Tempest in a D-Cup
Memo from Vegas. By Dian Hanson
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Tempest was just 20 when she met the comedy duo and a few days into her new name and career as a striptease artist. As Annie Blanche Banks she'd clawed her way out of Alabama, already twice married and divorced when she arrived in Los Angeles with dreams of stardom. She did become one of the biggest stars in her profession, though it wasn't the one she originally imagined, launched by that quip of Martin and Lewis's, which was printed in the papers along with her photo.
There in her red and white Vegas living room Tempest quickly proved she'd lost none of her sharp wit as she recounted her life. She can even joke about her painful childhood now, as all of it, the good and the bad, made her the legend she is today. And what is the legend doing today? "What I've always done: stripping!" she laughs. While admitting that she knows of no other 77 year old strippers working in the US, and that her 57-year career is probably some kind of world record, Tempest sees that as the best reason to continue. She worked to huge crowds in Nashville on Valentine's Day, and still packs the house in San Francisco a few times a year, all without benefit of breast implants, tummy tuck, liposuction or any of the myriad rejuvenation techniques deemed indispensable by most in her field today.
"Tell the truth", I asked as the tape ran out. "Could you have this amazing longevity with fans if your breasts were small? Doesn't this say something profound about America's breast obsession?" Hey, I just wanted a good closing line for the book.
"No, it's not all about my breasts", she replied, tilting her chin a bit higher. "It's about me, my drive, my personality and my body, the sum total of who I am." Everyone else I interviewed for the book admitted her breasts had been a ticket to stardom, but when Miss Tempest Storm says it's the total package, I'm inclined to agree. The lady is still a star, from the tips of her scarlet toes to the top of her flaming coif, and I'm laying bets that when I visit her at 87 she'll still be shaking her moneymakers.
And speaking of bets, it was time for Valerie and I to spend some quality time at the blackjack table. For the full story on Tempest and two hundred other well-endowed legends, look for The Big Book of Breasts, coming next spring.
Page [1] [2] [3]
Page [1] [2] [3]
Tempest was just 20 when she met the comedy duo and a few days into her new name and career as a striptease artist. As Annie Blanche Banks she'd clawed her way out of Alabama, already twice married and divorced when she arrived in Los Angeles with dreams of stardom. She did become one of the biggest stars in her profession, though it wasn't the one she originally imagined, launched by that quip of Martin and Lewis's, which was printed in the papers along with her photo.
There in her red and white Vegas living room Tempest quickly proved she'd lost none of her sharp wit as she recounted her life. She can even joke about her painful childhood now, as all of it, the good and the bad, made her the legend she is today. And what is the legend doing today? "What I've always done: stripping!" she laughs. While admitting that she knows of no other 77 year old strippers working in the US, and that her 57-year career is probably some kind of world record, Tempest sees that as the best reason to continue. She worked to huge crowds in Nashville on Valentine's Day, and still packs the house in San Francisco a few times a year, all without benefit of breast implants, tummy tuck, liposuction or any of the myriad rejuvenation techniques deemed indispensable by most in her field today.
"Tell the truth", I asked as the tape ran out. "Could you have this amazing longevity with fans if your breasts were small? Doesn't this say something profound about America's breast obsession?" Hey, I just wanted a good closing line for the book.
"No, it's not all about my breasts", she replied, tilting her chin a bit higher. "It's about me, my drive, my personality and my body, the sum total of who I am." Everyone else I interviewed for the book admitted her breasts had been a ticket to stardom, but when Miss Tempest Storm says it's the total package, I'm inclined to agree. The lady is still a star, from the tips of her scarlet toes to the top of her flaming coif, and I'm laying bets that when I visit her at 87 she'll still be shaking her moneymakers.
And speaking of bets, it was time for Valerie and I to spend some quality time at the blackjack table. For the full story on Tempest and two hundred other well-endowed legends, look for The Big Book of Breasts, coming next spring.
Page [1] [2] [3]
Tempest Storm in 1995. Photo: Warren Tang