''Behind the Burly Q'' is a 2010 film documentary examining the golden age of

American burlesque American burlesque is a genre of variety show derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows. Burlesque became popular in America in the late 1860s and slowly evolved to feature ribald comedy and female nudity. By th ...

in the first half of the 20th century.

Synopsis

This documentary film about the heyday of burlesque includes interviews with exotic dancers of the time

April March April March (born Elinor Blake; April 20, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter who sings in English and French. She is known for the song "Chick Habit#English language version, Chick Habit", which was featured in the films ''But I'm a Cheerle ...

, Lorraine Lee, Taffy O’Neill,

Blaze Starr Blaze Starr (born Fannie Belle Fleming; April 10, 1932 – June 15, 2015) was an American stripper and burlesque star. Her vivacious presence and inventive use of stage props earned her the nickname "The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque". She ...

Tempest Storm Tempest Storm (born Annie Blanche Banks; February 29, 1928 – April 20, 2021), also dubbed "The Queen Of Exotic Dancers," was an American burlesque star and motion picture actress. Along with Lili St. Cyr, Sally Rand, and Blaze Starr, she was ...

, and Kitty West; Mike Iannucci, stripper Ann Corio's husband and producer of “This Was Burlesque”; journalists and authors Nat Bodian, Rachel Schteir, and Janet Davis; and actor

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war co ...

, whose father

Robert Alda Robert Alda (born Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo; February 26, 1914 – May 3, 1986) was an Italian-American theatrical and film actor, a singer, and a dancer. He was the father of actors Alan and Antony Alda. Alda was featured in a ...

was a burlesque singer and straight man.

Reception

Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 78% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 27 reviews, with an average score of 6.5/10. Emily Hourican of the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' lauded the film as "an absorbing, moving and cleverly constructed look at the tradition of American burlesque." Roger Ebert of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' was less enthusiastic, claiming the film "settles too easily for an editing formula which alternates talking heads, too cursory performance footage and montages of headlines and photographs." Ronnie Scheib of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said the film's "stories run from raunchy to touching to funny to flat-out incredible.”

Book

In 2013, Skyhorse Publishing released a companion book by Zemeckis, also called ''Behind the Burly Q''.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Behind The Burly Q 2010 films 2010s English-language films American documentary films Burlesque 2010 documentary films Documentary films about entertainers 2010s American films