Faith Bacon, a renowned burlesque dancer, was once hailed as "the most beautiful girl in the world" by showman Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. However, it was Sally Rand who gained more fame for her fan dance, which Bacon is credited with originating during the "Jazz Age".
Born Frances Yvonne Bacon on July 19, 1910, in Los Angeles, Bacon began her career on the Paris stage, performing in Maurice Chevalier's revue shows without formal dance training. She later returned to the East Coast, where she won a spot as a chorine in Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1928 and returned for his 1930 show.
It was Bacon who suggested to Carroll to allow her to undress fully during the show, introducing the art of the fan dance. She also performed in other shows, including Fioretta in 1929, Earl Carroll's Sketch Book of 1929, and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931.
In the mid-1930s, Bacon took her act to the Chicago World's Fair, where she and Sally Rand competed with their respective fan dance performances. However, Bacon's career took a downturn after she suffered a severe injury during a performance at the Chicago State-Lake Theatre in 1936, which left her with deep scars on her legs.
Bacon's film work was limited, with only a few appearances in low-budget films, including Prison Train in 1938 and two short, grainy burlesque films, Dance of Shame and A Lady with Fans, both released in 1942.
In the 1940s, Bacon struggled with health issues, including a glandular problem that required major surgery. She continued to perform, but her engagements decreased in quality, and she was eventually reduced to performing in carnivals, dives, and strip joints.
In 1954, Bacon attempted suicide with an overdose of pills but survived. Two years later, on September 27, 1956, she threw herself out of a third-story Chicago hotel window and died later that evening from a fractured skull and perforated lung.
