Lady of Burlesque │ Film Masters
Courtesy of Film Masters
by CHAD KENNERK
William Wellman’s Lady of Burlesque (1943) may be a comparatively modest Barbara Stanwyck vehicle, but Stanwyck herself is every bit as vibrant here as she was in The Lady Eve. Sandwiched between two Oscar-nominated turns (the wonderful Ball of Fire in 1941 and the landmark noir Double Indemnity in 1944), Lady of Burlesque captures the height of Stanwyck’s charisma. Adapted with a little Production Code purification from Gypsy Rose Lee’s 1941 novel The G-String Murders, the film blends backstage musical and screwball comedy with a whodunit, resulting in a brisk 90 minutes about the bump and grind charm of burlesque.
Set in a once-prestigious Broadway theatre now home to S.B. Foss’ troupe of dames, the story centers on Dixie Daisy (Stanwyck), a whip-smart, self-assured headliner whose singing, dancing, and deadpan resilience have made her the troupe’s biggest draw and have also drawn backstage ire. Her wary but playful rapport with resident comic Biff Brannigan (Michael O’Shea, in an appealing film debut) provides the loose romantic thread among the perpetual hustle of bustles. Beyond the feathers and rhinestones, things take a darker turn when a series of strangulations rock the company and cast suspicion on everyone, Dixie included.
Surprisingly pulpy, Wellman manages to retain the spirit of Lee’s novel, steering the blend of comedy and murder mystery with a sure hand. Musical interludes like the cheeky “Take It Off the E String, Play It on the G String” (written by Sammy Cahn and Harry Akst) give Stanwyck the opportunity to do her own singing and showcase some remarkable dancing. It’s a shame that Stanwyck didn’t have a chance to do more of it on screen. This was also director William Wellman’s only real foray into musical territory. Wellman produced some of cinema’s finest efforts over his career, including The Public Enemy, the 1937 non-musical A Star Is Born, Nothing Sacred with Carole Lombard, and the anti-lynching western The Ox-Bow Incident. In 1927, his film Wings won the first Best Picture Oscar.
Born Rose Louise Hovick, Gypsy Rose Lee first stepped onto the burlesque stage in 1929, and within two years she was already a Broadway headliner. She would go on to perform in the Ziegfeld Follies, eventually appearing in films herself. Her autobiography, Gypsy, was infamously turned into the ‘perfect book’ musical, which starred Ethel Merman as Mama Rose, a role Rosalind Russell took on for the film version, alongside Natalie Wood as Gypsy. According to a 1941 news item in The Hollywood Reporter, producer David O. Selznick took out an option on Gypsy Rose Lee's G-String Murders and was planning to test Lee for the starring role. The option was later picked up by United Artists for a $25,000 asking price. Released in the UK as Striptease Lady, Variety reported that the film made over $2 million, which means it earned a hefty profit as well. Composer Arthur Lange went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Music Score of a Drama or Comedy Picture.
Film Masters’ new Blu-ray restoration rescues another title from public-domain obscurity. Lady of Burlesque has her day with all the care and attention she deserves. Sourced from a 4K scan of surviving 35mm archival materials, the 1080p image is generally sharp, with some inevitable variability tied to the condition of the existing film elements. The restoration brings the Old Opera House alive in a way no prior release has managed. The DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track is likewise impressive for a 1943 independent picture, with all the pops and crackles that plagued older editions now gone. It’s a remarkably attractive restoration that allows Wellman’s backstage atmosphere, Stanwyck’s agile physical performance, and Gypsy Rose Lee’s pulpy mystery to sparkle. Film Masters rounds out the package with a thoughtful slate of extras. Karen Burroughs Hannsberry contributes an informative commentary track, and a booklet with liner notes by Susan King provides welcome background reading.
Lady of Burlesque is available on Blu-ray 9 December from Film Masters.
Order now at: https://www.filmmasters.com/limited-edition
FILM MASTERS is a consortium of historians and enthusiasts who seek to celebrate the preservation and restoration of films. As archivists, Film Masters is committed to storing film elements for future generations and reviving films that have been sitting dormant for decades. By scanning in 2K and 4K, they give these lesser-known films the red-carpet treatment they deserve. Leveraging modern means of distribution to release forgotten films back into the world, Film Masters also produces original bonus materials—including feature-length documentaries, audio commentaries and historic articles—to contextualise and celebrate these works of art as they were meant to be.
