..LADY OF BURLESQUE
LADY OF BURLESK aka STRIPTEASE LADY, a 1943 release by United Artists, directed by WILLIAM WELLMAN, starring that platinum blond with the soft boiled heart BARBRA STANWYCK.
A 101 definition of Burlesque would be, that it's inherently VAUDEVILLE WITH IT'S CLOTHES OFF. Even though its roots were begat in 16th century Italy, as a theater of dissent and satire, called the Commedia Dell'Arte, it is generally regarded as an American phenomenon. It's peak of popularity was from 1910, through the depression of the 30s into the early 60s, when it expired as an art form, under the angry wave of sex-ploitation, porno chic, and feminism. Only incidentally enjoying a new release and revival both here in Sydney and the U.S. in the past decade, gestating out of the punk and neo 50s rockabilly roots scene.
American Burlesque was an low theater hybrid in which the art of the Striptease was the axis on which it shimmied and swung. The stripteuse' act was built on the premise of tease, the hint of flesh, the daring deshabille of filmy garments, but never fulfilling the promise of complete nudity. The sizzle not the steak was it's mantra.
The female ecdysiast for the first time in the history of show business became the draw-card. The male performer, erstwhile known as the tit serenader, the banana ( comedian,) or candy butcher were brought in to service the strip as humorous bookends forever trying to corral the carnal power of the independent female, inevitably to bawdy results.
In relation to the legitimate American Theater of the time such as Broadway, the National Ballet and Opera, Burlesque was the tart sister that they sneeringly referred to as all " bow legs and low comedy". In actual fact, the plot axis of the movie LADY OF BURLESQUE is driven by that very class conceit and social prejudice. And it is this very polemic that moves the plot along to it's final violent retribution.
BARBRA STANWYCK, the LADY OF BURLESQUE in question came to the movie set with her own Burlesque and Hollywood legendary status intact. No Demi Moore was she. Before she hit Hollywood, STANWYCK worked as a chorine, hoofing it for a decade before the obligatory studio agent saw her backstage at the Orpheum in Los Angeles, upon where she was subsequently offered the standard seven year peonage with one of the Big Five. A marriage to Vaudeville soft shoer, radio sqwaubler and movie star FRANK FAY, cemented her Hollywood royalty, and showbiz diva status status.
STANWYCK had already done a burleycue movie role the year before in 1941, when she starred opposite another cool blond, GARY COOPER in BALL OF FIRE. The flick was a huge hit, catapulting STANWYCK into box office boffo acclaim. The movie LADY OF BURLESQUE in some way can be seen as a career sequel of sorts for STANWYCK.
This flick however is more vaudeville than raunchy burleycue. It must be viewed not as a three tone color love poem to burlesque, but a muted black 'n' white paean, with the hooche cooche bump and grind tempered to a couple of swivel hips and boop boop de woops. LOB is basically a chocolate box replica of the art form to fit into the parameters of zealous decency and high family values, so set by the American Catholic League and Hays office, the chief censors of the time. However STANWYCK, under the superb direction of WELLMAN, still seduces, and her terpsichoreal scenes breathe with an whistle-baiting earthy vivacity, not to mention an nostalgic bawdity, placing the cinema audience in the orchestra pit.
The hubba hubba opener of PLAY IT ON THE E-STRING DROP IT ON THE G-STRING, is a grand panoramic overture, in which your ears and eyes will steam at the sinuendo. If not a convert to the magic of burlesque, you will be at the end of this particular piece, kneeling to the insteps of STANWYCK, as a blubbering Fred Mc Murray ala Double Indemnity.
The movie itself, like the subject, possesses a salome-ayic deception however. The stripping of behind the scene production notes, reveal more veils and more veils.
STANWYCK stars as DIXIE DAISY, a burleycue queen with the fast lipper and the slow zipper.
Her character is modeled on GYPSY ROSE LEE, the original Queen of American Burlesque fin the 30s to the 40s, who was the only ecdysiast of her time to cross-over to national appeal.
The characterization is deliberate, for it is the book G STRING MURDERS aka STRIPTEASE MURDERS written by GYPSY on which the movie is based.
There is conjecture however that GYPSY herself used a ghost writer. The author attributed to this dime-store classic is CRAIG RICE who incidentally also masked her own real name of GEORGIANA RICE for reasons unknown. However the story G STRING MURDERS is so specific in its detail of burlesque tradition, superstitions and vernacular one can only assume that GYPSY did the dictating while CRAIG RICE may simply have finger danced with the Remington.
It is most ironic that the public and Hollywood at the time could totally accept BARBRA STANWYCK as a burlesque Queen, but not the original. Though GYPSY, herself was signed to 20th CENTURY FOX in the late 30's, the studio in fear of the Hays office and the pentecostal cinema going public would desert or boycott the theaters if they'd known a jezebelle stripper was appearing at their local Palace or Bijou. DARRYL ZANUCK of 20th Century forced GYPSY to only used her real name ROSE LOUISE HOVICK in her two poorly received celluloid outings.
GYPSY got even with Hollywood when she went on to create the Broadway show Gypsy, based on her own showgirl memoirs of the same name. She held principal rights to the theatrical production, and was able to sell back to the Hollywood the story of her gazeeka box life, rights plus percentages. Her estate is still pulling in serious coin from various productions ever since.
Also as a side note, Gypsy herself also dallied with Hollywood royalty as Barbra Stanwyck before her. Enjoying an affair with noir director OTTO PREMINGER of LAURA, and THE MOON IS BLUE fame. Ironically, too it was OTTO PREMINGER who broke the power of the Hayes office that had so stalled GYPSY's career, fifteen years later with his own MOON IS BLUE, a subject about the loss of virginity. The unusual coupling of PREMINGER and ROSE LEE produced no movies, but an heir son to their fascinating showbiz blood lines, whom they called ERIK LEE . He has since penned his own memoirs of burleycue life with mother, entitled GYPSY and ME, which incidentally has been optioned by HBO this year, mooted to star SIGOURNEY WEAVER as the original and greatest LADY OF BURLESQUE in her later post stripper years. Due for release in 2009.
© JIMMY VARGAS 1947 / 2008
Contact Jimmy Vargas at jimmy@jimmyvargas.com or check out his website on the "links of note" sidebar.
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