no Pigale. But she she headlined off and on
in Miami Beach for about a decade and she really saw
burlesque like as this transformative art, like an art
of evolution. And she really liked to embody
that spirit completely. She was very witty and sensual.
(27:48):
But above all, you know how we love it.
A storyteller on stage. When Marilyn Monroe became a
cultural phenomenon and this basically a sex symbol as well.
Dixie cleverly capitalized on this based off of their
resemblance. They are an uncanny resemblance.
Marilyn Monroe and her Dixie Evans when she would dress as
(28:11):
her and to her make up as her aswell.
And Dixie was very clever at what how she portrayed Marilyn
like. She had a satirical flair, but
it was never rude. It was never like to bash
Marilyn. A lot of her Monroe inspired
routines were a blend of burlesque, comedy and a lot of
(28:35):
like intelligence. She liked to poke fun at
Hollywood's obsession with like beauty and kind of transform it
into something new. One of her most famous routines
was called the Hollywood CastingCouch, where she played on the
idea of an aspiring actresses navigating the film industry.
So there's a mix of like humor and sensuality where she would
(28:58):
strip kind of being making you the voyeur of this casting call
is very interesting. She closely, you know, followed
Marilyn Monroe's career and often adapted her own routines
to fit Marilyn's latest films and like her latest public, like
appearances and stuff. Like she was very in the know
(29:20):
for whatever, you know, new movie Marilyn was going to
release. Evans would watch it.
She would study it. She'd craft an act on it based
on its themes, and this dedication really made her
performances like timely, culturally relevant.
And that's really what's stood out, I think, in the burlesque
world at that time, where a lot of people were doing
(29:40):
stripteases. But to also do a full
impersonation of someone was really, I think, exciting for
the audience, so. That's that's back in the day
when like you couldn't travel, like people didn't travel.
Like we travel today, people couldn't like get on the
Internet and have an instant connection to their favorite
(30:02):
stars. So I think the idea.
We consume a lot of media. We do a lot more, and I think
it's sometimes hard for us to really wrap our brain around a
time when we didn't have just instant connection to our
favorite celebrities. So I think the idea of her very
(30:23):
respectfully kind of impersonating Marilyn was a
really smart idea. That's cool.
Yeah, I think it was definitely like time and place, but there
was similar things going on, like with Elvis and with Etta
James. Like people didn't like couldn't
tell who it was necessary. Not that she was trying to like
(30:44):
say, oh, I'm Marilyn Monroe and like, you know, get money that
way. She was definitely
impersonating. But the the popularity, I think
is something that is hard for usto think about because I can
just like whip out my little computer phone and look up
Ariana Grande and say, that's not Ariana Grande.
Or, you know, but like the comparison when I can visualize
(31:05):
in my head the actual one where people would just see pictures
of Marilyn before. And now this is Marilyn doing a
striptease. I mean, wow.
It's it's kind of funny that yousaid Ariana Grande because I was
literally just thinking about, Idon't know that chick's name,
but that chick that has the onlyfans and she's had all of the
(31:25):
surgery to try and look like Ariana.
Oh yeah. She tried to get.
Her name, though? She tried to get in the Met
Gala. That's scary, that's bad.
That's. But I was like, that's not like
the the form of of like celebrity impersonation.
(31:45):
That's cool because she's. Yeah, that's goes into like
stalker form because it's one thing to like alter your body to
look like someone else that's, you know, do what you want, but
then like you are going to go and impersonate them.
I mean, that's illegal. I don't think you can just go in
and say like here I am or I don't know, I'm not a lawyer.
Yeah. Well, but she also gives porn,
(32:10):
so there's a, there's a little, I won't say a little Gray area
that's kind of fucked up. Like, I don't know, whatever.
I'll let Ariana deal with her friend.
Yeah, she's got the money to deal with her, I'm sure.
Yeah, I don't. I don't OK.
(32:30):
We don't, we don't have any money.
It's OK. So Minsky's though, I, I love
that name for some reason. Minsky's.
You know we have one of Minsky'spizza.
Oh really? I'll have to eat there.
I don't. I don't think that it's related
to him at all. But yeah, it's good pizza.
(32:51):
It's good pizza. We'll go eat there.
OK cool. So she performed in Minsky's
Burlesque. Dixie Evans also was in a show
with Princess Lahoma. If you remember Princess Lahoma
from a few episodes ago, they were in the Show Anatomy Award
Review. Oh.
(33:12):
Which I like. Creative, so yes.
Creative so by the 1980s burlesque had shifted as we know
theaters had faded, clubs had faded strip clubs were coming in
go go dancers things like that Dixie really refused to let go
(33:33):
of you know burlesque golden days and allow it to just like
disappear into the shadows of history.
She did decide to take over Exotic World, a museum that had
housed, you know, burlesque artifacts, from feathers to
costumes to scrapbooks, all remnants of the art form.
She didn't just, like, curate it, but she also protected it.
(33:56):
So under her leadership, Exotic World then kind of evolved into
the Burlesque Hall of Fame, which then ensured that, you
know, the legends that we know, Gypsy Rose Lee, Lily St.
Cyr, Tempest Storm would not be forgotten.
So even though like so the obviously the realization of
(34:16):
Exotic world came from Jenny Lee.
And then the museum moved to a permanent display, as you said,
yes. So to display all the ephemera
that she and Dixie had collectedover the years.
So you can actually go onto the Burlesque Hall of Fame website.
You can actually look at the Dixie Evans costume collection
(34:37):
that they've uploaded virtually.So you can go on and see like
all of these costumes that she owned, some of them are hers,
some of them are from other performers.
But I just like pointing that out because it was very
exciting. We'll have a link to it on our
our WordPress. So after Jenny's death in 1990,
Dixie continued to build the museum with help of Charles
(35:01):
Arroyo, Jenny's widower, and a team of volunteers and workers.
So and then in 1991, she foundedthe Miss Exotic World Pageant
contest, pageant slash contest, basically to attract visitors
and attention to the new museum.And so for 25 years, Dixie Evans
(35:24):
was the curator of the Exotic World Museum.
And then she built it up, maintained, you know, day-to-day
operations and it also LED tours, which I just love.
I would would have loved to get a tour from her.
So, So she mentored a lot of dancers.
She shared lots and of differentstories.
And with the Miss Exotic World pageant, I feel like that did
(35:49):
bring a pretty big revival in burlesque, just as like a
living, breathing art form in terms of even though it's a
contest, it does provide money. Like, you know, it's a donation
to the to the museum essentiallywhen people pay to like go to
the weekend or, and things like that.
So I think that is just a very smart way to keep the
(36:11):
preservation efforts alive. So thanks, Dixie, you're, you
were so smart. She passed away in 2013.
But obviously burlesque has not faded into history.
We've seen a really big revival that is still continuing.
And she wasn't just, you know, the Marilyn Monroe of burlesque.
(36:34):
She used Dixie Evans in her own right.
And yeah, to quote her, this is history and it deserves to be
told. That's perfect, Dixie.
She's. So sweet.
I just, yeah, gosh, yeah, I, I really enjoyed going to the
museum when I was able to to seeit and I wish, I think they
(36:57):
people have till July 20th to gosee the, the physical location
and the the current exhibition by Leslie Cunningham and the
team there so. Yes.
Visit. Definitely.
Please go visit IT, support them, go to the website, get a
membership if you don't have onealready.
If you can make it to the Weekender, make it to the
(37:19):
Weekender for me. Yeah, I.
Want to go next year so bad? They are going to continue.
I can't make it this year. Yeah, yeah, they're continuing
that in their school and their classes and their shows.
It's just the physical location and pay your I'm sure paying for
a rent and then the people to work there like that's it's all
an upkeep the insurance, right, insurance.
(37:42):
We should we should try and get the podcast there and we could
do like a live show at Bee Hof Weekender.
That would be, that would be so cool.
So that would be amazing. I know, but.
Yeah, hit us up. If you want to be our sugar
daddy, we will let you. Yeah, we'll allow.
(38:07):
Our dreams. Come to Patreon and yes, fund
us. Oh, that's what we should call
our the level on Patreon. I only have we only have one
level on Patreon. We don't have multiple, but we
should call it the sugar daddy level.
Oh yeah, I'm sure that will gather the attention we we want
(38:31):
for this. Yeah.
History for five. Right, for 5 bucks a month you
could be our sugar daddy. We'll get T-shirts made that say
I'm a $5 sugar daddy for Let's Burlesque podcast and.
We'll ship it to you. Yeah, and we'll ship it.
(38:52):
I love that. That would be fun, but Speaking
of shirts and stuff, I mean Behalf has some pretty bad ass
T-shirts and all kinds of souvenirs and stuff that you can
buy and you can buy those on their website.
I have AT shirt from Wined and Iget comments on it all the time
because it has like their first names.
(39:15):
It has a bunch of dancers first names listed.
And so I'll have people be like,who's all that?
So I'll tell him, you know, thisis Jenny Lee and this is Dixie
Evans and this is Lily Sincere and you know, and this is Kobe
Lee and they have no idea what I'm talking about.
And so then I tell them, hey, they're historical figures that
(39:36):
are worth knowing. Feminist icons.
Exactly. So.
I don't know if I should mentionthis to the full podcast, but on
Patreon I'm hoping to do a little show and tell of my
photographs that I purchased recently of Rosita Voice.
(39:58):
These are photographs I've neverseen before and so I I purchased
them online and they've come so.That video will be on Patreon of
me unveiling those. Yes, I'm excited to see all of
that. And if you want to see some of
this history that she's got in her hands, you'll have to join
(40:19):
our Patreon and support our podcast.
That's it. You're just going to have to do
it. That's it.
You just. You just have to sorry, sorry.
About it. Goodbye.
But yeah, so I mean, I mean, there we've got some exciting
stuff coming up for our our patrons over there on Patreon.
So they're going to get some behind the scenes at Legislate
(40:42):
this and get to watch our acts on like legislate this.
I have two brand new acts that I'm working on.
Cannot wait. The one and only Crim to
violence is going to be RMC thatnight.
And we are popping her MC Cherryand I am so excited to have her
doing that. It's for a good cause.
(41:04):
It's for Planned Parenthood, yes.
We've sold quite a few tickets and we still have a lot more
tickets to go, so. Oh, and I think one of my
friends who makes all my cool stickers and those stickers up
there for our merch table so that we can sell them, They're
little stickers, so they won't be very expensive, but they're
(41:26):
all very political and very feminist and kick lots of ass.
So. And those proceeds will go
towards our collection for Planned Parenthood.
Yeah. So I'm really, really, really
excited for this show and I can't wait to see you there,
Iona and. I'm so excited.
(41:50):
Yeah. I'm excited we're going to have
and perform. Yes, I should eat pizza after.
Absolutely. Well, I mean, we usually do.
We usually go to pizza shuttle because that's kind of a thing.
I don't know if Minsky's is openthat late, but maybe it's just a
weekend of pizza. We're just gonna pizza ourselves
(42:13):
to death. I don't know.
Except Creme. Creme hates pizza.
We learned that. So sorry Creme.
I'm, I'm learning so much about Creme.
I don't know. I don't know about that.
Just like pizza. No, it's it's, it's Mr. Creme.
Mr. Creme has pizzed her out. It's his favorite food.
(42:36):
So I don't know, man. Out.
OK, Got it, Got it. Yeah.
But I don't know. Well, we'll talk her into
something. They've got other stuff.
I'm sure that's fine. But yeah, so we will have
pictures and behind the scenes and stuff for only our patrons
on Patreon. So join us over there.
(42:58):
It's not that expensive, just a little bit helps us out a bunch.
So we will continue the conversation of burlesque
history and historical items over there.
Sound good? Yes.
OK. Well, that is all for us today.
So we will be back next week with another story and we will
(43:20):
see you there. Bye.
Bye. All right, love lies.
That's a wrap for today's show, but don't just take our word for
it. Our sources are listed in the
episode notes at letsburlesquepodcast.wordpress.com,
so dig a little deeper and checkthem out for yourselves.
(43:44):
There's so much more to discoverabout this beautiful body world
of burlesque. And while you're at it, don't
forget to follow the Let's Burles podcast on your preferred
podcast app, plus Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Blue Spy, and
you can e-mail us at letsburlespodcast@gmail.com.
(44:04):
But if you want to have access to all of the glitter, glam, and
backstage moments that you trulycrave, you can support us on
Patreon. It's been a pleasure, as always.
Diving into the. Sparkle with you.
Until next time, Papa. Pasting.
(44:39):
Music. None.
(46:02):
None.
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