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THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF BURLESQUE IN AMERICA REVEALED BY THE PERFORMERS THEMSELVES IN THE FASCINATING DOCUMENTARY, BEHIND THE BURLY Q.
Director Leslie Zemeckis Takes An Intimate Look At The Nation's Most Popular Form Of Entertainment In The First Half Of The Twentieth Century When The Documentary Debuts On DVD April 12 From First Run Features.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - First time filmmaker Leslie Zemeckis paints an “affectionate and engaging†(New York Daily News) portrait of the art of burlesque and its relevance in cultural history in the engaging documentary Behind the Burly Q, available on DVD April 12 from First Run Features. Known for being America's most popular form of live entertainment during the first half of the 20th century, the art of burlesque has experienced a new renaissance, but for years it was vilified and misunderstood, and for the most part left out of our cultural history.
Behind the Burly Q pays tribute to these performers and reveals the true story of burlesque by telling the intimate and surprising stories from its golden age through the women and men who lived it. These fascinating interviews with famous performers, musicians and authors include award-winning actor Alan Alda (The Aviator, “M*A*S*Hâ€), whose father was a straight man at burlesque performances, journalist Nat Bodian who wrote about the shows in the 1930s, Lorraine Lee who danced for the likes of Bonnie & Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd, interviews with the legendary Abbot & Costello, Tempest Storm, who still performs today and claims to have had relationships with Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy, the notorious Blaze Starr who escaped a life of poverty and rose to the heights of fame and many more who lived during the heyday of burlesque in the U.S.
“A painstakingly researched love letter to the women and men who once made up the community of burlesque performers,†(Ernest Hardy, The Village Voice), the Behind the Burly Q DVD provides even more historical insight with special features including behind-the-scenes featurettes, never-before-seen interviews, a burlesque timeline, photo gallery and more. The DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $27.95 U.S. / $29.95 Canada. Prebook is March 15. Preorder From Amazon here!
Synopsis
Burlesque was one of America's most popular forms of live entertainment in the first half of the 20th century. Gaudy, bawdy and spectacular, the shows entertained thousands of paying customers every night of the week and yet the legacy of burlesque is often misunderstood and left out of the history books. By telling the intimate and surprising stories from its golden age through the women (and men) who lived it, Behind the Burly Q reveals the true story of burlesque and its experiences as a new renaissance.
