Sally Rand, Legendary Striptease Artist
Paramount Theatre circa 1935
Sally had a standing order that follow spot operators were only to “hit her” with a blue light. The point of this was to “fan” the illusion that she was naked. She wore a flesh colored body suit. Between the lighting, her costuming and the fans, she really did look completely nude. Sally had an incredibly beautiful body. Can you image what that was like in 1930’s America, live on stage in 3-D? The imagination is far more powerful than reality TV. Sally was the Babe Ruth of her profession. She knocked it out of the park many more times than the great “Bambino”.
One night, the follow spot operator made a mistake and hit her with a full on white spot. Charlie Root, Interstate Theatre’s City Manager, and our first supporter, was an usher then. She stopped the show, walked from the stage, up the aisle, up the stairs to the mezzanine and balcony and in to the projection booth, cursing like a sailor with every step. She ate out the spot operator which could be heard through the projection booth spotlight openings. Then, she retraced her steps, quietly, and resumed the show with her customary blue spot as if nothing unusual happened.
The movie, “The Right Stuff”, has a marvelous scene with an actress playing Sally Rand at the Astrodome. It was beautifully produced, lit and choreographed. The scene is about 20 minutes from the end of the film. Check it out!
Here’s a clip of the real Sally Rand from the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTEIWK9CaEs
