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We Slaute Blaze Starr! Sex-Kitten Salutes Blaze Starr!
Blaze Starr is known as the Queen of Burlesque, and she reigned for 25 years. Her rise to fame was not doubt based upon her act that consisted
of both exotic dance & wild playing of a jungle drum set, as well as her 38 Double-Ds.
Born Fannie Belle Fleming in a West Virginia mountain cabin, ten miles from the nearest town, she attended a one-room schoolhouse
during the Depression. By the age of 13, she had 'filled out' and by 16 she was off to see the world. 'The world' in this case was Washington, D.C. Discovered
in a donut shop by one Red Snyder, who also provided her stage name. Soon she would learn how to profit & enjoy the body that had previously only brought attemmpted
rape and unwanted attention.
Blaze fell in love with the applause, and the audience with her. It has been said that the mere removal of her bra would send the crowd to thrills.
"All she had to do was move a little and the thunder boomed," said the Washington Post, in a 1989 article.
Blaze began work at the age of 16 at "The Block," a famous night-life district in Baltimore. Most of her stripping career would be spent at
the Two O'Clock Club in Baltimore, which she eventually bought.
She also spent a few years in New Orleans at the "Sho-Bar" on Bourbon Street, which is where she met Governor Earl Long. The story of Starr & Long is the basis
of the movie "Blaze," with Lolita Davidovich in the title role, and Paul Newman as the Governor. While that movie is out of print, you can still enjoy the
only film that Blaze Starr made herself, "Blaze Starr Goes Nudist". The movie, made in 1962, has Starr playing herself amidst a colony of exceptionally gorgeous nudists.
On of my favorite quotes by Blaze is this:
""Porn killed stripping. And now with those tape rentals, well, nudity
seems like nothing at all. But in my day nudity was so rare-so special.
Society thought that to be a stripper was to be a prostitute. But I always
felt that I was an artist, entertaining."
It was artists like Starr that made stripping something more erotic than just the removal of clothes. It was her spirit, the wild, unashamed nature of a
woman. While there are plenty of accounts of 'cat fights' among dancers, who can blame them? Look at the reputations of Hollywood actresses,
or musical artists. I often wonder if many of these acts were either male interpretations, or the women using the acts to gain publicity for themselves, feeding into
what men wanted...
Those stories aside, Blaze took the 'dirty' act of taking off her clothes & made it real entertainment, and elevated the whole status of stripping. Dancers today often credit her with
raising the standard & giving the business a professional image.
For more pics of Blaze, visit Java's collection!
Need some signed photos of Ms Starr? Of course you do! Get some at Vinrotica.com
To look like a star, get trashy girl goods, with a vintage feel, at our Cafe Press shop. Original designs!
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