Fay Baker | Nebraska's First Fan Dancer

Marie Amelia Nebel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 10, 1910. Though she went by Mary, her stage name was Fay Baker. She was one of the best fan dancers of the 1920s and 1930s--a main rival of Sally Rand, whom she took over for at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. She became a veteran performer, dancing across the United States and Canada.
(Mary Nebel aka Fay Baker. Ziegfeld Follies c. 1930)

Early Life | Milwaukee, WI

Mary was born to her father Charles, age 28, and her mother, Isabella, age 27, in a suburbs of Milwaukee, WI. Her father was the resident manager of the Geneva and Majestic Theatres in Lake Geneva, WI. She was exposed to the entertainment industry early on. Mary began dancing at the age of five. She studied ballet and fell in love with tap dancing as a young person. She first performed on stage at the age of eight. Like many burlesque dancers of this era, performing on stage started at a very young age. She studied dance in Detroit and New York. At 16 years old she moved to New York City to pursue her dreams of being a star.

(Fay Baker. c. 1933)

Fay Baker in New York City

(Cornell Daily Sun. Fay Baker. January 16, 1934)
Fay Baker moved to New York City in 1926 where she appeared on the RKO Vaudeville Circuit. She was also featured as a dancer in "Good News", "Strike Up the Band" and other Broadway musicals. In 1928, Baker appeared with the Evans Brothers in their famous act "Land O' Clowns." She also appeared in two editions of the infamous Ziegfeld Follies, a New York burlesque show (produced by Flo Ziegfeld from 1907 to 1931, with many renewals later on). Baker then appeared with the Nazarro and Gus Edwards players. The Lake Geneva Regional News coined her as "an accomplished toe and buck dancer." In 1933, she had debuted her own "fan dance" after taking over Sally Rand's position at the Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition--rising to critical acclaim. She boasted she was the first fan dancer, before Sally Rand, being billed as "the original fan dancer from Chicago."
(The Winnipeg Tribune. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Roxy Theatres. Page 15. December 9, 1933)
(Chicago Tribune. "Mary Nebel (Fay Baker)." Page 7. April 25, 1934)
The Winnipeg Tribune noted, "She easily holds first place among the fan dancers, and is the authentic originator." She was managed by her brother Charles, who also had experience in the entertainment industry, thanks to their father. In 1933, Fay Baker was distinguished as "America's Dancing Darling" and was the first to do a tap number at the Palace Theatre in New York City. She then went on an international tour showcasing her fan and bubble dances. By 1934, Baker was also performing a "bubble dance" (like Sally Rand and Rosita Royce) and being billed as "The Darling of Broadway." In 1935, Fay Baker was cast as a chorus dancer in "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936).
(Woodland Daily Democrat. Advertisement for Fay Baker at National Theater. Page 2. July 25, 1934)

Nebraska's First Fan Dancer

Fay Baker was the first to grace Nebraskan audiences with an erotic fan dance during her 1933 national tour. She performed for one week in October 1933 at the Orpheum Theater in Lincoln, NE. According to the Lincoln Nebraska State Journal, she came directly from her engagement at the World's Fair in Chicago.

(The Lincoln Star. Greater Orpheum Advertisement for Tracy Brown's Vaudeville and Fay Baker Fan Dance. Page 2. October 7, 1933)
(The Columbus Telegram. The Swan Theatre Advertisement for Fay Baker. Page 6. October 13, 1933)

According to the Lincoln Star, Baker was very nervous whether the police would arrest her after her first performance, but no arrests were made. She also met Rosita Royce while she was performing at the Orpheum. Rosita watched her perform from the wings and then continued to perform throughout Nebraska as a fan and burlesque dancer herself. After performing in Lincoln, Fay Baker then moved on to Columbus, NE where she performed at the Swan Theatre.

(The Columbus Telegram. "Sally Rand's Fan Dance at Swan Theatre." Page 3. October 12, 1933)
Caption reads, "Sally Rand's famous World's Fair fan dance will be interpreted on the stage of the Swan Theatre here Sunday by Miss Fay Baker, who has just finished a successful engagement at the World's Fair. The supporting stage show includes three new acts of big time vaudeville in addition to Tracy Brown's orchestra. The screen feature, Irene Dunne in 'The Silver Cord,' completes the program."

Lost in the Canadian Wilderness

After touring around the United States, she headed off to Canada for an 18-week tour of the country at the end of 1933. She hired her own plane and a pilot, Bill May of Northwest Aeromarine, to fly her to the cities she was performing in. She had just danced for the northern mining towns of Flin Flon and The Pas, when tragedy struck. On January 11, Fay Baker's plane had disappeared while flying from the Pas to Winnipeg, Canada, where they were scheduled to refuel. Baker and her pilot were deemed missing after they failed to materialize in Winnipeg. A search and rescue party was formed. The head of the Aeromarine company left the next day to search for them with no avail. Experts assumed they had landed in a small isolated hamlet along Lake Winnipeg. The winter weather made searching for the plane impossible at times. Baker's brother and manager, Charles, came to Canada to help with the search. Eventually, they were both found alive, after surviving for 6 days in the Canadian wilderness.

(Fay Baker Theater Photograph. Campbell. 1934)
The two reported a harrowing story of how the plane was forced down during a sudden blizzard after leaving The Pas. They landed at Whisky Jack Island, destroying the landing gear. May (the pilot) attempted multiple times to repair the plane and fly it. Baker was sheltered by First Nations people until the plane was repaired and could take off--6 days later. When Baker and May were able to reach their destination, she was ill from exposure to the extreme cold. She was reunited with her brother Charles. Before Baker and her brother could return to the United States, they were arrested by immigration authorities who inquired about their reasons for being in Canada. Baker had to explain she was THE fan dancer, who's plane had been forced down due to a blizzard. They were subsequently released after investigation.
(Daily News. "She Fanned Out." Page 250. January 18, 1934)
Caption reads, "Marooned for a week in the Canadian wilds with the pilot of a grounded plane, fan-dancing Fay Baker recuperates at Winnipeg, Canada. She was returning form excursion to northern mining camps, where eager residents paid plenty to watch her emulate Sally Rand. It was first time they'd seen a fan in years!"
Baker didn't let this experience curb her stardom. She continued to perform throughout the United States in 1934 and 1935. The Austin American stated, "Miss Baker is one of the most famous in the extensive ranks of manipulators of ostrich plumes, having succeeded Sally Rand at the Chicago Century of Progress as featured entertainer in the Streets of Paris exhibition...In her interpretation--fan dancers having highly specialized technique--Miss Baker uses only one fan, a creation of colored ostrich plumes that measures almost five feet in expanse."

Fay Baker's First Marriage

When Baker was 24 years old she married Constable John Hawthorne Leslie of Canadian mounted police in March 1934 at Calgary. (Remember she just recovered from being in the Canadian wilderness, two months earlier.) A month later, her brother and her were arrested by immigration police (again) and detained for 24 hours under investigation. They were released the next day when Baker noted she was now a Canadian citizen due to the marriage. However, this marriage didn't last long, by May 1934 she was seeking a divorce in California. Newspapers reported her brother demanded she choose between the marriage and her career, so she decided on a career and ended her marriage. Leslie filed a petition to annul the marriage soon after Baker left for California, citing, they had separated mere hours (apparently only 17 hours) after the wedding. Leslie was granted an annulment in June 1934.

(Star Phoenix. Fay Baker. Page 8. February 14, 1934)
(The Edmonton Bulletin. Fay Baker. Page 9. March 10, 1934)
(The Independent Record. Advertisement for Fay Baker at Hotel Placer. Page 2. February 6, 1935)

Retirement | Longview Studios

Baker retired from show business at the end of 1935. She married Aubrey Freeman in 1936 and moved to Longview, TX, where she opened a dance studio under the 'Meglin Fanchon Marco Dancing Studios' in 1938. This was a dance studio franchise that had almost 50 studios across the United States at the time.

(Longview News Journal. "Heads Studio." Page 18. September 4, 1938)
(Longview News Journal. Advertisement for Fay Baker-Meglin-Fanchon-Marco Dance Studios. Page 19. September 11, 1938)

Eventually, she faded from the limelight and retired to Sonora, CA to live out her life in anonymity. Baker died on February 6, 1993 in Tuolumne City, CA at the age of 82.

Sources

  • The Union Democrat. "Now & Then: The Fabulous Fay Baker." Billie Lyons. September 18, 2019
  • Longview News Journal. "Heads Studio." Page 18. September 4, 1938
  • Longview News Journal. Advertisement for Fay Baker-Meglin-Fanchon-Marco Dance Studios. Page 19. September 22, 1938
  • Star Phoenix. "Fan Dancer." Page 8. February 14, 1934
  • The Austin American. "Fan Dancer." Page 7. August 3, 1935
  • The Edmonton Bulletin. "Daring Fan Dancing at Rialto Now." March 10, 1934
  • The Lake Geneva Regional News. "Noted Dancer to Appear on Program at Geneva Theatre." Page 5. July 19, 1928
  • The Winnipeg Tribune. "Fan Dancer on Stage at Roxy and Uptown." Page 15. December 9, 1933
  • Cornell Daily Sun. "Fan Dancer Lost in Canadian Wilds." January 16, 1934
  • Daily News. "She Fanned Out." Page 250. January 18, 1934
  • News Record. "Girl Flyer, Actress, Missing in Canada." United Press. Watertown, WI. Page 1. January 11, 1934
  • News Record. "Heavy Snow Halts Search for Lost Pair." United Press. Page 1. January 12, 1934
  • Star Herald. "Officials Concerned Over Whereabouts of Missing Fan Dancer." Page 5. January 12, 1934
  • Star Phoenix. "Fan Dancer Keen on Flying Despite Recent Experience." Page 9. February 19, 1934
  • The Columbus Telegram. "Fan Dancer Lost in Canada Wilds." Page 5. January 11, 1934
  • The Journal Times. "Dancer Safe in Far North." Page 3. January 15, 1934
  • The Leader Post. "Rescue Flyer Seeks Fan Dancer and Pilot, Missing in Northern Manitoba." Canadian Press. Page 2. January 12, 1934
  • The McCook Daily Gazette. "Flier, Dancer Are Found." Page 6. January 15, 1934
  • The Oshkosh Northwestern. "Brother Joins Search For Missing Fan Dancer." Page 4. January 13, 1934
  • The Vancouver Sun. "'Fay' Fan Dancer's Arrest." Page 1. April 24, 1934
  • The Windsor Star. "Fay Baker is Detained." Page 1. April 24, 1934
  • Waterloo Region Record. "Fan Dancer and Pilot Are Safe." Page 5. January 15, 1934
  • Wausau Daily Herald. "Fan Dancer Held in Canada by Immigration Officers." Page 9. April 24, 1934
  • Chicago Tribune. "Chicago Dancer Weds 'Mountie'." Page 7. April 25, 1934
  • Green Bay Press Gazette. "Fay Baker, Fan Dancer, Is Married in Texas." Watertown, WI. Page 4. January 14, 1936
  • Lincoln Nebraska State Journal. "Fan Dancer Asks Divorce." Victoria, B.C. Page 1. May 3, 1934
  • Oakland Tribune. "'Mountie' Sues His Fan Dancer Wife." Page 4. May 12, 1934
  • The Omaha Morning Bee News. "Fan Dancer Freed on Passport Charge." Page 3. April 27, 1934
  • The Winnipeg Tribune. "Marriage of Fay Baker, Fan Dancer, Annulled." Canadian Press. Page 3. June 29, 1934
  • Lincoln Nebraska State Journal. "Sally Rand's Fan Dance." Page 21. October 8, 1933
  • The Columbus Telegram. "Sally Rand's Fan Dance at Swan Theatre." Page 3. October 12, 1933
  • The Lincoln Star. "Theater Topics." Page 69. August 29, 1937
  • Corpus Christi Caller Times. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Elder's. Page 12. June 11, 1935
  • Star Phoenix. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Roxy Theatre. Page 8. February 14, 1934
  • The Columbus Telegram. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Swan Theatre. Page 6. October 13, 1933
  • The Edmonton Bulletin. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Rialto Theatre. Page 9. March 10, 1934
  • The Independent Record. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Hotel Placer "Rathskeller". Page 2. February 6, 1935
  • The Lincoln Star. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Greater Orpheum Theatre. Page 2. October 7, 1933
  • The Vancouver News. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Commodore Cabaret. Page 8. April 20, 1934
  • The Winnipeg Tribune. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Uptown and Roxy Theatres. Page 15. December 9, 1933
  • The Winnipeg Tribune. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the Uptown Theatre. Page 10. December 14, 1933
  • Woodland Daily Democrat. Advertisement for Fay Baker at the National Theatre. Page 2. July 25, 1934
  • https://manitouspringsheritagecenter.org/historical-tidbits-2/
  • https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/110952181/person/250179926189/facts

 

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