EDIT: Betty and Benny Fox called themselves Sky Dancers and performed in Tampa in 1940. This promotional photo was taken on a platform at the Hotel Thomas Jefferson on Franklin Street. Later, they performed their “Dance of Death” atop a 125-foot pole on the roof of the WT Grant building (totaling 165 feet off the ground) further down Franklin St. They gave several performances in March of 1940 while thousands of breathless observers watched as they danced on their 18-inch disk over the city.

The pair was on a promotional tour for the 1940 World’s Fair, starting in June in New York. According to records online, the act was promoted as a brother-and-sister team, though unrelated, and Betty and Benny were not their real names. In addition, there was more than one Betty. The Betty Fox in this photograph, whose real name was Alice Morris, went on to join the Women’s Army Core (WAC) in 1945. Benny performed with other Bettys into the 1970s.

 Thanks to Laura Sedlmayr for identifying the Sky Dancers in the photo through Facebook.

This image was taken from high atop the Hotel Thomas Jefferson, with a couple perched over Franklin St. It is part of the Tony Pizzo Collection at the University of South Florida, and the photographer is unknown. It appears to be a publicity photo, and the gentleman’s shoes look like tight-wire shoes up close, but no records were found to indicate who they were or what the photos were for. As with many in the Pizzo collection, it is a compelling shot.

Mass Brothers Department Store, The New York Bakery. The Bay View Hotel, and five blocks of Franklin street are also evident in the image.