Impresario Maxie Jones knew a good gimmick when he saw it. The Dance of Kali was sure-fire: a beautiful, exotic girl doing a spectacular dance — sexy but dignified, you understand — and to cap it, a legend that death struck when the dance was done. Maxie even hired a man to “die” dramatically when he premiered the act — terrific publicity, he figured. He got the publicity all right — but he did...