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This feature documentary focuses on the life stories of a remarkable group of women who had prominent careers as Burlesque Queens over 50 years ago, interwoven with the personal story of writer/director/producer Liz Goldwyn, who gets to know each woman in hopes of telling and preserving their stories while exploring her own fascination with the disappearing art of burlesque.
The film traces the development and demise of burlesque in America through both firsthand accounts and archival footage. Alhough Goldwyn's subjects have mostly faded from public recollection, they were once headlining across the country, racking up column inches, "stage-door johnnies" - and sometimes police rap sheets.
Pretty Things resurrects the glory days of these women through long-hidden private archives of film clips, photographs, costume sketches, and exclusive interviews with a supporting cast of burlesque costume designers and comedians. Most of the women Goldwyn meet are now in their 70s or 80s, and almost all are eager to share their memories - and clothes - with Goldwyn, who is seen rehearsing and performing her own burlesque routines, including a grand finale set to the tune "Hey Big Spender," which Liz sings (along with two other tunes, "Fever" and "I Wanna Be Loved By You"). These routines are shot in evocative black-and-white by the film's principle cinematographer, renowned documentarian Albert Maysles.
Among the Queens (and their loyal subjects) that we meet:
Betty Rowland - One of burlesque's biggest stars, Rowland earned the moniker "Ball of Fire," for her flaming red hair and her bump-and-grind routine. She once sued Liz's grandfather, Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn, for using Ball of Fire as a title for a Howard Hawks' picture starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper (the lawsuit was dropped for lack of evidence). And it is revealed that renowned costume designer Edith Head used one of Betty's gowns as "inspiration" for Stanwyck's nightclub-singer attire in the film.
Zorita - Outspoken and outrageous, Zorita was known for snake routines and other avant-garde routines (including a half-man/half-woman number) as well as her preference for female companionship. Poolside at her home, Zorita teaches Liz a version of the "fan dance" using Sally Rand's ostrich-feather fans, a gift to Zorita from the legendary dancer of the 1920s. Zorita died in November 2001, shortly after being interviewed by Goldwyn for this film.
Sherry Britton - Among the most stunning of yesteryear's burlesque stars, with jet-black hair and an hourglass figure to die for, Britton is remembered by Zorita as "without a doubt the sexiest broad that I ever met in my life... You take Sherry Britton, honey, and you can ride along in a taxi with her and she'll pop your cookie." In her heyday, Britton had her share of rich admirers. She's now a wealthy widow with a law degree, and lives in New York with her poodle, "Miss Rich Bitch."
Lois de Fee - Standing tall at 6'4", de Fee was known as "Queen of the Glamazons." She started out as a bouncer at Leon and Eddies on 52nd Street before becoming a headlining burlesque star known for her elegant "Ziegfeld type" strip. De Fee also counts J. J. Astor among her suitors, claiming he used to regularly send her ten $100 bills after a show.
Gussie Gross - One of the most successful designers of burlesque costumes, Gross started her career by creating costumes for her daughter's dance class. Her first husband, an LA vice-squad cop, convinced her to make "pasties" and g-strings for girls who kept getting busted for performing without covering up their privates. As she admits in the film, her talents concealing the nipple helped buy her a home.
Dixie Evans - Dubbed "The Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque" by burlesque pioneer Harold Minsky, Evans parlayed her look-alike "gimmick" into a career as one of the world's best-known burlesque stars. She's now proprietor of Exotic World, the only museum in the world dedicated solely to burlesque.
CREDITS: Written and Directed by Liz Goldwyn; Principal Cinematographer: Albert Maysles; Editors: Kate Amend, A.C.E. and Anne Trulove; Music by Sam Spiegel; Additional Score by Felipe Riveros; Music Supervisors: Dawn Soler and Elissa Marshall; Choreographer: Jennifer Nairn-Smith; Executive Producer: Bryan Bantry; Co-Producers: Jennifer Augustyn and Alexis Fish; Producers: Liz Goldwyn and Josh Cramer. For HBO/Cinemax Documentary Films: Supervising Producer: Jacqueline Glover; Senior Producer: Lisa Heller; Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins.
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