Faith Bacon: The Rise And Tragic Fall Of Nude Dancer In Chicago

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Burlesque dancer Faith Bacon's rise to stardom peaked in Chicago, the city in which she also met a tragic end years later.

Bacon, who claimed to be the originator of the "fan dance," was once called "America's Most Beautiful Dancer." In 1933, at the age of 22, she performed at the World's Fair in Chicago, competing against her more famous rival, Sally Rand.

Rand popularized her version of the fan dance at Chicago's old Paramount Club on East Huron.

There had always been a debate about whether Bacon was actually naked during her performances, but her act was a hit, from the late 1920s through the mid-1930s.

Following the World's Fair, Bacon went on tour, and appeared at the Palace in Milwaukee in November of that year.

At a 1936 performance at the Chicago State-Lake Theatre, Bacon crashed through a glass box during the show. She spent weeks in the hospital, and the accident left her with scars on her legs. The accident began Bacon's decline.

Even has the popularity of her act waned, Bacon continued to perform through the 1940s.

By the 1950s, she was struggling financially and had separated from her husband.

A search for employment brought Bacon to Chicago, where her job hunt was unsuccessful.

On September 26, 1956, Bacon leapt from the second floor of a hotel window and later died of her injuries.

According to newspaper accounts (she was now referred to as a "stripper"--a far different characterization than "America's Most Beautiful Dancer"), her roommate tried to grab her skirt to prevent Bacon from the fatal jump.

Just more than 20 years after one of her most popular appearances, the star of burlesque theater had died penniless.