 Folies de Paris et de Hollywood introduces readers to the original Dixie chick. 
 During the 1950s, Dixie Evans billed herself as burlesque’s answer to Marilyn Monroe. By copying Monroe’s style and embedding it in sensual and clever stage performances that showcased her lush physique, Evans became internationally famous, which is why we see her on this cover of the French erotic mag Folies de Paris et de Hollywood from 1954. Inside, Evans invites French readers to imagine her sleeping in the nude, saying, “Marilyn and I are alike. We both sleep without shirts.” Evans is still in the striptease industry today, promoting burlesque-themed events in Las Vegas, where she lives. She's also working toward finding a home for her huge collection of burlesque artifacts, which is comprised of items not just from her career, but from those of other legendary dancers. Many of the items reside at Emergency Arts, an exhibition space in downtown Vegas, but her goal is to create a dedicated burlesque museum that will safeguard this irreplaceable material in perpetuity. Below are a few striking Folies de Paris et de Hollywood images from this issue for your enjoyment. We’ll have more on this magazine, Dixie Evans, and burlesque in general, down the line. Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen our comprehensive burlesque post from a couple of years back, visit it here.
       
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1930—Amy Johnson Flies from England to Australia
English aviatrix Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly from England to Australia. She had departed from Croydon on May 5 and flown 11,000 miles to complete the feat. Her storied career ends in January 1941 when, while flying a secret mission for Britain, she either bails out into the Thames estuary and drowns, or is mistakenly shot down by British fighter planes. The facts of her death remain clouded today.
1934—Bonnie and Clyde Are Shot To Death
Outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who traveled the central United States during the Great Depression robbing banks, stores and gas stations, are ambushed and shot to death in Louisiana by a posse of six law officers. Officially, the autopsy report lists seventeen separate entrance wounds on Barrow and twenty-six on Parker, including several head shots on each. So numerous are the bullet holes that an undertaker claims to have difficulty embalming the bodies because they won't hold the embalming fluid. 1942—Ted Williams Enlists
Baseball player Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox enlists in the United States Marine Corps, where he undergoes flight training and eventually serves as a flight instructor in Pensacola, Florida. The years he lost to World War II (and later another year to the Korean War) considerably diminished his career baseball statistics, but even so, he is indisputably one of greatest players in the history of the sport.
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