LADY OF BURLESQUE (1943) Barbara Stanwyck | Romance, Mystery | B&W Nostalgic Flick

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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, adaptation of the 1941 novel The G-String Murders written by strip tease queen Gypsy Rose Lee.

Synopsis

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 & Crew

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

Directed by: William A. Wellman
Written by: James Gunn
Based on: The G-String Murders (1941 novel) by Gypsy Rose Lee
Produced by: Hunt Stromberg
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Michael O'Shea, Iris Adrian
Cinematography: Robert De Grasse
Edited by: James E. Newcom
Music by: Arthur Lange
Distributed by: United Artists
Release Date: May 1, 1943
Running Time: 91 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Box Office: $1,850,000 gross