The world of burlesque is not like the world of strip clubs. There is no accurate association between the two. There isn’t even any truly exposed flesh that could be considered nudity in these burlesque dancing routines, and they are mixed in with other forms of entertainment. There are skits and comedy routines, and there are songs and dances, complete with showgirls. When the striptease actually does begin, it always ends before there is any real nudity to be seen. These are bits of entertainment history, more titillating that pornographic.
This two-disc collection includes six feature-length films of popular burlesque shows. All six were made from 1949 to 1953, so there was a great deal of censorship which prevented any flesh from being shown. The back of this package refers to it as “Burlesque-style nudity,” but the late 1940s and early 1950s were still ruled by the Hays code, which did not allow much to truly be shown. This makes the comedy and the dance routines all the more relevant in this collection. Some of the greatest comedians got there start in burlesque shows, and these films help to show why.
The three films included on the first disc are Midnight Frolics (1949), Everybody’s Girl (1950) and French Follies (1951). The second disc includes “B” Girl Rhapsody (1952), The A-B-C’s of Love (1953) and A Night in Hollywood (1953).
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