Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Rowland, Betty (Betty Jane), 1916-2022 and McFadyen, Margie
- Abstract:
- Papers of Betty Rowland, former burlesque dancer and actress.
- Extent:
- 5 Linear Feet; (5 cartons)
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Betty Rowland papers, PA Mss 254. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains materials related to the personal life and professional career of burlesque dancer Betty Rowland, and is mostly comprised of personal photographs, newspaper clippings on her career, and personal and professional correspondence. Photographs span from Rowland's childhood up to her later years, and extend to documentations of her family and friends. Also included are materials related to various legal matters throughout her life, such as earnings, arrests, and civil cases.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Betty Jane Rowland (January 23, 1916 – April 3, 2022) was an American burlesque dancer and actress active mainly in the Los Angeles, California area. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Rowland began her performing career at the age of 11 alongside her two sisters, Roz Elle and Dian, and made her transition from vaudeville to burlesque when she was a young teenager. After working in New York City for several years, she moved to Los Angeles in 1938 and was nicknamed "Ball of Fire" for her "fiery" red hair and her even more "fiery" dance style.
Alongside her stage performances, Rowland also appeared in and advised for several films and documentaries, and assisted in the maintenance of several bars. In the late 1960s, she inherited a Santa Monica bar, Mr. B's, and held its ownership for almost 30 years. After the bar was bought from her in the mid-1990s by investors, she continued to work as a server and hostess into the late 2000s.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Margie McFadyen, July 2023.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
This collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns. All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@library.ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Betty Rowland papers, PA Mss 254. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Location of this collection:
-
UC Santa Barbara LibrarySanta Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
- Contact:
- (805) 893-3062