0:01
how can you be the star of your life I
0:04
discussed this and more with my very
0:06
special guest actress and author leslie
0:08
zemeckis on today's episode of the
0:11
little white lie welcome to the little
0:16
white lie show a lifestyle show for
0:18
super boomers and beyond that will
0:20
enhance your lifestyle health
0:22
empowerment and more hello everyone
0:26
karen Glasser here and welcome to the
0:28
little white lie I am so excited that
0:31
you're here today if you're here on
0:32
replay we're delighted you're here on
0:34
replay make sure you comment below and
0:36
we will make sure to comment right back
0:38
if you are here live even better let us
0:40
know that you're here live and when you
0:42
come it will pop your comments right up
0:44
on the screen and if you're so inclined
0:47
we would love you forever if you will
0:49
share the show out to your network so
0:51
that everyone out there can see what you
0:55
today's guest is awesome I am beyond
0:59
beyond excited that this guests agreed
1:02
to join me she has been all over the
1:04
country promoting this amazing book that
1:07
we're going to talk about her name is
1:09
leslie zemeckis she is an actress and
1:11
author and an award-winning
1:12
documentarian an expert historian of
1:16
early American pop culture she is
1:18
currently Criss crossing across the
1:20
country promoting her most recent
1:21
bestseller feuding fangirls and today
1:24
her next stop is with us here on the
1:28
little white lie and so I welcome Leslie
1:30
to the show Leslie how are you today hi
1:34
I'm great thank you I am as I said
1:37
delighted that you're here and we like
1:38
to always start the show with this
1:40
question asking all of our guests leslie
1:43
zemeckis what is your little white lie
1:48
so you're starting with that okay I
1:53
think my little white lie because I say
1:56
it all the time is there are not enough
1:59
hours in the day which i think about
2:02
there really are enough hours in the day
2:05
if you use them right if you cherish
2:09
them if you organize them
2:12
and I think I'll if you forgive yourself
2:16
wait you some of those hours I think a
2:18
lot can be accomplished in a day I love
2:21
that answer I love that answer because I
2:23
say that all the time there's just not
2:25
enough hours in the day right and yet we
2:27
all have the same amount of hours we
2:29
just have to use them wisely yes exactly
2:31
I mean you know what would we do with
2:34
more hours oh god forbid we would hold
2:37
the test even more because we're women
2:39
that's what we could do it yeah so
2:41
today's topic is so timely your book is
2:45
timely having you on the show is timely
2:47
because just yesterday right just
2:49
yesterday the election and what over a
2:52
hundred women were voted into Congress
2:55
that's just that's just crazy right it's
2:57
it's awesome it's not a bad crazy it's a
3:00
good crazy good person you're you know
3:03
you are very very interested and you
3:05
have followed this journey on following
3:07
burlesque and you have books out and you
3:10
have movies out and you have a new book
3:11
out what is the fascination how did you
3:13
get involved in burlesque I was kind of
3:19
as an actress I was doing a one-woman
3:21
show that's very a cabaret style the
3:23
character I had created was for last for
3:27
I thought she was based on Mae West and
3:30
fifty Rose Lee and then I realized well
3:32
you know I don't even tell what
3:33
burlesque means so I started looking and
3:36
nothing had been done from the
3:39
performers point of view really I
3:41
couldn't find out who you where I mean
3:45
in particular their story was where they
3:49
came from what happens afterwards how
3:51
they even got into it so I does it kind
3:53
of obsessed me and I started talking I
3:56
found some that had been you know worked
3:58
in the 30s 40s 50s I know what I want to
4:02
give voice to these women and I did a
4:05
documentary and from that you know a
4:08
book and and so it's it's partly
4:11
burlesque but it's also that early
4:13
American pop culture which involves the
4:15
circus and vaudeville right he's that
4:18
still inform our entertainment today
4:20
that we're not even aware of so you have
4:23
a new book that's out it's a best-seller
4:25
I think it was a best-seller almost
4:27
before it even went out the gate so
4:29
which is which it does it says a lot
4:31
about you and it says there it is and
4:33
actually I was going to go throw that
4:34
that thing up right now there we go
4:37
so you don't have to have a little thing
4:39
without my fan never without your fan so
4:42
tell us a little bit about I love the
4:44
title feuding fan dancers but it's about
4:46
two - fan dancers Sally Rand right and
4:49
stay fit let's talk a little bit up
4:53
yeah Sally was really the most well
4:55
known she became famous in 1933 World's
4:58
Fair working in Chicago but faith had
5:00
been on Broadway as a Ziegfeld girl was
5:03
also her fan dance and so they both
5:06
claimed to be the originators of the
5:08
dance they had a very public feud in
5:10
fact faith of dude Sally and it was her
5:14
dance and you know nobody else should do
5:16
it and so it's really looking at that
5:21
culture of not they weren't per se
5:25
they were more the traditional showgirl
5:27
the Broadway show girl even though they
5:30
did perform love so I mean I know you
5:35
talked about feminism and you talked
5:37
about that in terms of the different
5:39
books and the different documentaries
5:42
and and the mockumentary say Jen are you
5:46
so how every woman I said well so how do
5:49
you define feminism so what I think the
5:54
public really publicly you know in
5:57
however voice you have of really
6:02
defending and promoting women and their
6:05
stories their rights whatever they they
6:08
want to do really being a champion for
6:10
women I happen to look backwards a lot
6:13
because they didn't have a chance they
6:15
had a different voice a lesser of a
6:18
voice then just showing women today what
6:22
these women had to go to go through and
6:24
it was really a stigma there was really
6:26
less choices for work and to be nude and
6:30
dancing you know really had quite a
6:32
stigma and it still does today I get
6:34
asked all the time oh but they were
6:36
really prostitute right because if one
6:39
equals the other exactly so so you're
6:42
out there on the road I know that you
6:44
literally are bouncing back and forth
6:45
across the coasts and and and meeting
6:48
all these people meeting a lot of people
6:49
that are interested and excited what are
6:51
what are some of the comments that
6:53
you're getting as they come to get the
6:55
book signed I got the book back up so as
6:58
people get a chance to see your book
7:00
we're going to be telling you how to get
7:01
a copy by the way in just a little bit
7:03
but what are some of the comments that
7:05
you're getting out there when you're out
7:06
there talking about this what I really
7:09
like to hear is I had no idea you know
7:12
what I didn't know is this big industry
7:13
I didn't know they were so famous I
7:15
didn't know the kind of you know it's
7:19
really like a self-produced show all for
7:23
really burlesque and and for these two
7:25
in particular you know they created
7:27
their own act they bring in the music so
7:30
it's really they were doing everything
7:31
on their own you know including building
7:35
their spent some time Wow Wow there's
7:39
there's great pictures of Sal you know
7:40
she's I would pull in de and the ladder
7:45
out her hammer and go up there and climb
7:47
and put together her show a one-woman
7:50
band right you did everything with it
7:52
yeah you had to you know nobody else was
7:54
helping or if they did it wasn't to
7:56
their standards I mean they had very
7:58
high standards of what they were doing
8:00
with art and they won't what I did Shane
8:03
so I mean as I listened to you talk and
8:06
I listen to you talk about the the the
8:09
women who have who have been so involved
8:11
in this and the ground breaking I think
8:13
how does that how does that layer over
8:16
what's happening in our in our world
8:18
today in our society today I asked you
8:20
if you're a feminist we're talking about
8:21
burlesque you said that some people ask
8:23
aren't they prostitutes I mean how does
8:25
this how does this lay on top of what we
8:28
have in our society today
8:30
do we have would they have been
8:32
considered feminists back then not
8:36
Baghdad looking back today I think we
8:39
would I I don't know that we because
8:42
they weren't out saying yes you know we
8:44
should have the right tripperz should do
8:46
this I don't think at the time they
8:48
would be looked at it but what they did
8:49
was really groundbreaking and they
8:51
really stood up for themselves they
8:53
I am not doing anything wrong you know
8:57
this is an art this is what I wanted to
8:59
do I'm supporting myself I'm supporting
9:01
the family I'm on the road I'm working
9:03
all the time and I think we can look at
9:07
it net value to talk about the lair or
9:09
is like having less judgement on label
9:11
we always are labeled oh there are
9:13
strippers or I my second film it's about
9:18
oh they're freaks in the circus so we
9:20
don't go behind what what does that mean
9:24
you can't just be on the stripper you
9:26
know there's a person there and right
9:28
you know but so I think that's becoming
9:31
just really less judgmental actually at
9:37
that touch away though I think that's
9:39
probably very true what you're saying
9:41
and I think that that so when you go and
9:44
you do these book signings I I've seen
9:47
some pictures you actually have some fan
9:50
dancers and those yeah for most comments
9:53
as long it's their space in the bit then
9:55
you know you know I'd say 90% of them
9:57
I've had a fan dancer a local fan dance
9:59
or come in so really you know I'll do a
10:02
reading and I'll talk about them but I
10:04
don't think people really have an idea
10:05
what young fan what do you do with a fan
10:07
I mean some of these girls are just
10:09
they're actors gorgeous so well they
10:12
just you know presents what this is so
10:15
how if somebody wants to come out and
10:17
actually go to a book signing I know you
10:19
have a whole list of books would they go
10:20
to your website you can go to my website
10:23
or on Facebook I'm under magazine
10:26
everything's listed there all the
10:28
upcoming like the next two weeks is
10:29
really they okay so I'm putting up your
10:32
website right now leslie zemeckis calm
10:35
I'm also putting up your Facebook page
10:39
if people want to go out and check it
10:40
out that way so that they can see you
10:42
and come out and guys if you do go out
10:43
and see Leslie and go to the book
10:45
make sure you tell them that you saw her
10:48
on the little white lie so she knows
10:50
from whence they come right so I really
10:56
want to now talk about this book and I
10:58
want to just talk about how people can
11:00
can get it and talk about maybe a couple
11:04
of your favorite parts in the book that
11:06
when they're reading the book where do
11:08
you direct them what's the first thing
11:09
that they should be noticing when they
11:10
open up this book but it's absolutely a
11:14
stunningly beautiful book I mean that
11:16
you can't tell so much in a picture but
11:18
there's the goal they just did my
11:20
publishers been in a really beautiful
11:21
job of you know and and you think of it
11:24
the Showgirl was about so and it was
11:27
about beauty it was really about the
11:28
industry of beauty so I think the book
11:31
very much reflects that I think if you
11:35
just read the four or five pages of the
11:37
prologue you will be sucked in it's
11:40
reason I love life I guess I wanted to
11:46
fight as one have a tragic ending why
11:48
does the other one not there's a lot of
11:51
answers to that but it is like I said
11:54
really also about the industry of beauty
11:58
at the time and who added woman I and
12:02
was it worth it alright as Joey says the
12:05
story behind the stories is fascinating
12:08
right the stories behind the stories I'm
12:11
putting up so I've got a me who said
12:13
agreed they need they did what they
12:14
needed to do at the time and also it
12:17
wasn't it was they weren't anything
12:21
wrong I mean it was a really huge both
12:23
burlesque and show Rove I build it with
12:26
a big industry I mean these women and
12:30
men were the comedians and other hood
12:32
night after night week after week for
12:34
years and years and years with a big big
12:36
industry egg industry yes you can make a
12:39
really good living you can have a huge
12:41
fan base and they were a lot of them
12:44
I mean Sally we certainly mostly
12:47
remember today faith not so much but she
12:49
was a huge star when she in 1930 she was
12:54
in a show on Broadway Earl Carroll who
12:56
was instilled rivals and he could be
12:59
sleek you can be nude on a Broadway show
13:02
perfectly legal nothing to do with her
13:04
last brought a legitimate Broadway show
13:07
and so faith was there with her too and
13:09
standing there nude she came up the idea
13:12
well if I move you know I'll just cover
13:14
myself it got her arrested
13:16
still Wow it was a bet
13:19
the matinee show the show had just
13:21
opened a couple days earlier by that
13:23
night the show was sold out and it was
13:26
for the rest of the run and she became a
13:28
huge food star everybody knew who face
13:31
Baker was I loved it she disrupted
13:33
things didn't she yeah totally a
13:35
disruption service idea I think it's
13:41
awesome I think it's awesome for those
13:43
of you who are watching right now and
13:44
you want to know how to get Leslie's
13:46
book if you go to the Boomer at the
13:50
super boomer lifestyle comm lessees book
13:52
is front and center you can click on the
13:53
link and pick up the book and you can
13:56
check out her other books as well she's
13:57
got lots of different books in there as
13:59
she's very well-versed I have a question
14:02
for you and that is what is something
14:05
that people don't know about you even
14:08
your best friends that you want to just
14:10
expose and be vulnerable on the little
14:12
white lie well one thing my husband
14:21
knows they always laughed about if I
14:22
have many and they're not fears but what
14:25
are they the opposite if there's it's
14:26
like not spoils challenges no no like
14:37
almost superstitions like oh no I'm not
14:39
gonna walk under a ladder or you know if
14:44
there's a on the news about a prison
14:46
outbreak I'm convinced those people are
14:48
coming to get me so they're not Ariel
14:51
Spears there I forget what the word is
14:53
you use it all the time laughs so so
14:55
those of you who are listening I'd be
14:57
curious to hear do you have the similar
14:59
kind of thing you watch the news you
15:00
read something immediately think I'm one
15:03
of those people right it's all about me
15:05
and it's going to happen to me I'd be
15:07
curious to hear if you're watching live
15:09
or even on replay tell us if you have
15:11
that same kind of hidden thing that now
15:15
it is mafia mafia phobias I have a thing
15:19
about spiders arachnophobia yeah so we
15:26
have told everyone how they can get
15:27
touch with you they know that they can
15:29
go to their your Facebook page which is
15:30
leslie zemeckis five they
15:33
go to your Instagram and follow you
15:35
there at leslie zemeckis and they can
15:38
also go to your twitter which is also at
15:41
leslie zemeckis and i am sir and what I
15:45
know about you Leslie already is that if
15:47
your name is tagged in there you tend to
15:49
want to reply and tweet it out retweet
15:50
it out you are very active on your
15:52
accounts or maybe you have somebody
15:53
doing it for you but I do not have
15:55
anybody to myself I do my own research I
15:57
do my own social media because wow yeah
16:00
exactly why not and I I think that's
16:02
awesome that even more than I want to
16:04
really thank you because I know that
16:05
you've been sharing out our tweets and
16:07
the things that we have out there so we
16:08
thank you for that and that's just a
16:10
heads up for people listening you want
16:12
to get Leslie as attention and tweet out
16:13
her book she would love that I am sure
16:16
any last thoughts but you would like to
16:18
share with us um you know I just think
16:22
it's a very special time for women and
16:25
to celebrate all different kinds of
16:27
women doing all kinds of different
16:29
things and the only other thing I would
16:32
like to say as I cherish words like
16:36
cherish stories I would like to see more
16:40
people reading not just it's something
16:45
very important to fill your brain with
16:47
stories with inspiration and so go read
16:51
a book I love it to the mind in
16:54
particular yes what not don't just read
16:57
any old book you want to read Wesley's a
17:00
book and I encourage you again go check
17:02
out her site and go find out where she's
17:03
gonna be because she's going to be
17:05
coming to a location near you I know
17:06
that you're actually coming to a
17:08
location near me I'm actually
17:09
considering getting in my car and
17:10
driving over to Palm Springs to see you
17:14
yeah because you're gonna be there soon
17:17
so Leslie thank you again for taking
17:19
time to join us on the show we are so
17:21
appreciative I'm gonna drop you into the
17:23
green room as I finish off the show and
17:25
again to all of our people that are
17:27
watching right now give Leslie some some
17:30
love go check out the boomer at the
17:31
super boomer lifestyle check out her
17:33
book and go check her out at one of the
17:35
via signing thank you so much for being
17:43
so guys what I'd like to right now is go
17:46
into the super boomer moment you know
17:48
one of the things that really strikes me
17:51
at this time and and we didn't clam the
17:54
show around the election we plan this
17:57
show just kind of like on its own let's
17:59
have Leslie on and do the show and as I
18:01
watch the election yesterday and realize
18:03
that over a hundred women over a hundred
18:06
women have taken are now seated in
18:09
government in Congress how amazing what
18:12
is happening in our world today is them
18:15
are you a feminist a maya feminist is
18:18
Leslie a feminist this these are all
18:20
these questions that we want to see as
18:22
women as we step into as we step into
18:26
this amazing world that we're in and
18:28
that is the super boomer moment and
18:30
again I want to encourage you to go out
18:33
to the super boomer lifestyle comm check
18:36
out Leslie books she's got that book and
18:38
she's got many more go ahead you know
18:40
you want to order it find out what all
18:43
this is about the fan dancers and go
18:46
check her out as well to go see her at
18:48
an upcoming show all right guys we know
18:53
that you have a choice as to where you
18:55
spend your time and we are eternally
18:57
grateful that you chose to spend your
18:58
time with me and Leslie today we want
19:02
you to go out and give somebody an
19:04
awesome awesome day and join us next
19:06
week on the next episode of the little
19:09
white lie goodbye everyone