Taxi dancing was a practice that began in San Francisco during World War I. Just as a passenger could hire the services of a taxicab, dance patrons could hire a dance partner. Antivice reformers had closed many saloons and dance halls where many dance partners had previously met in a less artificial setting. Police monitored the dancers, arid prominent signs warned, "No Improper Dancing Permitted." Still, patrons of taxi dancing invariably clung too tightly to the dancer they had hired or fought over favorite partners. A ten-cent ticket bought ninety seconds of dancing, and the dancers kept half their nightly earnings. To attract business, they dressed to the nines in fur coats, silk dresses, and thick makeup, and tapped their toes and cracked their bubblegum to songs such as "Baby Face" or "I Like Your Size, I Like Your Face, Who Wouldn't?"

Source: Frank...