Rating: 
Summary: Lady of Burlesque
Review: This is a review more of the DVD itself than the movie (which is fast-paced and enjoyable). I had trouble getting the disc to play on two different machines. When I finally did get it going, there's not much there besides the movie itself. No production notes, no subtitles, and the 90 minute film is divided up in only four chapters. I know I shouldn't expect much for such a low-priced DVD, but hassle-free playing would have been nice.
Rating: 
Summary: BARBARA BUMPS AND GRINDS.....
Review: This must be the film where Barbara Stanwyck proved she could (and would) do almost anything. Based on Gypsy Rose Lee's book "The G-String Murders", strippers in an old Opera house turned burlesque theater are being strangled with their G-strings. And our heroine Dixie Daisy (Stanwyck), the headliner, smells a rat. Fending off advances from a third-rate comic, she sets out to find the killer. Much cattiness and attitude from the other strippers pepper this delightful black comedy as Dixie tries to keep the show going while putting together clues and trying to save her own neck. Lee relied on her own personal experiences as a burlesque queen to give this story the realistic touches it has. And when Stanwyck hits the stage in a VERY scanty outfit (that must have given the censors fits) she's right at home singing a little bump & grind ditty called "Take It Off The E-String, Play It On The G-String". She's surprisingly sexy and has the necessary old-style panache that makes her performance a delight. The DVD from Image is immaculate and this is a must have for Stanwyck fans. Supporting cast is excellent and the characterizations are right on the money. A fun, fun movie worth watching over and over. My favorite line (and there are many): Man to Dixie,"Did I startle you?"....Dixie to Man: "Are you kidding? I've been startled by EXPERTS." Don't miss this one. It's just pure pleasure all the way.
Rating:
Summary: SHE SINGS! SHE DANCES!
Review: Yes, Barbara Stanwyck sings and dances in her very first scene in the backstage story of burlesque performers involved in murder called LADY OF BURLESQUE. Based on Gypsy Rose Lee's silly, charming novel "The G-String Murders," the movie is a guilty pleasure for me. I have never stopped loving it since the first time I saw it. Stanwyck is, to me, one of the best actors Hollywood has ever produced: top of the line in comedy (see THE LADY EVE) and in serious drama (see DOUBLE INDEMNITY). Watch her tame Gary Cooper in BALL OF FIRE and weep along with her in STELLA DALLAS. William Wellman who also directed superb films such as WINGS, PUBLIC ENEMY AND BEAU GESTE has a fine time with the various backstage types in this grainy black and white tribute to a dead art form.There has never really been a perfect edition of the movie for public consumption. I've even seen an edition minus any credits whatsoever and usually the editing seems like it was done with a pinking shears. This DVD version is probably the best one can buy right now and there are no special features, unless you consider Stanwyck performing "Take It Off The E String--Play It On The G String" a special feature. It is. She bumps, she grinds and the camera stays chastely above her waist. There are several musical numbers and a few comic sketches that give us a taste of what burlesque must have been. The supporting cast is terrific. It includes Pinky Lee as a comic, Iris Adrian as a tough but friendly stripper and Michael O'Shea as Stanwyck's love interest. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for show business fans. If you're looking for a good murder mystery, look elsewhere.
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