Annie Blanche Banks, an American actress and burlesque star, is more commonly referred to as “Tempest Storm.” In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, she reached the height of her career. She was regarded as one of the top burlesque celebrities in the United States. She was raised in a modest upbringing in Georgia and dropped out of school in the seventh grade. Before she was even born, her parents had divorced. In her adolescent years, she also briefly wed two men, primarily as a means of separating from her parents. When she was seventeen years old, she moved to Los Angeles and began working as a server. A client mentioned that she might earn a lot more money as a striptease performer because of her amazing figure. Tempest began her career in the clubs of Los Angeles after taking the advice to heart. As she began to perform in clubs throughout California and Oregon, she gained popularity. In the late 1980s, she was inducted into the “Burlesque Hall of Fame.” Although she reached 70 in 1995, she performed on occasion even after formally retiring in 1995. She appeared on television in the 2016 documentary “Tempest Storm,” which was made about her life.
Childhood & Formative Years
Annie Blanche Banks, the mother of Tempest Storm, was born on February 29, 1928, in Eastman, Georgia, into a middle-class family. Even before she was born, her mother and her biological father had broken up. She was mistreated and cruelly treated by her stepfather.
Tempest got bitten by the bug of Hollywood at a young age. She saw the entertainment industry as a wonderful way to get away from all the suffering she had endured in the past. She made the decision when she was a young adolescent that she would one day flee to Hollywood and pursue a career in film.
Her academic record wasn’t great. She never went back to school after dropping out of the seventh grade. She had experienced several instances of sexual abuse by the time she was fourteen. The terrible events harmed her mental state.
She soon relocated to Columbus, where she began working for “Archer Hosiery Co.” as an inspector. That was when she was only fifteen years old. Because of her low pay, she found it more and more difficult to maintain herself. It seems that her lofty aspirations in Hollywood would not come true.
Earlier Unions of Tempest Storm
Her parents were pleading with her to come back, but she knew that if she did, she would never be able to escape them. She got married to a marine to permanently cut her parents out of her life. A day later, at the age of fifteen, she obtained the annulment of her marriage. However according to Georgia law at the time, a person’s parents would no longer have any influence over them after they were married.
She spent some time working at a hosiery mill. She also began seeing one of her female coworkers’ brothers. He sold shoes for a living. Soon after, they were married. Even at fifteen, Tempest found her second marriage to be frightening. The six-month marriage was spent together.
Tempest had begun to lose all hope by that point. As she persisted in making poor decisions in life, her aspirations of becoming a Hollywood star also appeared to be evaporating.
Initial Career of Tempest Storm
Tempest Storm bravely moved to Hollywood after managing to save $600 in some way. She struggled to protect herself from the antisocial forces on the streets of Los Angeles because she was still a young girl.
In the beginning, she worked at a variety of odd jobs and often lied about her age to get hired. She started working as a cocktail waiter when she was 17. She soon received a comment from a customer that she ought to be somewhere better. He advised her to pursue a career as a stripper. Tempest assumed he was kidding, but her thoughts about his words persisted.
Tempest and Lillian Hunt were introduced by the same customer. At “Follies Theater,” Lillian served as the talent manager. Tempest decided against being a stripper, thus she skipped the initial interview. Nevertheless, she received a $40 weekly job as a chorus dancer. The salary was rather high.
She was offered a $20 weekly raise to work as a stripper a few weeks later as she began to gain popularity. She began performing for cash. She quickly picked up on the conventions of the field and developed into a consummate professional.
Tempest Storm Career in Professionals
She had a significant year in 1956. The “Bryan-Engels Burlesque” chain made her a really attractive offer. Tempest was given a $100,000 annual salary offer to work for them. She consequently rose to the position of highest-paid stripper in the nation.
She kept up her career as a burlesque star over the ensuing few decades. The “El Rey,” an Oakland burlesque theater, was one of her favorite places to perform. Additionally, she received frequent invitations from US clubs, particularly those in Las Vegas.
She made several magazine appearances during the 1950s. In the same decade, she also began her cinematic career. She starred in movies including Teaserama, Paris after Midnight, and French Peep Show.
In addition, she went to Oregon in the early 1950s, when she was at the height of her fame and got married at “Star Theater.” She then relocated to “Capital Theater,” which served as “Star Theater’s primary rival.” Since her then-husband, John Becker, had acquired the latter, she began working for it.
The two theaters, however, began to compete as a result of this. Arabelle Andre, John’s ex-wife, was employed by “Star Theater” as their lead stripper. They gave her the stage name “John’s Other Wife” to exacerbate the rivalry. The media covered this burlesque war between the two titans of the industry extensively, and the popular American magazine “Life” ran several articles about it.
Tempest began referring to herself as the “$50,000 Hollywood Treasure Chest,” but she was forced to stop using the term after Evelyn West, the “Treasure Chest Girl,” sued her.
She gave frequent performances outside of the nation. She also gave performances in burlesque clubs in the UK and Canada. She also obtained a $500,000 breast insurance policy from a UK company.
Later Life & Retirement
At the age of 67, Tempest Storm formally retired from burlesque in 1995. But even after that, she continued to perform at important events. She was a performer at the ‘O’Farrell Theatre’s 30th anniversary celebration in 1999.
In the 2016 documentary “Tempest Storm,” which was based on her life, she portrayed herself. Her life has been the subject of numerous more films.
Her G-string is on exhibit at the museum, and she was also admitted into the “Burlesque Hall of Fame.”
Individual Life of Tempest Storm
Tempest Storm had a vibrant existence. She was allegedly romantically linked to Mickey Rooney, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, and Sammy Davis Jr. The notorious mobster Mickey Cohen and her reported relationship also made headlines in tabloids.
She had four marriages. She was an adolescent during the times of her first two marriages. She wed John Becker, a businessman after she rose to fame. But soon after, she filed for divorce from him.
Following that, she fell in love with singer Herb Jeffries, with whom she married in 1959. Despite being informed by her employers that they would sever their relationship with her in the event of her marriage to him, she chose to move through with the union. With Herb, she had a daughter. But in 1967, they got divorced.
Net worth of Tempest Storm
The estimated net worth of Tempest Storm is about $1 million.