Lady of Burlesque (1943)

Simply Perfect

Sick Product of a Sick System

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

"Lady of Burlesque" started out with two problems. In 1942, the Production Code wouldn't allow even a hint of what burlesque was all about -- the seductive removal of feminine attire down to the buff. Then there was the murder mystery which wasn't much. But thanks to Barbara Stanwyck's sprightly performance, William Wellman's fast-paced direction and a knowing nod to the spirit (if not the "take it off, take it all off" reality of burlesque,) it's a thoroughly entertaining movie. Stanwyck sings, dances, wisecracks in lowbrow comedy routines and suggests the depth of a performer who strives for -- and just might achieve -- classier stardom. She's ably supported by Michael O'Shea as the comic who lusts after her, Pinky Lee (with whom she shares some wonderfully acrobatic slapstick) and a chorus line of potential murder victims. Who bumps off two of them -- and why -- hardly seems to matter. Watching Stanwyck strut her stuff, coupled with the film's authentic backstage atmosphere, makes this "Lady" well worth watching.

"Lady of Burlesque" has one thing going for it – the mystery. And that's only fair and late into the film. It has one guessing and wondering who the killer is and if somebody else will be next. It's based on a book by the famous queen of burlesque, Gypsy Rose Lee – "The G-String Murders." Otherwise, this is just a so-so film for comedy and romance. This movie came out on May 1, 1943, and it's apparent that the war had its toll on Hollywood by the dearth of any big name male actors in half a dozen roles. So, it's left mostly to Barbara Stanwyck and the rest of the girls to carry the film. Of course, the plot is a lot about the women, and "Babs" gets some nice support from a couple more of the ladies. But, even she doesn't seem to have much enthusiasm in her role though. The screenplay and direction aren't that good either. We see a lot of film shot of the women going up and down the stairs to and from their dressing room. Michael O'Shea as Biff Brannigan just doesn't seem like much more than a grown up kid. I could see Jimmy Stewart doing that role very well. Charles Dingle was somewhat better as the police inspector Harrigan, but someone like Dana Andrews would have been perfect for the role. Or Eddie Albert would have been a good inspector. Or Lew Ayres or Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Jack Carson would have brought some more life to the Biff character, or Dan Dailey or Jackie Cooper would have been good in the role. For that matter, Glenn Ford could have done either role very well. But all these men were off at war or on war duty. One thing that grated me some was the constant bickering and fighting among the women. As for burlesque, this film doesn't have strip-tease or anything more risqué than innuendo. For its day, it may have seemed much more risqué. I must have watched a different film than the one in which a few reviews found Stanwyck to be a good singer. I agree with those who think this movie was way below Stanwyck's usual fare. I imagine she might have considered this movie best forgotten among her oeuvre.

This barely entertaining "whodunnit" Chick Flick, set in the supposedly bawdy world of the New York burlesque scene, certainly could've been (and should've been) a helluva lot more exciting and risqué than it was.Regardless of the rigid censorship that hung over its head back in 1943, this film wimped out, big time.Based on Gypsy Rose Lee's titillating novel, The G-String Murders, Lady Of Burlesque's story concerns the decidedly preposterous backstage murders of 2 strippers who are strangled by the killer with (get this!) their very own g-strings. (Spare me!) Believe me, this film's premise definitely sounds so much more enticing than it really is.Since it takes a whole 45 minutes before the first murder actually occurs, the viewer is, instead, expected to be satisfied by a literal barrage of backstage bickering from a bunch of 2-bit strippers (with a token cat-fight thrown in for good measure) - And even some mediocre "bumps & grinds" done in a slapdash fashion on stage didn't cut the mustard enough to hold my undivided attention for very long.In Lady Of Burlesque, actress Barbara Stanwyck plays Dixie Daisy, a stereotypical stripper (or, is it a hooker with transferable skills) who, though jaded-to-the-core, naturally, has a heart of the purest gold. (ho-hum!) Personally, I don't give a hoot what sort of rave reviews that Barbara Stanwyck has garnered for herself from her die-hard devotees and fans, she certainly isn't my cup of tea as the consummate actress who can, pretty much, play any part thrown at her, even with her eyes closed.Filmed in b&w, thank goodness that this boring backstage bullshit only had a running time of 90 minutes.This picture was directed by William Wellman whose other films include Public Enemy (1931), A Star Is Born (1937), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and Blood Alley (1955).

Barbara Stanwyck managed to elevate nearly every film and television show she ever did. The earliest film I saw her in was "The Miracle Woman" from 1931. I just saw "Baby Face" and I own copies of "The Thorn Birds", "Stella Dallas" and this film. "Lady of Burlesque" is a wonderful, atmospheric depiction of an bygone era, complete with Stanwyck doing some amazing dance moves. Some people have criticized the music score as being second-rate, but that is what it SUPPOSED to be. Burlesque wasn't Ziegfeld. Men went to see the girls in various stages of undress, not hear Cole Porter or Irving Berlin. The music and the corny jokes were incidental to the "action" on stage, and it was not for nothing that Arthur Lange's musical score was nominated for an Acadamy Award. The mystery story is well-told and the atmosphere is added to by an excellent supporting cast, with Iris Adrian being a standout. After seeing this wonderfully entertaining film you will feel like you have been whisked back in time to an era long-gone.