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:

Mirth! Murder! Melody! Mystery! and Girls! Girls! Girls!

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to a10/15/41 article in "The Hollywood Reporter", producer David O. Selznick had taken out an option on Gypsy Rose Lee's novel for $1,000 against a $25,000 purchase price and that he was to test Lee for the starring role in the film. Other "Hollywood Reporter' news items indicated that David O. Selznick was planning to loan producer John Houseman to United Artists for production, that the book option was later picked up by UA for $25,000 asking price ($400,000 in 2018), and that Joseph Cotten was considered for a lead role in the film.

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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

Officer Pat Kelly: You burlesque people are on such a merry-go-round, you'll have me catchin' brass rings.

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Connections

References Cocoanut Grove (1938)

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Soundtracks

Two Guitars
(uncredited)
Russian folk tune

User Reviews

An Almost Forgotten Gem

The most surprising thing about LADY OF BURLESQUE was that it got made at all. Burlesque was all but dead by 1942, shut out of most towns and cities by relentless moral crusaders, and Hollywood itself was mired in the infamous "production code," which put a heavy lid on what could and could not be shown on screen. But burlesque had spawned a number of stars who remained favorites with public, and in 1941 the legendary Gypsy Rose Lee penned a book called THE G-STRING MURDERS. It proved extremely popular, and a year later United Artists took a chance on the film project.

True enough, the movie couldn't show the strippers in action or play out the bawdy comic sketches so popular in burlesque, but writer James Gunn turned in a superior script, and director William Wellman and his cast gave the whole thing tremendous dash and style. The result was a movie that captured the seedy, underworld-edged world of burlesque without actually causing censors to yank it from distribution.

In theory, LADY OF BURLESQUE is a murder mystery, but mystery takes a back seat to the brawling backstage antics of crossed love affairs and star rivalry. Barbara Stanwyck endows star stripper "Dixie Daisy" with her own memorable brand of tough class--and although she can only be shown from the waist up when she bumps and grinds, she still manages to tear strips off her musical number "Play It On The G-String." The rest of the cast is equally memorable, many of them burlesque stars in their own right. Pinky Lee (Mandy) is memorably teamed with Marion Martin (Alice Angel) to delightful effect; Iris Adrian (Gee-Gee)is the gum smacking brash blonde to end all gum smacking brash blondes; and such memorable character actors as Michael O'Shea (Biff), Gloria Dickson (Dolly), and J. Edward Bromberg (Foss) round out the cast superbly.

Sad to say, LADY OF BURLESQUE has fallen into public domain, and it has not been well preserved. I have seen several releases of the film, and all of them are plagued with breaks in the film and the soundtrack. LADY OF BURLESQUE may never be regarded as a "great" film, but it is an extremely entertaining one, particularly for those who already know something about the now-lost world of burlesque. As one character says, "Makes me want to leave the wife!" Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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