In some cases, it seems as though the burlesque gene was passed down through the family, with several women of the same clan becoming well-known performers. Such is the case of the Rowland Sisters, the most famous of which is Betty Rowland, “The Redheaded Ball of Fire.”

Betty Rowland, “The Redheaded Ball of Fire.”

Unable to attend college because their father had lost all his money during the Great Depression, the Rowlands first burst on the striptease scene in the mid 1930′s in New York City. Betty Rowland first danced as a Minsky Girl, but after a fellow dancer was busted at Minsky’s in 1937 for performing without a G-string, NYC’s Mayor LaGuardia cracked down on striptease. This proved to be a pivotal moment in Betty’s career. Betty moved to Los Angeles to dance in the Follies Theater for a “limited engagement,” which ended up being a 15 year run.

 Betty Rowland performing in Los Angeles in 1946.

In Los Angeles Betty picked up the moniker of “The Ball of Fire” because of her red hair, petite stature, and energetic performance. She appeared in some films, like “The World’s Greatest Sinner,” and also dated such Hollywood stars as Orson Welles. The mainstream 1941 film “Ball of Fire” produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by Howard Hawks was based at least partly on Betty, and the Edith Head -designed costumes were carbon copies of Betty’s burlesque ensembles. Rowland sued Goldwyn as a publicity stunt. Later, in a twist of fate Betty was interviewed by Goldwyn’s grand-daughter Liz Goldwyn in the 2005 documentary “Pretty Things.”

Poster of the movie “Ball of Fire” by Howard Hawks.

Betty’s sister Rose Zell danced at the Paradise in New York City. Her most spectacular number in which she painted her entire body gold and stripped out of her clothing earned her the name of “Golden Girl.” On a burlesque tour to England she met and married the Baron Empain, a French nobleman who owned a controlling interest in the Parisian subway system.

Rose Zell, the ” Golden Girl.”

A more tragic tale is that of Diana Rowland, who had a brief career in burlesque in her early 20′s and was known as “Society’s Favorite.” The third Rowland sister had scarlet fever which left her with a small leakage of the heart. When she didn’t come in for work one night at a Detroit burlesque club, she was discovered dead in her hotel room.

There was a fourth Rowland sister, Lorraine, who remained in Ohio and became a housewife and mother. Betty Rowland recounted, “Once in a while, she wonders if she missed out on something?”

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