Lady Of Burlesque

The only reason one would want to watch this routine B-grade backstage murder mystery, based on the novel 'The G-String Murders' by one-time striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, is for the presence of Barbara Stanwyck in the lead role.

Despite the film being unremarkable, Stanwyck, in a role similar to the one she gave for Howard Hawk's 1941 Ball of Fire is, as ever, commanding as one tough dame, who first appears performing the sassy Sammy Kahn and Harry Akst number, "Take It Off the E-String, Play It On the G-String" (the only memorable tune in the show, although the film was nominated for an Oscar for its score), and spends the rest of the movie batting off sexual advances from fellow performer, Biff Brannigan (Michael O'Shea), suspicions of murder from Inspector Harrigan (Charles Dingle) and generally mixing it up with the guys and gals backstage.

 

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