Miss Topsy: African American Burlesque Star

When people think of the stars of burlesque, they tend to think of dancers like Gypsy Rose Lee, Lili St. Cyr, Tempest Storm, and Blaze Starr. All of these performers were white, but even in the mid-20th Century there were burlesque stars of other ethnicities. Among the most legendary burlesque dancers was Miss Topsy, one of the earliest Black women to become an international star in the field.

Sadly, while there are quite a few pictures of Miss Topsy to be found online, there is little in the way of information. What little I know about her I found in social media posts by photographer Neil "Nez "Kendall, a few blog posts, and old newspaper articles found on Newspapers.Com and Newspaper Archive.

Miss Topsy was born Mary Elizabeth Thompson in St., Louis around 1942. She had been a secretary to the assessor in St. Louis prior to moving to Hollywood where she became a pin-up and lingerie model there. She was dancing at a Los Angeles Club when a saxophone player introduced her to talent agent Coralie Jr., who was well-known for launching the careers of offbeat performers. It was not long before Miss Topsy became a star in burlesque.

So popular was Miss Topsy that she was even able to tour the Deep South when many Black performers were not always welcome there. She even performed overseas. She had a long residency at the Raymond Review Bar in London in 1963. In 1964 she performed at the Gay 90s in Minneapolis and even had an article about her published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In 1968 Miss Topsy performed at the Yum Yum in Kansas City, Missouri. She even danced in such places as France, much of Europe, and Japan. She also continued to be a popular pinup model in many men's magazines of the era. It was in 1973 that she decided to retire. and settle down. She died in 2021

I honestly wish I knew more about Miss Topsy. First, she was born in my home state of Missouri. Second, she was a true pioneer. She was a Black woman who made a name for herself and became a success when  racial segregation was a none too distant memory and discrimination was still a standard practice. She blazed a trail for other African Americans when it came to performing in burlesque. Finally, as one can see from her pictures, she was seriously pretty. I can easily understand why she was so popular.

Lobo, the First Black Western Comic Book Hero

When people think of Black comic book characters, they might think of The Black Panther, Green Lantern John Stewart, The Falcon, or Cyborg, but before any of these characters there was Lobo. Unlike the aforementioned characters, Lobo was not a superhero, but instead a gunslinger in the Old West. He was the very first Black character to have his own title.

Lobo first appeared in Lobo no. 1 (December 1965), published by Dell Comics. Lobo was a wealthy, African American gunslinger who was given the name "Lobo" by the villains in the first issue of the title. Lobo would leave a gold coin with the images of an "L" and a wolf on the foreheads of the villains he defeated.

Lobo was created by writer Don "D. J." Arneson and artist Tony Tallarico, although the two men disagreed on the character's creation.. Mr. Arneson has said that Mr. Tallarico only illustrated the comic book. He denies that Mr. Tallarico created the character, and has said that he plotted the stories and wrote the scripts. According to D. J. Arneson, he had read the book  The Negro Cowboys by Philip Durham and Everett L. Jones and used that as inspiration for the character.  Tony Tallarico claims that he approached D. J. Arneson with the idea.

Unfortunately, Lobo only lasted two issues: Lobo no. 1 (December 1965) and Lobo no. 2 (September 1966). Not only did D.J. Arneson and Tony Tallarico disagree on the creation of Lobo, but they also disagree on why the title came to an end.. According to Tony Tallarico, distributors were returning bundles of the comic books unopened. He claims that after some investigating he discovered that many sellers opposed the idea of an African American Western hero. D. J. Arneson's explanation for the cancellation of Lobo is much simpler. It was simply discontinued because of sales.

While Lobo's title was cancelled after only two issues, the character would not disappear completely. In 2017,m over fifty years after his last appearance, Lobo was revived in All New Popular Comics no.1, which sought to revive many of Dell Comics' characters. In 2018 the collection Fantastic 4N1 included a novella featuring Lobo. 

Although not as well known as The Black Panther, Falcon, or John Stewart, Lobo was historic. He was the first Black character to have his own title and the first Black Western comic book hero. Lobo also indicated the direction that Western comic books in the late Sixties onward would take.  In the Western titles of late Sixties and Seventies, African Americans would play a bigger role, having largely been absent from the Western comic books of the Forties, Fifties, and Sixties.

Happy Valentine's Day 2024

Here at A Shroud of Thoughts it is customary for me to post vintage pinups for certain holidays. Valentine's Day is no different.Here then are this year's pinups.

Barbara Bates

Juile Adams

Yvette Mimieux

Rita Hayworth

Leslie Caron

Ann Miller

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Late Great Marianne Faithfull

Marianne Faithfull, the legendary singer known for her version of "As Tears Go By," died on January 30 2025 at the age of 78.

Mariane Faithfull was born on December 29 1946 in Hampstead, London. Her father was Major Robert Glynn Faithfull, who was a British intelligence officer and a professor of Italian literature at Bedford College, London University. Her mother was Austrian aristocrat Eva von Sacher-Masoch, Baroness Erisso. Her early life was spent in Ormskirk, Lancashire and then  Braziers Park, Oxfordshire. Her parents divorced when she was six years old. Her mother moved with young Marianne Faithfull to Reading, Berkshire. Despite her mother's heritage, the family had little money and Marianne Faithful had bouts of tuberculosis as a child.

Marianne Faithfull started her career as a singer,in 1964 when she performed folk music in London coffeehouses. It was in London that she attended a Rolling Stones release party with artist John Dunbar. There she met The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Her first single, "As Tears Go By," was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones recorded their own version in October 1965). It proved to be a hit for Marianne Faithfull, going to no. 9 on the UK singles chart and no. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Marianne Faithful would have further hits with "Come and Stay with Me." "This Little Bird," "Summer Nights," a cover fo The Beatles' "Yesterday," and "Is This What I Get for Loving You."

Marianne Faithfull's self-titled debut album was released in 1965 and went to no. 15 on the UK albums chart. She recorded over twenty studio albums, the last being She Walks in Beauty in 2021. Marianne Faithfull would have only a few more hit singles following "Is This What I Get for Loving You,"  including "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan," "Broken English," and "Sister Morphine." Among her most significant albums was Broken English, her 1979 comeback album.

Marianne Faithfull also had an acting career. She made her film debut in 1966 playing herself in Jean-Luc Godard's movie Made in U.S.A.. She made her television debut in 1967 in the French TV movie Anna. She appeared in the film I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), in which  she was one of the first people to ever say the F-word in a mainstream movie. Marianne Faithfull appeared in the films The Girl on the Motorcycle (1968), Hamlet (1969), Ghost Story (1964), Assault on Agathon (1975), When Pigs Fly (1993), Shopping (1964), Moondance (1995), Crimetime (1996), Intimacy (2001), Far from China (2001), Paris, je t'aime (2006), Marine Antoinette (2006), Irina Palm (2007), Faces in the Crowd (2011), and  Belle du Seigneur (2012). She was the voice of a Bene Geesserit Ancestor in Dune (2021). She guest starred in 2001 on the two part Absolutely Fabulous episode "The Last Shout."

Marianne Faithfull also appeared on stage. She made her professional stage debut in Three Sisters at the Royal Court Theatre in London. She also appeared in the productions Early Morning (1968), Hamlet (1969), Alice in Wonderland (1973),  A Patriot for Me, Mad Dog, The Collector, The Rainmaker, The Kingdom of Earth, The Threepenny Opera, and The Black Rider.

Marianne Faithfull was a remarkable singer. Originally she had a melodic voice that was higher on the register. A combination of laryngitis and drug abuse would alter Marianne Faithfull's voice, making it lower and more raspy. In either case she displayed considerable talent, able to evoke emotion in a way few  others singers could. If she became an "It Girl" of Swinging London and a legendary singer, it was largely due to her sheer artistry as a singer.

I'm Back with My Dinosaur Act

My new computer arrived today, so I can get back to writing blog posts on a regular basis. In the next few days I will post my eulogy for Marianne Faithfull and posts in honour of Black History Month. Today was spent setting the new computer up, and I really didn't have much time for anything else. In the meantime, to celebrate getting back to writing A Shroud of Thoughts, here is "Dinosaur Act" by Matthew Sweet.

Jack Lemmon's Centennial

My new computer won't arrive until Monday, but I wanted to acknowledge today, so I am making this post on my phone. You see, it was 100 years ago today that Jack Lemmon was born in Newton, Massachusetts.

Jack Lemmon has been one of my favourite actors since I was a child. Not only was he still making movies when I was growing up, but some of his best-known movies were made in my lifetime. I cannot remember what was the first Jack Lemmon movie I saw. Indeed, his more recent films were being shown on the television network's movie anthologies when I was a kid.

As many of my readers may know, my second favourite movie of all time is The Apartment (1960). C.C. Baxter is always the first character who comes to my mind when I think of Jack Lemmon. C.C. Baxter was one of the many everymen Mr. Lemmon played throughout his career. He was the timid Ensign Pulver in Mister Roberts (1955). He was the hard-working but unlucky Sam Bissell in Good Neighbor Sam (1964). He was the fussy Felix Unger in The Odd Couple (1968). Jack Lemmon had a definite talent for playing average Joes.

Of course, Jack Lemmon could play much more than the average guy. In fact, some of the characters he played weren't very nice. He was the lecherous, somewhat dishonest landlord Hogan in Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963). He played the villainous Professor Fate in The Great Race (1965). He was a hit man for the mob in Buddy Buddy (1981). And while Jack Lemmon may be best known for his roles in comedies, he was impressive in dramas as well. He played alcoholic PR exec Joe Clay in Days of Wine and Roses (1962). In Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) he played a real estate salesman whose career was in decline. In The China Syndome (1979) Jack Lemmon played nuclear power plant shift supervisor Jack Godell.

Ultimately Jack Lemmon appeared in so many great films and played so many great roles that to cover them all it would take a book. From Bell, Book and Candle (1958) to Some Like It Hot (1959) to The Fortune Cookie (1966) to Grumpy Old Men (1993), Jack Lemmon always gave great performances.

Technical Difficulties

Yesterday our ancient laptop went out. In a way, this was not surprising. To give you an idea of its age, its original operating system was Windows 8. Anyway, I ordered a new computer today, but it will be a while before it arrives. I won't be posting too much until then.