Shameless Plug

My interview with Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique author Kelly DiNardo appeared on Monsters & Critics today. We discussed a variety of topics including Lili St. Cyr, Marilyn Monroe, Irving Klaw, burlesque, and heroin.

"The big thing was Lili's connection to Marylin Monroe. There had been a lot of speculation about that because of Ted Jordan's book [Norma Jean: My Secret Life with Marilyn Monroe]. You want it all to be true because of course it's going to grab headlines and sell books. Some of it was true, but his claims that the two of them had a lesbian affair [are false]. I'm not Lili St. Cyr or Marylin Monroe so I can't yell you 100% for sure that it didn't happen, but I don't believe it happened. I don't think it happened."
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Shameless Plug

My review of Kelly DiNardo's Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique appears in today's Austin Chronicle.

The most popular burlesque star throughout the Forties and Fifties, Lili St. Cyr influenced Marilyn Monroe, performed with Dean Martin, and danced well into her 50s. Author Kelly DiNardo recounts the fascinating life of "the queen of striptease" in the well-researched and superbly written Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique.
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Gilded Lili Book Trailer Winner

Author Kelly DiNardo hosted a book trailer contest for her book Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique. The winning entry:



Here's a little sneak of my forthcoming Austin Chronicle review of the book:

The most popular burlesque star throughout the 1940s and 50s, St. Cyr influenced Marilyn Monroe, performed with Dean Martin, and danced well into her fifties. Author Kelly DiNardo recounts the fascinating life of “the queen of striptease” in the well-researched and superbly written Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique.

Margie Hart and the war effort

"I'm helping the Allies win the war, every time I unhook my brassiere" -- dancer Margie Hart, who tried to donate 4,000 of her pinups, in a Life magazine article

I'd love to say it came from my own research, but I found the quote in Kelly DiNardo's forthcoming Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique. I am reviewing the book for The Austin Chronicle.