FORMAT: DVD
One of the premiere striptease artists of the era, Tempest Storm (who has two great nicknames: “The 4D Girl” and “The Girl with the Fabulous Front") toplines this otherwise lukewarm Burlesque film.
The first act is an unfunny comedy calypso song. Sexy blonde Mae (The A-B-C’s of Love) Blondell does a saucy little striptease before a comedy duo shows us the art of picking up women. Blonde bombshell Misty Ayers really knows how to shake her caboose during her striptease. The next sketch involves a newlywed couple getting advice on their wedding night. Brunette Rhea Walker takes the stage afterwards and does an okay, but unmemorable strip routine. Then it’s a sketch about a drunk lecturing a guy on the street about the evils of whisky. Afterwards, “The Texas Sweetheart” does a striptease, a comedienne performs a comic rhumba number, and a sketch about a trio of drunks coming home to their respective wives. Things switch over from black and white to color in the final reel as the headliner Tempest Storm takes center stage. And boy, let me tell you! It was certainly worth the wait!
Storm’s number gives the film a definite boost. She has all her assets on display and shows why she was among the best in the world. The addition of color for her routine is a nice touch too.
While this isn’t one of the best Burlesque movies I’ve watched this week, I am glad that someone had the foresight to grab a camera to capture the art form just as it was dying out (especially Storm’s number in full color). Sure, I realize the filmmakers were just trying to make a buck and weren’t exactly cultural historians. At least these acts have been preserved for the next generation of appreciators of old-timey smut like me.
Jean Carroll, who plays one of the comediennes, was also in Ron Ormond’s Burlesque movie, Varieties on Parade.
No comments:
Post a Comment