Zorita was a 1940s burlesque dancer known for performing spectacular acts with her two pet boa cons
Zorita was a 1940s burlesque dancer known for performing spectacular acts with her two pet boa constrictors, Elmer and Oscar. She married at age 15 to escape an abusive stepfather, but that relationship fell apart. Desperate for income, she began working at a nudist colony at age 17. There, she met a snake charmer who gifted her the boas and she began performing in nightclubs with them. Her act was called ‘The Consummation of the Wedding of the Snake.‘ She described the storyline as such: “A gorgeous young maiden is going to be sold into slavery to an ugly old man. Instead, she dances with a snake, gets bitten, and dies.” After performances, she would visit restaurants and diners with her snakes; sitting them down next to her and feeding them crumbs of food. She was arrested several times for indecent exposure, and got in trouble with police for leading a 10-ft long bull snake through the streets with a leash. Zorita didn’t mind, calling it “good publicity.” Spectators in clubs were often afraid of her snakes. One frightened man even pulled a gun on Zorita during her act. Sometimes, she would bring the children of other performers on the floor, and then threaten to throw her snakes at spectators unless they paid the child. Zorita was a bisexual who was often accompanied on tours by her girlfriends. She claimed that although she stripped for men, she loved women more. She retired in 1974 to breed Persian cats, and died at the full age of 86. -- source link
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