Lady of Burlesque

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Lady of Burlesque

1943,

1h 31m,

Mystery & Thriller/

Romance/

Music/

Comedy

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Watchlist

75%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Burlesque dancer Dixie Daisy is the prime suspect when rival dancers are found strangled with their own stage costumes. Aided by infatuated stand-up comic Biff Brannigan, Dixie must find the killer before she becomes his next victim.

Thomas M. Pryor

New York Times

Aug 8, 2006

2/5

Nothing more than a mystery melodrama with a backstage setting. Not a good mystery exercise either.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Feb 9, 2006

Although a stream of hard-boiled wisecracks keeps things amusing, the plot gets tied up in the usual dreary whodunit business of providing motives for all and sundry.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jan 1, 2000

It isn't without some zip, though you have to wonder why the producers bothered when the censors demanded that the dancers be shown only from the neck up.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 21, 2026

3/4

Quite entertaining.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

May 31, 2025

3.5/4

[The film] has a touch of novelty and sex thanks to Gypsy Rose Lee’s story and Stanwyck’s evident comfort in the milieu. Lady of Burlesque may not break any molds but operates inside them with a blithe energy.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Aug 19, 2023

"[Director William] Wellman struggles against the censors and mostly wins, creating a genuinely tawdry world of showbiz sleaziness and dropping saucy suggestions throughout the backstage drama.

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Poe W

Oct 18, 2018

Lady of Burlesque is an okay film. It is about the murder of a burlesque dancer and the other performers trying to find her killer. Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea gave decent performances. The screenplay is a little in places. William A. Wellman did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the humor and mystery.

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Luke R

Jul 8, 2018

I saw 'Lady of Burlesque' in black-and-white on TCM and it made it look a lot older than its 1943 filming date. Putting that aside, 'Lady' was a decent backstage romp through vaudeville then turned murder caper with a surprisingly well rounded cast supporting Stanwyck as g-string girl Dixie. Packs a lot in for just over 90 minutes, and , while it does drag at times, still well worth catching.

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Abraham P

Sep 7, 2017

Have they colorized it? Ugh. Don't watch colorized movies, people.

Ron S

Aug 22, 2017

Actually wish I had not seen this. Pretty lousy film..and I am a huge Stanwyck fan. Terrible script and acting all around. By the end I didnt care who was murdered or why.

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William A. Wellman

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Deborah Hoople

Michael O'Shea

Biff Brannigan

J. Edward Bromberg

S.B. Foss

Iris Adrian

Gee Gee Graham

Pinky Lee

Mandy

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Synopsis

Burlesque dancer Dixie Daisy is the prime suspect when rival dancers are found strangled with their own stage costumes. Aided by infatuated stand-up comic Biff Brannigan, Dixie must find the killer before she becomes his next victim.

Director: William A. Wellman
Producer: Hunt Stromberg
Screenwriter: James Gunn
Production Co: Hunt Stromberg Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Romance, Music, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 1, 1943, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2016
Runtime: 1h 31m

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