Tonight's Movie: Lady of Burlesque (1943) - A Film Masters Blu-ray Review

The comedic murder mystery LADY OF BURLESQUE (1943), originally released by United Artists, has just been released in a very fine Blu-ray print by Film Masters.

This was my first viewing of the movie, so I haven't seen previous prints, but, especially for a film which has been in the public domain for years, it's hard to imagine it looking and sounding better. The print is from a new 4K scan from "original 35mm archival elements."

LADY OF BURLESQUE was based on a novel by Gypsy Rose Lee. Barbara Stanwyck plays "burlesque artist" Dixie Daisy (real name: Deborah Hoople), star of a popular burlesque review in an old opera house.

Along with headlining, Dixie juggles a tentative romance with comic Biff Brannigan (Michael O'Shea, in his film debut), as well as friendships and rivalries among her female colleagues.

The theater is rocked by multiple murders, and while the cast size each other up warily, Inspector Harrigan (Charles Dingle) is on the case.

The wordy, witty screenplay by James Gunn and the peppy direction of this 91-minute film by William A. Wellman are both a blessing and a problem: There's always something going on and someone saying something, but it's easy to get a bit lost in the mystery.

There's a considerable amount of dialogue and a fair amount of similar-looking blondes in the cast, which can make it a bit of a challenge keeping things straight at times. Janis Carter, later a fascinating if minor noir star, is a visual standout but her role is relatively limited.

Stanwyck and O'Shea have a nice camaraderie, and Stanwyck also does some impressive dance moves. I watched carefully to see if she was being doubled but it appears she did a cartwheel and a few other tricky moves herself.

I've very much enjoyed O'Shea in supporting roles in later films such as MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY (1947), SMART WOMAN (1948), and THE MODEL AND THE MARRIAGE BROKER (1951), so it was a pleasure to see him as a leading man at the start of his film career. O'Shea married Virginia Mayo in 1947, a marriage which lasted until his passing in 1973.

LADY OF BURLESQUE was filmed in black and white by Robert De Grasse. The score includes a couple of tunes by Sammy Cahn and Harry Akst.

One of the film's additional plus factors is its creative set design; for instance, characters exit through dressing room windows to walk across a roof and go into a restaurant kitchen. There's also a ventilation pipe which allows the male and female cast members to shout at one another from their separate dressing rooms.

The supporting cast includes Pinky Lee, Iris Adrian, Stephanie Bachelor, J. Edward Bromberg, Gloria Dickson, Marion Martin, Victoria Faust, Gerald Mohr, Frank Fenton, and George Chandler.

This Limited Edition release from Film Masters comes with a cardboard slipcover and a glossy booklet containing an essay on the film by Susan King, formerly of the Los Angeles Times. There's a commentary track by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry; I noted that captions were listed on the disc menu not only for the film but for the commentary track.

LADY OF BURLESQUE is a fun movie with a distinctive tone and environment, and it's presented at its best in this Film Masters release. Recommended.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Film Masters for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. It may be purchased via Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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