Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies Burlesque Style - Part 10 of 10

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's All Go To The Movies

Burlesque Style - Part 10 of 10

In recent years, there has been a huge upsurge of interest in burlesque, creating a whole new generation of performers which have added  sparkling new dashes of diversity and imagination to the brew.

This is the tenth post of a ten-part series where Hollywood shows us how it burlesques! 

Keeping 1987 as our cut-off point, we'll take a look at a few of the artifacts capturing the classic era of this art form. Along the way, we'll also stumble on some delicious dish - as in some first rate dirt!

So, tits up, ladies. Get your feather fans and tasseled pasties out. Let's all go to the movies and take a final trip down mammary lane.  

--- ---

Midnite Frolics

(1949)

"Burlesque on the screen!"

"Beautiful tease stars - titillating comedians."

"Burlesque beauty revue - 60 dolls."

(Another dazzling burlesque revue complete with chorus and comedians.)

(This revue was directed by W. Merle Connell and an uncredited Lillian Hunt and stars Sunny Knight, Mickey 'Ginger' Jones and Kalantan.)

Mickey 'Ginger' Jones

(Mickey 'Ginger' Jones was known on the circuit as 'The Platinum Doll', 'The Upside Down Girl', and the 'Wham-Wham Girl'.  As part of her act she always did a handstand against a wall. A regular at the Rialto Chicago, Minsky's Beachcomber in Miami Beach, the Asbury Park Savoy in New Jersey, Empire Burlesk, and the Park Theatre.)

--- ---

B-Girl Rhapsody

(1952)

"Featuring Lily, the toast of New York."

"The low down on skid row...!"

"Girls - Girls - Girls."

(Burlesque beauties performing their signature striptease acts, accompanied by comedians, testing moral boundaries.)

"They trade kisses for drinks!"

(This revue was directed by James R. Connell and Lillian Hunt and stars Crystal Starr, Lily Ayers, and Chili Pepper.)

Crystal Starr

 (Crystal Starr. aka: 'The Devil's Daughter' and 'B-Girl Rhapsody'. This girl was a true bump and grind queen. Lived in Gardena, CA and already owned her own home by age 21. Danced at the New Follies in Los Angeles.)

--- ---

Oriental Vanities

(1952)

AKA: Burlesque In Hawaii

"Exotic south sea isles."

"See gorgeous girls, gorgeous color!"

(This rather non-PC titled burlesque revue is now known as Burlesque In Hawaii.)

"Exotic international beauties..."

"The world's most beautiful girls in a land where east meets west!"

"Actually filmed in beautiful Hawaii!"

(This revue was directed by Harry Vine and stars Hermie Rose and Harry Vine.)

--- ---

Dance Hall Racket

(1953)

"Alluring youth on the auction block... embedded in the dance hall racket."

"Ten cents a dance with death, delirium, and destruction at the end of the road."

"Where a ticket is your license to destruction and death!"

(A gangster who operates a sleazy dance hall uses a sadistic bodyguard to keep his girls afraid and his customers in line. When a merchant marine seaman is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the operator of a dime-a-dance honky tonk joint and a federal agent is planted undercover to gather evidence. The agent soon learns that the dive is only a cover-up for diamond-smuggling activities, and that one of the operation's henchmen, who is handy with a switch-blade knife, is the killer. Before they can be arrested, the henchman kills his boss and is shot while trying to escape.)

"Fast and furious action, suspense, drama and the exploitation of sex."

 "Studded with sordid characters of the underworld."

(This crime drama was directed by Phil Tucker and stars Lenny Bruce - who also wrote the script - and his wife, exotic dancer Honey Harlow.)

Honey Harlow and Lenny Bruce

Honey Harlow, Lenny Bruce and Kitty Bruce

Honey Harlow

(Honey Harlow left her strict parent's home in the company of her best friend and two guys who stole cars. They made their way down to Florida where, to pay the rent, Harlow became an exotic dancer. After robbing a vending machine, the four were caught and their crime spree came to an end - Harlow got a year in prison. Once out, she resumed her career as a dancer, appearing in various clubs, one frequented by comedian Lenny Bruce. The two fell in love, married and had a child.)

--- ---

Screaming Mimi

(1958)

"Suspense around every curve!"

(An exotic dancer sees a man get shot moments after he tries to knife her in a shower, so she goes to a psychiatrist for therapy. He falls in love with her and takes over her life, although she insists on continuing her career at the El Madhouse nightclub. The club's tough owner is none other than Gypsy Rose Lee who sings the song  Put the Blame on Mame.   When people start dropping like flies, the exotic dancer becomes a suspect. It seems each victim had purchased a contorted sculpture of a woman called 'The Screaming Mimi', which was created by the girl's step-brother. It takes a handsome newspaper columnist to get to the bottom of things and find the real culprit.)

"Tension that's too much to bare!"

(Originating from the 1949 novel by Fredric Brown, this film noir directed by Gerd Oswald stars Anita Ekberg, Philip Carey and Gypsy Rose Lee.) 

(This is categorized as a "late period film noir, but rather than having the traditional pessimistic tone and hard-boiled, voice-over narrative, it is completely off-the-wall and chock-full of the suggested depravity and lurid psycho-babble.")

(In an effort to save money, the producers used a large part of the score, including the main title theme,  from Leonard Bernstein's score to 1954's  On the Waterfront.)

 

(The dog present in the film is the same dog breed which will cause Anita Ekberg to fall during the last days of  her life. The fall resulted in her breaking a hip which forced her to live the rest of her life in a wheel chair.)

"The stripper who went too far... playing live target for a psycho killer!"

Gypsy Rose Lee

Anita Ekberg and Gypsy Rose Lee

(Anita Ekberg enjoyed a long career as a model and actress. She was romantically linked to some of Hollywood's brightest stars, including: Tyrone Power, Frank Sinatra, Rod Taylor, Yul Brenner, Rod Taylor and Errol Flynn. Among her fans, she counted Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, John Wayne and Bob Hope. Billed as 'Paramount Picture's Marilyn Monroe', she achieved worldwide fame thanks to her work in Federico Fellini's 1960 classic La Dolce Vita. Ekberg's great love was Gianni Agnelli, the Italian industrialist and owner of Fiat, but he was married.)

--- ---

That's all for now, folks.

Tune in next time...

Same time, same channel!

Put The Blame On Mame - Gypsy Rose Lee

from the 1958 motion picture The Screaming Mimi