Lady of Burlesque
Lady of Burlesque (also known as The G-String Murders and in the UK, Striptease Lady) is a 1943 American musical comedy-mystery film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea. It is a faithful, if sanitized, adaptation of the novel The G-String Murders written by strip tease queen Gypsy Rose Lee.
| Lady of Burlesque | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | William A. Wellman |
| Produced by | Hunt Stromberg |
| Written by | James Gunn |
| Based on | The G-String Murders 1941 novel by Gypsy Rose Lee |
| Starring | Barbara Stanwyck Michael O'Shea Iris Adrian |
| Music by | Arthur Lange |
| Cinematography | Robert De Grasse |
| Edited by | James E. Newcom |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,850,000 gross |
Plot
The backstage plot concerns the murder of two strippers of a New York City burlesque theatre and the unmasking of the killer.
Cast
- Barbara Stanwyck as Deborah Hoople, aka Dixie Daisy, corresponding to Gypsy Rose Lee's character in her own book
- Michael O'Shea as Biff Brannigan, the romantic interest
- J. Edward Bromberg as S.B. Foss
- Iris Adrian as Gee Gee Graham, a worldly showgirl
- Gloria Dickson as Dolly Baxter
- Victoria Faust as Lolita La Verne
- Stephanie Bachelor as The Princess Nirvena
- Charles Dingle as Inspector Harrigan
- George Chandler as Jake, the prop boy
- Marion Martin as Alice Angel
- Pete Gordon as Officer Pat Kelly (as Eddie Gordon)
- Frank Fenton as Russell Rogers
- Pinky Lee as Mandy, a supporting player
- Frank Conroy as 'Stacchi' Stacciaro
- Lew Kelly as The Hermit
- Claire Carleton as Sandra
- Gerald Mohr as Louie Grindero
Production
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.
Soundtrack
Songs include "Take It Off the E String, Play It on the G String", sung by Stanwyck.
Reception
The film made $2 million[1] and earned a hefty profit of $650,000.[2][3][4]
Arthur Lange was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music Score of a Drama or Comedy Picture.[5]
Gallery
Iris Adrian and Barbara Stanwyck
References
- "Variety (January 1947)". New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. Apr 22, 1947. Retrieved Apr 22, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
- Scott Eyman, Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer, Robson, 2005 p. 339
- Balio, Tino (2000). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-299-23004-3.
- "Variety (January 1944)". New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. Apr 22, 1944. Retrieved Apr 22, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
- 1944 Academy Award nominations and winners for films released in 1943 at Oscar.org
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Lady of Burlesque |
- Lady of Burlesque on IMDb
- Lady of Burlesque at AllMovie
- Lady of Burlesque at the TCM Movie Database
- Lady of Burlesque at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Lady of Burlesque at Box Office Mojo
- Lady of Burlesque is available for free download at the Internet Archive