Varietease 1954
This is like the whole weirdo 1950’s in one loving Valentine for film lovers! Firstly, we get to see the lovely, leggy legend Bettie Page (the world’s first supermodel?) and her cronies (Lili St. Cyr is pretty fine too) doing exotic and bizarre striptease acts. We also have a hyperactive Emcee, some amazing comedy schtick straight out of a ’30s vaudeville show, musical numbers that have to be seen to be believed, a goofy drag queen number that seems avant-garde for the sterile mid-’50s, and some fake behind-the-scenes fluff that is priceless. A comedienne laments she’s “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” A hacky stand-up actually has the nerve to steal Henny Youngman’s trademark line: “Take my wife, please!” There’s a novelty dance act that mocks domestic violence! And don’t forget those lovely ladies! Plus, the stoned emcee tries to sing, twice! This is an omnibus of rare borscht-belt nightclub acts, a reeling, precious cultural time capsule, and one of the great party films of all time. Every time you watch it, the weirder it gets, and you wonder, this was only 50 years ago? At the picture’s start, the out-of-control emcee gushes, “We got 6 of the hottest dolls from Paris! Paris, FRANCE!!!” Later he reduces the number to 3, and then to 2! Classic camp that is out of its mind!
