Sally Rand

A fascinating look at a woman I had not heard about before reading this book.
Interesting, sad and colourful.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I was always familiar with the name Sally Rand, the famous fan dancer of the Chicago World's Fair of 1933 but the wonderful research done by Mr. Hazelgrove taught me so much more about the woman behind the feathers. She was a beautiful, petite girl from the Ozarks who ran away with the circus when she was just 15 to find fame and fortune. I'm sure in the early part of the 20th century many other girls did too, but Sally was different. She had ''chutzpah", a drive to succeed and she just knew in her heart that she would attain world fame. Her fan dance and entrance riding sidesaddle on a white horse as a sort of Lady Godiva at the Fair gave world weary depression era audiences the uplift and brief escapism into something lovely that they needed. (It also made a fortune for the city of Chicago). All the obsenity arrests etc. and fines came later on after the fair closed. Another thing Sally never did was depend on anyone else for her living. She, no matter how bad things later got depended on herself only and even supported her family who had in nowise helped her when she was young.. She was a woman ahead of her time and she was punished for sometimes but she is still fondly remembered.. I thank Net Galley and Rowman & Littlefield for allowing me the opportunity to get to know this fascinating woman.

This was an excellently documented , interesting, and researched biography. The story would make an excellent movie. Hope that happens! I knew Sally for about 15 weeks in 1959 when she was doing her show at a cabaret in Chicago while I was a student at Northwestern University. She was a truly nice person in so many ways. Her body was in excellent shape and that of course was aided by her full body stocking.

Thank you NetGalley and Roman & Littlefield for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.
Sally Rand (born Helen Gould) was a beautiful young girl who longed for stardom. With determination, she chose to leave her Ozark home and joined the carnival in search of fame and fortune. In her quest, she became an acrobatic performer for Ringling Brothers, performed in summer stock and was a silent film star for Cecil B. DeMille who changed her name to Sally Rand. Not possessing the best voice for the ‘talkies’, Sally became a dancer which would lead her to her most memorable performance at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. Her iconic image as a fan dancer celebrated the beauty of a woman’s body taking it out of strip clubs and the stages of Burlesque..
Sally lived a rags to riches to rags life. She had four husbands, several arrests for indecent exposure and many trials but she was a survivor who possessed strength, will and determination. Sally did not rely on others, only herself.
I am very grateful to Mr. Hazelgrove for giving Sally her due. His book is detailed, absorbing and a true testament to who Sally was. I think she would be quite proud. Well done!