Lady of Burlesque (1943)

After one member of their group is murdered, the performers at a burlesque house must work together to find out who the killer is before they strike again.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Gypsy Rose Lee (novel), James Gunn (screenplay)

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, Michael O'Shea, J. Edward Bromberg

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Deborah Hoople - aka Dixie Daisy
Michael O'Shea	...	Biff Brannigan
J. Edward Bromberg	...	S.B. Foss
Iris Adrian	...	Gee Gee Graham
Gloria Dickson	...	Dolly Baxter
Victoria Faust	...	Lolita La Verne
Stephanie Bachelor	...	The Princess Nirvena
Charles Dingle	...	Inspector Harrigan
Marion Martin	...	Alice Angel
Pete Gordon	...	Officer Pat Kelly (as Eddie Gordon)
Frank Fenton	...	Russell Rogers
Pinky Lee	...	Mandy
Frank Conroy	...	'Stacchi' Stacciaro
Lew Kelly	...	The Hermit
Claire Carleton	...	Sandra

Storyline

Sassy Dixie Daisy is the hot new attraction at a former opera house that's been turned into a burlesque theater. She's popular with the customers, although not with Lolita La Verne, a stuck-up diva who was hoping she'd get the top spot. Also complicating matters is the return of the Princess Nirvena, the show's former star who once had a fling with the boss. When the Princess blackmails her way into the top spot, Dixie is none too pleased. When both Lolita and the Princess are murdered, Dixie becomes a prime suspect. She then sets up a trap to nail the real killer.

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Plot Keywords:

g string | romantic rivalry | manipulative female | female jealousy | possessive female | 

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Taglines:

She's no LADY... but, brother, it's BURLESQUE! (1952 rerelease)

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

G-String Murders

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunt Stromberg Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although it's pretty obvious the broken down bathroom fixture discussed by the members of the troupe is none other than a toilet, the Production Code wouldn't allow the offending word to be uttered or shown, and when the replacement arrives, it's a bathroom sink.

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Goofs

Dixie comes off stage in one costume and goes to the dressing room where the body is found. When the performers are questioned by the police, Dixie is in an entirely different costume.

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Quotes

S.B. Foss: Grand opera brought crowds like this into this lobby? Girls! That's what the public wants.

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Connections

Featured in Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire (1991)

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Soundtracks

Mama Inez
(uncredited)
Music by Eliseo Grenet

User Reviews

Stanwyck Takes it Off The E-String and Plays it on The G-String

Director William A. Wellman gives us Lady of Burlesque a boisterous whodunit played out in an old burlesque theatre. Based on Gypsy Rose Lee's novel The G-String Murders theres plenty of humor surrounding the murders with wisecracks left and right. Theres some bumps and grinds but no stripping due to the movie code at that time. Of course we have the wonderful Barbara Stanwyck here who dazzles us with some neat song and dance routines. Also a lovely bunch of beauties in scanty costumes including gum snapping Gee Gee (Iris Adrian), troubled Dolly (Gloria Dickson), gorgeous Alice (Marion Martin), Lolita (Victoria Faust) and Princess Nirvena (Stephanie Bachelor) both delightfully bitchy. Theres also Michael O' Shea and Pinky Lee involved in the mystery and humor at the old former opera house. So "Take It Off The E-String, Play It On The G-String" (song) and have a good time. Oscar nominee for Best Score.