FORMAT: BLU-RAY
Buxom Beautease was directed by Teaserama’s Irving Klaw and stars some of the biggest names in Burlesque such as Blaze Starr, Tempest Storm, and Lili St. Cyr. Teaserama may be better known (mostly because Bettie Page is in it), but I liked this one just as much, if not more.
First, a couple of comedians come out and do a series of lame gags. Then, Blaze Starr takes centerstage on a set made up to look like a bedroom. She does a slinky little striptease out of a cocktail dress before straddling a chez lounge and suggestively writhing around on it. She gets so hot that steam erupts from the lounger! In a word: Cinema.
Next, Barbara Pauline enters a living room set (butt first) for a nice little number. Then, the comedians come back for a dentist sketch followed by a terrific striptease by the sultry Dorian Dennis. Eve Adams does a fun little number where she constantly has to adjust her top to avoid nip slips. Then comes Patti Paget who performs a fun fan dance. She’s followed by footage of a stripper named Evonne that was clearly taken from another source as the cinematography doesn’t match at all. A cute Marilyn lookalike named Rita Grable performs a classy number afterwards.
Starr encores with another striptease while wearing a wild looking headdress (which is the first thing that gets taken off). Trudy Wayne is next and like Evonne’s segment, it looks like it came out of a nudie loop. (Not a criticism, just an observation.) Then, Dennis returns with a striptease out of a sexy evening gown. Afterwards, the comedians come out and perform a funny math segment.
Things switch over to color for the final segments. Lili St. Cyr performs an Arabian Nights themed striptease. Next, a comedian comes out and does a bit about racehorses (this looks like it might’ve been an outtake from Varietease). Finally, Tempest Storm finishes things off with a classy little number.
Klaw reused the same score from Teaserama, but you won’t mind. Unlike that film, it’s mostly in black and white. However, the cinematography is excellent. It’s also missing the idiosyncratic presence of Bettie Page, which takes it down a notch. (Grable takes up the mantle of title card girl in her absence.) That said, Starr’s performances are mesmerizing, Dennis is enchanting, and heck even the comedians are pretty funny. All in all, it’s one of the best Burlesque movies ever made.
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