March 31, 2025 • 52 mins
Iona Fortune is back to tell us all about Amy Spencer and Mae is talking about the fiery Betty Rowland
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Episode Transcript
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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.
(01:10):
Hello, welcome to Let's Burlesque.
I am your host May, December andwith me again this week because
I can't get enough of talking toher.
I got Iona Fortune. Hello.
Thank you for having me again, it's lovely to speak with you.
I'm I am really enjoying having conversations with you and I
(01:34):
love hearing your stories and you've been a a great stand in
for Miss Cram while she's gone. So I was like, man, let's just
do another story. I want to hear something else.
So I know that you've got something good for me today.
I don't know what it is yet, butI'm sure it's really, really
good. So tell me how your week is
going. Oh goodness, it's going good.
(01:58):
I have been working a lot, writing a lot and performing at
a show on Friday called Moon DayCabaret, and that is in Omaha,
NE at the Down Under Lounge. It's produced by CC Pebbles.
What is that this Friday? The 29th, 28th, 28th I believe.
(02:21):
Whatever. Friday is.
Yeah, it's whatever Friday is. That's what I had, 20 Yeah, this
Friday. I'm always like whatever,
whatever this day is, whatever that is, I'm doing it.
But I just published an article about Harlem in Havana, which
(02:42):
was a black burlesque show, Black and Afro Cuban burlesque
show in the 1940s through the 1960s and got a lot of great
photos. I got permission to put them on
my website by the Harlem in Havana project by Leslie
Cunningham. So that was, I was really
grateful to be able to include like she has over 100
(03:06):
photographs on her website. So go to my article, you can
Scroll down and then there's a link to go see even more of the
stuff that she has. So.
Oh, amazing. We'll have to have you back to
tell us a little bit about that so that we can direct them to
your website and leave them wanting more.
Yeah, you could see if Leslie could be on the podcast.
(03:30):
Oh that would be good. You have the Kinect, so.
Maybe, I don't know, I we'll see.
I mean, you know, I'll, I'll take whoever can tell me the
coolest stories. I know.
Yeah. I I just encourage anyone who
has, yeah, a good burlesque story to come forward and share
it. I love it.
(03:51):
It's like they're they're never ending.
Just fascinating stories from the past.
It's so cool. Yes.
So who are you talking about today?
So, well, like I mentioned last week, you know, I talked about
Babette and I know that I mentioned in there that there
was another performer who seemedto like to sue in court, right?
(04:16):
Press is bad press, which we've seen that a little bit, right?
So I did talk more in detail about that performer.
Her name was Betty Rowland. She was the ball of fire of
burlesque. So I didn't tell her story
because I mentioned her. And the reason she was at the
top of my head is because I had researched it.
(04:38):
I had done both of those storiesthat week in my research.
And so they kind of had that connection.
They I did find them both on thederanged LA Crimes website.
So it was in my head when we were talking about it and I
mentioned it. And so then this week I was
preparing and I was like, do I have a story this week?
(05:00):
And then I was like, oh, I thinkI already told the story.
Oh no. And then I went back and looked
and I was like, no, I didn't tell the story.
I mentioned her. And that's why in my brain I was
like, Oh no, but we haven't heard the details about her yet.
But we will. That's exciting.
Yeah, so I'm going to plug our next show again, pretty much
(05:25):
every week y'all are going to hear about legislate this.
Tickets are on sale right now. We're still finalizing our My
brain doesn't work because it's Tuesday.
We're still finalizing our list of performers.
OK, yes. We we are still taking
applications. Those applications close on
(05:45):
April 12th. So if you would like the Google
form to apply to be in the show,we want to see your political
themed acts. So I have had some really cool
accent to me. I'm very, very excited about the
level of talent that is coming mostly from your neck of the
(06:09):
woods. That's.
OK, let's show. I mean, I need to share it again
on my social so that people in Nebraska could come because I
maybe I'll. I should take a caravan, Dan.
I should take a yeah, I have a small car, but I could at least
I could see if. Anyone else could come, y'all
could all just follow each otherdown.
(06:32):
Bring all your fans, bring your kittens, bring.
Just bring everybody. Yeah.
I really want Kansas City to show up and show out.
We'll see how that goes, you know, but if nothing else, we
have some really powerful performers that are going to
(06:54):
knock the socks off of everybody.
I'm so excited for some of theseacts that are coming.
My Co producer Caitlin, she's also from Colorado, so I'm
really excited to see what she'sgot coming.
She is also helping me teach some classes this summer.
So we're going to be, we are opening right now spots for the
(07:19):
Kansas City Burlesque Academy, which will be coming to us the
week after Father's Day. It's an 8 week program to help
build an act. So if you're already a performer
and you want to take it, it's cool because we can help you
brainstorm your act and really perfect it and do a peer review
(07:39):
when your ACT is ready, help youreally refine it and get it
perfect. And then we're going to do a
performance in August for our graduation show, quote UN quote.
And the last one was really great.
We had a great headliner from Georgia.
Coco Rose was our headliner for that show.
(08:00):
And then all the other performers were students from
the Academy. So it was a lot, a lot of fun
and I'm ready to do it again since we have a, we have a spot
to do it in at the Redux Societyin West Bottom.
So I have Google forms for both of those events for performers
if you want to do classes. And then I have a Google form
(08:24):
for legislate this. We're still taking apps for
that. And we also have tickets up for
that. So get with me, get all my
socials, and you'll see, you'll get sick of seeing it 'cause
it's gonna be posted from now until then.
Good, good. But yeah, you know, that's what
(08:44):
we do. We are people have to wear many
different hats, so we are advertiser and producer and
performers all at the same time so.
Oh man, we were actually at I 'cause I teach at a college and
I was talking to some of my students today and one of them
she knows that I do this podcastout to Amy if you're listening,
(09:09):
because she said she was going to be Amy, but hi Amy.
So we were kind of chit chattingand I mentioned, you know this
and she's like cut, you're always busy.
You just do you dress like what do you do?
And I, because I'm remodeling mykitchen.
I'm teaching, I'm doing this, I'm producing the show, I'm
(09:31):
doing the school. So I'm like, I just like to stay
busy. That's just how we are.
Yeah, same. I, I would be.
I don't know what I'd be doing if I wasn't busy.
I know I would be twiddling my thumbs and I told them I was
like, if I'm if it's too quiet then my depressive brain starts
working and then I'm like oh God, everything sucks.
(09:53):
I don't know what's happening so, but if I'm busy, I'm not
thinking about the world until I'm doing a show about it.
You know, that's how we. Fight.
Yeah, that's how you get throughit.
You express yourself. Can't be silent about it.
Yep, definitely. So.
OK, well, I'm really excited to hear your story today.
(10:17):
OK, I'm. Excited to talk to you about
about Amy Spencer. So yes, imagine it's the Roaring
20s in Harlem, New York and her sorry, in Harlem, New York's
vibrant, vibrant nightlife. Burlesque at the Golden age and
you see a fiery redheaded dancerbreaking the barriers on stage.
(10:39):
This is the story of Amy Spencer.
She was born around 1909 in EastOrange, NJ.
Spencer was a trailblazing Blackactress and dancer who
captivated audiences with her talent, grace, and unapologetic
personality. Her journey through the Jazz Age
(11:00):
and beyond reflects the resilience and the artistry of
Black performers during a time when racial and societal
barriers sought to hold them back.
Today I'm going to dive into herlife, her career, and a little
bit of her enduring legacy. So as I yes, as I mentioned
before, she grew up in New Jersey.
(11:22):
Her father was from New Jersey, but her mother was actually from
India. She spent time in New York's,
most of her time in New York City, and she had a passion for
dancing right out of the gate. She graduated high school and
went to perform as a chorus dancer in 1925.
The first course she was in was called the How Come Chorus,
(11:45):
which was part of a new dance craze called the Chicago Toddle
and the dancers were called the Toddlers.
So she was a toddler. I don't know what's going on,
but it was a dance craze 1925. That was.
That was maybe not the best namefor that.
No, not at all. Who came up with this?
(12:08):
I think a guy. I don't.
Know it's a it's a white man youEddie.
It's a white man, yes. He is white and he I believe he
is white and he's employing black dancers.
Oh, OK, well, you know there's always a white man to exploit us
somewhere, right? I was going to play the devil's
(12:28):
advocate since Krim's not here, and I was going to blame Frankie
Bacon because that's what we do here, I guess.
But. She comes in.
Don't worry. She always for school, it's
always. Coming down.
Just. Something in SO don't worry.
He is just man, OK, Krim's goingto be listening to this episode.
Like what? Yes, OK.
(12:51):
So. So she, her so Amy's career took
a significant turn when after the toddlers, she was cast at a
place called Connie's Inn, whichis a which was a Harlem
nightclub that provided a platform for black performers
and musicians to entertain audiences.
(13:12):
And so Connie's Inn, you know, really became part of the Harlem
Renaissance, hosting controversial yet groundbreaking
shows like Connie's in In Review.
The production was dubbed the most indecent show ever brought
to Harlem. It was actually censored after
its first performance. But then it ended up staying 5
(13:35):
weeks at the Lafayette Theatre in New York City and patrons
would pay $10 a seat at the time.
And in today that is $177.85 andwow.
That's a lot. It must have.
Been dirty. It was dirty.
It was great. So despite initial censorship
(13:59):
became a massive success. Amy gained recognition for her
performances and was actually interviewed by a newspaper.
And she stated very boldly that she believed in, you know,
equality and artistic freedom and was really challenging like
the societal norms she stated. I think it's all right in, in
(14:21):
terms of like the show, many people pay much more money to
see downtown shows which are notas dressed up as we are.
It all depends on the audience. Some like it and some don't.
Of course, anything can be carried to extremes, but I think
a colored girl has as much rightto show a beautiful form as a
white girl. So she further solidified her
(14:43):
career in 1927 when she became the headliner for the Hot
Chocolates Review, which was an all black production that
captivated audiences with its dance productions and innovative
music. It was pretty much a musical
split into two acts, 23 different scenes, 85 African
(15:05):
American performers. It started in 1927, toured
around the country in 1930 and then even had a revival in 1937.
So this is just a fantastic show.
Some of the other dancers that performed with her were Baby
Cocks who was advertised as a shake dancer, the Bon Bon
(15:26):
Buddies which were 8 male dancers and Louise Crook who was
advertised as a couch dancer. So some sort of a cooch dancer
would be like the Hoochie Coochie which is an oriental
dance. So like little Egypt, like turn
of the century flare kind of thing.
(15:50):
But so, according to the newspapers, Amy Spencer
performed the Goddess of Rain and something called the Jungle
Jamboree. So OK.
In 1930, I found the United States Federal Census for 1930.
It lists Amy Spencer's occupation as actress in the
(16:11):
industry of nightclub. So interesting.
Within the next few years she would rise to stardom as a
famous sepia fan dancer. She, you know, had red hair and
was very small even though newspapers would often comment
on her weight. So the fan dance really was
(16:33):
accustomed to her. She actually became an
international star when she started dancing with Al Moore.
So they became dance partners inthe 1930 thirties and dance like
Adagio performances, which were usually dances that were like
the performer acting as the woman would like be kind of like
(16:57):
thrown around in these like acrobatic tricks as part of the
dance. So it was really quite like a
coming dance and is something that you had to be pretty
masterful at The I have a quote from Al Moore actually, where he
stated Miss Spencer is a Finnishdancer.
There are a few tricks she hasn't mastered.
Her specialty as an Adagio dancer is imitated far and wide,
(17:19):
but none of her imitators have succeeded in copying her style,
nor have they been able to acquire her brace, which I just
love that. So he eventually went to Europe,
but she didn't follow him. She actually decided to take a
position at the Cotton Club withCab Calloway.
So with the fan dance coming to popularity 1933, she, you know,
(17:43):
also showed up in that same veinof all of these different fan
dancers. But specifically what's
interesting about her story is that Cab Calloway wrote a song
specifically about her called The Lady with the Fan, and he
sings that song in the 1934 filmcalled Hidey Ho.
(18:04):
The the dancers were not credited, but I do believe that
she is in the film and I emailedit to you so we can watch that.
Yeah, I will put that on the website for sure.
Yeah, let me pull it up. Oh, now, ladies and gentlemen,
she's pretty. One of my novelty.
(18:25):
Numbers. Yeah, she's very pretty.
So I believe she's one of the fan, like one of the six fan
dancers that's in just the shortpart of the film.
(18:47):
The film is only like 30 minuteslong, but this part was just,
yeah, Cab Calloway singing and them having a little bit of a
glance. So did.
Frankie Bacon see all of these girls on stage doing the fan
dance and have a heart attack. Possibly, I don't know if she
(19:07):
went, I do have. Some.
I I will get into Frankie Bacon like right seen after this,
yeah. I just love finding little clips
(19:41):
of of things in movies. Oh, there's a redhead.
So yeah, she would perform at Cab Calloway's club in 1933, I
(20:06):
mean the same year that Sally Rand performed it at the World's
Fair. But are the yes, it was the
Chicago World's Fair, I believe.Yeah.
Oh. That was cool.
(20:26):
OK, cool. Love that.
So according to Callaway's autobiography, he wrote the song
about Amy Spencer, who had performed a fan dance at his
Cotton Club review. However, like, at this time,
multiple newspapers, like, afterhe released the song, just all
(20:49):
over the country, just kind of attributed it to Sally Rand,
who, you know, was sensationalized.
And Amy Spencer still got a lot of credit for, like, her
performances. It just wasn't, Yeah,
sensationalized throughout the whole country, right?
Yeah. So while fan dancing gained
mainstream popularity, it's possible that Amy's artistry and
(21:14):
like other black fan dancers, had influenced white performers
like Sally Rand, you know, who often would credit things to
other people but not or like their producers would have
credited it to someone else. He's like Josephine Baker was
performing the fan dance in Paris typically before Bacon was
(21:35):
in the US. And then there's also some
evidence that Minsky was often visiting places like the Cotton
Club and the Plantation Club to watch black burlesque, which he
called like, progressive burlesque.
Minsky had also leased, like, the Harlem Opera House in 1924.
He leased the Apollo Theater in 1928.
(21:57):
And these became, like, hubs forblack performers.
So it's possible that there werecrossovers.
And I mean, when you're performing the same similar
spaces, I don't think it would be above them to share things,
Right? Right, but being cultural
(22:20):
appropriation is not uncommon inthe history of burlesque.
But we don't I don't have any evidence of Amy Spencer doing it
like a year before or something.Everything happens in 1933 and
then everything. It just explodes with fan
dancers. So, but anyways, the the song
(22:41):
really, I think, highlights the contributions of black
performers, specifically Amy Spencer, you know, and shaping
burlesque and American burlesqueat that.
So she continued at the Cotton Club.
The Afro Afro American newspaperreported in November 1934 that
Amy Spencer was the fiery redhead fan dancer at the Cotton
(23:04):
Club in Harlem. She gives a fine interpretation
of the dance that Sally Rand made famous, but she handles her
fans adeptly as she dances aboutthe stage and gives more
emphasis to her dexterous manipulation and her rhythm than
does to any suggestion of nudity.
She is 22 years old, 22 years old at this time, so she's
(23:27):
extremely successful and she's even appointed the mistress of
ceremonies at one point while working so.
Nice. Her career, however, it was not
without challenges, you know, Soin 1935, she was arrested for
indecent exposure during a fan dance at the Apollo Theater.
(23:48):
This is kind of late in the the fan dancing game to be arrested
I would say, and it does reflectsomewhat of a double standard.
There was a policewoman watchingSpencer's fan dance and right
after she arrested her, this wasthe only instance I could find
of Spencer actually being arrested.
(24:10):
But to the So the theater manager actually went to get
Spencer a lawyer and they attempted to defend her with
like multiple witnesses that came to testify that her dance
was an act of art. However, Spencer decided to in
(24:31):
the end waive her right to a trial.
She pled guilty and then was fined $25.
Which do you want to guess how much that is today?
Oh my gosh, that's a lot. Yeah.
OK. I'm going to say, OK, so the
$10, I can't even remember now what you said it was, but it was
a lot. And so this is a lot more than
(24:53):
that. So I'm going to say like $5000.
Oh, you're so close. It's $574.45.
Sorry I'm not close. I'm.
Sorry I do that some people liketo do.
That I'm bad at math. I'm I'm very bad.
Sometimes it's like a hair sensing it.
(25:14):
Just sensing it, yeah. No, I cut hair.
I don't do math. Oh, you're great.
I love it so anyways, but so right after that, she was given
a leave of absence absent from the Cotton Club and never
returned. But her resilience is evident
because she continued to navigate the burlesque world.
(25:38):
She started going to different parts of the country.
In 1937, she went to the Black Cat Club in Washington, DC There
she debuted a new burlesque act that she called the Goldfish
Numba. And it's NU MB AH Numba.
I love it. And then by the end of 1937, she
(26:02):
was back in New York City, actually performing at the
Plantation Club in Harlem. So another Harlem nightclub and
there she would perform like theCharleston and new dances like
the Big Apple dance. That was like all the the craze.
She became partners with a guy named Barrington Guy.
(26:23):
And I think that name's great. I actually think that needs to
be someone's name, like a drag name or performing Barrington
Guy. That has to be a fake name.
That's not real. That's not.
That is a character. That is a character from
Dynasty. Yes, so and at the when she was
(26:46):
at the plantation club, she alsodebuted an act called Dance of
the Vampire, but unfortunately later that year she was let go
because of quote, insolence to the big boss is what they speak
percent. You know what?
You know what that usually means?
But you didn't like have sex with them?
(27:06):
Yeah, probably. Or that she was very like, I
don't know, spoke her mind and opinion.
Who knows? It should be a little.
Thing yeah, it's probably both II would say it's probably both
it's. Probably all of the above.
I mean, I would just shake, put everything in the cauldron if we
were thinking about what it's going to be so looking.
(27:28):
For her for not beating up with bullshit.
Yeah, I mean, and she like continues into 1938, but I
couldn't find anything after. She basically goes to Pittsburgh
and I don't know, somehow like meets Duke Ellington.
And there, the last article I find is her at the going away
(27:51):
party for Duke Ellington. He was going on like a European
Tour, and there's some really cute photos of, like, her
sitting around with people at the party.
But other than that, she kind offalls out of like, the newspaper
limelight, which doesn't mean that she disappeared, you know,
but maybe it means that she tooka break or took on a different
(28:13):
name or, you know, to perform under something like that.
But right, Amy's, you know, Amy Spencer's story is one of talent
and determination. I think that she had her
unyielding spirit for a performer that just, like,
refused to be confined. And, you know, from her early
days as just like a chorus dancer to be, then becoming a
(28:35):
fan dancer to then creating her own acts and debuting them at
new clubs. I mean, that was really
interesting, especially during, like, a transformative era in
American history. And I think that her
contributions to the entertainment industry need to
be uplifted, you know, for inspiring future generations.
(28:57):
Of performers, absolutely. That's just that's my little
story about her. That's of course if anyone knows
anything about her I would love to hear more.
Nice, nice. It's kind of funny because there
is a connection here with my story, of course, because we're
talking about, we're talking about redheads.
(29:21):
You're joking about redheads. So great.
I I'm it's not the universe. Yeah, I'm naturally strawberry
blonde. So when I started burlesque, I
had red hair. But then I switched it over to
blonde because I got bored and here I am.
So most of my promo pictures I have red.
(29:42):
Hair. Oh, you have red hair.
Yeah, that's why I I didn't quite know it was.
I think I remember the first time I logged on with you and
Cream, I was like, can you guys introduce yourself?
You're both blonde now. And I didn't know cream on
Facebook or any social media, soI was just like.
Oh man. I just have brown hair.
(30:04):
It's my natural hair color is a little bit lighter than this,
but I just keep it dark and. Dye the Gray.
I've I've done every single color known to man I I've done
black, I've done red, I've done purple.
I was green for a while. It's.
(30:25):
Green would be cool. I mean, when you do hair, when
you do hair, you just kind of like, I want to try this one,
but I've been really good about it lately, like keeping it 1 the
same color. I guess I've maybe I've outgrown
it, I don't know. But who knows, next week it
(30:45):
might change. Yeah, who knows?
You just never. You never know.
So I'm going to tell you about Betty Rowland.
Yes, that was called. The Ball of Fire of Burlesque
was her little tagline. So Betty Rowland was a
pioneering American burlesque dancer and an actress whose
(31:08):
career spanned over 8 decades. She was renowned for her
vivacious performances and her flaming red hair.
She became one of the last living icons of the golden age
of burlesque. She was born January 23rd, 1916
in Columbus, OH. Her journey from vaudeville
(31:31):
stages to a Hollywood films really encapsulates a vibrant
era of American entertainment. So she was born Betty Jane
Rowland to Alva and Ida Rowland in Columbus.
Her father worked as an accountant, but he lost his job
during the Great Depression, a circumstance that influenced the
(31:54):
family's dynamics. Betty, along with her sisters
Diane and Rozelle, began their performing careers in
vaudeville. So it was her name was so Diane.
Her name was Diane with no EDIAN, and her sister's name was
(32:15):
Rozelle, which was ROZELLE. So Ellie, Like Ellie?
I mean, yeah, but with yeah, Ellie.
Maybe it's Rosellie. 1916, that's also around the time
Rosita Royce was born. Her name was Lotus.
(32:36):
So I think it's kind of like this interesting, like naming
scheme happening at that time. Maybe.
I mean, they went from Betty Jane to Rozelle, so yeah.
Rozelle. I don't know.
Yeah, but all three sisters started performing in
vaudeville, and of course the offspring of that was burlesque,
(32:56):
which she eventually got into. This early exposure to the stage
is what laid that foundation forher transition later on.
She just left such an incrediblemark for that.
Wow. Let me find my place again.
OK, so Roland's burlesque careertook off at Minsky's, the famed
(33:18):
club in New York City, as most performers in the day came from
there. Many of them did.
It was here that she earned thatnickname Ball of Fire.
It was a testament to both her fiery red hair and her
energetic, fast-paced dance style.
So we tend to see a lot of dancers in this period that are
(33:41):
very graceful and smooth and slow and sultry and they do the
slow burns. This was not this was not Betty.
Betty, don't she don't play thatway.
She maintained a very aloof demeanor to project glamour.
It was very, I want to say aggressive, but she was just all
(34:03):
over the place on stage. Very big personality.
Her performances were characterized at the time by her
constant smiling. She would prance along the edge
of the stage. Just very endearing to the
audiences at the time and a standout amid the very smooth,
(34:25):
you know, some of them classically trained.
Yeah, ballet or yeah. There was a standard dance and
she was just not here for it. She wanted to do her own thing.
So in 1938 she relocated to LA and by 1941 she had established
herself as a burlesque star on the West Coast.
(34:48):
So in November of 1939, Roland and several performers got
arrested at the Follies Theatre in Los Angeles on charges of
exhibiting an indecent show. Oh yeah, the trial.
They went to trial. And that trial garnered
significant public attention, with the defense assembling a
(35:11):
shockproof, quote, UN quote, jury that was capable of
handling the explicit evidence that was before them.
This evidence was, of course, photographs and transcripts from
the performance in question. So, But despite a vigorous
defense that compared their actsto mainstream dance trends and
(35:32):
Hollywood imagery, they were convicted.
So they each got fined $250 and placed on two years probation,
during which they were prohibited from participating in
quote, UN quote and moral shows.So $250 in 1939.
(35:52):
I'm going to spend this back on you.
How much was that? 1939 Two $150.00 I mean $4000.
OK, so you were closer than I was.
It was 5 thousand 5676 dollars. Wow, yeah, that's a lot.
(36:14):
Each of them has. Each of them had the 250 fine
and they could not dance for twoyears. 2.
Years. Yeah, just like but.
In California, like could you try to run to like another state
and perform? I mean, I would, but it I don't
(36:34):
have anything that says she did.I do however see that she got
bored. She didn't have nothing else to
do. So in 1941, producer Sam Goldwyn
released a film titled Ball of Fire.
It was starring Barbara Stanwyckand Gary Cooper.
Yeah, well, she, she was mad. She believed that that title
(36:59):
infringed upon her stage moniker.
So she sued him. She took him to court.
You know, no press is bad press.She took a page out of Frankie
Bacon and said, that's mine. You can't have it.
So I could not find solid information on the lawsuit
itself. It's not widely documented, but
(37:22):
it definitely underscores her recognition and the association
of the title Ball of Fire with her personal persona.
So I wish I could find more on the court case, but I'm not
paying to get that information. OK.
So that's probably the only way I would be able to do it is by
(37:45):
actually getting if they have records, because that's a long
time ago. So if they have the records
online, that might be the only way we could find it.
But I didn't do that. What?
Year was the the movie again. The movie The movie came out in
19. 41 OK, well that's that's well so.
(38:10):
So. But beyond the burlesque stage,
Roland did make appearances in several Hollywood films.
Her filmography includes Includes Roles and Let's Make
Music, which came out in 1940, where she played a chorus girl
named Betty Spivaldi E and a Marathi.
And a Marathi. I probably flubbed that one up.
(38:34):
But that was in 1959. She played Dorothy Loving Kisses
in 1965. She was a dancer and a Time for
dying in 1969. She also played a dancer.
Cool. So these these roles, of course,
were not leading parts, but theydid showcase her versatility and
(38:56):
her ability to transition between the stage and the
screen. So in the 1960s, Roland ventured
into business by assuming ownership of a bar in Santa
Monica. So even after investors bought
and renamed the establishment inthe 1990s, she continued to work
(39:16):
there as a Hostess until at least 2009.
So she was still chugging along,demonstrating her enduring
connection to the entertainment world.
She also appeared in numerous documentaries in 2004 and
another in 2010 to reflect on her illustrious career and the
(39:40):
evolution of burlesque. In her later years, she worked
as a Hostess at Allen Elaine Gerard's French restaurant and a
set brassiere in Santa Monica. I'm flubbing up all these words.
I don't care. If y'all want to correct me,
please do. In 2009, at the age of 93, she
(40:03):
was still active in the hospitality industry.
She was living in an apartment in Brentwood.
I love them. And then she, yeah.
And then she passed away on April 3rd of 2022 at a care
facility in Culver City, CA at the age of 106.
(40:24):
Oh my goodness. That girl did not want to go
anywhere. That girl was hanging on.
She was not stuck like the pandemic shut.
Down. Yes, a girl was in a care
facility and you know, those gothit pretty hard.
(40:46):
That's yeah. I don't know.
That's just so old. I mean, I don't want to be like,
oh, that's so old, but I'm just,yeah, we could for less because
you're less until we're 106 years old, May.
I mean, we could. I don't know if I can but.
My knees needle it. My knees can't.
(41:08):
OK, I'm only 45 and I already feel like hot death half the
time. I'm kidding.
It's fine. We're we're fine.
We just put on a little more makeup and slap these babies up.
Yeah. But I mean, she was still
(41:29):
chugging along at 93. So, you know, I, I don't know
when exactly she quote, UN quote, retired, but 93 still is
intense. And then she ended up in that
care facility and that's where she passed away.
Her death was not announced until three months after it
(41:50):
happened on June 30th. So that marked the end of the
era of the golden age of burlesque.
She was it. So her personal life was so
eventful, just as eventful as her career, as she was married
to a businessman named Owen S Dalton.
(42:10):
She married him in 1956 and thenthey divorced in 1963.
He also had a relationship with burlesque and film comedian Gus
Schilling, although they were often referred to as spouses.
She later clarified that she didn't marry that man.
(42:31):
Her personal? No, no, she's not claiming that
one. So her personal relationships,
much like her career, were intertwined with the
entertainment industry, reflecting the vibrant and at
times tumultuous nature of show business during her era.
So her life and career were veryemblematic of the the really
(42:53):
rich history of the golden age of burlesque and entertainment
and Hollywood. She had some dynamic
performances, her legal entanglements with Hollywood and
then her seamless transition between the stage and the
screen. And that really highlights her
as a multi faceted artist who left an indelible mark on on our
(43:16):
industry. And I mean, living to one O 6.
She bore witness to the evolution of performance art
across the century. Yeah, that's insane to think
about. Like, when you really think
about everything she saw, she got to see the revival of
burlesque really play out. And I love that.
Yeah. So.
(43:38):
That would be, yeah, that would be exciting to see that you were
around for the initial like peak, peak of everyone's going
crazy about burlesque and then you see it go down and, and a
lot of the struggles that were happening and then go go
dancing, you know, and things like that.
But then also, yeah, Neil Burlesque coming into play in
(44:00):
like the 90s. I will post some some pictures
of her. She was gorgeous.
And I mean, I know you can't really tell how tall somebody
is, and obviously they didn't really say it, but she looks
petite to me. Like, I feel like she was like a
little tiny ball of fire. Yeah.
(44:20):
A tiny, tiny gallium. I mean, you know, the smaller
the package, the fiercer the dynamite or something like that.
I don't know. People used to say that to me
all the time, 'cause I'm short. But I'm also short.
How tall are you? I'm 51 OK, I'm 54 so so I'm a
(44:46):
baby the. No, just babes.
But I have, I have normal size feet, at least my my best friend
Tori, Miss Tori Lisa out there. I know she's probably listening.
She wears a size 5. Nobody has tiny feet like that.
(45:09):
Yeah, that's rare. Her.
Her feet and her hands, they're just so tiny and cute.
I love it. But Yep.
So that's the story that I had for for today.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Yeah, we had some cute. Oh, look at the baby.
This is my Kitty Miko. She likes to come sit with me
(45:32):
sometimes, and she's, yeah, pretty demanding at at times.
You know tortoiseshell cats? They get that added to me.
Yeah, she's pretty, though. I I don't have any cats anymore,
but I do have Coco Chanel. I don't know where she went.
She was laying here next to me. Your dog?
(45:54):
Yeah. My mascot.
The mascot of Let's Burlesque. I don't know.
I guess she went upstairs with the kid because the kids here.
So she's just wandering around her house, patrolling.
Yes, I did that. We we have to have these
protection animals, you know. Oh, yeah, definitely.
(46:17):
I've got, I've got a couple cats, but one of them really is
like the patroller and greets everyone at the door, has to
check every window at night before bed.
And, you know, it's very protective.
But she does a little growl if she hears like an outside noise
or somebody like, you know, we live in an apartment building.
(46:37):
So if she hears someone out side, she'll do a little warning
brow to like, let me know that someone's out there.
And I'm like, oh, who's here? The mailman.
Oh yeah, OK. We got to protect the house.
You know, it's funny because I think she's, she was given to me
by a really good friend who I know listens to the podcast, my
(47:00):
friend Kelly. And she told me that she's part
poodle, part French Frenchy. I don't I do not see any poodle.
I think she is part Chihuahua because.
She's. Definitely terrier.
She's definitely terrier, but she talks so much and she's
(47:25):
scared of her own shadow. But don't tell strangers that
because she's fierce. Small but fierce.
So yeah. So that's that's what we got for
today. I'm really hoping that we have
you back soon. Maybe we'll do this again next
week. Who knows, Whatever you're down
(47:45):
for, I. I would not be opposed for it.
Thank you so much for having me on and as always, I'll just put
my website really quick www.ionafortune.com and you can
subscribe to my e-mail list. That's the easiest way to like.
See my articles and what so. Absolutely.
(48:05):
And she's in our Patreon and Oh yeah, we just, I just started a
Discord, yes. Announced that I don't.
Know what I'm doing? Oh it's great, I already posted
something for the suggestions and the.
Suggested so I'll have to go check it.
I I haven't checked it in a couple days but I'm gonna get
(48:27):
better with that. And they have a thing on discord
where you can watch YouTube together.
So there's. Where our next our next watch
party, we'll just do it that way.
That way it's less confusing because this last watch party
was very confusing. I could see that I.
(48:48):
Don't know what I'm doing that's.
The thing I've never attempted to do, Yeah, watch party before,
but I did. I do remember during the
pandemic, like playing games over Discord with people and
like being able to hear and see them, but like also interact
with the game. So I like Discord.
I think it'll be it's a fun place to interact and like hold
(49:09):
space for people. Absolutely.
So we are going to try and buildthat community up and you can
get to our Discord through our Patreon.
So find us on Patreon, be our patron.
We really appreciate all of you who are.
I want to hear some more storiesthat I can tell on the podcast,
(49:31):
like tell me your weird burlesque stories and your funny
burlesque stories and your wardrobe malfunctions and your T
from your area. Whatever you want to tell me
like you can tell me, you can e-mail me at
letsburlesquepodcast@gmail.com or check out our WordPress.
(49:52):
And that's all we have today. All.
Right, I'll talk to you later. All right, bye.
Have a great evening. All right, love lies.
That's a wrap for today's show, but don't just take our word for
it.oursourcesarelistedintheepisodenotes@letsburlesquepodcast.wordpress.com.So dig a little deeper and check
(50:20):
them out for yourselves. There's so much more to discover
about this beautiful body world of burlesque.
And while you're at it, don't forget to follow the Let's
Burles podcast on your preferredpodcast app, plus Instagram,
Facebook, Threads, Blue Spy, andyou can e-mail us at
letsburlespodcast@gmail.com. But if you want to have access
(50:44):
to all of the glitter, glam, andbackstage moments that you truly
crave, you can support us on Patreon.
It's been a pleasure, as always.Diving into the.
Sparkle with you. Until next time, Papa.
Pasting. None.
(52:09):
None. The.
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.
(01:10):
Hello, welcome to Let's Burlesque.
I am your host May, December andwith me again this week because
I can't get enough of talking toher.
I got Iona Fortune. Hello.
Thank you for having me again, it's lovely to speak with you.
I'm I am really enjoying having conversations with you and I
(01:34):
love hearing your stories and you've been a a great stand in
for Miss Cram while she's gone. So I was like, man, let's just
do another story. I want to hear something else.
So I know that you've got something good for me today.
I don't know what it is yet, butI'm sure it's really, really
good. So tell me how your week is
going. Oh goodness, it's going good.
(01:58):
I have been working a lot, writing a lot and performing at
a show on Friday called Moon DayCabaret, and that is in Omaha,
NE at the Down Under Lounge. It's produced by CC Pebbles.
What is that this Friday? The 29th, 28th, 28th I believe.
(02:21):
Whatever. Friday is.
Yeah, it's whatever Friday is. That's what I had, 20 Yeah, this
Friday. I'm always like whatever,
whatever this day is, whatever that is, I'm doing it.
But I just published an article about Harlem in Havana, which
(02:42):
was a black burlesque show, Black and Afro Cuban burlesque
show in the 1940s through the 1960s and got a lot of great
photos. I got permission to put them on
my website by the Harlem in Havana project by Leslie
Cunningham. So that was, I was really
grateful to be able to include like she has over 100
(03:06):
photographs on her website. So go to my article, you can
Scroll down and then there's a link to go see even more of the
stuff that she has. So.
Oh, amazing. We'll have to have you back to
tell us a little bit about that so that we can direct them to
your website and leave them wanting more.
Yeah, you could see if Leslie could be on the podcast.
(03:30):
Oh that would be good. You have the Kinect, so.
Maybe, I don't know, I we'll see.
I mean, you know, I'll, I'll take whoever can tell me the
coolest stories. I know.
Yeah. I I just encourage anyone who
has, yeah, a good burlesque story to come forward and share
it. I love it.
(03:51):
It's like they're they're never ending.
Just fascinating stories from the past.
It's so cool. Yes.
So who are you talking about today?
So, well, like I mentioned last week, you know, I talked about
Babette and I know that I mentioned in there that there
was another performer who seemedto like to sue in court, right?
(04:16):
Press is bad press, which we've seen that a little bit, right?
So I did talk more in detail about that performer.
Her name was Betty Rowland. She was the ball of fire of
burlesque. So I didn't tell her story
because I mentioned her. And the reason she was at the
top of my head is because I had researched it.
(04:38):
I had done both of those storiesthat week in my research.
And so they kind of had that connection.
They I did find them both on thederanged LA Crimes website.
So it was in my head when we were talking about it and I
mentioned it. And so then this week I was
preparing and I was like, do I have a story this week?
(05:00):
And then I was like, oh, I thinkI already told the story.
Oh no. And then I went back and looked
and I was like, no, I didn't tell the story.
I mentioned her. And that's why in my brain I was
like, Oh no, but we haven't heard the details about her yet.
But we will. That's exciting.
Yeah, so I'm going to plug our next show again, pretty much
(05:25):
every week y'all are going to hear about legislate this.
Tickets are on sale right now. We're still finalizing our My
brain doesn't work because it's Tuesday.
We're still finalizing our list of performers.
OK, yes. We we are still taking
applications. Those applications close on
(05:45):
April 12th. So if you would like the Google
form to apply to be in the show,we want to see your political
themed acts. So I have had some really cool
accent to me. I'm very, very excited about the
level of talent that is coming mostly from your neck of the
(06:09):
woods. That's.
OK, let's show. I mean, I need to share it again
on my social so that people in Nebraska could come because I
maybe I'll. I should take a caravan, Dan.
I should take a yeah, I have a small car, but I could at least
I could see if. Anyone else could come, y'all
could all just follow each otherdown.
(06:32):
Bring all your fans, bring your kittens, bring.
Just bring everybody. Yeah.
I really want Kansas City to show up and show out.
We'll see how that goes, you know, but if nothing else, we
have some really powerful performers that are going to
(06:54):
knock the socks off of everybody.
I'm so excited for some of theseacts that are coming.
My Co producer Caitlin, she's also from Colorado, so I'm
really excited to see what she'sgot coming.
She is also helping me teach some classes this summer.
So we're going to be, we are opening right now spots for the
(07:19):
Kansas City Burlesque Academy, which will be coming to us the
week after Father's Day. It's an 8 week program to help
build an act. So if you're already a performer
and you want to take it, it's cool because we can help you
brainstorm your act and really perfect it and do a peer review
(07:39):
when your ACT is ready, help youreally refine it and get it
perfect. And then we're going to do a
performance in August for our graduation show, quote UN quote.
And the last one was really great.
We had a great headliner from Georgia.
Coco Rose was our headliner for that show.
(08:00):
And then all the other performers were students from
the Academy. So it was a lot, a lot of fun
and I'm ready to do it again since we have a, we have a spot
to do it in at the Redux Societyin West Bottom.
So I have Google forms for both of those events for performers
if you want to do classes. And then I have a Google form
(08:24):
for legislate this. We're still taking apps for
that. And we also have tickets up for
that. So get with me, get all my
socials, and you'll see, you'll get sick of seeing it 'cause
it's gonna be posted from now until then.
Good, good. But yeah, you know, that's what
(08:44):
we do. We are people have to wear many
different hats, so we are advertiser and producer and
performers all at the same time so.
Oh man, we were actually at I 'cause I teach at a college and
I was talking to some of my students today and one of them
she knows that I do this podcastout to Amy if you're listening,
(09:09):
because she said she was going to be Amy, but hi Amy.
So we were kind of chit chattingand I mentioned, you know this
and she's like cut, you're always busy.
You just do you dress like what do you do?
And I, because I'm remodeling mykitchen.
I'm teaching, I'm doing this, I'm producing the show, I'm
(09:31):
doing the school. So I'm like, I just like to stay
busy. That's just how we are.
Yeah, same. I, I would be.
I don't know what I'd be doing if I wasn't busy.
I know I would be twiddling my thumbs and I told them I was
like, if I'm if it's too quiet then my depressive brain starts
working and then I'm like oh God, everything sucks.
(09:53):
I don't know what's happening so, but if I'm busy, I'm not
thinking about the world until I'm doing a show about it.
You know, that's how we. Fight.
Yeah, that's how you get throughit.
You express yourself. Can't be silent about it.
Yep, definitely. So.
OK, well, I'm really excited to hear your story today.
(10:17):
OK, I'm. Excited to talk to you about
about Amy Spencer. So yes, imagine it's the Roaring
20s in Harlem, New York and her sorry, in Harlem, New York's
vibrant, vibrant nightlife. Burlesque at the Golden age and
you see a fiery redheaded dancerbreaking the barriers on stage.
(10:39):
This is the story of Amy Spencer.
She was born around 1909 in EastOrange, NJ.
Spencer was a trailblazing Blackactress and dancer who
captivated audiences with her talent, grace, and unapologetic
personality. Her journey through the Jazz Age
(11:00):
and beyond reflects the resilience and the artistry of
Black performers during a time when racial and societal
barriers sought to hold them back.
Today I'm going to dive into herlife, her career, and a little
bit of her enduring legacy. So as I yes, as I mentioned
before, she grew up in New Jersey.
(11:22):
Her father was from New Jersey, but her mother was actually from
India. She spent time in New York's,
most of her time in New York City, and she had a passion for
dancing right out of the gate. She graduated high school and
went to perform as a chorus dancer in 1925.
The first course she was in was called the How Come Chorus,
(11:45):
which was part of a new dance craze called the Chicago Toddle
and the dancers were called the Toddlers.
So she was a toddler. I don't know what's going on,
but it was a dance craze 1925. That was.
That was maybe not the best namefor that.
No, not at all. Who came up with this?
(12:08):
I think a guy. I don't.
Know it's a it's a white man youEddie.
It's a white man, yes. He is white and he I believe he
is white and he's employing black dancers.
Oh, OK, well, you know there's always a white man to exploit us
somewhere, right? I was going to play the devil's
(12:28):
advocate since Krim's not here, and I was going to blame Frankie
Bacon because that's what we do here, I guess.
But. She comes in.
Don't worry. She always for school, it's
always. Coming down.
Just. Something in SO don't worry.
He is just man, OK, Krim's goingto be listening to this episode.
Like what? Yes, OK.
(12:51):
So. So she, her so Amy's career took
a significant turn when after the toddlers, she was cast at a
place called Connie's Inn, whichis a which was a Harlem
nightclub that provided a platform for black performers
and musicians to entertain audiences.
(13:12):
And so Connie's Inn, you know, really became part of the Harlem
Renaissance, hosting controversial yet groundbreaking
shows like Connie's in In Review.
The production was dubbed the most indecent show ever brought
to Harlem. It was actually censored after
its first performance. But then it ended up staying 5
(13:35):
weeks at the Lafayette Theatre in New York City and patrons
would pay $10 a seat at the time.
And in today that is $177.85 andwow.
That's a lot. It must have.
Been dirty. It was dirty.
It was great. So despite initial censorship
(13:59):
became a massive success. Amy gained recognition for her
performances and was actually interviewed by a newspaper.
And she stated very boldly that she believed in, you know,
equality and artistic freedom and was really challenging like
the societal norms she stated. I think it's all right in, in
(14:21):
terms of like the show, many people pay much more money to
see downtown shows which are notas dressed up as we are.
It all depends on the audience. Some like it and some don't.
Of course, anything can be carried to extremes, but I think
a colored girl has as much rightto show a beautiful form as a
white girl. So she further solidified her
(14:43):
career in 1927 when she became the headliner for the Hot
Chocolates Review, which was an all black production that
captivated audiences with its dance productions and innovative
music. It was pretty much a musical
split into two acts, 23 different scenes, 85 African
(15:05):
American performers. It started in 1927, toured
around the country in 1930 and then even had a revival in 1937.
So this is just a fantastic show.
Some of the other dancers that performed with her were Baby
Cocks who was advertised as a shake dancer, the Bon Bon
(15:26):
Buddies which were 8 male dancers and Louise Crook who was
advertised as a couch dancer. So some sort of a cooch dancer
would be like the Hoochie Coochie which is an oriental
dance. So like little Egypt, like turn
of the century flare kind of thing.
(15:50):
But so, according to the newspapers, Amy Spencer
performed the Goddess of Rain and something called the Jungle
Jamboree. So OK.
In 1930, I found the United States Federal Census for 1930.
It lists Amy Spencer's occupation as actress in the
(16:11):
industry of nightclub. So interesting.
Within the next few years she would rise to stardom as a
famous sepia fan dancer. She, you know, had red hair and
was very small even though newspapers would often comment
on her weight. So the fan dance really was
(16:33):
accustomed to her. She actually became an
international star when she started dancing with Al Moore.
So they became dance partners inthe 1930 thirties and dance like
Adagio performances, which were usually dances that were like
the performer acting as the woman would like be kind of like
(16:57):
thrown around in these like acrobatic tricks as part of the
dance. So it was really quite like a
coming dance and is something that you had to be pretty
masterful at The I have a quote from Al Moore actually, where he
stated Miss Spencer is a Finnishdancer.
There are a few tricks she hasn't mastered.
Her specialty as an Adagio dancer is imitated far and wide,
(17:19):
but none of her imitators have succeeded in copying her style,
nor have they been able to acquire her brace, which I just
love that. So he eventually went to Europe,
but she didn't follow him. She actually decided to take a
position at the Cotton Club withCab Calloway.
So with the fan dance coming to popularity 1933, she, you know,
(17:43):
also showed up in that same veinof all of these different fan
dancers. But specifically what's
interesting about her story is that Cab Calloway wrote a song
specifically about her called The Lady with the Fan, and he
sings that song in the 1934 filmcalled Hidey Ho.
(18:04):
The the dancers were not credited, but I do believe that
she is in the film and I emailedit to you so we can watch that.
Yeah, I will put that on the website for sure.
Yeah, let me pull it up. Oh, now, ladies and gentlemen,
she's pretty. One of my novelty.
(18:25):
Numbers. Yeah, she's very pretty.
So I believe she's one of the fan, like one of the six fan
dancers that's in just the shortpart of the film.
(18:47):
The film is only like 30 minuteslong, but this part was just,
yeah, Cab Calloway singing and them having a little bit of a
glance. So did.
Frankie Bacon see all of these girls on stage doing the fan
dance and have a heart attack. Possibly, I don't know if she
(19:07):
went, I do have. Some.
I I will get into Frankie Bacon like right seen after this,
yeah. I just love finding little clips
(19:41):
of of things in movies. Oh, there's a redhead.
So yeah, she would perform at Cab Calloway's club in 1933, I
(20:06):
mean the same year that Sally Rand performed it at the World's
Fair. But are the yes, it was the
Chicago World's Fair, I believe.Yeah.
Oh. That was cool.
(20:26):
OK, cool. Love that.
So according to Callaway's autobiography, he wrote the song
about Amy Spencer, who had performed a fan dance at his
Cotton Club review. However, like, at this time,
multiple newspapers, like, afterhe released the song, just all
(20:49):
over the country, just kind of attributed it to Sally Rand,
who, you know, was sensationalized.
And Amy Spencer still got a lot of credit for, like, her
performances. It just wasn't, Yeah,
sensationalized throughout the whole country, right?
Yeah. So while fan dancing gained
mainstream popularity, it's possible that Amy's artistry and
(21:14):
like other black fan dancers, had influenced white performers
like Sally Rand, you know, who often would credit things to
other people but not or like their producers would have
credited it to someone else. He's like Josephine Baker was
performing the fan dance in Paris typically before Bacon was
(21:35):
in the US. And then there's also some
evidence that Minsky was often visiting places like the Cotton
Club and the Plantation Club to watch black burlesque, which he
called like, progressive burlesque.
Minsky had also leased, like, the Harlem Opera House in 1924.
He leased the Apollo Theater in 1928.
(21:57):
And these became, like, hubs forblack performers.
So it's possible that there werecrossovers.
And I mean, when you're performing the same similar
spaces, I don't think it would be above them to share things,
Right? Right, but being cultural
(22:20):
appropriation is not uncommon inthe history of burlesque.
But we don't I don't have any evidence of Amy Spencer doing it
like a year before or something.Everything happens in 1933 and
then everything. It just explodes with fan
dancers. So, but anyways, the the song
(22:41):
really, I think, highlights the contributions of black
performers, specifically Amy Spencer, you know, and shaping
burlesque and American burlesqueat that.
So she continued at the Cotton Club.
The Afro Afro American newspaperreported in November 1934 that
Amy Spencer was the fiery redhead fan dancer at the Cotton
(23:04):
Club in Harlem. She gives a fine interpretation
of the dance that Sally Rand made famous, but she handles her
fans adeptly as she dances aboutthe stage and gives more
emphasis to her dexterous manipulation and her rhythm than
does to any suggestion of nudity.
She is 22 years old, 22 years old at this time, so she's
(23:27):
extremely successful and she's even appointed the mistress of
ceremonies at one point while working so.
Nice. Her career, however, it was not
without challenges, you know, Soin 1935, she was arrested for
indecent exposure during a fan dance at the Apollo Theater.
(23:48):
This is kind of late in the the fan dancing game to be arrested
I would say, and it does reflectsomewhat of a double standard.
There was a policewoman watchingSpencer's fan dance and right
after she arrested her, this wasthe only instance I could find
of Spencer actually being arrested.
(24:10):
But to the So the theater manager actually went to get
Spencer a lawyer and they attempted to defend her with
like multiple witnesses that came to testify that her dance
was an act of art. However, Spencer decided to in
(24:31):
the end waive her right to a trial.
She pled guilty and then was fined $25.
Which do you want to guess how much that is today?
Oh my gosh, that's a lot. Yeah.
OK. I'm going to say, OK, so the
$10, I can't even remember now what you said it was, but it was
a lot. And so this is a lot more than
(24:53):
that. So I'm going to say like $5000.
Oh, you're so close. It's $574.45.
Sorry I'm not close. I'm.
Sorry I do that some people liketo do.
That I'm bad at math. I'm I'm very bad.
Sometimes it's like a hair sensing it.
(25:14):
Just sensing it, yeah. No, I cut hair.
I don't do math. Oh, you're great.
I love it so anyways, but so right after that, she was given
a leave of absence absent from the Cotton Club and never
returned. But her resilience is evident
because she continued to navigate the burlesque world.
(25:38):
She started going to different parts of the country.
In 1937, she went to the Black Cat Club in Washington, DC There
she debuted a new burlesque act that she called the Goldfish
Numba. And it's NU MB AH Numba.
I love it. And then by the end of 1937, she
(26:02):
was back in New York City, actually performing at the
Plantation Club in Harlem. So another Harlem nightclub and
there she would perform like theCharleston and new dances like
the Big Apple dance. That was like all the the craze.
She became partners with a guy named Barrington Guy.
(26:23):
And I think that name's great. I actually think that needs to
be someone's name, like a drag name or performing Barrington
Guy. That has to be a fake name.
That's not real. That's not.
That is a character. That is a character from
Dynasty. Yes, so and at the when she was
(26:46):
at the plantation club, she alsodebuted an act called Dance of
the Vampire, but unfortunately later that year she was let go
because of quote, insolence to the big boss is what they speak
percent. You know what?
You know what that usually means?
But you didn't like have sex with them?
(27:06):
Yeah, probably. Or that she was very like, I
don't know, spoke her mind and opinion.
Who knows? It should be a little.
Thing yeah, it's probably both II would say it's probably both
it's. Probably all of the above.
I mean, I would just shake, put everything in the cauldron if we
were thinking about what it's going to be so looking.
(27:28):
For her for not beating up with bullshit.
Yeah, I mean, and she like continues into 1938, but I
couldn't find anything after. She basically goes to Pittsburgh
and I don't know, somehow like meets Duke Ellington.
And there, the last article I find is her at the going away
(27:51):
party for Duke Ellington. He was going on like a European
Tour, and there's some really cute photos of, like, her
sitting around with people at the party.
But other than that, she kind offalls out of like, the newspaper
limelight, which doesn't mean that she disappeared, you know,
but maybe it means that she tooka break or took on a different
(28:13):
name or, you know, to perform under something like that.
But right, Amy's, you know, Amy Spencer's story is one of talent
and determination. I think that she had her
unyielding spirit for a performer that just, like,
refused to be confined. And, you know, from her early
days as just like a chorus dancer to be, then becoming a
(28:35):
fan dancer to then creating her own acts and debuting them at
new clubs. I mean, that was really
interesting, especially during, like, a transformative era in
American history. And I think that her
contributions to the entertainment industry need to
be uplifted, you know, for inspiring future generations.
(28:57):
Of performers, absolutely. That's just that's my little
story about her. That's of course if anyone knows
anything about her I would love to hear more.
Nice, nice. It's kind of funny because there
is a connection here with my story, of course, because we're
talking about, we're talking about redheads.
(29:21):
You're joking about redheads. So great.
I I'm it's not the universe. Yeah, I'm naturally strawberry
blonde. So when I started burlesque, I
had red hair. But then I switched it over to
blonde because I got bored and here I am.
So most of my promo pictures I have red.
(29:42):
Hair. Oh, you have red hair.
Yeah, that's why I I didn't quite know it was.
I think I remember the first time I logged on with you and
Cream, I was like, can you guys introduce yourself?
You're both blonde now. And I didn't know cream on
Facebook or any social media, soI was just like.
Oh man. I just have brown hair.
(30:04):
It's my natural hair color is a little bit lighter than this,
but I just keep it dark and. Dye the Gray.
I've I've done every single color known to man I I've done
black, I've done red, I've done purple.
I was green for a while. It's.
(30:25):
Green would be cool. I mean, when you do hair, when
you do hair, you just kind of like, I want to try this one,
but I've been really good about it lately, like keeping it 1 the
same color. I guess I've maybe I've outgrown
it, I don't know. But who knows, next week it
(30:45):
might change. Yeah, who knows?
You just never. You never know.
So I'm going to tell you about Betty Rowland.
Yes, that was called. The Ball of Fire of Burlesque
was her little tagline. So Betty Rowland was a
pioneering American burlesque dancer and an actress whose
(31:08):
career spanned over 8 decades. She was renowned for her
vivacious performances and her flaming red hair.
She became one of the last living icons of the golden age
of burlesque. She was born January 23rd, 1916
in Columbus, OH. Her journey from vaudeville
(31:31):
stages to a Hollywood films really encapsulates a vibrant
era of American entertainment. So she was born Betty Jane
Rowland to Alva and Ida Rowland in Columbus.
Her father worked as an accountant, but he lost his job
during the Great Depression, a circumstance that influenced the
(31:54):
family's dynamics. Betty, along with her sisters
Diane and Rozelle, began their performing careers in
vaudeville. So it was her name was so Diane.
Her name was Diane with no EDIAN, and her sister's name was
(32:15):
Rozelle, which was ROZELLE. So Ellie, Like Ellie?
I mean, yeah, but with yeah, Ellie.
Maybe it's Rosellie. 1916, that's also around the time
Rosita Royce was born. Her name was Lotus.
(32:36):
So I think it's kind of like this interesting, like naming
scheme happening at that time. Maybe.
I mean, they went from Betty Jane to Rozelle, so yeah.
Rozelle. I don't know.
Yeah, but all three sisters started performing in
vaudeville, and of course the offspring of that was burlesque,
(32:56):
which she eventually got into. This early exposure to the stage
is what laid that foundation forher transition later on.
She just left such an incrediblemark for that.
Wow. Let me find my place again.
OK, so Roland's burlesque careertook off at Minsky's, the famed
(33:18):
club in New York City, as most performers in the day came from
there. Many of them did.
It was here that she earned thatnickname Ball of Fire.
It was a testament to both her fiery red hair and her
energetic, fast-paced dance style.
So we tend to see a lot of dancers in this period that are
(33:41):
very graceful and smooth and slow and sultry and they do the
slow burns. This was not this was not Betty.
Betty, don't she don't play thatway.
She maintained a very aloof demeanor to project glamour.
It was very, I want to say aggressive, but she was just all
(34:03):
over the place on stage. Very big personality.
Her performances were characterized at the time by her
constant smiling. She would prance along the edge
of the stage. Just very endearing to the
audiences at the time and a standout amid the very smooth,
(34:25):
you know, some of them classically trained.
Yeah, ballet or yeah. There was a standard dance and
she was just not here for it. She wanted to do her own thing.
So in 1938 she relocated to LA and by 1941 she had established
herself as a burlesque star on the West Coast.
(34:48):
So in November of 1939, Roland and several performers got
arrested at the Follies Theatre in Los Angeles on charges of
exhibiting an indecent show. Oh yeah, the trial.
They went to trial. And that trial garnered
significant public attention, with the defense assembling a
(35:11):
shockproof, quote, UN quote, jury that was capable of
handling the explicit evidence that was before them.
This evidence was, of course, photographs and transcripts from
the performance in question. So, But despite a vigorous
defense that compared their actsto mainstream dance trends and
(35:32):
Hollywood imagery, they were convicted.
So they each got fined $250 and placed on two years probation,
during which they were prohibited from participating in
quote, UN quote and moral shows.So $250 in 1939.
(35:52):
I'm going to spend this back on you.
How much was that? 1939 Two $150.00 I mean $4000.
OK, so you were closer than I was.
It was 5 thousand 5676 dollars. Wow, yeah, that's a lot.
(36:14):
Each of them has. Each of them had the 250 fine
and they could not dance for twoyears. 2.
Years. Yeah, just like but.
In California, like could you try to run to like another state
and perform? I mean, I would, but it I don't
(36:34):
have anything that says she did.I do however see that she got
bored. She didn't have nothing else to
do. So in 1941, producer Sam Goldwyn
released a film titled Ball of Fire.
It was starring Barbara Stanwyckand Gary Cooper.
Yeah, well, she, she was mad. She believed that that title
(36:59):
infringed upon her stage moniker.
So she sued him. She took him to court.
You know, no press is bad press.She took a page out of Frankie
Bacon and said, that's mine. You can't have it.
So I could not find solid information on the lawsuit
itself. It's not widely documented, but
(37:22):
it definitely underscores her recognition and the association
of the title Ball of Fire with her personal persona.
So I wish I could find more on the court case, but I'm not
paying to get that information. OK.
So that's probably the only way I would be able to do it is by
(37:45):
actually getting if they have records, because that's a long
time ago. So if they have the records
online, that might be the only way we could find it.
But I didn't do that. What?
Year was the the movie again. The movie The movie came out in
19. 41 OK, well that's that's well so.
(38:10):
So. But beyond the burlesque stage,
Roland did make appearances in several Hollywood films.
Her filmography includes Includes Roles and Let's Make
Music, which came out in 1940, where she played a chorus girl
named Betty Spivaldi E and a Marathi.
And a Marathi. I probably flubbed that one up.
(38:34):
But that was in 1959. She played Dorothy Loving Kisses
in 1965. She was a dancer and a Time for
dying in 1969. She also played a dancer.
Cool. So these these roles, of course,
were not leading parts, but theydid showcase her versatility and
(38:56):
her ability to transition between the stage and the
screen. So in the 1960s, Roland ventured
into business by assuming ownership of a bar in Santa
Monica. So even after investors bought
and renamed the establishment inthe 1990s, she continued to work
(39:16):
there as a Hostess until at least 2009.
So she was still chugging along,demonstrating her enduring
connection to the entertainment world.
She also appeared in numerous documentaries in 2004 and
another in 2010 to reflect on her illustrious career and the
(39:40):
evolution of burlesque. In her later years, she worked
as a Hostess at Allen Elaine Gerard's French restaurant and a
set brassiere in Santa Monica. I'm flubbing up all these words.
I don't care. If y'all want to correct me,
please do. In 2009, at the age of 93, she
(40:03):
was still active in the hospitality industry.
She was living in an apartment in Brentwood.
I love them. And then she, yeah.
And then she passed away on April 3rd of 2022 at a care
facility in Culver City, CA at the age of 106.
(40:24):
Oh my goodness. That girl did not want to go
anywhere. That girl was hanging on.
She was not stuck like the pandemic shut.
Down. Yes, a girl was in a care
facility and you know, those gothit pretty hard.
(40:46):
That's yeah. I don't know.
That's just so old. I mean, I don't want to be like,
oh, that's so old, but I'm just,yeah, we could for less because
you're less until we're 106 years old, May.
I mean, we could. I don't know if I can but.
My knees needle it. My knees can't.
(41:08):
OK, I'm only 45 and I already feel like hot death half the
time. I'm kidding.
It's fine. We're we're fine.
We just put on a little more makeup and slap these babies up.
Yeah. But I mean, she was still
(41:29):
chugging along at 93. So, you know, I, I don't know
when exactly she quote, UN quote, retired, but 93 still is
intense. And then she ended up in that
care facility and that's where she passed away.
Her death was not announced until three months after it
(41:50):
happened on June 30th. So that marked the end of the
era of the golden age of burlesque.
She was it. So her personal life was so
eventful, just as eventful as her career, as she was married
to a businessman named Owen S Dalton.
(42:10):
She married him in 1956 and thenthey divorced in 1963.
He also had a relationship with burlesque and film comedian Gus
Schilling, although they were often referred to as spouses.
She later clarified that she didn't marry that man.
(42:31):
Her personal? No, no, she's not claiming that
one. So her personal relationships,
much like her career, were intertwined with the
entertainment industry, reflecting the vibrant and at
times tumultuous nature of show business during her era.
So her life and career were veryemblematic of the the really
(42:53):
rich history of the golden age of burlesque and entertainment
and Hollywood. She had some dynamic
performances, her legal entanglements with Hollywood and
then her seamless transition between the stage and the
screen. And that really highlights her
as a multi faceted artist who left an indelible mark on on our
(43:16):
industry. And I mean, living to one O 6.
She bore witness to the evolution of performance art
across the century. Yeah, that's insane to think
about. Like, when you really think
about everything she saw, she got to see the revival of
burlesque really play out. And I love that.
Yeah. So.
(43:38):
That would be, yeah, that would be exciting to see that you were
around for the initial like peak, peak of everyone's going
crazy about burlesque and then you see it go down and, and a
lot of the struggles that were happening and then go go
dancing, you know, and things like that.
But then also, yeah, Neil Burlesque coming into play in
(44:00):
like the 90s. I will post some some pictures
of her. She was gorgeous.
And I mean, I know you can't really tell how tall somebody
is, and obviously they didn't really say it, but she looks
petite to me. Like, I feel like she was like a
little tiny ball of fire. Yeah.
(44:20):
A tiny, tiny gallium. I mean, you know, the smaller
the package, the fiercer the dynamite or something like that.
I don't know. People used to say that to me
all the time, 'cause I'm short. But I'm also short.
How tall are you? I'm 51 OK, I'm 54 so so I'm a
(44:46):
baby the. No, just babes.
But I have, I have normal size feet, at least my my best friend
Tori, Miss Tori Lisa out there. I know she's probably listening.
She wears a size 5. Nobody has tiny feet like that.
(45:09):
Yeah, that's rare. Her.
Her feet and her hands, they're just so tiny and cute.
I love it. But Yep.
So that's the story that I had for for today.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Yeah, we had some cute. Oh, look at the baby.
This is my Kitty Miko. She likes to come sit with me
(45:32):
sometimes, and she's, yeah, pretty demanding at at times.
You know tortoiseshell cats? They get that added to me.
Yeah, she's pretty, though. I I don't have any cats anymore,
but I do have Coco Chanel. I don't know where she went.
She was laying here next to me. Your dog?
(45:54):
Yeah. My mascot.
The mascot of Let's Burlesque. I don't know.
I guess she went upstairs with the kid because the kids here.
So she's just wandering around her house, patrolling.
Yes, I did that. We we have to have these
protection animals, you know. Oh, yeah, definitely.
(46:17):
I've got, I've got a couple cats, but one of them really is
like the patroller and greets everyone at the door, has to
check every window at night before bed.
And, you know, it's very protective.
But she does a little growl if she hears like an outside noise
or somebody like, you know, we live in an apartment building.
(46:37):
So if she hears someone out side, she'll do a little warning
brow to like, let me know that someone's out there.
And I'm like, oh, who's here? The mailman.
Oh yeah, OK. We got to protect the house.
You know, it's funny because I think she's, she was given to me
by a really good friend who I know listens to the podcast, my
(47:00):
friend Kelly. And she told me that she's part
poodle, part French Frenchy. I don't I do not see any poodle.
I think she is part Chihuahua because.
She's. Definitely terrier.
She's definitely terrier, but she talks so much and she's
(47:25):
scared of her own shadow. But don't tell strangers that
because she's fierce. Small but fierce.
So yeah. So that's that's what we got for
today. I'm really hoping that we have
you back soon. Maybe we'll do this again next
week. Who knows, Whatever you're down
(47:45):
for, I. I would not be opposed for it.
Thank you so much for having me on and as always, I'll just put
my website really quick www.ionafortune.com and you can
subscribe to my e-mail list. That's the easiest way to like.
See my articles and what so. Absolutely.
(48:05):
And she's in our Patreon and Oh yeah, we just, I just started a
Discord, yes. Announced that I don't.
Know what I'm doing? Oh it's great, I already posted
something for the suggestions and the.
Suggested so I'll have to go check it.
I I haven't checked it in a couple days but I'm gonna get
(48:27):
better with that. And they have a thing on discord
where you can watch YouTube together.
So there's. Where our next our next watch
party, we'll just do it that way.
That way it's less confusing because this last watch party
was very confusing. I could see that I.
(48:48):
Don't know what I'm doing that's.
The thing I've never attempted to do, Yeah, watch party before,
but I did. I do remember during the
pandemic, like playing games over Discord with people and
like being able to hear and see them, but like also interact
with the game. So I like Discord.
I think it'll be it's a fun place to interact and like hold
(49:09):
space for people. Absolutely.
So we are going to try and buildthat community up and you can
get to our Discord through our Patreon.
So find us on Patreon, be our patron.
We really appreciate all of you who are.
I want to hear some more storiesthat I can tell on the podcast,
(49:31):
like tell me your weird burlesque stories and your funny
burlesque stories and your wardrobe malfunctions and your T
from your area. Whatever you want to tell me
like you can tell me, you can e-mail me at
letsburlesquepodcast@gmail.com or check out our WordPress.
(49:52):
And that's all we have today. All.
Right, I'll talk to you later. All right, bye.
Have a great evening. All right, love lies.
That's a wrap for today's show, but don't just take our word for
it.oursourcesarelistedintheepisodenotes@letsburlesquepodcast.wordpress.com.So dig a little deeper and check
(50:20):
them out for yourselves. There's so much more to discover
about this beautiful body world of burlesque.
And while you're at it, don't forget to follow the Let's
Burles podcast on your preferredpodcast app, plus Instagram,
Facebook, Threads, Blue Spy, andyou can e-mail us at
letsburlespodcast@gmail.com. But if you want to have access
(50:44):
to all of the glitter, glam, andbackstage moments that you truly
crave, you can support us on Patreon.
It's been a pleasure, as always.Diving into the.
Sparkle with you. Until next time, Papa.
Pasting. None.
(52:09):
None. The.
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