Bee Palmer, a.k.a. The Shimmy Queen, (September 11, 1894-December 22, 1967). One of a kind. A woman who took the stage, the audience, the Jazz era, and the society by storm. She used thick layers of “rouge”; rouge for her lips, that is. Nothing is wrong with that, except that those thick layers of rouge were intentionally mixed with Swedish wax! Asking her about the purpose of such a mix, Palmer replied: “The kiss wouldn’t last more than 2 seconds!” She was referring to men with “bushy mustaches! She hated mustaches and “hairy faces”! Bee Palmer was an accomplished pianist, sophisticated, the most elegant woman of her generation, composer, songstress, daring and risqué dancer, a Ziegfeld’s Follies star, with mesmerizing personality and captivating beauty. And men adored her! Palmer wrote several hits, including “Please Don't Talk about Me When I'm Gone.” In 1918, Palmer appeared in Ziegfeld's “Midnight Frolic”, she sang her own songs and accompanied herself on the piano. But singing was not enough for Bee Palmer. In 1921, she created “The Shimmy”; the most popular dance of the era. Historians and critics described it as vulgar, low class, and “wiggling from the shoulders.” One of the great admirers of “The Shimmy” was Mae West. On March 3, 1921, Beatrice Palmer married her pianist, the 23 year old Al Siegel. And the charade began. Shortly after his marriage to Bee, on November 10, 1921, Al Siegel filed a $250,000 suit against heavyweight champion of the world Jack Dempsey in the Supreme Court of New York, accusing him of having an affair with Bee Palmer. In court, Dempsey testified that he has never met Bee Palmer, and he denied all charges. Continues NEXT