Candy Barr: The Small-Town Texas Runaway Who Became a Darling of the Mob and the Queen of Las Vegas Burlesque

by Ted Schwarz

Overview

Born Juanita Slusher in Edna, Texas, in 1935, the entertainer who became Candy Barr was perhaps the last great dancer in burlesque, a stripper who insisted on live, improvisational music and who at one time commanded $2,000 a week in 1950s Las Vegas. But as Juanita she had started life as a prematurely well-developed thirteen-year-old runaway victimized by a Dallas ritual known as "the capture" that enslaved her into prostitution, for a time turning over 4,000 tricks a year before she was able to escape. A lover of Mickey Cohen's and friend to Jack Ruby, Barr's tumultuous life included a period of imprisonment on trumped-up drug charges, an appearance in a crude, 20-minute stag film, and unlikely role in the investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Based on over 100 hours of exclusive interviews with Barr, this book is not just the story of Juanita and Candy, but also paints an unflattering picture of all those who sought to exploit her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589793415
Publisher:	Taylor Trade Publishing
Publication date:	05/21/2008
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	589,969
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Ted Schwarz is the author, co-author, or "ghost" of more than 100 books, including the bestselling The Hillside Strangler. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     vii
Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Candy Barr!     1
The Capture     7
Growing Up in Edna     13
The "Good" People Considered It Tradition     39
Carhops, Truckers, and Jack Ruby     45
Turning Professional with Shorty     51
Corky, Juanita, and Jack     59
Under Age and Making It     63
Shorty Had to Back Off or Shorty Had to Die     69
Ten Tricks a Night and Outcall Looks Easy     75
South Dallas's Dirty Little Secret     81
The Reluctant Movie Star     91
Candy Barr Takes the Stage     101
The Lights, the Music, the Clothes That Came Off     115
This Became Burlesque     123
Abe's Joints, Pappy's Joints, and Other Histories Seldom Told     131
From Burlesque to Stripping, and Candy's Little Book     139
Stags and Frat Boys and Cops on the Take     147
Three Joints Could Get You Life     161
A Brief Note     173
Judge Brown Had a Camera     175
Mob Action, Vegas, and the Sunset Strip     183
Last Fling     195
Mickey, Mexico, and What Passes for Love     205
The End of Candy Barr andthe Start of #153781     225
Fighting for Freedom     239
Freedom     249
Still Feisty, Still Sexy     265
Over the Hill? What Hill?     277
Epilogue     285
Bibliography     291
Index     293

Editorial Reviews

[A] compelling, brutal tragedy set against a country's loss of innocence.

Schwarz tells her story in honest detail. ... and he does an excellent job of portraying her painful and complex life and times.

From the Publisher

The early life of Juanita Slusher, born in 1935 in Edna, TX, was one that few would envy, and Schwarz (The Hillside Strangler) tells her story in honest detail. After a difficult childhood, this teenage runaway became a victim of a kidnapping/prostitution ritual in Dallas, where she was abused physically, sexually, and emotionally. Eventually, a passion for dancing provided money and fame in Las Vegas as Candy Barr, a burlesque stripper with a talent for improvising to live music. Yet, her life was still plagued with numerous complications as a succession of men-boyfriends, husbands, and mobsters-exploited Juanita, leading to her being framed for drug possession, sent to prison, and tracked by would-be murderers. Her friendship with Jack Ruby also moved her into an unwelcome spotlight after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Schwarz completed more than 100 hours of exclusive interviews with Slusher, and he does an excellent job of portraying her painful and complex life and times. Although he describes the places, people, and events well, additional emphasis on their social/cultural context would have provided an even sharper focus. For circulating libraries.
—Carol J. Binkowski

Library Journal