Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between – Cultpix is proudly stripping away the mainstream this March with our most titillating theme month yet: Burlesque History Month! Timed to coincide with Women's History Month, we're celebrating the forgotten heroines of entertainment who turned striptease into an art form and challenged society's norms about female sexuality and expression.
We've teamed up with Something Weird Video to bring you 21 NEW TITLES that showcase the golden age of burlesque on film, plus we're highlighting 10 CLASSIC BURLESQUE TREASURES already in our Cultpix vault that deserve your attention this March!
While today's neo-burlesque scene enjoys mainstream acceptance, the original burlesque performers of the 1930s-1960s existed in a fascinating twilight zone of American entertainment. These women were entrepreneurs, choreographers, comedians, and provocateurs who controlled their own image in an era when female autonomy was severely limited.
Burlesque cinema emerged from this world as a unique fusion of documentary, variety show, and exploitation film. When live burlesque theaters faced increasing censorship and police raids in the 1940s, filmmakers began capturing these performances for posterity.
These films served multiple purposes: preserving the acts of legendary performers, providing entertainment for servicemen during WWII, and offering audiences in less metropolitan areas a glimpse of the risqué entertainment they'd heard whispered about. The films range from straightforward performance documentation to bizarre narrative frameworks designed to justify the striptease sequences within.
Something Weird sure knows burlesque.
"BURLESQUE IN HARLEM" (New from Something Weird Video) A rare and vital historical document capturing the vibrant African-American burlesque scene. While mainstream burlesque circuits remained segregated, Harlem's theaters fostered incredible Black talent. This film preserves performances that might otherwise have been lost to history, showcasing the rhythmic innovations and cultural significance of Black burlesque artists who influenced the broader entertainment world while rarely receiving proper credit.
"LADY OF BURLESQUE" (On Cultpix) Barbara Stanwyck stars in this 1943 murder mystery set in the world of burlesque. Based on the novel "The G-String Murders" by legendary burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee (who also worked as technical advisor), this film offers a Hollywood peek into the reality of burlesque life. Behind the glamour was hard work, camaraderie, and danger – all captured in this rare mainstream treatment of the burlesque world that doesn't completely sanitize its subject matter.
"TEASERAMA & VARIETEASE" (On Cultpix) The essential Tempest Storm/Bettie Page double feature! These Irving Klaw productions showcase burlesque at its peak, with fiery redhead Tempest Storm (whose 44DD breasts were famously insured for $1 million) demonstrating why she was one of the highest-paid performers in the business. Bettie Page appears in non-nude supporting roles, bringing her iconic pin-up presence to these color productions that capture the theatrical nature of classic burlesque.
"THE ART OF BURLESQUE" (New from Something Weird Video) This fascinating document positions itself as an educational exploration of burlesque as legitimate art form – a common technique to justify explicit content in the 1950s. Nevertheless, it offers a genuine window into the creativity and skill behind striptease choreography, costume design, and performance technique. Watch for the segment on "gimmick stripping" – elaborate themed acts that transformed disrobing into theatrical storytelling.
"BURLESQUE IN HAWAII" (New from Something Weird Video) Exotic locations meet exotic dancing in this cultural curiosity. Part travelogue, part burlesque showcase, this film exemplifies how burlesque frequently appropriated "exotic" cultural elements. The film juxtaposes traditional hula performances with Western burlesque interpretations, creating an unintentional document of mid-century American perspectives on sexuality and cultural exchange.
"THE EXOTIC DANCES OF BETTIE PAGE" (On Cultpix) The queen of pin-ups takes center stage in this compilation of rare stag films. Unlike most burlesque performers, Bettie Page came to the art form through modeling rather than live performance. Her natural charisma and uninhibited approach made her film performances uniquely appealing, despite having no formal training in striptease. This collection demonstrates why Page remains an enduring icon of sexual liberation.
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More burlesque performers than you can shake and shimmy and twirl your tassels at!
So grab your feather boas and cocktails, Cultpix maniacs! It's time to celebrate the women who shimmed, shook and shocked their way through entertainment history. These aren't just titillating time capsules – they're documents of feminine power, artistic expression, and cultural rebellion wrapped in g-strings and pasties.
Remember: it's not exploitation if they're calling the shots! Stream the entire collection this March, exclusively on Cultpix.
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