Mae Dix stands out in the colorful history of Burlesque. While her name is not as well-known today as Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, or Ann Corio, entertainment historians have credited her as the originator of the striptease for many years. Although it is uncertain whether Mae Dix truly invented the act, most agree she perfected it and helped make it a defining part of twentieth-century burlesque. No matter what, she made a lasting impact on the art of stage seduction.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Esther Mae Dix was born on September 6, 1895, in Lake Ann, Michigan, to Albert and Theodora Dix. Like many performers of her time, little is known about her early years. By her late teens, she was already drawn to the theater. She may have appeared in some early films, but by the mid-1910s, she was performing on stage. Dix sang and danced as a soubrette in musical comedies and burlesque shows, earning a reputation for her lively personality, good looks, and energetic dancing. One trade article even mentioned her sunny disposition that charmed audiences.
During a time of change in American entertainment, Dix became part of one of burlesque's most famous stories. According to generations of Minsky family members and many burlesque historians, her legendary performance took place in 1917 at Minsky's National Winter Garden in New York City. The story goes that on a hot night, Dix wore a costume with a detachable collar and cuffs. After finishing her song, she casually removed her collar as she left the stage.
The audience loved it and wanted more. She came back and took off her cuffs, which made the crowd even more excited. Playing to their enthusiasm, Dix continued to loosen parts of her costume, revealing more than was usual for the time. The audience responded with wild applause. Theater owner Billy Minsky, impressed by the reaction, reportedly asked her to repeat the act every night. What started as a spontaneous moment became a huge hit and is now a legendary story credited with the invention of the striptease.
Like many show-business legends, the real story is more complicated. Historians note that burlesque dancers were removing pieces of clothing on stage long before Mae Dix. Millie DeLeon, for example, was known for taking off garters and teasing audiences years earlier. "Cooch" dancers and many vaudeville performers also used revealing costumes in their acts. Some point to Hinda Wausau and other lesser-known dancers who likely performed similar routines before Dix's famous story. What Mae Dix did, however, was help make the practice popular and bring it into regular burlesque shows. Even though scholars debate whether she was truly the first stripper, they all agree she had a major influence on the art form.
No matter who deserves the most credit, Mae Dix was one of the top burlesque stars in the late 1910s and 1920s. She performed with major burlesque circuits and appeared in shows across the country. Newspaper ads often featured her name prominently, as people lined up to see the redhead known for her dancing and playful charm. In her history of striptease, Rachel Shteir wrote that Dix had movie-star looks and a talent for "devilish, dynamic dancing".
By the 1920s, Dix was headlining her own shows, like "Mae Dix and Her Flapper Follies." At a time when words like "flapper" were popular, she embraced the image, bringing a sense of modern sexuality without worrying about tradition. Later striptease artists focused on removing more elaborate costumes, but Dix always kept her vaudeville roots. She sang, danced, told jokes, and flirted with her audiences, knowing that confidence and charm worked together.
Not much is known about Mae Dix's personal life, though census records show she was married and later divorced. By the 1950s, her days of drawing big crowds were over. Like many former performers, she found work behind the scenes in the theater. When she died, she was working as a wardrobe mistress for Shipstad & Johnson, the producers of Ice Follies. It was a fitting job for someone who had spent most of her life on stage.
In October 1958, tragedy struck when Dix fell asleep while smoking in her Hollywood apartment at 1525 North Van Ness Avenue (demolished). A fire broke out, and she suffered severe burns over about half her body. She was taken to Los Angeles County General Hospital and died there on October 21, 1958, at age sixty-three. The Los Angeles Evening Citizen News reported that she was widowed and living alone. Dix survived for ten days after the accident before passing away from her injuries.
Four days later, Mae Dix was buried at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery. She was laid to rest among many other entertainers who also made their mark on popular culture.
The grave of Mae Dix in Hollywood Forever Cemetery's Garden of Memory, Lot 30, located one row behind the resting place of child star Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer and a few spaces east.
If you walk through Hollywood Forever today, few people would recognize Mae Dix's name. Still, her influence lives on in every striptease act that uses tease and suspense to captivate the audience. Did she invent the striptease, or was she just the first to make it popular? We may never know for sure. What is certain is that Mae Dix performed during a time when Vaudeville and Burlesque were coming together and changing American entertainment. Long before Hollywood stars and television brought national fame, Mae Dix became well-known for one thing and did it well: she turned taking off a dress into an art form. More than a century later, the debate continues. We still argue the point. If there is a mother of the striptease, Mae Dix is one of the front runners for that title.
Tomorrow on The Hollywoodland Revue: this week’s “Coming Attractions” roundup featuring the newest theatrical releases, critical reactions, audience buzz, and recommendations on what may—or may not—be worth your ticket money.
If you enjoyed my latest Hollywood Forever Immortals profile on Mae Dix—the vaudeville star often credited with inventing the striptease—please leave a comment, rate the article, and share it with fellow classic Hollywood and entertainment history enthusiasts.
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