"Some people probably would want to put pants on a horse."

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http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/536414,CST-NWS-sally31.article

Legendary dancer needs a fan club

A 'NO-NO GIRL' | History museum here interested in Sally Rand collection

August 31, 2007
BY ANDREW HERRMANN Staff Reporter [e-mail]

Harriet Helen Beck was arrested several times, charged with public indecency and "corrupting the morals of an audience.''

In her words, she was a "no-no girl.''

But with the public, Beck was a yes-yes sensation, performing naked or near-naked as Sally Rand behind strategically placed fans during the Century of Progress, Chicago's 1933 World's Fair.

"What can I tell you? I was a tan, blond, big-bosomed, bubble-butted sexy female,'' she once said. "...I took the opportunity that came to me.'' snip

Her dance at the World's Fair -- wearing what a reporter described as "three ounces of grease paint and two fans" -- attracted millions of people. And the ire of local authorities.

Beck managed to avoid prison, though. In one morals case brought here, the judge dismissed the charges, saying wearily, "Some people probably would want to put pants on a horse."