Phyllis Dixey (10 February 1914 – 2 June 1964) was an English singer, actress, dancer and

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. Hist ...

. Her earlier career was as a singer in

variety shows Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compèr ...

in Britain. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she joined

ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

and entertained the British forces. She sang, recited and posed in naked

tableaux The International Conference on Automated Reasoning with Analytic Tableaux and Related Methods (TABLEAUX) is an annual international academic conference that deals with all aspects of automated reasoning with analytic tableaux. Periodically, it jo ...

which were very popular.

Early life and career

Phyllis Selina Dixey was born in Merton,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

to Ernest Dixey and Phyllis Selina Haycroft. She had one elder brother, Ernest Dixey (b. 1912). In 1938, she married Jack Tracey. In 1942, she formed her own company of girls and rented the

Whitehall Theatre Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to put on a review called ''The Whitehall Follies''. This was the first

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "ex ...

show put on in the West End of London, but not the first show to have nude studies as the Windmill reviews were already in existence. She stayed at the Whitehall for the next five years producing the ''Peek-a-boo'' reviews. Her performance was at the time considered artistic and she thought that it was an art form. She was known as the "Queen of Striptease". She appeared in two films ''Love up the Pole'' (1936) and ''Dual Alibi'' (1946).

Last years

By 1947 the tastes of the London audience had changed, and Phyllis Dixey was forced to return to the provinces. She was not able to adapt to the direction that the public required; leaving the stage in the late 1950s, bankrupt.Jasper Coppin
"English Heritage plans a really 'blue' plaque for stripper"
''Sunday Telegraph'', 13 November 2011 In the early 1960s she worked as a cook at

Loseley Park Loseley Park is a large Tudor manor house with later additions and modifications south-west of Guildford, Surrey, England, in Artington close to the hamlet of Littleton. The estate was acquired by the direct ancestors of the current owners, the ...

near

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

. She died of cancer in 1964, aged 50, in

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

Posthumous

Her life was portrayed in the British television film ''

The One and Only Phyllis Dixey ''The One and Only Phyllis Dixey'' is a 1978 British television film directed by Michael Tuchner and starring Lesley-Anne Down, Michael Elphick and Patricia Hodge. Based on the career of the burlesque artist Phyllis Dixey, it was produced by Thame ...

'' (1978), in which she was played by

Lesley-Anne Down Lesley-Anne Down (born 17 March 1954) is a British actress, singer and former model. She achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1973–75). She received further recognition for her performances in t ...

. It was written by

Philip Purser Philip John Purser (28 August 1925 – 1 August 2022) was a British television critic and novelist. Life and career Purser was born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire on 28 August 1925. His mother had been the first female student of an art school ...

.Jerry Robert
''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors''
Lanham Maryland & Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press, 2009, p.600 In 2011,

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

made plans to erect a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

at Dixey's former home at Wentworth Court in

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it has ...

; however, the installation of the plaque was turned down by the residents' association of the building due to the proposed title 'Striptease Artiste' being used on the plaque.

Filmography

* ''

Love Up the Pole ''Love Up the Pole'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Clifford Gulliver and starring Ernie Lotinga, Vivienne Chatterton and Wallace Lupino. It was made at the Cricklewood Studios in London, and distributed by Butcher's Film Service whic ...

'' (1936) * ''

Dual Alibi ''Dual Alibi'' is a 1947 British drama film directed by Alfred Travers and starring Herbert Lom, Phyllis Dixey and Terence De Marney. It is a film noir.Spicer p.442 It was made by British National Films at Elstree Studios. Synopsis A top Frenc ...

'' (1947)

References

*Roger Wilmut ''Kindly Leave the Stage: Story of Variety, 1919-60'', 1985, Methuen, *Philip Purser and Jenny Wilkes: "The One And Only Phyllis Dixey", 1978, Futura Publications, London; *"Phyllis Dixey Her Show-Her Home", 29 January 1944. Illustrated Magazine. *Roye: "Phyllis Dixey Album The Spotlight on Beauty Series No.3". The Camera Studies Club, Elstree. *Roye: "Phyllis in Censorland", 1942, Elstree Publications Ltd. and The Camera Studies Club, a larger edition 1950s. *British Pathe film. ''Meet Phyllis Dixey''; released 30-10-1944 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixey, Phyllis 1914 births 1964 deaths Actor-managers British erotic dancers People from the London Borough of Merton 20th-century English singers 20th-century English women singers Deaths from cancer in England