If you’ve been paying the slightest bit of attention, you’ll know that I’ve recently written about the (in)famous Whirlaway Club — not just on this blog, but also in the June issue of Memphis magazine. In the magazine’s “Ask Vance” column, I focused on two dancers — Betty Vansickle (stage name: Betty V) and Sue Sennett, who got into trouble with the law in the early 1960s by appearing on stage in scandalously skimpy costumes and “bumped and grinded” for customers. I was especially intrigued by Betty’s costume (which she probably designed herself), featuring a long white glove stretching down her torso.
Yes, that’s her in the photo above. The black lines are crop marks and the “haze” around her was added by the Press-Scimitar so she’d stand out from the dark background; that’s where this photo first appeared, in 1966. Sexy, huh?
Well, today I received an email from Betty Vansickle Bendall, who told me that “Betty V” was, in fact, her mother, who is still alive and living in Memphis — though no longer dancing, unfortunately.
Here’s what she had to say: