Best movie of this year hands down!

That was an excellent one.

A lot of fun.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Based on Gypsy Rose Lee murder mystery novel The G-String Murders, the film's play like a B-movie in The Thin Man-like style. There someone who don't like strippers. Barbara Stanwyck plays a Gypsy Rose Lee like-character with a fellow comedian who had crush on her and both them team up on solving the case. Stanwyck, the murder victim and "The Princess" are unattractive, but the supporting and minor actresses playing the strippers are pretty. I like one dress Stanwyck wore design by the great Edith Head. Stanwyck's role may not be great maybe it's how the part was written, she's sassy and wisecracking I agree the second choice who could play the role of Dixie Daisy would be the lovely Rita Hayworth. Stanwyck has nice body and singing and dancing. Her singing in two stage act was not good. When I first saw it two years ago I didn't like it but rewatching; now I finding it entertain fun.

On paper, "Lady Of Burlesque" sounds as if it can't miss: a musical murder mystery with Barbara Stanwyck and a female-heavy cast. But it's not as good as it sounds. The first problem, mentioned in most reviews, is the censorship of the time, which for example dictates that Stanwyck's most suggestive bumps and grinds must be exiled offscreen! The soundtrack is either too chaotic or too poorly transferred to DVD, and the general production "feel" is strictly that of a B-movie, which is surprising for a star of Stanwyck's stature. At least the mystery itself is good, and Stanwyck's second dance number is pretty darn impressive for someone who rarely dabbled in the musical genre. ** out of 4.

A darn near perfect mix of comedy, musical skits, and whodunit. And who would expect screen toughie Stanwyck to blend into the format so expertly, especially with the acrobatic dancing. Looks like every brassy blonde in Hollywood got hired as a chorus girl. To say they add more than a little spark would be a genuine understatement. Then there's the oh-so-snooty Princess Nirvena (Batchelor) from Toledo, no less. That snappy banter between the girls is at least half the fun. While eyeballing them running around half-dressed is the other half, at least for guys like me. I bet this 90-minutes wasn't shown to WWII troops overseas, otherwise they'd be swimming home. And catch the energetic O'Shea as a baggy pants comic. Too bad he's been largely forgotten. It looks like the whodunit part is largely an after-thought since it's not played up in the screenplay. No sir, the movie's having too much fun with the backstage antics. One thing for sure, Stromberg Productions didn't have to pony up a bundle for sets. That's because events never leave the burlesque theatre, and never go outdoors except for a couple rooftop shots. So it's a tribute to everyone involved, especially director Wellman, that the entertainment never sags. Anyway, kudos to novelist Lee and adapter Gunn for an excellent screenplay. And a salute to the inimitable Iris Adrian (Gee Gee) whose cheap blonde never let an audience down. And, for that matter, neither does the movie.

Barbara Stanwyck managed to elevate nearly every film and television show she ever did. The earliest film I saw her in was "The Miracle Woman" from 1931. I just saw "Baby Face" and I own copies of "The Thorn Birds", "Stella Dallas" and this film. "Lady of Burlesque" is a wonderful, atmospheric depiction of an bygone era, complete with Stanwyck doing some amazing dance moves. Some people have criticized the music score as being second-rate, but that is what it SUPPOSED to be. Burlesque wasn't Ziegfeld. Men went to see the girls in various stages of undress, not hear Cole Porter or Irving Berlin. The music and the corny jokes were incidental to the "action" on stage, and it was not for nothing that Arthur Lange's musical score was nominated for an Acadamy Award. The mystery story is well-told and the atmosphere is added to by an excellent supporting cast, with Iris Adrian being a standout. After seeing this wonderfully entertaining film you will feel like you have been whisked back in time to an era long-gone.