Question of the Day - 15 March 2023

Yes, as it happens, we do know a little something about Fluff LeCoque; she was a "long-time close acquaintance of and inspiration for" Jessica Roe, whom many of you remember as the veteran QoDmother. When Fluff passed away in December 2015 (not 2010; that was the year she retired, at age 87), Jessica "felt compelled to offer a personal tribute to someone she honored deeply."

Here it is, slightly edited.

For those unfamiliar with the name, Fluff LeCoque hailed from the showbiz hotspot that is Butte, Montana, where she was born in 1923. She aspired to be a movie star, but was deemed too short and too athletic in her physique. So singing and, more important, dancing, became her ticket to Hollywood, where Fluff's stage debut took place in a popular nightclub. Her talents soon led her to Las Vegas, where she first performed in 1947 at the Last Frontier. Eventually, she crossed paths with legendary show producer Donn Arden and that was the start of a 40-year relationship, in which Fluff starred as principal dancer in many of his classic showgirl spectaculars both in Hollywood and Las Vegas. Following her retirement from dancing at age 43, Fluff settled into her role as company manager of Jubilee!, which she held from 1981 until 2012.

When Ffolliott (sic) "Fluff" LeCoque was once asked to describe herself, she responded, "I'm a bad loser. I'm determined to have my own way. I've always known who and what I am. I'm independent and difficult to handle. I like beautiful things. I love gardens. I love flowers. I like the outdoors. I used to be a pretty good athlete. I like people, but I don't like to be around a bunch of people. I like small gatherings. I never thought I was beautiful, but I'm vain. How do you describe that?"

And that was pure Fluff!

In my previous capacity as a documentary producer, I had occasion to film Ms. LeCoque on multiple occasions and to hang out with her informally both backstage and at her Las Vegas home, where we sipped wine and supped on cheese and I bummed those long menthol "More" cigarettes she liked to smoke (and which probably took a decade off her 92-year life). During those times, I was privy to her dry sense of humor, her zero tolerance for BS, and some poignant memories of Vegas from someone who was there to see it all. She also kept it classy and professional when all around her modern nightclubs were being shut down for public displays of sex and intoxication, then got out just on the cusp of seeing everything she'd dedicated her life and career to become an anachronism.

Here are some random anecdotes and recollections about "Miss Thunderbird" (a moniker she gained thanks to her stint at the motel of the same name and her starring role in a string of advertisements).

When Fluff first worked in Las Vegas, what's now the Strip was still a dirt track, complete with tumbleweed. But you still dressed for dinner and showgirls were queens back then.

Thanks to those Thunderbird ads, Fluff was pretty sure she was the first woman ever to wear a bikini in Las Vegas; I believe that shoot scored her the cover of Life magazine.

She worked her way through five husbands and shared some sound advice about men, and life in general, that I only wish I'd taken more to heart. As the quote above indicates, Fluff wasn't so much selfish as just someone who definitely knew her mind and didn't ever settle for something that wasn't what she wanted.

As a respected and feared vestige of times gone by, Fluff was grandfathered into the corporate era and was able, at least initially, to flout the rules of political correctness. In the Jubilee! theater as she auditioned new dancers, intimidating walking cane in hand, Fluff had zero compunction when it came to calling out, "Too fat! Next!"

Back in the day, official Jubilee! policy was real boobs only -- no augmented mammaries permitted. No moonlighting, either. Hence, Fluff related the tale of the one and only time she visited a Las Vegas strip club. Having received a tip-off that one of her dancers was working another gig at Spearmint Rhino, she armed herself with an entourage and demanded to be taken to the club. On arrival, she spotted the girl in question and bagged herself a ringside seat right by the stage. Eventually, the unfortunate dancer glanced down from the pole and found herself eyeball to eyeball with her boss, who declared, "You're fired!" before getting up and sweeping regally out the door, minders in tow.

When I once asked Fluff what the highlight of her illustrious career had been, it wasn't any of the starring roles or glamorous nights that sprang to mind. Without skipping a beat, she exclaimed, "Being shot in the head by Joe Pesci!" To explain, when the casting directors for Casino came to call, they rejected every showgirl, but Martin Scorsese spotted Fluff and hired her to play the role of Anna Scott, the silent partner in the movie's fictional Stardust casino who needed to be silenced for good. Here's the link to that scene.)

Thank you, Jessica. We miss you!

Those are just a few colorful memories of this Las Vegas legend. If you'd like to read more, Jessica asked Fluff about the changing role and status of the Vegas showgirl, then wrote a QoD about it in June 2005, adding a few photos of Jubilee! Here's the link.