The Flying G - Lili St. Cyr

I've talked before about my interest in the burlesque stars of yesteryear, including the gorgeous Sherry Britton. Lili St. Cyr was one of the glittering stars of burlesque in the 1940s and 50s; although her name fell into obscurity (see Rocky Horror call and response of "God bless Lili St. Cyr!" "Who the fuck is Lili St. Cyr?"), after the passing of Bettie Page, she was one of the treasure trove of dancers who were rediscovered by the public.
Born Willis Van Schaack in 1918, St. Cyr started out as a ballet dancer and chorus girl. She had to beg her stage manager for a chance to do her own solo routines, which she choreographed herself, but her work paid off. When she realized how much more money she could make as a featured nude act, she made the leap from dancer to burlesque and striptease.
Lili St. Cyr had a number of signature acts with names like The Jungle Goddess (which I believe the above photo is from) and The Wolf Woman, but her signature move was The Flying G. A fishing rod would be attached to her g-string, and at the end of the act, one good yank would send it flying to the balcony as the lights went dim.

Although the Catholic Church was, to put it mildly, not a fan of her act, St. Cyr was a huge star in Montreal in the 1940s, and even released a French language autobiography in the 1980s.


She was also the featured act at Ciro's, a popular celebrity hangout on The Strip in West Hollywood. Her famous bathtub act (which really does sound quite subdued by modern standards) got her brought up on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, although she was quickly acquitted.
Lili St. Cyr was described by Ciro's owner Herman Hover as having an icy dignity, reminiscent of Grace Kelly. St. Cyr's former husband (one of six) Ted Jordan claimed that she had an affair with Marilyn Monroe; while the claim is unsubstantiated and seems unlikely, his publisher made the more plausible claim that Marilyn did pattern herself after St. Cyr, with her blonde curls and oozing sensuality.

In the 1950s, she featured in several movies, including two from Irving Klaw, who is most famous for his work with Bettie Page. The films often ran afoul of censors, however, and her scenes would be chopped and heavily edited.
There's not a lot of information about her personal life. It doesn't seem to have been very happy, unfortunately; she had six husbands and no children, and in her later years turned to drugs. Although she was once highly paid for the times, she ended up relying on friends and photograph sales for support. She died in 1999.

One of the things that I really admire about the burlesque stars of the first half of the 20th century, and earlier, is the way they beat the system by using it. St. Cyr famously asked "What's the point of being beautiful if you can't profit from it?" While it might seem strange to consider women who took their clothes off for money feminist icons, that's really the way that I see them. I can only admire someone who takes whatever gifts they have and uses them to their fullest extent to make their way in the world.

Great Britton, A Stripteuse With Brains

I have to admit that while I love burlesque, I don't actually know all that much about it. Dita von Teese was my gateway to the art form, and from there I learned about Bettie Page and Gypsy Rose Lee, and Chicago-area neo-burlesque stars like Michelle L'Amour and Red Hot Annie. Lately I've been really interested in learning about the burlesque dancers of yesteryear; there are so many amazing women from the first half of the 20th century who did this when it was still a really shocking, rebellious thing to do. That's not to say that there isn't still an element of that today, but neo-burlesque is immensely popular, and the biggest stars, like Dita, wear couture, walk red carpets, and are generally considered fit for public consumption, at least when they have their clothes on.

Dita, front row at Paris Fashion Week with Aaron Paul and Harry Styles.
Sherry Britton might already be familiar to some of you, but she's someone that I only read about recently.

Born in New Jersey in 1918, she became a star in the 30s and 40s, performing in burlesque theaters in Times Square and mere blocks from the White House when she moved to D.C. after burlesque was banned in New York. FDR made her an honorary brigadier general for her role in entertaining the troops during WWII. After the decline in popularity of burlesque in the 50s, she moved on to doing plays, although she was banned from the 1964 World's Fair because she was still considered "too risque."

I saw this photo and literally thought, "hot damn." Can we invent time travel soon so I can meet her?
Britton was also an incredibly intelligent woman. With a MENSA level IQ, she graduated from high school early, and later in life graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University with a degree in pre-law.

With her combination of brains, beauty, and wit, she could have done just about anything. Instead of settling down and living an ordinary life, she risked censure and even arrest by bucking societal norms to become a burlesque star.