Tana Louise

Tana Louise
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBurlesque striptease artist
Known forFetish model
SpouseLeonard Burtman

Tana Louise was a burlesque[1] striptease artist, nicknamed the "Cincinnati Sinner",[2] in the 1950s. However, she was more famous as a fetish model. She contributed regularly to the fetish magazine Exotique, as both a columnist and model, and married the owner of the magazine, Leonard Burtman. Among the photographers that she worked with was Irving Klaw.[citation needed]

In 1950, she was accused of hitting fellow stripper, Emerald Forrest, over the head with a club. When asked of the charges, Louise responded: "T'ain't so".[3]

By the late 1950s, her marriage to Burtman had begun to deteriorate and they divorced.[citation needed] Soon after, she left the magazine and disappeared from the public eye. She was one of the most famous fetish models of her day,[citation needed] but, as time went on, she was overshadowed by her peer, Bettie Page.

Louise was sued by Tina Louise for allegedly "swiping her name and capitalizing on her fame".[4][5]

In the 1960s, Tana Louise and burlesque striptease artist Mara Gaye started an exotic bizarre costumes mail order catalog company called "Tana and Mara".[citation needed]

  1. ^ Uno (2 December 1950). "Burlesque Bits". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 40.
  2. ^ Rau, Herb (24 October 1950). "Show Biz". Miami News. Retrieved 26 December 2009.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Bumps and Grinds". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 30 September 1950. p. 44.
  4. ^ Neigher, Harry (7 April 1957). "Name's the Same". Sunday Herald. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  5. ^ Winchell, Walter (23 March 1959). "Walter Winchell of New York". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved 26 December 2009.