Citizendia

Lili St. Cyr
BornWillis Marie Van Schaack
June 3, 1917
Minneapolis, Minnesota
DiedJanuary 29, 1999
Los Angeles, California
Spouse(s)Ted Jordan

Lili St. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Cyr (June 3, 1917 or 1918 – January 29, 1999), was a prominent American burlesque stripper. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Burlesque is theatrical entertainment of broad and parodic humor which usually consists of comic skits (and sometimes a strip tease) A striptease or Exotic dance is a form of erotic entertainment usually a Dance, in which the performer known as a "stripper" gradually undresses [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early years

She was born as Willis Marie Van Schaack in Minneapolis, Minnesota [1] in 1917 [5] or 1918 [6] [7]. She had a sister, Rosemary Van Schaack Minsky. [1] [3] Her grandparents, the Klarquists, reared her and her two show business sisters, Dardy Orlando and Barbara Moffett. [7]

Having taken ballet lessons throughout her youth, she began to dance professionally as a chorus line girl in Hollywood. Unlike other women who have stroke-of-luck stories about being plucked from the chorus line and selected for a feature role, St. Cyr had to beg her manager at the club to let her do a solo act. From her self-choreographed act she eventually landed a bit part at a club called the Music Box in San Francisco, with an act called the Duncan Sisters. [8] It was here that she came to a revelation: A dancer's salary was only a small fraction of what the featured star's salary was. The difference? The featured star was nude.

From the 1940s and most of the 1950s, St. Cyr with Gypsy Rose Lee and Ann Corio were the recognized acts in striptease. Gypsy Rose Lee (also known as Rose Louise Hovick and Louise Hovick) (born January 8 1911 &ndash April 26 1970) was Ann Corio ( November 29, 1914 – March 1, 1999) was a prominent American Burlesque ecdysiast and [9] St. Cyr's stage name is a patronymic of the French aristocracy, which she first used when booked as a nude performer in Las Vegas. A patronym, is a component of a Personal name based on the name of one's father [7] Though she is rather obscure today, her name popped up regularly in 1950s tabloids: stories of her many husbands, brawls over her, and her attempted suicides.

St. Cyr was married six times. Her best-known husbands were the musical-comedy actor Paul Valentine, restaurateur Armando Orsini, and actor Ted Jordan in 1955 [10].

Career

St. Cyr's professional career started as a chorus line dancer at the Florentine Gardens, in Hollywood. [8] Over the ensuing years and in a variety of different venues, many of St. Cyr's acts were memorable, with names like "The Wolf Woman", "Afternoon of a Faun", "The Ballet Dancer", "In a Persian Harem", "The Chinese Virgin", [8] However, Quebec's Catholic clergy condemned her act, declaring that whenever she dances "the theater is made to stink with the foul odor of sexual frenzy. " [11] The clergy's outcry was echoed by the Public Morality Committee. St. Cyr was arrested and charged with behavior that was "immoral, obscene and indecent. " She was acquitted but the public authorities eventually closed down the Gayety Theatre where she performed. [11] In the 1980s, St. Cyr wrote a French autobiography, "Ma Vie De Stripteaseuse. " In the book, she declared her appreciation for the Gayety Theatre and her love for the city of Montreal. [12]

While performing at Ciro's in Hollywood, (billed as the "Anatomic Bomb"), St. Cyr was taken to court by a customer who considered her act lewd and lascivious. [13] In court, St. Cyr insisted to the jury that her act was refined and elegant. As St. Cyr pointed out, what she did was slip off her dress, try on a hat, slip off her brassiere (there was another underneath), slip into a négligée. Then, undressing discreetly behind her maid, she stepped into a bubble bath, splashed around, and emerged, more or less dressed. After her appearance as a witness, as a newspaper account of the time put it, "The defense rested, as did everyone else. " [7] St. Cyr was acquitted.

While St. Cyr starred in several movies, an acting career never really materialized. In 1955, with the help of Howard Hughes, St. Howard Robard Hughes Jr (December 24 1905 – April 5 1976 was an American Aviator, Industrialist, Film producer / director, Philanthropist Cyr landed her first acting job in a major motion picture in the Son of Sinbad. Son of Sinbad is a 1955 American film directed by Ted Tetzlaff. The film, described by one critic as "a voyeur's delight", [7] has St. Cyr as a principal member of a Baghdad harem populated with dozens of nubile starlets. The film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency. The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was an organization dedicated to identifying and combating objectionable content in Motion [7] St. Cyr also had a role in the movie version of Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead in 1958. Norman Kingsley Mailer ( January 31, 1923 &ndash November 10, 2007) was an American Novelist, Journalist, The Naked and the Dead is a 1948 novel by Norman Mailer. It was based on his experiences during World War II. [14] In this film, St. Cyr plays 'Jersey Lili', a stripper in a Honolulu night-club and girlfriend of a soldier who boasts to his pals that he has her picture painted inside his groundsheet. A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope Regrettably, heavy edits of St. Cyr's night-club routine by censors result in some choppy editing in an otherwise finely crafted film. But St. Cyr's movie career was short lived, and typically she settled for playing a secondary role as a stripper, or playing herself. Her dancing is featured prominently in two Irving Klaw films, "Varietease" and "Teaserama. Irving Klaw ( November 9, 1910 - September 3, 1966) was an American Photographer and Filmmaker. "

St. Cyr was also known for her pin-up photography, especially for photos taken by Bruno Bernard, known professionally as 'Bernard of Hollywood', a premier glamor photographer of Hollywood's Golden Era. Bernard said that Cyr was his favorite model and referred to her as his muse. [15]

Retirement

When St. Cyr retired from the stage she began a lingerie business in which she would retain an interest until her death. Similar to Frederick's of Hollywood, the "Undie World of Lili St. Cyr" designs offered costuming for strippers, and excitement for ordinary women. Her catalogs featured photos or drawings of her modeling each article, lavishly detailed descriptions, and hand-selected fabrics. Her marketing for "Scanti-Panties" advertised them as "perfect for street wear, stage or photography. " [7] [2] [4] St. Cyr spent her final years in obscurity and in seclusion, tending to her cats.

Death

She died in 1999 under her maiden name "Willis Marie VanSchaack" in Los Angeles. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West [1] [4]

Legacy

After St. Cyr's death, with a renewed interest in burlesque, and especially in Bettie Page, legions of new fans began rediscovering some of the dancers in Irving Klaw's photos and movies. Bettie Mae Page (born Betty Mae Page April 22 1923 in Nashville Tennessee) is a former American model who became famous in the 1950s for Irving Klaw ( November 9, 1910 - September 3, 1966) was an American Photographer and Filmmaker. During this time A&E devoted a special to burlesque in 2001 which included a piece on St. Cyr. [16]

Influences and cultural references

In 1981 actress Cassandra Peterson became famous for her character Elvira which achieved her amazing cleavage wearing a Lili St. Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is an American actress best known for her on-screen Horror host Persona Cyr deep plunge bra.

In 1989, one of St. Cyr's husbands, Ted Jordan, wrote a biography of Marilyn Monroe entitled "Norma Jean: My Secret Life With Marilyn Monroe", in which Jordan claims that St. Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson, June 1 1926 &ndash August 5 1962 baptized Norma Cyr and Monroe had a lesbian affair. [17] The claim is widely disparaged by Monroe biographers. The publisher of Jordan's book, Liza Dawson, editor for William Morrow and Company, makes a more credible claim in an interview with Newsday in 1989, stating that "Marilyn very much patterned herself on Lili St. William Morrow and Company is an American Publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926 Newsday is a daily Tabloid -size Pulitzer Prize winning Newspaper that primarily serves Long Island and the New York City Cyr - her way of dressing, of talking, her whole persona. Norma Jean was a mousy, brown-haired girl with a high squeaky voice, and it was from Lili St. Cyr that she learned how to become a sex goddess. " [7]

Lili St. Cyr is mentioned in the musical "The Rocky Horror Show". The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British stage musical, opening in London on 19 June 1973 The final line of the song "Don't Dream It", (sung by the character Janet Weiss, as played in the film version by Susan Sarandon) is "God bless Lili St. Susan Sarandon (born Susan Abigail Tomalin; October 4 1946 is an American Actress. Cyr!"

Filmography

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Lili St. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Son of Sinbad is a 1955 American film directed by Ted Tetzlaff. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Naked and the Dead is a 1948 novel by Norman Mailer. It was based on his experiences during World War II. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A Runaway Girl is a Musical comedy in two acts written in 1898 by Seymour Hicks and Harry Nicholls Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Cyr, 80, Burlesque Star Famous for Her Bubble Baths", New York Times, February 6, 1999. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "Lili St. Cyr, the tall, blond beauty who left almost nothing to the imagination when she stepped dripping wet out of her signature onstage bubble bath, died on Jan. 29 at her apartment in Hollywood. She was 80. In a field that began when a Syrian beauty who called herself Little Egypt danced her way into legend at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, Miss St. Cyr was a master of elegant invention. Her well-choreographed acts included portrayals of famous seductresses, few of whom could hold a candle to Miss St. Cyr. . . . For all that, her six husbands included a waiter, a dancer, a sometime actor and the restaurateur Armando Orsini, who got his start with financing from Miss St. Cyr. . . . She is survived by a sister, Rosemary Minsky of Los Angeles. " 
  2. ^ a b "Died.", Time (magazine), Monday, February 15, 1999. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "Lili St. Cyr, 80, B-movie actress and stripper of the '40s and '50s, famous for her onstage bubble baths; in Los Angeles. Long before the advent of Victoria's Secret, St. For the Sonata Arctica single see Victoria's Secret (song Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear Lingerie and beauty Cyr ran a mail-order lingerie company featuring, among other items, "scanti-panties. "" 
  3. ^ a b "Lili St. Cyr; Captivating Striptease Artist of '40s and '50s", Los Angeles Times, February 4, 1999. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "Lili St. Cyr, the striptease artist of the 1940s and '50s who mesmerized audiences with her onstage bubble baths and then moved to Hollywood to star in B movies and sell mail-order lingerie, has died. She was 80. St. Cyr, a sexy blond vamp who served as a role model for Marilyn Monroe, died Friday in her Los Angeles home, said her sister, Rosemary Minsky. Born Willis Marie Van Schaack in Minneapolis, St. Cyr studied ballet and worked as a chorus girl before making her breakthrough in vaudeville as an ecdysiast. A striptease or Exotic dance is a form of erotic entertainment usually a Dance, in which the performer known as a "stripper" gradually undresses Her exotic stage name and fame ranked with those of Blaze Starr, Tempest Storm and Gypsy Rose Lee. The phrase "Blaze Star" was sometimes used for the Recurring nova T Coronae Borealis Blaze Starr (born 1932 is a former Tempest Storm (born Annie Blanche Banks February 29, 1928) is an American stripper Burlesque star and Motion picture Actress Gypsy Rose Lee (also known as Rose Louise Hovick and Louise Hovick) (born January 8 1911 &ndash April 26 1970) was " 
  4. ^ a b c "Lili St. Cyr", Associated Press, February 5, 1999. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "Lili St. Cyr, a striptease performer of the 1940s and 1950s whose act included onstage bubble baths, has died at age 80. Ms. St. Cyr died Friday at her home, said her sister, Rosemary Minsky. No cause of death was given. Born Willis Marie Van Schaack in Minneapolis, Ms. St. Cyr studied ballet and worked as a chorus girl before making her breakthrough in vaudeville as a striptease artist. She performed at burlesque houses from Montreal to Boston, Seattle and Hollywood. " 
  5. ^ DiNardo, Kelly (2007). Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique. Back Stage Books. ISBN 0823088898.  
  6. ^ Social Security Death Index; Willis Marie VanSchaack; born June 3, 1918; 553-28-1817
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituary: Lili St Cyr", The Independent, February 8, 1999. The Social Security Death Index ( SSDI) is a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration 's Death Master File Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "Lili St Cyr was actually Willis Marie Van Schaack, born in Minneapolis in 1918. She adopted a patronymic of the French aristocracy when first booked as a nude performer in Las Vegas, having studied ballet and worked as a chorus girl. She established her reputation as an ecdysiast with a long tenure at the Gaiety burlesque house in Montreal. A striptease or Exotic dance is a form of erotic entertainment usually a Dance, in which the performer known as a "stripper" gradually undresses As the Montreal Gazette was to recall in 1996 when the theatre re-opened, "That midwinter night in 1944 was the beginning of Lili St. Cyr's seven-year reign as Montreal's most famous woman, the city femme fatale, a person whose name invoked sophistication, mystery, sin and - for many males - instant arousal. A femme fatale (plural femmes fatales) is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire often leading them into " Among the innovations she brought to her act was a variation in precedence, emerging on stage in minimal attire then putting her clothes on. She also played various characters in order, she said, to present herself in "interesting roles". " 
  8. ^ a b c Lili St. Cyr. Club Pinup. Retrieved on 2007-08-26. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert.
  9. ^ Lili St. Cyr - Biography
  10. ^ "Married", Time (magazine), Monday, March 7, 1955. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "Lili St. Cyr (real name: Marie van Schaack), 36, blonde stripteaser; and Ted Jordan, 28, Hollywood and Broadway bit actor (The Caine Mutiny Court Martial); she for the fifth time, he for the third; in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally " 
  11. ^ a b Important Dates in Burlesque History
  12. ^ Lili St. Cyr
  13. ^ Lili St. Cyr - Biography
  14. ^ "Decoded", Time (magazine), Monday, November 3, 1958. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "The Naked and the Dead, in which Stripper Lili St. Cyr gets about halfway through her act before the cops raid the joint. " 
  15. ^ Java's Bachelor Pad: Lili St. Cyr
  16. ^ It's Burlesque (2001) (TV)
  17. ^ Lili St. Cyr - Biography
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