LADY OF BURLESQUE On Blu-ray From Film Masters

 

Film Masters saves another classic film from public domain purgatory with their Blu-ray release of 1943's LADY OF BURLESQUE, a musical-mystery comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck, with direction by William Wellman. 

LADY OF BURLESQUE was based on a novel written by stage star Gypsy Rose Lee entitled THE G-STRING MURDERS. What makes the movie stand out is its Pre-Code vibe. It feels like something made in the early 1930s--so much so that I'm surprised the film got made at all. What's even more surprising is that with all its tawdry B movie antics, two major Hollywood figures such as Stanwyck and Wellman were involved with it. 

Barbara Stanwyck was at the top of her profession in the 1940s, and one would think a project like this would be beneath her, but the actress dived into it wholeheartedly. Stanwyck plays Dixie Daisy, a headliner at a burlesque show playing at a building called the Old Opera House. Among the girls and the gags are a few murders, and Dixie, along with her burlesque cohorts, must find the killer before they become either suspects or victims themselves. 

LADY OF BURLESQUE has plenty of stage acts, but it also has a working-class edge to it. The showgirls performing at the Old Opera House are not fresh-faced innocent starlets--they're hard-boiled dames earning a living, and not exactly having the best of times doing so. Despite the gorgeous women and their outlandish costumes, there's not much glitz or glamour here. The showgirls are a cynical, sarcastic lot, and the audience at the Old Opera House seems to consist of lonely, middle-aged men. 

Stanwyck's Daisy is a no-nonsense trooper who isn't afraid of anyone, but she's also beautiful and talented. Stanwyck appears to be enjoying herself immensely, strutting about in some very skimpy fashions designed by Edith Head and engaging in a wild dance routine that involves splits and a cartwheel. Stanwyck really shows off her versatility in this picture, as does director Wellman. (Consider that Wellman's other picture released in 1943 was THE OX-BOW INCIDENT, a story as far removed from LADY OF BURLESQUE as could possibly be.) 

Film Masters states that this Blu-ray features a 4K scan of original 35mm elements, and the movie now looks fantastic, with a sharp black & white image that shows off the various showgirl costumes in particular. The sound quality is much improved as well. 

The Blu-ray is region free, and comes with a slipcover (see picture above) and a 10-page booklet, which contains an article by Susan King detailing the movie's production. The disc also has an original trailer and a fine new audio commentary by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry in which she gives out plenty of relevant detail on the cast and crew. She also compares the movie's script with Gypsy Rose Lee's novel, and she discusses the censorship problems the production ran into. 

LADY OF BURLESQUE could be found anywhere back in the discount VHS days, but this Film Masters Blu-ray is miles ahead of whatever presentations the movie used to have. It's a sassy, entertaining story with a few dark elements, and it contains one of Barbara Stanwyck's most unique performances. It's nice to see that LADY OF BURLESQUE finally gets the proper home video treatment courtesy of Film Masters.