Our 29th show features three ladies who made their marks on the world in dramatically different ways. Join us as we learn about a mystic memoirist, a trailblazing crime boss, and enigmatic icon of the silver screen.
By the time she was 20 years old, crime boss STEPHANIE ST. CLAIR (1897–1969) was well on her way to infamy in early 20th-century Harlem. Known as Queen of the Policy Rackets, she ran a lucrative gambling network and resisted control both by the Mafia and by corrupt police. After retiring from racketeering, St. Clair became a political activist, championing the rights of the Black community until her death in 1969.
MARIA RASPUTIN (1898–1977), daughter of the Russian mystic Gregory Rasputin, lived many lives in the twentieth century. Born in rural Siberia, she stayed with the four grand duchesses in the Alexander Palace until the Revolution forced her into exile. Following brief stints as a cabaret dancer and con artist, she became a lion tamer for circuses across Europe and America, claiming to control beasts with her “Rasputin gaze”. A bear mauling ended her circus career in 1935, and she moved to Los Angeles, worked as a riveter, and wrote three memoirs about her childhood with her beloved father.
MARLENE DIETRICH (1901–1992) was a star of stage and screen who left an immediate impression over audiences worldwide. Noted for her sultry eyes, smokey voice, glamourous fashion sense and often gender defying performances, she remains one of the most famous and fabulous stars in Hollywood history. Not only was she an androgynous sex symbol -he was also a symbol of defiance during World War II. An active supporter of the Allied cause, she performed at numerous USO shows and earned the US Medal Freedom. To this day she remains an ageless style icon, inspiring numerous performers, and exhibitions immortalizing her for generations to come.
Your Presenters:
MOLLY O’LAUGHLIN KEMPER is a writer in New York. You may have read her work in Greener Pastures or Mutha Magazine, or you may have heard her read it aloud from the depths of a walk-in closet on the Everything Good podcast. You may also know her as the co-host of the Dead Ladies Show NYC.
DAISY LONG is a lighting designer and amateur equestrian based in New York City.
JR PEPPER is a photographer, adjunct professor, lecturer, retoucher, photo researcher, cemetery tour-guide and self described ‘professional eccentric.” A New York local, she is known for her spirit photography and knowledge of graves, ghosts and guinea pigs.
The Dead Ladies Show 