Betty Rowland was a legendary burlesque dancer during the “Golden Age of Burlesque” who was known as the “Red Headed Ball of Fire.”
- Died: Sunday, April 3, 2022 (Who else died on April 3?)
- Details of death: Died in Culver City, California, at the age of 106.
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Red Headed Ball of Fire
Betty Rowland and two of her sisters started out as dancers in vaudeville before moving into burlesque. Betty became a performer at the famous Minsky’s Theater in Times Square in New York City. She moved to Los Angeles where she was a burlesque star known as the “Red Headed Ball of Fire.” Her signature dance piece was called “Bumps in the Ballet,” in which she spoofed a ballet routine. In 1952, she was arrested for putting on a lewd performance and sentenced to four months in jail. A local columnist defended her publicly, saying the sentence was unfair and she was released after 3 weeks. In 1943, she sued Samuel Goldwyn for using her stage name “Ball of Fire” for the title of a film but was unsuccessful. She was featured in the 2010 documentary film “Behind the Burly Q,” which told her story and the story of other famous burlesque dancers.
Notable Quote
“People whisper, for heaven’s sake, they say, ‘Do you know what she used to do?’ And they’re saying it like I was a porno worker or something. Well they shouldn’t whisper — I was a dancer. It was the only thing I knew how to do, and I was a success at it.” – She told Liz Goldwyn, according to the New York Times
Tributes to Betty Rowland
Full Obituary: New York Times
