Female Criminals

In 1950s Texas, a teenage runaway sets clubs ablaze with her improvisational dance style. Then she starts making headlines. In today’s episode: the traumatic — and whirlwind — origins of her career, how a club owner manufactured her image as a gun-toting stripper, and the sting operation that some claim was a conspiracy to take her down. Who really was the woman behind the stage name? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices