Jennie Lee (dancer)

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Jennie Lee
Born
Virginia Lee Hicks

(1928-10-23)October 23, 1928
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedMarch 24, 1990(1990-03-24) (aged 61)
Helendale, California, U.S.
Other names"The Bazoom Girl", "The Burlesque Version of Jayne Mansfield", "Miss 44 and Plenty More"
Occupation(s)Stripper, American burlesque star, model, actress
Years active1950s–1960s (stripper)
1953–1964 (actress)
Spouse
Daniel Lewis Wanick
​
​
(m. 1949; died 1968)​
Modeling information
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Hair colorDyed blonde

Jennie Lee (born Virginia Lee Hicks, October 23, 1928 – March 24, 1990) was an

movie actress, who performed several striptease acts in nightclubs
during the 1950s and 1960s. She was also known as "the Bazoom Girl", "the Burlesque Version of Jayne Mansfield", and "Miss 44 and Plenty More".

Early life

She was born with the name Virginia Lee Hicks on October 23, 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri.[1][citation needed] Due to her figure (42D"–26"–37), she became known as "The Bazoom Girl,"[2] "The Burlesque Version of Jayne Mansfield," and eventually, "Miss 44 and Plenty More".[1][citation needed]

Career

Lee's act centered on how fast she could get her

typecast
in side roles, and never got her acting career off the ground.

In 1955, she helped start a union for dancers, The Exotic Dancers' League of North America (or EDL), acting as the club's first president.

nude
, though in later years she did. She also wrote a monthly column on the burlesque and nightclub scene for several years that appeared in a variety of magazines.

Late life and death

As the years went by, the EDL became more of a social organization for retired dancers and collectible items associated in their acts. Lee gathered press pictures, gowns, pasties, and

Helendale, California, which was founded in 1961 by Lee.[4][5]
By the late 1960s, an aging Lee lost interest in her own burlesque career but was still interested in supporting the next generation of Exotic Dancers and memorializing her generation of burlesque performers.

Lee died in 1991 at the age of 61 from cancer.[6] With her death, fellow burlesque dancer, Dixie Evans, took over the Exotic World museum and helped keep burlesque and Lee's legacy alive.[7]

In 1958, she was immortalized in the

Jan Berry.[8]

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 954215793.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link
    )
  2. ISBN 978-1-55022-371-2
    .
  3. ^
    ISSN 0319-0781
    . Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  4. ISSN 0890-1759
    .
  5. ISSN 0190-8286
    . Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  6. ^ Fleeman, Michael (April 28, 1991). "Strippers Hold Reunion at Museum of 'Au Naturel' History". AP News.
  7. ^ Harvey, Steve (5 April 2009). "Burlesque era remains alive in hall of fame". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ^ "Jennie Lee (Song by Jan & Arnie) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".

External links

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