Burlesque Double Feature: Naughty New Orleans / A Night At The Follies (DVD)

"Burlesque is a definitely American Institution..." Naughty New Orleans and A Night at the Follies are priceless filmed records of the mostly lost art of the burlesque show. Both feature singing, dancing, baggy pants comics...and incredibly beautiful women stripping down to pasties and a g-string. Though the girls never got completely naked, the confrontational nature of their performances was considered risque and provocative in the repressed '40s and '50s. The sexual revolution of the 1960s would soon turn these movies into a thing of the past, making them even more tantalizing (and titillating) viewing today.

NAUGHTY NEW ORLEANS (1954): This Rebel Pictures production was filmed entirely on location in the Vieux Carre (French Quarter) of New Orleans, and actually features something of a storyline (a rarity for a burlesque picture.) A young businessman does not realize his trim secretary girlfriend is secretly "Julianne, the Baby Doll of Bourbon Street" until he takes in a burlesque show at the Moulin Rouge one night. Other performers include the tassel-twirling Alouette LeBlanc and African-American tap dancers Pork Chops and Kidney Stew. In addition to their obvious charms, Naughty New Orleans provides an engrossing glimpse into the lives of the colorful characters working the Bourbon Street nightlife strip in the 1950s.

A NIGHT AT THE FOLLIES (1947): Shot at the Follies Theater in Los Angeles, California, A Night at the Follies puts the spotlight on its top-heavy star, Evelyn "Treasure Chest" West, "The Hubba-Hubba Girl!" Ms. West gained her nickname after notoriously having her large (39 1/2 inch) bustline insured for $50,000 by Lloyd's of London. Also featured is Amalia Aguilar, one of the icons of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. At the time, Amalia was considering starring in a Hollywood movie about the life of Lupe Velez, but she subsequently changed her mind and returned to Mexico, possibly due to the low-rent nature of A Night at the Follies.

• mature