A Cincinnati Showgirl Leaped To Stardom On A Pogo Stick And Then Life Got Strange

As a child, did you hop around on a pogo stick? Would you believe that Cincinnati was introduced to pogo sticks in 1922 by a New York showgirl? It’s true.The showgirl in question was a Cincinnatian named Marjorie Whittington, who lived with her family at 942 Morris Street just off the northern edge of Eden Park. Marjorie’s father, John Whittington, was a carpenter and Marjorie worked downtown as a cashier. She traveled to New York City to compete in one of the “physical culture” contests popular at that time, with prizes awarded to the “perfect” man or woman. Marjorie earned first prize and the attentions of Broadway impresario Florenz “Flo” Ziegfeld Jr., who billed himself as the “glorifier of the American girl.” His Ziegfeld Follies, modeled on the Parisian Folies Bergère, offered risqué titillation slathered in extravagant costumes from 1907 to 1931.Ziegfeld not only cast Marjorie in the latest Follies production, but he scored a public relations coup by insuring her “perfect” legs…