The Stripper and the Congressman: Fanne Foxe’s Story – Podcast 82

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. There’s this powerful American politician who’s at the top of his game. Then you’ve got a notorious sex worker with a love of performing. They have a scandalous affair that rocks Washington. And a media storm sweeps the nation. It’s on the nightly news, and all over the newspapers. People just can’t get enough of it. That’s right – I’m talking about Wilbur Mills and Fanne Foxe. Who did you think I was talking about? He grew up in the U.S. House of Representatives and had stood for president – and was considered for a seat on the Supreme Court. She came from a small town in Argentina, and was already the mother of three by the time she started dancing on the burlesque circuit in America. They met in 1973, and even though he was married and almost thirty years older than her, they seemingly fell in love. Then on a fateful night in October 1974, they were involved in a strange incident and their secret relationship risked being exposed to the scandal-hungry public. Details slowly emerged and it soon became a sensation as the public started asking questions: Like how did a woman from a small town in south America become involved with one of the most powerful men in the U.S.? How could such an influential politician come to be exposed in such a public way? How did adult film actors, Harry Reems and Jamie Gillis, get involved in trying to persuade Fanne Foxe to make an adult film at the height of her fame? And what happened to Fanne, the Argentine Firecracker behind one of the most public political scandals of the 20th century? Isn’t it strange how in the world of politics, often everything that was old is somehow new again? This podcast episode is 55 minutes long. The musical playlist for this episode can be found on Spotify. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Fanne Foxe – A Chronological Media History August 1965: Early mention of Fanne Foxe in Baltimore   October 11, 1974: First mention of the Tidal Basin incident   October 11, 1974: First mention of the Tidal Basin incident   October 11, 1974: First mention of the Tidal Basin incident   October 11, 1974: The media investigate Fanne   October 12, 1974: The media investigate Fanne   November 8th 1974: A month after the Tidal Basin incident, Fanne appears on a chat show – with Richard Pryor   November 19 1974: In the wake of the Tidal Basin scandal, Fanne returns to the stage