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Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique
Burlesque. A uniquely American form of entertainment...and one of the most celebrated forms in burlesque was that of the inimitable Lili St. Cyr. Her body of work as a striptease artist–featuring her innovative on-stage bubble baths and reverse stripteases–was on a level with such dazzling performers as Gypsy Rose Lee, Blaze Starr, Tempest Storm, and Ann Corio. And wherever the glamorous Queen of Burlesque appeared, controversy followed. Gilded Lili is the first biography of this pioneering artist, sure to be a smash as burlesque enjoys its own resurgence. Her tempestuous love affairs and troubled life make Lili St. Cyr's story a microcosm of American sexuality in the twentieth century, mirroring social changes in sexual politics and the commercialization of sexuality. A compelling biography and an intriguing take on feminist history, Gilded Lili is golden indeed.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2007
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About the author
Kelly DiNardo
3 books36 followersI am the author of several books, including Living the Sutras and Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique. I write The Sunday Stretch newsletter and am also one of the owners of a
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 4, 2008
An improbably well-researched and written biography of an entertainer most people have barely heard of, perhaps only as a name dropped in a Rocky Horror Picture Show lyric. Some readers might find Dinardo's weaving of St. Cyr's life into 20th century feminist history a bit of a stretch, but Dinardo pulls it off with subtlety. Plus, she's good people, so don't knock her!
June 8, 2008
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.
Beginning with the introduction by Rachel Shteir, writer of the excellent burlesque history, Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show , Gilded Lili explores the truth behind the legend while establishing St. Cyr within a proper sociological-historical context. DiNardo immediately humanizes St. Cyr, born Marie Van Schaack, by exploring the stripteaser's childhood in a broken home. Raised by her grandmother, Van Schaack barely knew her father and spent much of her life estranged from her mother. DiNardo deftly follows Van Schaack from her modest Minneapolis roots to her transformation into the world-famous Lili St. Cyr, the first lady of burlesque. St. Cyr married six times and spent the last 35 years of her life with Donald Markick, whom she never married. She died at 81 in January 1999 after spending years as a reclusive heroin addict.
DiNardo wows with her extensive research. She personally interviewed many key figures, including several of St. Cyr's ex-husbands and ex-lovers, as well as their current spouses. Quotes from other entertainers who shared the stage with St. Cyr usher forth from the pages. DiNardo spoke with fans, journalists, psychologists, and even met with St. Cyr's heroin dealer. DiNardo weaves these conversations with bits from other sources, such as St. Cyr's two memoirs, celebrity bios, pop-culture studies, and newspaper accounts.
It is in the lengthy epilogue that DiNardo stumbles. While the current stripper-chic and neo-burlesque trends certainly deserve a place within this biography, they feel like a digression after the story's climatic finish and would have been better placed within the context of St. Cyr's life.
DiNardo successfully reintroduces a largely forgotten star, recounting her unbelievable life. For burlesque fans and aficionados of cultural history, Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique returns Lili St. Cyr, warts and all, to her rightful place on the center stage.
This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, November 16, 2007.
Beginning with the introduction by Rachel Shteir, writer of the excellent burlesque history, Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show , Gilded Lili explores the truth behind the legend while establishing St. Cyr within a proper sociological-historical context. DiNardo immediately humanizes St. Cyr, born Marie Van Schaack, by exploring the stripteaser's childhood in a broken home. Raised by her grandmother, Van Schaack barely knew her father and spent much of her life estranged from her mother. DiNardo deftly follows Van Schaack from her modest Minneapolis roots to her transformation into the world-famous Lili St. Cyr, the first lady of burlesque. St. Cyr married six times and spent the last 35 years of her life with Donald Markick, whom she never married. She died at 81 in January 1999 after spending years as a reclusive heroin addict.
DiNardo wows with her extensive research. She personally interviewed many key figures, including several of St. Cyr's ex-husbands and ex-lovers, as well as their current spouses. Quotes from other entertainers who shared the stage with St. Cyr usher forth from the pages. DiNardo spoke with fans, journalists, psychologists, and even met with St. Cyr's heroin dealer. DiNardo weaves these conversations with bits from other sources, such as St. Cyr's two memoirs, celebrity bios, pop-culture studies, and newspaper accounts.
It is in the lengthy epilogue that DiNardo stumbles. While the current stripper-chic and neo-burlesque trends certainly deserve a place within this biography, they feel like a digression after the story's climatic finish and would have been better placed within the context of St. Cyr's life.
DiNardo successfully reintroduces a largely forgotten star, recounting her unbelievable life. For burlesque fans and aficionados of cultural history, Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique returns Lili St. Cyr, warts and all, to her rightful place on the center stage.
This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, November 16, 2007.
February 26, 2008
As I sit here, writing and half-watching the Oscars, I'm struck by the irony that the subject of this book herself never bought into the mystique of the silver screen. Lili St. Cyr only did movies when the money was good and the work was easy; otherwise, she'd rather be dancing at Ciro's. And although she turned the heads of Humphrey Bogart and Anthony Quinn, she never aspired to appear alongside them onscreen.
Alongside the poetry-reading Gypsy Rose Lee and fan-dancing Sally Rand, Lili St. Cyr was one of the last queens of burlesque, dancing in theatres across North America from 1940 until 1970. Her stripteases tended to tell stories, often plucked from mythology, literature, and even religion -- Salome, Cleopatra, and once, even The Picture of Dorian Gray served as inspiration for her acts.
In an increasingly youth-besotted culture, it's amazing to realize that St. Cyr's career didn't really take off until she was in her mid-30s, and that she really hit her stride, headlining in Los Angeles, Montreal, and Las Vegas, in her 40s, finally hanging up her G-string for good at the age of 53.
Despite a compelling subject, DiNardo's Gilded Lily never quite compels, hampered by dry writing and padded with a rather shallow analysis of 40s and 50s American society. However, the book's biggest problem is that DiNardo never taps into Lili as a person, much less an interesting one.
In the book's epilogue, DiNardo writes, "Lili was neither Madonna nor whore, neither saint nor sinner, neither exploited pinup nor scheming gold-digger. She was neither mentally shallow, nor intellectually subversive, neither socially unimportant, nor dangerously vital." DiNardo says who Lili St. Cyr was not, but never manages to capture who she was. Perhaps in life, St. Cyr was one of those elusive shapeshifters, unknowable by even her friends and lovers; however, what we see of her here is a benign, flat arrangement of names, places, and dates -- more an itinerary than a life.
Still, the book provides detailed information about relatively unmined territory, particularly in its descriptions of early days on the Vegas strip, nightlife in Montreal, and the shticks and calling card performances of famous stripteasers. Although it falls short, Gilded Lili will be indispensable to aficionados of burlesque history.
Alongside the poetry-reading Gypsy Rose Lee and fan-dancing Sally Rand, Lili St. Cyr was one of the last queens of burlesque, dancing in theatres across North America from 1940 until 1970. Her stripteases tended to tell stories, often plucked from mythology, literature, and even religion -- Salome, Cleopatra, and once, even The Picture of Dorian Gray served as inspiration for her acts.
In an increasingly youth-besotted culture, it's amazing to realize that St. Cyr's career didn't really take off until she was in her mid-30s, and that she really hit her stride, headlining in Los Angeles, Montreal, and Las Vegas, in her 40s, finally hanging up her G-string for good at the age of 53.
Despite a compelling subject, DiNardo's Gilded Lily never quite compels, hampered by dry writing and padded with a rather shallow analysis of 40s and 50s American society. However, the book's biggest problem is that DiNardo never taps into Lili as a person, much less an interesting one.
In the book's epilogue, DiNardo writes, "Lili was neither Madonna nor whore, neither saint nor sinner, neither exploited pinup nor scheming gold-digger. She was neither mentally shallow, nor intellectually subversive, neither socially unimportant, nor dangerously vital." DiNardo says who Lili St. Cyr was not, but never manages to capture who she was. Perhaps in life, St. Cyr was one of those elusive shapeshifters, unknowable by even her friends and lovers; however, what we see of her here is a benign, flat arrangement of names, places, and dates -- more an itinerary than a life.
Still, the book provides detailed information about relatively unmined territory, particularly in its descriptions of early days on the Vegas strip, nightlife in Montreal, and the shticks and calling card performances of famous stripteasers. Although it falls short, Gilded Lili will be indispensable to aficionados of burlesque history.
February 13, 2009
More than a biography of Lili St. Cyr but not really a life and times (since the subject couldn't support such a weighty approach) this is a very well written and impeccably researched work on one of the important culture icons of the middle of the past century. The story of St. Cyr's life is detailed--sometimes too detailed although every biography but one I have ever read contained too much information. DiNardo clearly has a lot of respect for her subject--this really comes through in the Epilogue--and knows the social/political/sexual underpinnings of the period. If you agree with her on such subjects, which I do, you will appreciate her assured almost breezy style in presenting it.
Also has good thumbnail sketches of life in the fast lane on 52nd Street in Manhattan, the Strip in Las Vegas and the clubs of Montreal.
It works as a social history from the demimonde and as an unvarnished but not judgemental look at the life of a burleque queen and is higly recommended.
Also has good thumbnail sketches of life in the fast lane on 52nd Street in Manhattan, the Strip in Las Vegas and the clubs of Montreal.
It works as a social history from the demimonde and as an unvarnished but not judgemental look at the life of a burleque queen and is higly recommended.
February 1, 2016
Before I stumbled across this book at the store I had never heard of Lili St. Cyr and considering how huge she was in her day this surprised me though it really shouldn 19t have. America doesn 19t seem to like to admit woman like her existed or had value to our culture when it doesn 19t have to.
A great deal of research and time went into this book and it shows, you get a real feel for the life and times that Lili St. Cyr lived through and how they shaped who she became as well as how she played a part in shaping our culture even to this day. Even though I didn 19t know her name I did know about her most famous routines even though I had never seen them.
This was a very entertaining and informative book and I found the look it provided into a world that ended long before I was old enough to even know it existed a fascinating and educational one. I also really appreciated the respectful way this book was written. Nothing was sugar coated or glamorized nor dealt with cheaply or salaciously, which can often happen when strippers are the topic
A great deal of research and time went into this book and it shows, you get a real feel for the life and times that Lili St. Cyr lived through and how they shaped who she became as well as how she played a part in shaping our culture even to this day. Even though I didn 19t know her name I did know about her most famous routines even though I had never seen them.
This was a very entertaining and informative book and I found the look it provided into a world that ended long before I was old enough to even know it existed a fascinating and educational one. I also really appreciated the respectful way this book was written. Nothing was sugar coated or glamorized nor dealt with cheaply or salaciously, which can often happen when strippers are the topic
January 24, 2011
Great subject matter, shitty writer. As frequently as the author quotes from Rachel Shteir's book, "Striptease: The Untold Story of the Girlie Show" (seriously, every five pages), I am inclined to believe that I just should have read that book instead. This really could have been a fascinating read, but DiNardo's attempt is pretty hard to stomach. It reads like a freshman research paper written by a girl who just discovered Dita Von Teese and thinks she is now the nation's leading expert on burlesque. What a letdown.
July 2, 2017
Glad I picked it up at a book sale! Not only did the author provide a well-researched look into the woman's life, she did a great job at explaining the eras through which Lily passed, what women faced in each time period and the duality that Lili and other women like het portrayed. The author posited the question of objectivity/empowerment without drawing any conclusions except that nothing a blaxk and white. Very recommendable read for anyone interested in women's history, women's challenges, roles, etc. I learned quite a bit of general history too.
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December 14, 2010Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique was one of the best and in-depth biographies I've ever read. Lili St. Cyr, to many people, was considered somewhat of a goddess. She graced the stages of many burlesque theatres and entranced everyone that watched her perform; men and women alike. DiNardo is a passionate writer and it shows exuberantly in this fabulous memoir.
March 14, 2009
This was a great book! Interesting subject, well-written, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 6, 2019
Set againt the backdrop of constantly shifting societal mores and conventions, Gilded Lili explores the motivations and lifestyle of one of burlesque's most glamorous stripteasers: Lili St. Cyr.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews