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Lady of Burlesque

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Lady of Burlesque
DVD cover
Directed byWilliam A. Wellman
Written byJames Gunn
Based onThe G-String Murders
1941 novel
by Gypsy Rose Lee
Produced byHunt Stromberg
StarringBarbara Stanwyck
Michael O'Shea
Iris Adrian
CinematographyRobert De Grasse
Edited byJames E. Newcom
Music byArthur Lange
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • May 1, 1943 (1943-05-01)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,850,000 gross

Lady of Burlesque (also known as The G-String Murders and in the UK, Striptease Lady) is a 1943 American musical comedy-mystery film, produced by Hunt Stromberg and directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea. It is a faithful, if sanitized,[1] adaptation of the 1941 novel The G-String Murders written by strip tease queen Gypsy Rose Lee.

Plot

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A significant portion of the film is taken up with onstage performances, including comic bits and toned-down striptease acts. There is also a lot of backstage action not directly related to the evolving murder mystery but highlighting the characters and lifestyles of the performers and crew.

At a New York City burlesque theatre, performer Dixie Daisy (the stage name of Deborah Hoople) is becoming an audience favorite with her singing and striptease act. Backstage she has mixed interactions with other performers, some of whom are catty and jealous while others are quite friendly, especially Gee Gee Graham. Comic Biff Brannigan tries to get friendly with her, but Dixie turns him away, not having had good experiences with comics before.

During a police raid on the theatre for violating "public decency" laws, the backstage lights go out, and someone tries to strangle Dixie but stops when a stagehand comes by. A number of the performers and crew are thrown in jail but the theatre's owner and producer S.B. Foss bails them out and awards each a share in the company to keep them with him. A few nights later, another performer, Lolita LaVerne, is found strangled with a g-string after a violent argument with her boyfriend, gangster Louie Grindero. As a police investigation begins, the g-string believed to be the murder weapon goes missing and a number of possible suspects, both from the theatre and outside—including Dixie herself—come under suspicion. The coroner, though, reveals that Lolita's death was actually due to poison, and Biff reveals that he had hidden the g-string after someone had slipped it into his pocket, earning Dixie's appreciation. Biff, however, is arrested but released when new evidence is discovered.

When Biff and Daisy are on stage for a comedy skit, the body of another rival, Princess Nirvena, falls out of a prop; she has also been strangled with a g-string. The murders and related events begin to tie up, and Inspector Harrigan, the lead investigator, recommends shutting down the theatre for safety. Dixie, though, rallies the employees with a never-give-in speech, reminding them that they all now have ownership stakes in the company.

Dixie remains behind as everyone else leaves for the night. The aged stagehand Stacchi appears, confesses to the murders and tries to strangle Dixie. The police and Biff burst in and rescue her. It transpires that Dixie and her friend Gee Gee had decided to set a trap for the killer. Biff fills in additional information, having discovered that Stacchi was actually Lolita's grandfather, driven to an insane hatred of burlesque performers. With all problems resolved, Biff proposes to Dixie and she accepts.

Cast

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Production

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The film was produced by Hunt Stromberg, costumes by Edith Head, and filmed on a 21-day shooting schedule on (rented) sound stages at RKO's Encino movie ranch.

The film depicted as much as censors would allow with respect to the nature of "bumps and grinds", as well as the slapdash nature of burlesque shows. When reviewing the film script, which still carried Gypsy Rose Lee's original title, Joseph Breen, head of the Production Code Administration, the movie industry's self-censorship board, commented, "We are concerned about the prominent use of the object known as the 'G-String' as the murder weapon. It is our impression that the use of this extremely intimate female garment will be considered offensive . . . "[1]

Soundtrack

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Songs include "Take It Off the E String, Play It on the G String," by Sammy Cahn (listed as "Sammy Kahn") and Harry Akst, sung by Stanwyck.

Other songs include [2]

Reception

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The film made $2 million[3] and earned a hefty profit of $650,000.[4][5][6]

Arthur Lange was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music Score of a Drama or Comedy Picture.[7]

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References

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  1. ^ a b Doherty, Thomas (2009). Hollywood's Censor: Joseph I. Breen and the Production Code Administration. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 112–113. ISBN 9780231512848.
  2. ^ "Lady of Burlesque (1943) – Soundtrack". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "Variety (January 1947)". New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. Apr 22, 1947. Retrieved Apr 22, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Scott Eyman, Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer, Robson, 2005 p. 339
  5. ^ Balio, Tino (2000). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-299-23004-3.
  6. ^ "Variety (January 1944)". New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. Apr 22, 1944. Retrieved Apr 22, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ 1944 Academy Award nominations and winners for films released in 1943 at Oscar.org
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