![]() It also won her a strange array of admirers, from Elvis Presley to a fanatical fascist. Joan's strongwoman act took her all over the world, including a performance for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle, and she appeared on bills with Bob Hope, Fred Astaire and Marlene Dietrich. ![]() She was best known for tearing 1,000-page telephone directories in half or even quarters 'if the applause warranted it'. She could bend a steel bar or a 9in nail and lift any one of the men in her audience without so much as chipping her brightly varnished fingernails. Indeed, she was one of the biggest variety stars of the 1950s and 1960s.īilled as 'The Mighty Mannequin', her act was built around her strength. ![]() For glamorous 5ft 7in Joan was also a strongwoman. Petite, beautiful and spectacularly costumed, Joan Rhodes commanded attention without even lifting a finger.īut it was when she began performing that audiences couldn't look away.
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