Lili St. Cyr, a renowned striptease artist of the 1940s and 1950s, was a highly painted blonde with a penchant for provocative performances. Known for replacing Gypsy Rose Lee and Ann Corio as the burlesque queen, Lili revolutionized the art of stripping by bringing it to the Las Vegas stage.
Born Willis Marie Van Schaack on June 3, 1918, in Minneapolis, Lili's early life remains somewhat of a mystery. Raised by her grandparents, she had two sisters who followed in her footsteps into the world of show business. Trained in ballet, Lili began her career as a chorine at prestigious venues such as the Florentine Gardens, before developing and choreographing her own solo act.
Lili's bare-all debut at the Music Box proved disastrous, leading her to create a new act. Her big break came in 1944 when she performed at the Gaiety Theater in Montreal, where her club acts quickly gained notoriety. Her innovative performances, which often featured her taking a bath on stage or doing the reverse strip, left audiences in awe.
One of Lili's most famous gimmicks was the "Flying G," where her G-string, attached to a fishing rod, would fly off into the balcony as the lights dimmed. This and other novelty bits of business became trademarks of her act. She eventually conquered Las Vegas, where she created her iconic "bubble bath" bit, featuring herself being dressed by a maid for the crowd.
Lili's notoriety extended beyond the United States, with her being particularly well-received in Montreal. She appeared in a few mainstream acting roles, including The Miami Story (1954) and The Naked and the Dead (1958),but usually played a stripper or appeared as herself. Some soft-core films featuring her dancing, such as the Irving Klaw film Varietease (1954),remain of interest today.
Lili's private life was marked by six marriages, highly publicized brawls, and attempted suicides. She eventually grew tired of the spotlight and retreated, starting a lingerie business similar to Frederick's of Hollywood. Lili spent her last decades in relative seclusion until her death on January 29, 1999.
